Are We There Yet?

A lot of you keep asking me if I'm excited about my move. I'm happy about the opportunity for Michael, and I'll be glad to be back in the Caribbean, but right now, I don't think "excited" describes my emotional state. Those of you who read about our lives on Jacumba, know that I don't sugarcoat things. It was great, I'm glad we did it, but it wasn't all hammocks and rum drinks. Getting back to the Caribbean is becoming quite an effort, one I know will pay off, but exhausting none-the-less.

I've taken on a lot of work to pay the bills, including the bills that keep piling up in relation to this move. Plus, I have to sell off our stuff. The day Michael left, we went to start the moped and it wouldn't start with the ignition. It's worked fine for over 2 years, but as soon as I go to market the damn thing, it appears the battery died. I have found someone to help me fix it (thanks, Ron). The car just passed 60,000 miles - I need to take it in. I must continue my battle with Verizon and hope the same thing doesn't happen with Cox in 4 months (long story). I've run credit reports, packed our winter stuff and sent it off for storage (thanks, mom), and packed things we wanted and sent them off to the islands.

All of the below have also had to happen or are still happening. Most of it needed a bunch of clarification to get right. I explain this less to whine (although I am allowed to whine a little bit) than to show you what can go into such a move lest you think you want to follow in our footsteps (like life on Jacumba, you have to really want it).

The Worker:

What did he need?

• The job in paradise.
• A bunch of paperwork to Labour (submitted by the hiring company). Over 2 months to receive the thankfully-approved work permit (placeholder), which went to the employer.
• 10 days to receive the paperwork via Fed-X.
• The bio page of his passport.
• 2 separate passport photos.
• Proof of clear criminal record from the FBI because the local Sheriff's office wouldn't do it (which means fingerprints).
• Because we were also in another country in the past 10 years, we had to jump through hoops to get something from the sheriff's office on-island. We couldn't have done it without someone on the ground there (thanks, Popcorn).
• A doctor's visit  - 3 tests (tetanus, worms - poop sample!, syphilis) + paperwork confirming a complete physical.
• A roundtrip plane ticket. Return must be to the U.S. mainland, even if you have no plans to go back there. 
• 3 days of shopping for some island clothes, sandals, hard-to-get items.
• 2 trips back to Tortola to Labour to get the actual work permit (after he made Immigration happy) - he's got 1 more to go.

The Spouse (dependent):

No seriously, are we there yet?

What do I need?

• Letter from The Worker petitioning immigration to let me come.
• A certified copy of my birth certificate.
• A certified copy of my marriage certificate.
• A copy of the The Worker's job letter and a couple of pay stubs (hence Michael's 3rd trip to Tortola).
• The bio page of my passport.
• 2 separate passport photos.
• Proof of clear criminal record from FBI (more fingerprints) & St. Kitts' police.
• Medical - 3 tests (tetanus, worms, syphilis) + paperwork confirming a complete physical.
• If you've got a kid going to school, they'd need to get several vaccinations with boosters.
• Shopping (I hate shopping) for things like makeup, sandals, island clothes.
• Roundtrip plane ticket back to the U.S. 

The pets:

I'm sure this is worth it:

• 2 rabies shots that have to be at least 4 months apart. 
• A leukemia vaccination + booster 1 month after the 1st shot.
• A titer test (to confirm the animals don't have rabies) - takes up to 4 weeks for results.
• FVRCPP vaccine.
• A microchip that can be read by their scanners.
• Internal parasite treatment (like Revolution).
• Application of importation to the Agriculture Dept. (ahead of time).
• A health certificate by the local vet.
• The USDA (in CA) must endorse the vet's health certificate, and then we have 10 days to get to our destination or it expires.
• Luckily 2 animals of the same species can fit in 1 carry-on bag, and you pay that 1 fee, but make sure your plane accepts pets in the cabin for where you're going (smaller planes usually don't). We have to fly to St. Thomas on the big plane and then plan our plane rez's for days when the ferries run and confirm we get there before the last ferry leaves. Then we get to go to Tortola to check in the animals, and on to Virgin Gorda to collapse in sheer relief and exhaustion.

Better than doing it while driving!

But wait! Once there, we both have to take a written and road driver's test. Michael's already failed his 1st time - by 1 point. Apparently most people fail it about 5 times. Even though buses are described online, there are no buses. Locals get around by hitchhiking. I'll have to work on my technique.

