Basket Ceremony

Since the boys' school is just for the Ross University faculty, staff, and student's children there is a high rate of turnover with the students that are there. Kids are always coming and going. It is tough when they get to be good friends and then someone leaves. Each semester they have a special basket ceremony to give a chance for the kids' classmates to tell them bye. Each child that is leaving gets a special handwoven basket in which special notes are written by their classmates. The kids also get to do some skits and performances that they have worked on. Since we are leaving early next semester, the boys got their baskets and were honored at this basket ceremony.

Ethan with his classmates: Braxton, Orion, and Gavin

Ethan's class song about energy

Levi with his basket and notes from his friends

Sam's class party

Easter

Our Easter holiday was very laid back this year. The Easter bunny had a hard time finding any of the traditional Easter candies and treats. I did find a few little treats at one of the local stores, they even had Peeps. The boys woke up to an Easter egg hunt and a scavenger hunt which took place around the apartment. It has been a tradition to have a scavenger hunt on Easter and it was fun that we could still do it in Dominica. At the end of the hunt they got a few treats and small toys. The boys had a ton of fun finding the eggs and since our apartment is tiny it didn't take long to find all the eggs. We had general conference this Sunday so we just stayed home all day. We were really missing family this day and thinking of them as they were celebrating together at home. We did call and speak to some of the family. The next day at school they had an awesome Easter celebration. A club on campus organized and Easter egg hunt on the playground and they also had face painting for the kids. Levi loved being a tiger and kept growling throughout the day. They loved their little treats and had a really fun Easter.

Levi the "Tiger"

Sam's class

Ethan with a bolt of lightning

Sam the "batman"

Collegium Aesculapium

Collegium Aesculapium is SGA (Student Government Association) club that Tyler belongs to. It is also know as the "mormon boy" club as Tyler calls it. They hold numerous fundraiser throughout the year. The money that they earn is spent to help run health clinics in the community and also help local church members with basic needs like fixing their homes, buying shoes for kids, and even as basic as food. There is great need in this area. I know Tyler wishes that he can do, but with limited time and money there is only so much that he and the others can do. I am glad that he has participated in this club and seeing the patients that come to the clinic is very rewarding. The students are using their newly learned skills to help those in need and they truly do appreciate it.

Kenyn Koop

Taylor Wade

Bailey Bundy and David Bell

Ben Torgerson

Kong Davis

Miscellaneous

This year at school Ethan has had an assignment to come up with a science fair project by forming a hypothesis, coming up with an experiment and testing it. Tyler and Ethan wanted to test the lemon idea and see if they could make a lemon battery. Ethan has been soooo excited getting his project ready and he has learned so much about this topic. He has a lot of ideas that involve science and inventing things. I love to see his excitement and hear about his ideas. He will truly do great things.

Ethan's lemon battery

There are a lot of creepy, crawly bugs here in Dominica, namely millipedes, centipedes ants, mosquitoes, and lots more I don't even know their names. Most of them give me the creeps and I would like them to go away. There are a few little critters that aren't so bad though. We have a few lizards that really like our house. I think a couple of them consider our house their home. They don't bother me because I know they like to eat bugs, which we can use all the help we can get. The catepillars are another bug that I don't mind that much. They are very colorful, and they seem to like the plumeria trees. Sometimes the branches are full of them.

Being from Idaho we really haven't see it rain like it rains in Dominica. And especially since we walk everywhere we have had to learn to adapt to the downpours that come our way. Carrying an umbrella with you at all times is a very good idea. The little boys get a dry ride to school with the rain cover on their stroller and the umbrella holder attached to the stroller has been a lifesaver.  Of course there are times when we don't have an umbrella and I have been drenched. At least the rain does feel good, and you never feel cold from it. So much rain!!!

One of the favorite activities for the boys to do in the evening is watch movies. It gets dark around 5:30-6:30 depending on the time of year and we don't really leave the house much after dark. So we bring a padded mattress cover out in the living room and they each have their pillow and special blanket that Nona Starr made for them. If they are really lucky we will have popcorn too. Love my munkins!

When someone leaves we like to have a little get together for them. This day we were sending Kate off and back to the states. She has twin boys and just found out that she is pregnant with another boy after being told that it would be girl. We wanted to celebrate boy power by all wearing blue for her farewell breakfast. This is a lovely group of ladies, and I think that we all look pretty good in blue.

Art Exhibit

The boys have some awesome classes at school, one of which is Art class. They have a wonderful teacher Miss Kate. The kids were so excited to show off some of their finest artwork. They had an art exhibit set up at their school where all of the work was displayed. I am so proud of their creative talents and it was great seeing their enthusiasm for their work.

Sam in his Easter bunny mask

Ethan's dragon

Levi chilling by his house he got to help paint

Sam's old man picture

Sam's blueprint

Sam's classroom door filled with Easter bunnies

Ethan next to his artwork

Sam's class's artwork

Ethan's classroom door with colorful butterflies

Banquet

Every semester the RSO does a farewell banquet for the guys and gals that are leaving the island. This semester the theme was all about "Pirates of the Caribbean". The gals that planned it did a great job. We had the banquet at a cute little restaurant on the river called Mangoes. It was a fun evening spent visiting, taking group pictures, saying farewell to those that are leaving soon and enjoying dinner and dessert. I have gotten so close to these gals, they really do make this intense experience of supporting a med student while learning to live in a foreign country so wonderful and I have made lifelong friends here.

Kids' Fest

This semester I decided to run for a position on the board for RSO. I ran for Kids' Fest coordinator along with my good friend JoEll. We both worked really hard to make Kids' Fest this semester really fun. We lucked out and the day was beautiful. We were getting kind of worried because it had been raining a lot leading up to the day. We had lots of games for the kids to play like a cake walk, sack races, a bounce house, slip n slide, a bubble machine, sidewalk chalk, a photo booth, and and area where they could help make thank you notes for the food vendors that sponsored our lunch. We had a great turn out, the kids played their little hearts out. Since it was the Saturday before St. Patrick's day we decided to make that our theme. During aftercare the kids helped make an awesome rainbow that went to a pot of gold for the the photo booth prop. It was a big job, one I'm glad is now over, but is was well worth it seeing the kids have so much fun.

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