Our St. Maarten apartment

Finding an apartment was one of the most stressful things about our move to St. Maarten. It's hard finding a place you think will fit your family in a place you've never been to or seen. My factors in finding a place were

1. Budget- duh
2. Location to the school- I originally was looking outside of Cupecoy because you get more for your money, but then you have to look at it with the perspective that we wouldn't have a car so we need easy access to the school. Then I was dead set on living in Cupecoy.
3. Size- something big enough for our family of 4. 

It was stressful because I was dealing with realtors through email only and there is a time zone difference. Sometimes I would get impatient because "island time" is a real thing. Also, I learned that prices are negotiable..at least in the encounters I would have. So the going back and forth with rent price/what's included was annoying to me because you have to move fast..places fill up really quickly especially the closer you get to the semester starting.

After negotiations we put down a (large) deposit on a townhome in Arbor Estates. It's 2 bedroom, 3 bath and more than enough space for our family and about a 4 minute walk to AUC. As I've said before the not having central air was quite a shock, but we are getting used to it. I appreciate our equipped kitchen and the view of the lagoon in the backyard. Also, it's gated 24/7 and there are always landscapers working around the property to make it look nice. There are 2 of Jordan's instructors that live next door who are very friendly and address us by first name which is nice. Overall, I'm content with our place for the time being. It will do.

Living Room

Our bedroom- brought our travel size pack n play for Ian

The Boys' bedroom- a slight nautical theme. I had pillowcases made out of anchor fabric before we came and a nautical pennant banner. Brought their quilt and of course Mickey!

Downstairs bathroom- aka the "beach bathroom" where we immediately shower after the beach

kitchen

Dining Area

3 weeks in..

We've lived in St. Maarten for 3 weeks as of today! Here are some of my thoughts so far:

• We are learning to live without air conditioning. When we first moved into the townhome I immediately noticed there wasn't central air. I freaked. Apparently when the listing said the place had "air conditioning" it didn't necessarily mean throughout the whole house. We do have window units in the upstairs bedrooms that work quite well. During the day we open up the sliding glass door and run 2 ceiling fans and it's fine because we get the tradewinds. At night we set a timer on the air for 2 hours then let the ceiling fans circulate all night. I'm anxious to get our first utility bill.
• I do a load (or 2) of laundry everyday..everyday! Jordan has 4 pairs of scrubs he rotates out so I might as well stay on top of it.
• I cook everyday..everyday! Who am I?! I fix Bradley and myself breakfast in the mornings, then have lunch ready for Jordan on his lunch break and then dinner every night. We've lived here 21 days and we've only eaten out 4 times. Again..who am I?!
• The 1st week I had some behavioral issues with Brad. Not listening..talking back..there were some tearful days if I'm being honest. We're back to doing a daily sticker chart with rewards and it seems to be doing the trick. I think the move/transition has been the hardest on him.
• I found a pre-school for Bradley to go to on Tuesdays and Thursdays that is literally right next door. He's loving it! 
• Ian is just smooth sailing along on the ride. He is a pretty "easy" baby and fits perfectly in the fam. I cannot believe he will be 3 months old next week!
• We need a car. Like, ASAP. So far we've rented a car twice and it's been great, but I feel very isolated without one. There's only so far I can go walking distance and it's not the easiest with 2 children. Hopefully we can find a 5th semester student selling theirs for cheap at the end of the semester.
• I get lonely. All visitors are welcome.

So far I've been enjoying myself here. It's beautiful. Time feels like it goes a little slower here. They don't call it "the friendly island" for nothing..everyone is very nice and welcoming. I haven't encountered a rude, hateful person yet. 

Sunday Funday at Le Galion beach

We've decided to try to take one day (or at least half day) of the weekend as a "family day"..just to enjoy island living and for our sanity :) It won't happen every weekend, depending on Jordan's schedule. This week is block exam week, so we decided to get out and about on the French side of the island before Jordan got too bogged down this weekend studying. 
Le Galion Beach was recommended by quite a bit of the other spouses so we rented a car for the day ($30) and drove to the French side.

It was an awesome recommendation, because the water felt more like a pool! Super calm, soft sand..beautiful! Even Bradley felt comfortable going out in the water with just his floatie. It seemed like a very kid-friendly beach too. There were a few naked people, but nothing too terrible. After swimming, I lounged under an umbrella ($5 daily rental) while Ian slept and Jordan and Bradley built a sand castle. 

Afterwards we stopped to eat at a cute little restaurant called Rancho Del Sol in Orient Bay and were able to sit outside and eat dinner with a view! Jordan ordered fish, I ate flank steak and Bradley played it safe with a cheese pizza :) Service was great..the owner even came over and took a shot of banana vanilla rum with Jordan. 

By the end of dinner I was developing a massive headache..I think from squinting at the beach all day. We made a quick stop at Sarafinas in Marigot and caught them just in time as they were closing. I wanted some chocolate macaroons, but unfortunately they were sold out :( Fortunately since they were closing for the day everything was half price so they loaded us up with a bag of pastries for $15 (like we really needed all of them!) but they are delicious so well worth it. 

Driving home, crossing the French border, the roads are very twisty and winding. My headache began to increase to where I was nausea. It was terrible; I had never felt like that before!! We got home and I took ibuprofen and all was right in the world again.

