When the snow is deep in Michigan, a not-so-white Christmas starts to look pretty good! Ben and I made the four-day drive from Detroit to Phoenix to see my family for Christmas.
Arizona may not have snow, but it does have enough colorful lights to create a magical Christmas vibe!
One of my favorite traditions is making a few evenings of Christmas light viewing. The Phoenix area has two major light attractions: Zoo Lights and Glendale Glitters.
Zoo Lights at the Phoenix Zoo isn’t a great time to see the animals, unless you like a couple of camels and a creepy animatronic giraffe. However, the light show is fantastic! They even have the lights around the duck pond set to music. We thought that decorating the ducks with lights would really make the show! If I ran the zoo, that’s what I would do. I’d probably get shut down, but that would be one heck of a light show!
This yeti was not awkward, but my mom and I took a photo with it anyway (If you got that joke, then we’re best friends forever).
The other major Christmas lights attraction is in my hometown. Glendale Glitters is an annual month-long event! the historic downtown area is decorated in lights, and every weekend brings entertainment to the amphitheater. I used to be in shows there with a performing arts group as a kid.
Ben and I visited Glendale Glitters with my sister and our friend. It was a bit cold when we were there, so we browsed through the stores downtown. We were followed for a while by a creepy man in a pink sparkle shirt and pink skinnies, so we girls ducked into a comic shop to avoid him while Ben discouraged him from coming inside. I found this superhero inside, but Ben is my real hero!
This year, we missed all the Glendale Glitters shows and food trucks and vendors, but we still had a lot of fun. Street performers own the night, and many Glendalians take it upon themselves to provide entertainment. When we were there, we saw an impressive parade of decked-out trucks and ATVs blasting music. The procession wrapped around the whole district! The street was transformed into a show of blinking Christmas lights, waving kids, rap, classic Christmas songs and norteño, This is Arizona holiday culture!
Even more impressive was the UFO that lit up the sky that night. It silently flew through the western sky, lighting up the horizon and drawing everyone outside. It turned out to be a rocket launch from California, but it looked like the world’s biggest Christmas light display!
This is what an Arizona Christmas looks like: clear streets, clear skies, a little bit of Mexico, and enough light to illuminate the whole world. It was good to be home.
It’s been a very long time since I posted! So, what does life look like from Detroit?
All I do is work, work, work, work, work
Ha ha, now that song will be in your head for the rest of the day. You’re welcome.
It’s just been very, very busy around here! The transition from St. Maarten to the United States has given me the opportunity to work a lot more, and I’ve been taking advantage of that. Gotta pay off those student loans, you know?
I’m still writing, and I’ve been adding new clients to my list of regulars. One of my new favorites is Forever Bride, a Minnesota-based wedding company. I’m loving love!
I’m also working as an online English teacher for Chinese-speaking children! As you know, I love teaching ESL and I love working with kids. It’s so much fun to see my students online everyday and teach from my desk at home!
It’s been so good that Ben decided to apply to VIPKID, too. He got hired last week and just finished his first weekend of classes! Woohoo!
If you know anyone in med school, you know that working during medical school is not always feasible.
However, VIPKID gives Ben the ability to choose his own hours and work when he can, whether that’s 8 hours like last weekend or half an hour on a Friday night. Or nothing, like this week.
By the way, if you have a college degree and could use a fun job, you should totally apply! Email me with any questions. Here’s a link and a code for your application: 04MXB1
It’s Cold, Boiiii
As you can see, I may have left the tropics but I still took some island slang with me, boiii.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take any of that sunshine. We’re literally taking vitamin D in pill form at this point.
It’s already snowing here in Detroit! Not enough for any photos, but enough for dancing in the cold with a scarf on.
Kito doesn’t know what to do about this cold. We go on daily walks along a pond near our house, and she keeps trying to walk into the water to chase the Canadian geese! Today, she was surprised when she stepped through a thin sheet of ice. I haven’t seen anything so funny since I watched Nacho Libre last week.
