Paradise Found

If the island of Grenada isn't paradise, then I'm not sure what is.  So far, Josh and I have been living here for four days and I am loving every glorious sun-filled second of it.  Maybe these feelings will wear off in a few weeks or months, maybe not.  I can't imagine looking at this and EVER getting tired of it.


Grand Anse Beach

 I suppose the other students and SOs that have been here for 6 months, a year, or more might beg to differ with me.  Yes, the native Grenadians drive like drunken maniacs (maybe because some of them are in fact, drunk).  Yes, the cost of food, electricity, housing, and everything else is insanely high, especially for a medical student on loans.  Yes, it's really hot and ridiculously humid.  And yes, there are mosquitos, centipedes, spiders, and cockroaches the size of golf balls.  But even with all that being said, I am in love with Grenada. 

We are living in Lance Aux Epines, in an apartment which I have decided was a great choice.  It's a little costly, but it's clean and well furnished, and most importantly, I feel safe.

When I asked the landlord (whom is AMAZING by the way), what our address was he said "It's the cream building right off Lance Aux Epines Road.  Right next to the Red Crab Restaurant."  Apparently, This. Is. Grenada. (TIG for short). 

Lance Aux Epines beach is just a short five minute walk from our apartment.  Josh and I walked over to the beach yesterday.  Please excuse the ridiculous sunglasses tan.  After only a few days in the sun, I already look like a raccoon.

Lance Aux Epines Beach

We also took the bus to St. George's University to see where Josh will be spending the majority of HIS time this next year.

And then today, I figured out where I will be spending the majority of MY time. 

And can I just say, that the women that I have met in this last year, the people that I refer to as SO's, are some of the most helpful and caring friends that I have ever had.  These people, whom I've known for less than a year, have made our transition to Grenada so easy.  They picked us up from the airport late at night, brought us water, cereal, and milk to get us through the next morning and have been doing everything in their power to help us get acclimated to Grenada Life as quickly as possible.  I really don't know what I would do without these girls.  I feel so blessed to have all of them in my life.

 *** Though I still miss my Julie. :)

To sum up, I'm really excited about this new adventure in Grenada and I hope that my feelings toward this beautiful country don't change because as of now, I really like my new home.

Grenada Or Bust

We've now been in Grenada for over 48 hours and though I have lots of things I could blog about involving our first few days here, I think I need to cover the fabulous send off party we had before we left Bakersfield.  Our friends Julie and Kevin that we met in Newcastle live only about an hour away from our home town and so they decided to come for a night before we left for Grenada.  It was so great to see them again since we won't meet up again until January 2012. 

We took them to one of Bakersfield's best steak houses, Tahoe Joes, and then for a night out on the town at the Padre Hotel.  It was fun to take them to some of our favorite spots.  We are already missing them in Grenada.

Kevin, Julie, Me, Josh at the Padre

The next day, we headed to my Gramma's house for swimming, croquet, and a bbq.  My Mom had decorated the place in fabulous Grenadian fashion.

The croquet games were very intense.

Butt Buddies for life??

Josh may or may not have been taking this a little to seriously.

We are sooooo glad that Kevin and Julie came up to Bakersfield for a night.  And we are so thankful for our family who is so supportive of all of our adventures.  We love you all very much and appreciate all that you do!

GRENADA OR BUST!

Leaving...On A Jet Plane

The time is now upon us. 
We are heading to LAX so that we can fly to our new home in less than two hours.
Josh and I will miss our family while we are gone, but we are ready for new adventures. 
Grenada here we come.
I hope you are ready for the Scurlock's.

LBC

I'm sorry I've been a little negligent in my blogging as of late.  Considering Joshua and I have had nothing to do while we are home, we sure have been finding LOTS of things to do!  Every day seems busy and filled with errands, lunches with friends, or visiting family.  And now, we only have one week left before we head off on our next big adventure to the island of Grenada.  This month has flown by.  So I guess I'll have to catch you up on what's been going on around here.

A couple of weekends ago, we took a trip down to Long Beach to visit all of my friends from college.  Josh and I also had an extreme urge to dine at our favorite italian restaurant in the world, Roman Cucina in Sunset Beach.  We called up a bunch of our friends very last minute and told them that we would be in town for a night.  And surprisingly, many of them were able to meet us for dinner.  It was so great to see so many of our closest friends and we appreciated the effort that each and every one of them made to be with us that night.  The food, as always, was amazing and the company and converstation was simply great.  I only wish that we could spend nights out with these people a little more frequently.  Unfortunately, our current "medical school, romp around the world" lifestyle won't permit that at the moment, but we are lucky that when we are in town, our friends come runnin'.



BFF's since high school: Katie, Me, Tristen, & Liz



Can't imagine my life without this girl!

The Whole Gang!

The next morning, Josh, Katie, Tristen, Liz, and I went to Schooner or Later.  It's a breakfast/lunch place on the Long Beach Marina.  If you are ever in Long Beach, CA and looking for some of the best breakfast food around, Schooner is the place to be.  Plus, it's in just about the most beautiful setting imaginable, especially when the sun is shining.

I'm so glad that Josh and I were able to make the trip to see our friends in the LBC.  I really love that city and sometimes, I can't believe that I lived there for four years.  It seems like a lifetime ago that I was there, but it's nice to know that it's only a couple hour drive away, and that everytime we do make it there, we make more and more great memories.  

Our Tans Will Fade, But Our Memories Will Last Forever

As with everything in life, all good things must come to an end.  And our time in Ibiza was no exception.  It will be remembered long after our bags have been unpacked, the chlorine has been washed from our bathing suits, and our tans have faded (or in Kevin's case, the sunburn has peeled).  The four days spent by the Mediterranean Sea will be reminisced about through pictures (and blogposts) for years and years to come. 

We spent the early part of our last day taking a trip into Old Town Ibiza where the port is.  We admired the boats and expensive yachts and explored the streets and shops, buying a few souveniers along the way.  We were all glad that we took the time to head into town as it really was breathtakingly beautiful.

Port of Ibiza

Streets of Old Town Ibiza

When we arrived back at the resort, Josh and Kevin decided to sign up for a waterpolo match.  I'm not sure if either of them has ever played before, but it was entertaining to watch them swim around in swim caps after a tiny yellow ball.  Julie and I laughed and enjoyed it from the comfort of our lounge chairs.

His new calling in life??

After the four of us had had our fill of the sun for the day, we rinsed off in our salt water showers (Yes, the shower water as well as the faucet water were salty.  Try brushing your teeth with salt water.  Minty freshness and salt combined = yuck!).  Then we headed down for dinner and a little pool playing.

Julie and I

And as the sun was setting over the Spanish Island, we took a few last shots for the photo albums.

Julie and Kevin

 It was after this that we parted ways with Julie and Kevin.  They won't be heading to Grenada until January 2012.  We can't wait to meet up with them again next year.  They will definitely be missed this next term, but we are all glad that we got to spend a little extra time with them in Ibiza.  It was the cherry on top of a great semester. 

Josh and I headed to the airport early the next morning and as our plane took off and I snapped photos from my window seat, I couldn't help but be excited about the fact that in a few short weeks, I will be snapping similar photos as we arrive in Grenada for year 2 of medical school.

Soakin' up the Sun

Luckily for us, day two in Ibiza, Spain was much less eventful than day number one.  We spent almost the entire day by the pool and the beach with a little bit of soccer, minature golf, aqua aerobics, and ping pong thrown in to keep things interesting.  I think for this post, I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. :)

Kickin' it poolside

Resort Games



Best Friends Forever!





Me and My Man