Puppy Photos

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Dogs are funny. They know when they want attention, whether or not you’re ready to give it! This week, I have been busy preparing to move out of our apartment. For me, that meant scrubbing the walls for hours with Magic Erasers to get rid of all the marks. Kito was apparently pretty excited that I was on floor level, and she spent most of her time standing directly in front of the wall where I was trying to clean. I tried to take some before and after photos of the wall to make myself feel better about my progress, but she hijacked those, too. dog tail

dog nose

dog photobomb

close up dog face

crazy dog

panting dog

At this point, I finally gave up and took advantage of the rare opportunity of catching Kito in a photogenic mood.

dog posing

dog laying down

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Block dog laying down alert

laying down dog close-up

I sure am going to miss this puppy during my travels! She is the sweetest.

New England Lobster Rolls, Caribbean Style

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Did you know it’s easy to make lobster rolls? If you have ever been to Maine, it’s 99% certain that you’ve tasted a lobster roll and loved it. I was in Maine several years ago, and I haven’t forgotten how delicious they are. So yesterday, when I accidentally thawed lobster instead of fish for dinner, I knew that I had to try my hand at making my own.

lobster tail

 

Ingredients: 

  1. Two lobster tails. We catch our lobster fresh at the beach near our home.
  2. Six oblong bread rolls. You can use hotdog buns in a pinch.
  3. 1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise. If you’re really hardcore, make your own using this recipe.
  4. 2 Tablespoons of ketchup
  5. 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
  6. Half an onion, minced
  7. Black pepper to taste
  8. Parsley for garnish

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What you do:

  1. Prepare the lobster. Boil the lobster tails. This takes about ten minutes. The meat should be white and opaque when it is done. Let it cool for a bit, then dig out all the meat and tear into small chunks.
  2. Make the sauce. I like to call the sauce that goes in this “Bear Flag Sauce.” It’s my attempt at creating the famous dipping sauce from Bear Flag Fish Co in California, and it’s a tangy twist on traditional lobster roll sauce.  Mix the mayo, the ketchup, and the lemon juice together. You can add a hint of mustard, if you like.
  3. Mix it up. Combine the lobster, sauce, onion, and pepper in a bowl.
  4. Put it together. Make a large slit in the top of the rolls, longways. Spoon a generous amount of the mixture into the rolls. Garnish with more pepper and parsley.

Yummy! This is a great meal for summer evenings.


It’s been a while since I posted a Foodie Tuesday, but I’m planning to be back at my weekly recipe posts  for good, so stick around and head back next week! Subscribe or like my page to find out each time I post a new recipe.

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5 Signs You’re an Expat

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If you’re an expat, some things that aren’t too typical start to look normal. Can you relate to any of these?

  1. Duolingo

Duolingo

This screen has become very familiar as you desperately try to re-learn all that Spanish you never actually absorbed in high school. After a while, it turns from a language learning tool to an obsession….

As a bonus, buildings without emergency exits do, in fact, become commonplace. As do the lack of smoke detectors, hot water, and electricity.

2. You drive like a maniacsteers in a truck

Right side of the road, wrong side of the road,  middle of the road, not even on the road. Everyone else drives like a kangaroo on seven Red Bulls, and so do you, now.

3. Your change purse looks like this.

CHANGE

Seriously, if I take that Kenyan shilling from Ben’s high school laundry money stash to the laundry room one more time, I am going to fling the entire washing machine out the window.

4. Knock-offs
Penny's

You can’t tell me this isn’t J.C. Penny in disguise.

5. Your passport is like our third armPassport

Your passport is literally worth more than your entire net worth combined. You would rather fall off a cliff into a moat full of hungry sharks while wearing a flaming straight jacket than loose that thing.

What are some other signs that you might be an expat? Tell me in the comments!

Now's the time to see Ayers Rock. Find Out Why!

Taco Macho

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And another big block test over for Ben, and other date night for us! Gebe, the power company, is having struggles lately, so the power has been spotty. Think every day for two hours. Today it was six hours. When it went out 30 minutes before dinner and ruined my cooking plans, I suprised Ben and took him out to Taco Macho!