Detroit is pretty cool
It’s cold, but it’s cool.
One thing I love about living here is that a lot of the public venues are totally free. Others are really cheap. A lot of the museums downtown are free for Michiganders!
Before we found out we were moving to Michigan, we got a U.S. parks pass. We were sad when we found out that Michigan doesn’t have too many national parks!
However, we have a TON of state parks. And the pass is just $11 per year! We’ve been all over the place between the US/Canadian border and Lansing.
Ben’s brother and his wife live in Grand Rapids, so we sometimes explore a state park with them.
In addition to the cool places, Detroit has some pretty cool people. We’re starting to meet our neighbors, and we’re making friends at church and Bible study. We finished the membership class at our church, so we have somewhere to belong in Michigan now.
Medical school marches on
Ben’s now about 5/8 of of the way done with med school. And yes, I’m counting down the months!
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s not so bad. The endless studying of years 1 and 2 are over, and now he’s having a lot more fun doing rotations in the hospitals.
He’s on his internal medicine rotation. He honored the first part of the rotation!
So, that’s our life in Michigan in a nutshell! It’s starting to feel like home. <3
This is a short one, I promise. But maybe it’s one you can relate to, as well.
If you read my last couple posts, you know that the horrific destruction of St. Martin by hurricane Irma was devastating to me. It was really hard for me to cope at all for about a week after the storm hit.
I felt so guilty, so angry, so stupid for having trouble coping when I was even personally affected by the storm. I was a little offended at my own reaction, and I was afraid other people would be, as well.
And then something unexpected happened. Other people were having the same feelings I was. Other people were hitting the same mile markers of grief that I was. I got a lot of great supportive texts and emails from other people in the time between the hurricane and the time we actually had regular communication with the island again.
In the words of my husband, Ben, “It’s OK to feel what you feel.” An article on survivor’s guilt that my friend Lezlie sent me said that all these feelings are normal. The faster we allow them to surface, the faster we can be OK again.
So if you were practically unaffected by Jose, Irma, Harvey or Maria and you’re feeling grief and guilt that you don’t understand, it’s alright.
You can do something with those feelings, too. You take your compassion and sadness and turn them into love. Let’s love on these places that were hit by the hurricanes!
Here’s an article I wrote for The Vacation Times about helping St. Martin. Supporting my island will help me to heal, and it can help you to heal, as well.
Well, I’m probably over-posting on Facebook about Hurricane Irma and the devastation it caused in Saint Martin. I have an awful lot to say about it, though, especially as new updates keep coming through. I figure if you want to know what I have to say about the situation, you’ll read this. And look– here you are!
Med Students are OK
After a semi-sleepless night a couple days ago and plenty of tears, I finally started hearing from friends who had been out of contact for a day after the storm.
The people who sheltered in American University of the Caribbean are safe, and not only that, anyone with any medical training (even first semester med students) are volunteering in a makeshift clinic! They even delivered a baby! What a birth story.
Many of the students, spouses and kids were able to evacuate to Puerto Rico. Many others, mostly students, stayed behind.
Tom and Lisa are OK
If you follow me on social media, you probably know a bit about Tom and Lisa Burnett, who ran Player Development Program in Sint Maarten.
I used to go there most days to tutor and mentor the kids. Player Development blew away and the pieces are yet to be found.
But Tom and Lisa (plus their four dogs) are safe! I could breathe easier after I found that out. Their neighborhood was hit very hard.
They survived the storm huddled on a mattress under their table, both of them plus of the four dogs. They stayed there all day, through the storm and even after their roof was ripped off. I am shaking right now just thinking about it.
Still Waiting to Hear from Local Friends
I started following more SXM residents on social media to keep up with videos and photos. Many people seem to be OK and in shelter, but strictly rationing food and water, and in perhaps in pain.
