photomania

A few pictures from since we've been back:

Lianna and me at the first term party.

Jon and Alivia dancing.

The beach. There's SO MUCH SAND!!!!! (I could go on and on with the exclamation points)

First person to figure out what that creature is (bottom right) wins.

Big puffer fish by an old cannon.

Pearl frolicking in the sand:











CRAZY caterpillar! These things are HUGE. I've seen a few and finally had my camera on me this time:





(hand for size reference)


Today at the park:

(Check out the great mural of children's cartoons in the background. Simpsons, Family Guy, and South Park.)



Love this sequence of photos:













Walking stick. I'm sort of proud of this picture:



The end. Perhaps someday soon a post with less than ten pictures and greater than fifty words. I said PERHAPS.

Treasure Hunt

I wrote this post at the end of November but didn’t get permission to post the pictures until the day before I left for my trip home, so it just had to wait.

(All photos by Hannah Madden unless otherwise noted.)


I recently became involved in a new youth foundation here on Statia. Mega D, a musician with ties to the island, began the “Successful Minds” program several weeks ago to provide learning opportunities to local children. A handful of university students and I were present for the opening of the clubhouse several weeks ago and we offered to put on a scavenger hunt for the kids. What was supposed to be a fairly straightforward activity turned into weeks of planning, at least five meetings, and hours and hours of work. More than once I felt like the amount of time we’d put into it might not be repaid in appreciation. One student spent days – literally days – individually tea-dying and drying sheets of paper so we could print antique-looking ‘certificates of completion’ to distribute at the end of the hunt. It was a good idea to begin with, but turned into a total nightmare when he began printing the certificates and his machine ate over half of the pages. Then, the night before, we found out that several children from the St Eustatius National Parks Junior Rangers group would be joining the hunt. We were glad to have more kids, but this meant they either wouldn’t receive the antiqued certificates, or Russell would have to stay up almost the entire night tea-dying more sheets of paper. He chose the latter option. Nicest guy ever. He finished printing the last of them just in time to hand them to me at 8:00 AM the day of the hunt. I then handwrote the names of the children, and they were delivered to the governor for signing. Like I said, somewhere in the course of all this (and those certificates were just one example of many headaches), I started to have my doubts.

But I’m a jerk, because the event was yesterday and it was great. Not only did everything go off without a hitch, all the kids were excited to learn and actively involved in the hunt. We’d decided it would be based on “historical treasures” of Statia, and the concept was well-received. The kids were split into a 4:2 youth/chaperone ratio, we all started at different locations, and somehow miraculously all converged at the government building for the finale exactly on time. The kids were surprised by the presence of the island governor, Gerald Berkel, who congratulated them on completing the hunt, reminded them of how blessed they are to live on such a beautiful island, and encouraged them to share everything they’d learned with their friends. Then he pulled out the certificates, which we’d rolled up and tied like scrolls, and called the childrens' names one by one to shake his hand and receive their personalized award.

One little Dutch girl in my group, Hannah, was about the sweetest little thing I’ve ever seen. She’d bounded all over the place during the hunt exclaiming how much she LOVES everything to do with Statia and its history and asking me to please please please tell her what sites we would be visiting next. I was THISCLOSE to stealing her. Anyway, she was one of the late-comers – a member of the Junior Rangers group that was invited at the last minute, and when the governor began calling out names for the children to receive their certificates, her face fell. She turned to me and said quietly, “I’m not getting one, am I?” I told her of course she was!! and when she asked how I knew, I told her that I’d personally written her name on it. Her huge grin was replaced by sudden veneration. She took a nervous breath before furnishing me with her knapsack so she would have her hands free when it was her turn. And as if that wasn’t enough right there to make all the hassle worth it, she was in fits of joy over her certificate when she returned next to me. Exclaiming over the ancient-looking paper and completely delighted with the scripty font I’d picked out (“It looks just like the writing on that old gravestone!!”) When she was done admiring the award, she carefully rolled it back up and re-tied the ribbon. To quote Eric Snider, she couldn’t have been more delightful if she were made out of puppies.


Our group. Me, Hannah, Francisca, Rose (chaperone), Madelon, and Hunter. Great kids – friendly, well-behaved, and excited to learn. Right behind me you can see a girl sneaking a feel of my hair (moments after this picture was taken I felt a slight tug. She pretended like nothing had happened).

At the Statia Museum (once the headquarters of a plantation)

At the Honen Dalin Synagogue ruins. That dog belongs to Hunter and she follows him everywhere. Will not be separated from him. When I asked him why, he responded that she’s his “guardian dog” which sort of gave me chills in a good way. I’ve heard about incredibly loyal dogs in the news and in literature, but had never actually witnessed it in real life until then.

