Returning to Island Life

As I mentioned in my last post Kyle and I are heading back to Dominica on the 7th of January, we don't get there until the 8th. These last 4 months at home have been bittersweet for us. Of course we enjoyed our time here and all the comforts of home that came with it, but we both know where we need to be in order to fulfill Kyle's dream of becoming a doctor. We are packing up our bags as I write this and I can't help but think about all the things we are going to miss about not just Arizona, but the States in general...

1. Sunday night dinners with Russ and Beth. It's been a tradition ever since I've been around and it started long before me. We love our time with them.
2. Monday night football dinners, themed meal and all, with my mom and dad. It's a new tradition, but one I hope we continue in one way or another. Oh, and I will miss all the other dinners we had with them (there were a lot!)
3. Soft toilet paper. Now you may laugh, but the stuff down on the island is like very thin cardboard. The good stuff is outrageously expensive and therefore our tushies suffer.
4. Centralized air conditioning. Other than the buildings on campus, no places have it and we are therefore constantly sweaty. We have small units at our place, but it's just not the same.
5. The last number flows nicely into my next thing I will miss...feeling clean. Since we are very sweaty there, I seem to always have a layer of ick on me. It could also be the mixture of sunscreen, bug spray, and sweat, but who knows.
6. Grocery stores, Target, Walmart, the mall, great restaurants, etc.

I'm sure you get the point that I will miss some very basic amenities and of course our family and friends, but what we have gained down there is worth more than any luxury you can get in the states. Kyle is learning so much in school and I am learning so much about myself and us as a couple. We will have an experience that very few people will ever have and a bond that is unbreakable. As I've said before, we've also made some life long friends and that is something no soft piece of toilet paper can ever replace. Dominica....we're coming back!