The need help but it is hard to know what to do. Samaritan’s Purse has a fund now, and I they are delivering much needed help! If you want to help, give to them. But I haven’t heard much else, although a friend of mine with a Canadian Rotary Club is planning to try to ship down supplies and suggested that I call my local airport to see which airlines are willing to ship relief supplies down.
I haven’t heard from too many people since the main cell tower was taken out by the storm, and the power company as well, I believe.
I just keep thinking about how bad I’ve been at communication lately. My life is so out of control right now and I put everyone else on the back burner. I guess you don’t realize you’re doing that until your friends are in a life-threatening situation and you remember that the last thing you said was some stupid thing about doughnuts or worse, nothing at all for the past few weeks.
There’s nothing like the fear that you might have lost someone to make you think of all the stuff you wish you said to them last week.
I’m Grieving
I think I’m going through the stages of grief. I’m partially in denial, because how can those photos be real when they don’t match my memories? That flooded street covered in debris was a sunlit lane when I walked down it just a few months ago.
I can close my eyes and go back to the way it was. I can see and hear and feel and smell every part of the island.
I can hear the way it sounds to knock on the door of one of my baseball kid’s house. In my mind it is still there.
I can feel the gravel at player development under my feet and see the books and toys and everything.
I can see the view from my old balcony like I am standing there again. Pretty sure that balcony blew away.
I can taste the shawarmas at Little Jerusalem and hear the “clink, clink” of Abe and Cathy chopping up meat on the grill.
But then there are those photos of the destruction, the videos of the looting. It’s hard to reconcile.
I Should Be There
And there is this overwhelming sense of guilt, because somehow I feel like I am supposed to be there.
Maybe I wouldn’t be saying this if I’d actually gone through it, but I’d rather have stuck out the day in AUC, where the hurricane shelter was strong and safe, than be here wondering and waiting and watching from afar.
I’d rather be out dragging palm fronds off the street right now. Or something else useful. Maybe that sounds dumb, and maybe it is dumb.
It’s stupid to want to be stuck on an island when so many people are suffering and desperately awaiting help and wanting to leave.
I feel stupid. And useless.
People reading this are probably going to think I’m trying to be some kind of weird martyr or something, but I think I’m just really emotional and stressed out.
I actually called Jet Blue yesterday to find out if I can fly down and when, but I couldn’t get through because they’re too busy handling the crisis.
I don’t even know what I would do if I did go. It’s not like they need more people to use up rations, anyway.
So anyway, now we’re both depressed, you’re welcome. Maybe I should go back to journaling instead of blogging.
That’s what things look like from my perspective.
Now just waiting for Irma to hit Florida, and I can’t wait until that is done and the power is back and I can hear from everyone.
Today is the day that Hurricane Irma hit, with Jose close on its heels.
Twenty-two years ago to the day, Hurricane Luis devastated the island, wreaking havoc and destroying the homes and livelihoods of so many.
I have walked through La Belle Creole, a resort that was destroyed by Luis. The ruins of the building, blown out windows, scattered furniture, and torn drapes, became a frequent haunt of mine. I could not imagine the winds that whipped the concrete walls into such shapes.
And now it’s happening again.
Just yesterday, Saint Martin was as I remember it: 37 beautiful beaches, architecture historic and new, brightly colored homes lined up neatly at the ocean’s edge.
When I go back, nothing will be the same. All the places I love will be gone. Will I recognize beautiful Soualiga?
The places might be gone, but as long as the people are OK, that is enough.
Photo Credit Flash Mateo Antilles
There was a terrible space of a few hours when all was silent on the island. The live camera at Holland House abruptly cut out, and the outside world had no contact with the island.
Here, in my new home in Michigan, the clear, blue skies and sunshine seem to mock the screaming destruction on the island.
Finally, Saint Martin has entered the eye of the hurricane. People are emerging from their safe spaces to assess the damage and find more secure places to stay.
I breath a sigh of relief every time I saw a post on Facebook from a friend.
But I cried at each new photo and video.
The island is under water.
The government buildings are destroyed, said the news.
They say 7,000 French Caribbean people refused to take shelter.