At Jan de Windt’s grave. He was the governor of Statia from 1753 until his death in 1775. His law of quarantining ships at port kept Statia disease-free for two decades. After his death, the quarantine was lifted and a smallpox epidemic quickly swept the island. I totally learned all about it.

The engraving on his marble tombstone is written in old Dutch. Luckily Hannah Madden, who came with our group and took these pictures, was able to translate. We learned that de Windt’s wife died only a couple months after him (maybe from smallpox?) Her remains are buried in the same tomb. How rad is the skull and crossbones??

At the Catholic church, where mass is still held.

At Fort Oranje, searching the plaque for the name of the American ship that offered a 13-cannon salute to the island signifying their independence from England (answer: the ‘Andrew Doria’). Statia then returned the salute, acknowledging their support. St Eustatius celebrates this event annually (Statia Day!) One of the girls asked if America celebrates Statia Day as well. Rose summed it up when she answered, “No, they don’t. It’s a real shame.”

Russell. We couldn’t have done the hunt without him. In addition to dying all those sheets of paper until his fingers bled, he also came up with the locations, clues, and the ‘script’ for the chaperones. The kids adored him. (photo by me)

Governor Berkel (photo by me)

The whole group

Shake Face

Corinne discovered this internet phenom called Shake Face. You relax your face, shake your head, and someone snaps a picture. I'm pretty disappointed that I never thought of it myself. Plenty more posts of this sure to come:

(Also, I posted twice today - don't miss the one below)

Christmas Leftovers

Here are some more pictures from my trip home. They got excluded for any number of reasons including but not limited to:

a) The picture erroring out while uploading.
b) Me being unable to rotate the image on my parent's computer.
c) Me hating slow internet.


Sunrise in St Maarten


Best pretzel on earth. I wouldn't have taken a picture of a pretzel for any other reason.


A bird! In the St Maarten airport! On the chair next to me!


Castaway Cay, where I've been, Disney cruise ship, which I've been on.


Ada being cute.


Dinner table, Christmas tree, Ada being sneaky.


Pose.


Naptime.

The end.

Statistically Speaking

While 2009 was one of the most eventful years of my entire life - what with Jon springing this whole Caribbean medical school thing on me, quitting the job I loved, selling most of our possessions and moving to a third world country (not to mention a trip to NYC somewhere there in the mix) - 2010 was by far the most boring. In fact, if it weren't for that blessed Disney World vacation in April to break up the monotony, I may very well have gone crazy.

Now, back on the island for the last time, I'm focusing on embracing this simple lifestyle for these next three months. Because, really, when will I ever have this chance again? NEVER, that's when. Though I'm still finding it hard to dig up feelings of sadness when I think of our time here winding to a close. Probably because this is my second time returning to Statia with the idea that it would be the last, and that well ran dry in September when I abruptly went from feeling nostalgic to realizing we'd be staying for two more terms. Anyway the point is getting away from me. I know I will always look fondly back on this experience, but at the same time I'm more than ready for it to be over. This coming year will bring an end to our time on Statia and a beginning to the next chapter, whatever that may be.

On to the reason for this post. Blog stats!! I got the idea from my friend Bridget. Here is my blog's year in review.


Total visits: 8,665
Unique visitors: 3,732
Page views: 13,323
Google Reader subscribers: 48. When contemplating this meager number, please bear in mind that some people don't use Google Reader, namely my mom.

Total number of posts: 88
Total number of comments: 405
Least number of comments on a post: Zero (on this one. Thanks a lot.)
Highest number of comments on a post: 29 (here.)

Traffic overview:





Top countries:

1. US
2. Canada
3. Netherlands Antilles
4. UK
5. Mexico
6. Japan
7. Australia
8. Germany
9. United Arab Emirates
10. Iraq

(past number three and omitting the UAE, I have no idea)


Top states:

1. Utah
2. New York
3. Idaho
4. Texas
5. Arizona
6. California
7. Nevada
8. Alaska
9. Washington
10. Florida

A hit from each state!

Top referring sites:
1. Facebook
2. Blogger
3. Google
4. jakeandkels.blogspot.com (private)
5. jennieandregan.blogspot.com
6. corinneandkylemonson.blogspot.com
7. the-carlson-clan.blogspot.com
8. charlieandcayleesecretan.blogspot.com
9. myadventuresintucson.blogspot.com
10. Bing


Most viewed posts:
1. Names 2009!
2. Names 2008!
3. The Reveal4. Our weekend... and a note on names
5. Office bugs
6. Photobombing
7. About
8. Jessie’s Laws of Sacrament Meeting
9. More about us...Through Pictures
10. The Most. Ridiculous. Cake. Ever!

