Don't worry, I'm still alive

Sorry that I haven't updated my post in a while. But to tell you the truth, I haven't done anything worth writing about. I literally do the exact same thing everyday: sleep, class, study, find time to eat in between, and let it all cycle again the next day.

BUT I finally did something worth writing and posting some pictures about. Since I've already played 5 years of football at Waterloo, why stop now right? So yesterday we had the women's powderpuff finals game, and it was a blast! I played really well, and have the bruises and scratches to prove it. So here are just a few photos that a friend took (Thanks Alex!) during the game.

For those of you who know football, I played Defensive Line, and yes those girls are that much bigger than me.

Enjoy!

A few more ...

Fairwell to Omar

So, for the first time in 3 year campus and pretty much the entire Country of Dominica closed down because of Hurricane Omar and the storm surge that was approaching the island (well at least the tail end of the hurricane). So, with great thanks to Robert for braving the storm and heading to the Sea side I got these photos. I was camping out at my friends place (the one who had the largest supply of food and water in case we got owned by the storm). So I basically had a third floor, front row seat to watching this storm wipe through the island. Sorry that I didn't get any video footage.

So enjoy the photos!

Never too old for a birthday cake...

So we've been on the island for almost 2 months (yikes!!) and in that time we've had 2 great birthdays. Iman hit the big 2-3 back in September and Brent joined him over that hill this passed weekend. I thought it might be a nice tribute to post some pictures for these birthday fellows, but mostly to point out that cake and birthdays can make anyone happy in the midst of studying!

Turkey on the island...without the pie :(

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!!

So spending Thanksgiving in October surrounded by Americans has it's ups and downs. Downs is that Americans always seem to make fun of Canadians, even though we started Thanksgiving (told you so Anupam!). The up side is just enjoying time with friends. Even though we are all sleep deprived and constantly thinking of studying, we always seem to find time to dress up and enjoy each others company.

It's like they always say, you are born into a family that drives you nuts and you fall in love with the family you find along the way.

So thank you to my friends in Dominica for keeping me sane and enjoying a little piece of Canada with me!

And thank you to Tomatoes.. for a delicious turkey dinner!

Tale of an Italian chef with no wooden spoon...

So food here on the island is actually pretty good. But I'm cheap so I have decided to buy some stuff to cook and save some buck while I'm at it. Probably not the best idea. Apparently since I have left Canada, I have also left all my cooking knowledge there as well.

Here is a little tale of one of my better cooking stories:

Since there is a really small, disgusting kitchen by my house, I decided to become the Martha Stewart of microwave cooking. Seems easy really. Put a bunch of stuff in a bowl, add water, put the lid half on, set it and forget it. Not quite. I made rice the other night, which actually turned into a small fire, shattered bowl, beautifully stained microwave, and me having to aerate my room for 2 days. (See microwave photo below).

So Dear Uncle Ben's rice company, your instructions are WRONG!! That is all.

Thankfully I called a friend in a frantic panic, room full of smoke and no food in my belly. He came over with some delicious chicken chow mien and made fun of me for hours (thanks Brent).

So a few days later I tried an easier recipe, a nice warm, steaming hot bowl of Sh... I mean Chef Boyrdee. Gross! Definitely not Giovanni's style pasta.

So enjoy the pictures below and think of me next time you have delicious food as I will be snacking on a banana.

White Coat Ceremony

So here are a few pictures from the white coat ceremony last Friday. I know a lot of you back home were watching the live broadcast and I thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. It means so much to have all that support back home. Unfortunately the camera men did not think I was worthy enough to be filmed and subsequently Dina failed to believe I was actually there. So here you go Dina, proof, and a new coat for me.

I'll get a better coat in 4 years.

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The picture of us at dinner is for Mikayla. I think I sent the picture to you already, but I'll post it again just in case. I'm having the Pina Colada for you.

We're at my favourite restaurant on the island, The Tomato. The owners are both Canadian, so I developed an instant bond with them. I have gone there many times since. The owner is a big fan of Italian food, so I told her I'd teach her a thing or two about Italians and our food. They are closed on Sundays, so I will be going there soon to make a few dishes for her. But the place is fabulous, and when I get visitors I will for sure take you there.

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So apparently my dad is a doctor. Just having some fun with my new equipment. I haven't broken anything yet!

Dominica Pictures 9 - I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts...

So coconuts are actually quite delicious. I think they taste like chestnuts, some (most) people disagree. But the coconuts are all over the place, there are way too many trees for the amount of farmers so you can just pick them whenever you want to. But only the truly talented can crack them open (that's you Iman, Brent we know your aim sucks haha). But I had such a fun afternoon with these guys and my parents; the coconut was just the icing on this tropical cake of life!

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These pictures are for my people back home. I will be back in Canada before you know it. And Ellie is having a lot of fun here. So thank you to all my friends in the Sault, especially Chris and Jackie, Ellie helps me swim and float so that I don't touch the gross stuff at the bottom of the sea with my feet.

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