They say the historic buildings are wrecked.
I can see that the cars are all destroyed. Where will people come up with the money for new cars?
I can see buildings I know with roofs ripped off and water feet deep inside.
I can see people milling about in disbelief.
The eye of Hurricane Irma is twice as large as my tiny island.
Photo Credit Flash Meteo Antilles
What do you do in times like this? I know many of my friends are safe and secure on the campus of American University of the Caribbean, a category five hurricane shelter. But many people are not there.
Many people will take shelter, but still lose their houses.
Many people have actual homes on the island, and not just rented apartments and dorms.
The maelstrom around my island is mirrored by a maelstrom in my mind.
Photo credit Cyriel Richardsom
What is sunshine?
What is birdsong?
My reality cannot be real,
Not when the storm is the only reality for my island.
There’s something painfully agonizing about not being there.
Part of me is glad I moved away before the storm.
Photo Credit RCI
Part of me wishes I was there to help with the clean up.
I know I’d be OK in the basement of the medical school.
I know I could help rebuild.
But I can’t do that from here, and it’s making me sad already.
The damage isn’t even done, and the second half of the storm is still on its way.
Some stupid article about Donald Trump’s Saint Martin home keeps landing in the top posts on Google.
Who cares about Donald Trumps freaking house?
I doubt even Donald Trump cares about his freaking house.
I don’t care about an empty vacation home on Plum Bay going down.
I care about the shipping container homes on Pond Island.
I care about the family homes and foster homes in Dutch Quarter and St. Peter’s.
I care about the little beach houses in Philipsburg.
I care about the houses of all shapes and sizes filled with people I love and people I’ve never met.
I’m amazed that GEBE survived the storm and that power is still on.
I’m thankful, too, to see posts on Facebook and Twitter.
I’m glad you are OK.
What amazes me is that in the midst of the storm, people are praising God.
In a video of the destruction, a woman thanked God for being alive, even as she showed the wreckage of her hometown and Jeep.
It’s strange how so much loss puts things in perspective. When everything is lost, the people of Saint Martin are thanking God for the things they still have: their lives and each other.
Why did God let a storm like this hit Saint Martin?
I wish I had the answer to that.
But I’m glad to see that people can still say he is good when everything in their lives has suddenly been lost in the storm.
Stay strong, SXM. Stay faithful.
This storm is going to hit a lot of places, but there are those of us on the outside who are thinking of you and praying for you.
There are people who are crying tears for you even as you are in hurricane shelters.
There are people who see your pain and feel it with you.
You’ve recovered from storms before. You can do it again.
Saint Martin can’t be taken down by the wind and the rain.
Last call for summer in Ontario! I can’t want to see fall in Canada, but summer is National Parks Season. In just a few short weeks, most of the National Parks in Canada will be closed for winter.
Naturally, the end of free Canada Parks passes for Canada’s 150th anniversary is a big deal for a budget traveler like myself.
So, when Ben and I both had a three-day weekend over Memorial day, we loaded up the dog and hit the road for a three-day camping trip in Ontario!
Ipperwash Beach: $0
Although we live in Detroit, we ended up taking the Port Huron border crossing. It’s closer to the coast of Lake Huron, where Bruce Peninsula is located.
Canadian Monopoly money
The way into Canada wasn’t too bad. The guards didn’t even bother checking Kito’s paperwork! It’s up to date, of course, which is actually more important on the U.S. entry than the Canadian entry. After quick formalities, we were on our way!
Lucky dog– she’s been to 4 countries now!
After we got through the border, we drove along the coast. After living in Saint Martin, where all the beaches are public property, we forgot there would be so many private beaches!
Of course, there are also some nice public beaches on the Huron coast of Ontario. We decided to stop for lunch at Ipperwash Beach, which is in Lambton Shores.
Part of the beach does require paid parking, but if you drive to the northern entrance, you can park for free. Exit Highway 21 on Army Camp Road, and you’ll find the lot and a nice picnic area with restrooms.