Top keywords that led to my blog:

1. office bugs
2. bloggityblog
3. jessica jensen blog
4. bloggity blog
5. ridiculous cakes
6. je vais aller a Paris
7. ridiculous cake
8. www.jessica-jensen.blogspot.com
9. bugs in the office
10. jessica-jensen.blogspot.com

Best keywords that led to my blog (evaluated by yours truly):

Man having a seizure
Beard dye
Sarah palin pantyhose
What does the name Kaybree mean
Ant in bellybutton
I don’t believe in spinach
A zoomed in picture of just a king crab
Meaning for krayson
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Meaning of the name kazley
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Retarded cat cake
Tayvian meaning
Totally #### up names (censoring not by me)
Valries ugly chicken face
What is the meaning of the name Chasitie
Xoie name meaning

Of course, I love the ones seeking meaning in made-up names the most. I like to imagine their disappointment when they see my remarks (and the comments).
Thanks for reading!

something blue

No time for end-of-the-year nostalgia. Maybe another time. We've been busy running errands and packing for our final stint on Statia (which will sink in later I suppose) and it's a miracle I'm even posting this when I am. These pictures, again, took me days and days to upload thanks to my parent's internet. I wasn't as good at picture-taking as I usually am during our trip up to Canada, but there's a reason for that and I'll get to it in a minute, so stop hassling me.

My mom got Always-Frozen Corinne a Snuggie! And she wore it! Even Penny is embarrassed for her! There were multiple occasions when Corinne wandered around with her arms wrapped tightly across her chest muttering about where she put her Snuggie. (I almost made this its own post with the title "Don We Now Our Gay Apparel" but that just didn't happen.)

The most beautiful house inside the town of St Anthony, Idaho. Not like it has much competition, but. I love love love this house and want five just like it.

The jaunt up to Driggs. Our usual lunch spot was closed for the MONTH OF DECEMBER (wtf?) but we found another, almost equally delicious place called Milk Creek Cafe that we will for sure be revisiting for the Philly cheesesteak. And that's why you don't close your restaurant for the MONTH OF DECEMBER.

Swans coming in for landing.

Deer

The General cleaning the snow off the drive for the third time in one day.

How it looked when we left early the next morning. That's pure ice. See, it snowed all day, then it rained all evening, then it froze overnight. HARROWING 11 hour drive to Canada (it should have been 7 and a half). Don't mention it to Jon. His hands are still seized up from white-knuckling the steering wheel. Just kidding, they aren't.

For our SIXTH (!!!!!!!!) anniversary we went and saw Harry Potter then had dinner at a place in Lethbridge called Miro Bistro, and ohhhhhh myyyyy gosssshhhhh. One of the best meals of my life. I got pheasant ravioli, and Jon got the filet mignon. So, so, so, so, so, so, so...so good.

When we got home that night, his parents had bought us an ice cream cake! 'Happy Jon Jessie Anniversary', indeed!

All the grandkids in their Christmas Eve jammies.

Pearl and Norah

Aaaand, that's about the last of the pictures for the trip. On Christmas Eve I started to get The Sore Throat. That deep down ache that I've had enough times to recognize immediately as either strep or tonsillitis, take your pick. I never had my tonsils removed as a kid and they sometimes would get infections upwards of 3 times a year. Never quite made it to the mandatory four that was required in order for insurance to cover the cost of surgery. But it had been years - YEARS! - since my last infection. Anyway I got it bad, missed Christmas morning with the family, and I don't want to get TOO graphic, but spent several hours over the next few days vomiting neon green mucus. You're welcome! By the time I finally went to the Raymond Clinic, my throat was so infected that the doctor glanced in for a split second then practically jumped across the room. Then he reached for the throat swab kit and I warned him that I would turn into a wild animal the moment he approached me with it, and probably throw up on him. A strong gag reflex combined with an intense fear of vomiting turns me into a total nut when it comes to those throat swabbing things (when I was relating this story to my mom, she started laughing hysterically at the memory of having to literally pin me to the exam table while the nurse swabbed my throat, WHEN I WAS TWELVE). Anyway, when I told him how I felt about those things, he quickly conceded that it was strep throat and said he didn't need a lab test to confirm it. Now, six days into my antibiotics regimen, I feel great.

One last thing. My surprise Christmas present from Jon. There was a jewelry-sized box in my stocking containing.........THREE BLUE BEADS.

I basically was in shock. When I recovered enough to stammer out a plea for explanation, I learned that our old, old landlady GAVE them to Jon when he went to pay December's rent. She shuffled inside and came back out with a little tin box obviously containing her cherished childhood keepsakes - a feather, a watch, and three blue beads that her grandmother had given her when she was three years old. Not realizing she was GIVING them to him, Jon admired the beads for a few moments before handing them back. Thinking he was rejecting her present, Mrs Timbers teared up and asked, "You don't want them?" Such a precious gift. I'll post close-ups another time.

So that was the excitement of the year. Currently we're at Annie's place in Heber, and we fly out of Salt Lake early early Sunday morning.

kthxbai