I can tell you that about 2 things on this list were necessary to move to St. Kitts. That's right - only two.

Yes, please.

We're also looking for a place to live on-island. Michael's in temporary accommodations. There...is...nothing. Go ahead and Google it. That one's going to have to be via word of mouth task (which is typical island) and goes on Michael's plate.

So again, am I excited? No, I'm not. But get out of my way once we're all on the island because I am so doing a jig.

This will be Michael and me together.

And He's Gone.

After a crazy 3 days trying to get packed, buying needed things, packing some more, shopping some more, I dropped off Michael at the airport Monday night at 10:30pm. He arrived on Virgin Gorda Tuesday at 7pm EST (4pm our time). It was a long day, but he was greeted by friends (the two responsible for us ending up there in the first place and carryovers from our old days on St. Kitts).

They're cold?!

This is his current view from the housing he's sharing with another employee.

Hrmph. Well, I met up with my sister, and we went to the Japanese Friendship Garden down in Phoenix. It was quite pretty and serene.



It was good to see her, but people always think I'm her mom. The sad part is I'm old enough that if I'd started really early (18), I could be mom to someone her age. Hrmph.



The garden is not a very big place, so the $5 entry isn't worth it unless you're going in to hang out for awhile and feed the fish or something. We sat in the shade by the brook and caught up. Someone else was getting married there. It was quite pleasant.

Sunday, I hit the trail Michael & I had wanted to do last Monday before he flew off and didn't because time got away from us. I drove the half hour to Usery Park to do the 7-mile Pass Mountain Trail. The last time we were there, we climbed up to the Wind Cave (or alcove), but we'd heard this other trail was cool in wildflower season. There were a few wildflowers out there.

Mostly, though, the hedgehog cacti were putting out seriously beautiful pink flowers.



One prickly pear got into the act with a yellow one.

The ocotillos were doing a pretty bloomin' job too.



This time though the views were right up there too. Most people seemed to have gone counter clockwise, but I liked the way things unfolded for me going to the right.  The trail was pretty narrow, so if you encountered someone else, one of you had to get out of the way. Luckily, it wasn't a very active trail.



When you first start out, you want to turn backwards a few times so you can see the views of civilization. Those pics never come out all that great, but here's one.



Then as you walked around, you got beautiful shots of the mountains.



And cliffs.



It just got better and better. I love this shot.



Once on the backside, I saw Fountain Hills in the distance (and yes the fountain).



Once on the opposite side of the mountain, you get to listen to people at the shooting range.



The final half hour back to the lot was kind of boring, but the loop overall was worth it. It took me just under 3 hours. And no snakes! Back at the apartment, the palo verde's are in full bloom (glad I don't have allergies!).



Meanwhile, Michael was doing this:

It's really happening.

Things just became a little more real. Michael had his last day of work at the resort Friday, and we met up with anyone who wanted to stop by to say good-bye at Wicked Six at Sunridge Canyon Golf Club. We started at 5, hoping to get in an hour of happy hour, but they've changed it from ending at 6pm to ending at 5pm. Hrmph - why bother? (How about updating your website Wicked Six?) Anyway, the weather was perfect, especially considering it had rained the prior two days. That said, there was rain off in the distance. A rainbow appeared just as the Friday night bagpiper came out do his thing. Bravo!



We had a surprisingly large crowd show up. Everyone had such different backgrounds, and we knew them from so many different (strange) situations, it made for a great party.



I even sold a few books!

From our Fearless Kitty Rescue group, Michael got a nice big bag of goodies. One item which gave us a good laugh was the adoption photo of me and two of our kitties. If he starts to miss me (or the furry kids), this should cure him - ha!

Perfect card too.

As the sun set, the sky turned orange and got rather ominous.

It just got more and more dramatic. I ended up using 3 different cameras just to be sure I captured some of the craziness.



...and then this happened.

Photo by: Steven Klein

Even if you weren't facing the storm, you knew when there was a strike because the whole crowd would go "oooooh!" Lightning shot across the sky sideways and would sometimes flicker for quite a few seconds. I love desert storms. Nothing but the best for Mikey - ha! And then the rain came. Luckily there's a large covered area, so we simply moved under it and kept on going. Once again, we were the last ones there (until 9:30pm).

We really couldn't have had a nicer time. Thanks everyone who came.

This weekend, we pack.