The beach itself was nice, and we apparently hit it on a good day! However, it was really crowded, so we made a mental note to come on a day that isn’t a holiday weekend next time.
The best part about Ipperwash Beach was a guy driving a couple of jet skis into the lake on his tractor. You don’t see that every day.
The Old Homestead Campground: $42 CAD/ $34 USD
Unfortunately, I didn’t plan the first day of our trip very well. I originally wanted to take a longer route and go through Point Pelee National Park on the first day, but Ben very wisely pointed out that the massive loop I mapped out on Google Maps was going to take more than 3 days, unless we never wanted to get out of the car.
So we didn’t have camping reservations, and when it came time to find a camp, we didn’t have a very easy time of it. Most of the campsites and hotels were full. Finally, I stopped at a general store and asked for advice. The owners pointed me to The Old Homestead, not too far from the highway in Bayfield.
Honestly, we were a bit underwhelmed by the campground. It was nice, but for $42 CAD I’d expect something different than an unserviced piece of grass on the common lawn. The playground was very close to the campsite, and everyone was packed into tight spaces, so it was pretty noisy. Someone played very loud music until late at night, too.
We forgot a pot, so Ben used his “African ingenuity,” as he calls the skills he learned from a childhood in Tanzania.
Although I’m more of a camp-in-the-middle-of-the-woods kind of person, The Old Homestead would be nice to stay at on a less busy weekend, if you don’t mind neighbors. It’s clean and well kept, which is always a plus.
Right behind our site, there was a path that led into winding trails through the forest. This was awesome! Kito loved running around the woods and splashing through the creek. I don’t think she’s ever seen a creek before, and she was fascinated!
We also found a great place to string up hammocks. We were far enough away from the noise of the camp that we could relax in the peace and quiet of the woods for a while.
Point Clark Lighthouse: $7 CAD/ $5.64 USD
The next day, we packed up and headed further north. We stopped at Point Clark Lighthouse in Point Clark, because who doesn’t love lighthouses?
I was planning to just look at the lighthouse, but Ben and I were excited to see that this was a Parks Canada Historic Site! Armed with our Parks Canada pass, we headed inside.
Unfortunately, the Parks Canada pass is not valid at Point Clark Lighthouse. Not sure why Parks Canada would own something but not operate it, but I guess that is why the pass isn’t taken there.
Because we were on a budget for this trip, we skipped the lighthouse tour. However, if you don’t mind spending an extra $7, it looked like a great place to tour! I was OK to skip it, though, since it was a bonus stop on our trip anyway.
Sauble Beach: $0
If you know anything about the Huron coastline of Ontario, you probably have heard of Sauble Beach.
Sauble Beach is a resort town on the coast, and it was hopping the day we visited. We were lucky enough to get a parking spot close to the beach itself, so we walked over to have lunch.
A friendly police officer reminded us that dogs are not allowed on most of the beach, so we stayed in the small dog-friendly area to eat. The view was very pretty!
Fathom Five National Marine Park: $0
The Fathom Five Marine Park is located on the tip of Bruce Peninsula, near the town of Tobermory.
For the Canada 150 celebration, Fathom Five Marine Park is open to the public for free. This treat ended already, sadly, and we ended up visiting on the second to last day! Because of this, the park was packed.
However, you can visit next year for about $6 CAD per adult and $15 for a family, which is an awesome price! If you want to see flowerpot island, add an extra $60 for a private boat tour. Or, go all out and scuba dive through one of the many shipwrecks.
Despite the mayhem, the crowds did not deter us. They kind of freaked out Kito, who barked at a beagle, a child, and a park bench within the first ten minutes of being in the park. She chilled out once we got on the path, though.
I took the climb up the tower to see the whole park. Wow! What a climb. the girl in front of me got shaky legs and had to summon all her courage to get all the way up. I tried to take some photos to show how high up it was.