  

Taco Macho is located in Maho, past the airport beach. Parking in the Alegria complex, where the restaurant it located, costs $4, but you can park for free outside the gate on the airport side of the road.

I had heard a lot of good things about Taco Macho, expecislly about their $2.50 tacos! The place reminded me of home and places in Mexico that I love. Arizona has the best Mexican food in the U.S. (Sorry, Texas). It’s hard to find tacos on St. Martin, so I need my taxo fix sometimes.

  
So if you’re looking for a good Mexican place on this island, try Taco Macho. My suggestion is to stay away from the combos with their tablespoon-sized sides and go for the delicious tacos. Yum! We will be back.

Busy Writer!

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As every freelancer knows, there are up seasons and down seasons when it comes to work. Since I can’t get a work permit as an expat where I live, I do a lot of freelancing, especially writing. I usually sell my skills on Fiverr.com under the username BreJay. Lately, I’ve been getting a small avalanche of commissions, which is why I’ve slowed down a bit on posting here. Well, that and the daily power outages. But don’t worry– I’m not giving up on blogging!

If you want to read a bit of what I’ve written lately, you can visit a few sites here:

Luxurious Eco-Friendly Resorts

Underwater Observatory 

6 Wild Places in Florida

You can see my complete portfolio here.

The work has been slowing down my blogging a bit, but I certainly can’t complain. I’m so thankful to be at the point where I feel busy with work. It can be so discouraging to not have a full-time job, but I’m on my way to building a sustainable freelance business that I can stick with for a long time. I also recently got a “freelance” job with Rev.com, which allows me to fill my extra time with transcription work. I’m praising God that after a year of no regular income, I’m getting the chance to take a bite out of all that student debt we’re accumulating! That first paycheck from Rev was the best feeling ever.

See you soon with more Sint Maarten posts! I have a ton of photos on my camera just waiting to be uploaded for you all. Until then.

Dear America, Love an Expat

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Dear United States of America,

Happy birthday! You’re looking good for 240. Sorry I had to miss celebrating this one with you, but I hope to be there for the big quarter-century next decade.

Sunset Arizona

You know, I think I like you better now that we’ve been apart for a year. I guess I sort of took you for granted when I couldn’t get away from you. Now that I’m gone, I appreciate you a lot more.

Save up to 34% on New York Helicopter Tours

You’ve done some strange things lately, and there’s a lot we should talk about, but today’s not the day for that. Today’s a day for me to tell you how much I love you.

I do love you, I’ve found. I never really loved you until I left you. I guess I didn’t have anything to compare you to. But let me tell you, I know now how lucky I am to be a part of you.

atlanta

America, you are beautiful. You have virtually every kind of biome within your borders. You cover the plains, the hills, the mountains, the deserts, the tundra, the beaches, and the tropical forests. Even better, you have every kind of people within your borders. You are beautiful.

America, you’re great to live in. International comparisons say your food kind of stinks, but you do well in quality of life, equality, innovation, education, and freedom. And you’re always pushing to do better.

Flag

America, you stand out globally. Of all the nations in the world that receive immigrants and refugees, you’re among the best at integrating people and upholding their well-being and their rights. It’s expected of you, and you do your best to deliver. I didn’t recognize that until I left. I didn’t see how unusual it is, because to me, it just makes sense to operate that way.

America, you’re a good place to be able to go home to. It’s nice to know that I could always go home without any trouble. It’s good to have a passport from you that opens so many doors. It’s good to be confident of the freedom to move from place to place, to speak without fear, and assemble with others as I please.

Phoenix

America, I miss you some days. Some days I don’t. But I’m always glad to know I belong to you. I keep the Stars and Stripes on my wall, right next to the flag of my new home. I used to see the flag every day, and I never thought twice about it. Now, I am glad whenever I see it. It’s strange; I usually see it everywhere on your birthday, but today I only saw it on a Digical ad and on a French man’s t-shirt! I miss seeing it fly high and proud on a pole on every corner.

Happy birthday, America. I hope you make good choices this year. It’s sad to think that this could be one of your worst years, but I’m praying that it will be one of your best. Happy birthday. I’ll see you soon!

Love, an expat.