I've conned Jordan into taking a weekly family photo every week of the year. I say conned because both him and Bradley hate taking photos!! They act like it's torture to take a picture, but this is important to me so they'll have to get over it once a week!

 Follow along on instagram under the hashtag #marshallsweekly

Jordan's White Coat Ceremony

I knew that coming to St. Maarten with a 3 year old and a 2mos old as essentially a "single mom" while Jordan was in school that there would be challenging days ahead of me. I just wasn't anticipating one of the "rough days" to be on Jordan's Big Day...aka The White Coat Ceremony.

We got to the school in time for pictures beforehand. Everyone looked so nice! I had brought Ian in the carrier and Bradley in the stroller. We got to the auditorium for the ceremony and I chose a seat towards the back to accommodate the stroller. Everything was going fine for the 1st hour of the ceremony, then 6pm hit and I knew Ian was going to need to nurse and Bradley was anxious for dinner. I packed snacks for him, but that wasn't good enough. I was able to feed Ian and he drifted back asleep in his carrier, but Bradley could not sit still. At one point he was misbehaving that people were looking at me with glares. I had sweat literally dripping from me in embarrassment. I took him out into the hallway and ended up missing a good portion of the ceremony. Luckily I was able to get back to get one photo of Jordan receiving his white coat.

 Afterwards there was some miscommunication between me and Jordan. I was standing with the kids waiting for him, but he had already been shuttled over to the reception area with his classmates. I couldn't get ahold of him because our cell phone coverage is not the greatest. I also realized Jordan still had our keys. The kids were hungry, hot and tired..and I am wearing heels. Ouch. Finally we were able to get on a shuttle to meet up with Jordan, but by that time I couldn't wait to get home and call it a night. Bad day for me, but the big picture is how proud I am of my husband! I know he is going to be an excellent physician. I'm proud of all his hard work he's put in to make his dream a reality. He is officially a student doctor!!

Mullet Bay Beach 1/3/16

After two days of cleaning and organizing our new apartment we decided it was time to FINALLY hit the beach. Everywhere you go you see water, but always wonder how do you get there?! I wanted to find the best routes from our apartment so that I could walk with the boys by myself with ease when he's in class.

From what I've found so far Mullet Bay Beach and Cupecoy Beach are the closest to us. Mullet Bay Beach is a straight shot from our apartment and over the golf course so we took that path. Breathtaking views!! Keep in mind we came from Kansas where there was snow and ice on the ground!

Bradley was a little unsure of the water, but was okay if Jordan held him. The waves were pretty strong because it was a slightly windy day. I sat down on a towel with the baby and quickly realized that I sat down too close to the water because the current came up and soaked me, Ian and our only towel!! Lesson learned.

Bradley mostly played in the sand, but had a few meltdowns because he didn't want to be dirty. He also learned that sand is not like snow and throwing it..especially on his baby brother..is not allowed!! Thankfully Jordan's cousin told me about the baby powder trick to remove sand off the skin.

Our beach trip was cut short because out of nowhere (this happens often) a cold rain down poured and I was worried about Ian getting too cold since our only towel was already soaking as well. Another lesson learned!

Overall it was a great time with a perfect view, but some things I've taken note of:

• pack extra towel
• invest in beach chair/umbrella
• bring baby powder
• carry baby in the sling- our stroller does not do well on the beach!
  
  
  

Next beach to visit: Cupecoy Beach!

We're going on an adventure..

..is what I tell our 3 year old Bradley when I explain why we are moving our family of 4 to St. Maarten. He knows that we are going so that daddy can become a doctor, but what he doesn't know yet is all the adventures he and his 2 month old brother Ian are going to embark on! That's why I've started this blog to document our 20 month journey in SXM and beyond!

Here is a little back story on our journey to medical school:

 

My husband Jordan and I met in 2008 and married in 2009. We were so young (23 and 21), dumb and in love as I like to put it! We really didn't have a set path for our life, but knew we wanted more than our entry level jobs in Wichita, KS. In 2010 Jordan went back to college at Wichita State University. So, originally he wanted to go into nursing and eventually become a CRNA. Great, he already worked at one of our local hospitals as a tech/admin and enjoyed his job. He had previously went to college for two years after high school, but stopped due to lack of funds and motivation. It had been five years since his last class so he really had to start from complete scratch..I'm talking like College Algebra start over. So, anyway, after meeting with an advisor she shook her head "no no no..you are way to smart and will become bored being a nurse. You need to become a DOCTOR!" And that's where it all started. Jordan worked third shift in our local ER and took full time pre-med classes during the daytime. He studied for and took the MCAT (twice) and applied in two rounds of medical school applications (torture). The first round was a complete bust..nothing but rejections. The second year there were some rejections, interviews and then eventually being waitlisted. He decided he wasn't getting any younger so we started researching Caribbean medical schools.

We attended an information session for American University of the Caribbean (AUC) in Kansas City and they were able to answer all our questions. We felt good about the school so he decided to apply. Jordan was invited to an interview at their home office in Minnesota and received an acceptance after the completion of his Bachelor's Degree and a semester of MERP (medical education readiness program) in Miramar, FL.  He completed MERP with flying colors and now here we are in sunny St. Maarten!

Follow along on our adventure :)

#marshallsdomedschool

instagram: alliemarshall627