“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
Charles R. Swindoll

The above picture is a view of the island's national park from the campus. Quite amazing, aye? I tried to put a picture of the sunset from my balcony. However, it would not quite work so I assumed this would suffice. So far, things are going well. I am settled into my apartment, which is pricier than I would have preferred but it was move-in ready with internet, cable, and water included. The walk to school, including the dreadful broken pavement up and down hill, is only about ten minutes. It is quite a workout, though. The building I live in is known as "Green Homes." That is obvious from the picture above. I am on the top left corner so that I look out onto Banana Trail and the ocean. I can see the mountains out of the opposite window. The breeze is nice in the mornings and late afternoons, but mid-day is brutally hot. My body is starting to adapt to the changing climate, which leaves me very sticky at times. My bed sheets appear to be that of a young boy's from 1985. They are red and blue squares with planets and stars all over them. Quite attractive, may I add.

What else can I tell you? I have met several people. Many people here know someone else....not me. I have been hanging mostly with Samaan, a Persian guy from Los Angeles. He brought his dog, Toto, a red, minature Dachsund. Of course, my mother loves the dog. I finally met a girl tonight living in the next building. I am not quite sure of her name's spelling, but her name is Saruthy. She is from New Jersey and I believe she is of Middle Eastern decent. She is going with Mom and me to the market at five a.m. tomorrow to get fresh fruit, veggies, and fish. If you don't get there before seven, most of the good stuff is gone.

Speaking of fruit, Dominica has the best fruit and fruit juice I have ever tasted. So far, we have tried starfruit juice, sorrel juice, and grapefruit juice, all of which are hand-squeezed daily. The sorrel juice is a red, sweet juice that is only ripe during the holidays. They say it's like a strawberry, but nevertheless, it is very good. The starfruit juice is both sweet and tangy and quite refreshing. Eating their bananas is something you can not experience in the US. They are smaller and sweeter and better.

I know I am making this sound like paradise, which it is, but there are down sides. The electricity is very expensive. I hardly turn on the air conditioning to save money, but I am adjusting. All of the other foods besides native fish and veggies and fruit are very expensive. For instance, a bag of Doritos is $4.oo in US money and you can't get real milk. A small can of Spaghetti-O's was $3.50. Quite outrageous, aye?! Another downside is missing JT and my friends and my family. I am not lonely but it is the not being able to see someone when you want that is difficult. Vonage, my phone service, is a life saver....by the way, any of you can call me at 706-534-8934 anytime. That is local for me and for you....God bless technology. For now, I am going to go. Please email me or call me. nataliestewart21@hotmail.com or nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com... If you have Yahoo messenger, I would love to talk to you with the above yahoo id. Love you guys and miss you.