We took the Burnt Point Loop, which is the hike in Fathom Five National Park. This, along with the trail from the visitor’s center, was about four miles long. It’s actually a side trail of the epic Bruce Trail, which runs from Fathom Five to Niagara Falls! It was cool to get to do a little bit of the Bruce Trail, which is a bucket list item for me.
The trail was gorgeous, and it took us to incredibly clear, blue water that reminded me of Saint Martin. Despite the many visitors, there were many nooks along the coastline where we could be alone an enjoy the view. A picture is worth a thousand words, so take a look below:
Follow me on Instagram @3rdCultureWife for more travel photos!
Singing Sands at Bruce National Park: $0
On our way out, we stopped at Singing Sands, a part of Bruce National Park. This is another park that was free in 2017 and closed on Labor Day. Again, it was a bit crowded, but not as crowded as Fathom Five.
Ben and I would have liked to hike the trail to The Grotto in Bruce National Park, but they were totally booked for the day and turned us away!
Ben on his daily run! 112 days and counting.
We ended up at Singing Sands, which was still a lovely way to end our day. Besides, the Grotto will be there next time.
Singing Sands doesn’t look like much– until you start walking along the path. Here, you’ll find incredible biodiversity and lovely wildlife! Ben saw a snake, but all I saw were flowers and birds. I’m OK with that!
KOA Owen Sound: $35 CAD/ $28 USD
After our time at Bruce National Park, we drove to the Owen Sound Koa, about an hour and a half away. I’m a fan of KOAs, since they’re pretty predictable. In a place where randomly hiking into the woods and setting up camp isn’t allowed, this was a great option.
We are definitely coming back here! We did have neighbors and a busy campsite, but it was nice and quiet. It was spread out enough and there were tons of trees, so it felt fairly private. It also looked like a fun place to bring kids– a hay ride was taking off just as we arrived.
We strung up our hammocks by the car and made dinner– macaroni and cheese in a bread pan over a portable stove! Hey, whatever works.
The most wonderful part of this camp was that it is connected to the Bruce Trail! We woke up early, made a flask of hot chocolate, and followed the trail over the bridge, through the Rock Springs Side Trail, and on to the Bruce Trail.
Oh, my word! The trail in the morning was so still. It was only about 65 degrees Fahrenheit, but the stillness in the air made it feel comfortably cool. I come from a land of conifers, so this boreal forest was magical. Everything was covered in soft green moss, and the morning light filtered softly down through the leaves.
I wish so badly that we could take a month and trek the entire Bruce Trail! I’m not sure if that will ever be a reality, but it was a treat to get to walk a couple of miles of the trail.
Produce Stand at Masse Farms: $13/ $10.50 CAD for produce
We had a long drive ahead (and it got longer as the lines at the border increased), so we went straight along the 5-hour route home.
We did, however, make one last stop! One simply cannot go through farm country without buying fresh produce, so we followed the signs to Masse Farms and bought some sweet corn, meat, strawberries, and tomatoes. Yum! There’s nothing like farm-fresh food.
We continued on through the cornfields and towns toward home. Each church tower, brick shop, and Victorian estate was something new and beautiful to admire! If you ever find yourself with a weekend to wander, these towns are worth a look.
After a relaxing morning of driving through rural Ontario, we eventually pulled into our driveway. It was a weekend well spent! Next time, we’re heading around the southern coast of Ontario.
Other Expenses:
$140 CAD/ $113 USD for gas
$37 CAD/ $30 USD for groceries
Total: $268 CAD/ $216 USD
We were able to have a three-day trip from Detroit to Tobermory for under $250 USD! Of course, the free Parks Canada pass ends this year, so the parks won’t be free after 2017. However, the parks aren’t very expensive, and if you don’t want to pay, you can always opt for free walks in the nature parks!
The trick to keeping this trip inexpensive — despite the necessary gas for such a long drive — is to refuse to splurge. Don’t go shopping, don’t stay in hotels, and don’t eat out. You can have plenty of fun in nature while eating your own groceries!
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