One Month Away

This semester is absolutely flying by for some reason. We'll be home in just 4 short weeks. Ryan has much to accomplish in that short amount of time. The material continues to be piled on each day, and finals are quickly approaching. I'm getting close to the time where I have to be careful about how much food I buy at the grocery store so we don't end up with extra groceries when we are ready to leave. Before that time comes, though, we'll be enjoying a traditional, if somewhat quiet, Thanksgiving dinner. I've already been stocking up on things like pumpkin pie filling and cranberries as I see them in IGA. Hopefully, I can find a turkey that will fit in my little toaster oven.

This past week was busy and full of new and exciting things. On Monday morning, I went with a couple friends to renew my visa. Each time we come to Grenada, I'm granted a visa that allows me to stay in the country for 3 months since I am not the one in school. That means that if we are on the island for longer than that amount of time, I have to renew my visa. No one is exactly sure what happens if you don't get it renewed. I asked if I would be deported (free trip home!) but was told we'd probably have to pay a hefty fine at the airport instead. Or they wouldn't let me leave the country. That seems counter intuitive to me, but I'd rather not take my chances.

So, armed with my passport, a letter from the school stating that Ryan was currently a student, and a book to read, we made the trip to the Immigration office close to downtown St. George's. When we arrived, I filled out my application and handed it, along with my passport and letter, to the officer. I thought everything was going smoothly, until I was told that my name was not on the letter. Apparently, they need the school to specifically ask that I be allowed to stay on the island for the duration of the semester. The school must have someone new writing the letters, because this has been a standard letter they've issued hundreds of times a year. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything I could do except head back home, get a new letter, and make the trip back up there before my visa expired on Friday. At least I knew where to go now.

Once I made it back to our apartment, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and spend the afternoon at the pool. As it turns out, I met a really nice girl who lives in the building next to us. We talked for a couple hours at the pool and had a great time together. Ironically, Ryan and her husband met at the library that day as well. I've gotten to know her better this past week and she and her husband have recruited us to join their kick ball team next semester. Ryan has already informed me that we will be practicing over our break.

Thursday morning, I went with another girl to try again to renew our visas. This time, it could not have gone any smoother. We were out of there in less than half an hour with no problems. They even extended us an extra month at no charge.

Last night we had a cook out with a few of our friends off campus. I spent most of the day watching my newly-discovered HGTV channel on the internet and making potato salad, pistachio fluff, and a red velvet cake. We had a great evening together and it was the perfect end to a busy week.