I know I’m off to a rough start with the blog this semester
(good thing it wasn’t a New Year’s resolution).
I’ve had ideas for all kinds of things I’ve wanted to tell people about,
but because I don’t write short blog posts about single events they stack up
until I’ve got a month or more of experiences to write about. Then it takes hours to write, edit, format
and publish. Today you can thank Jade’s
grandma, Nora Lee, who told us she’d been checking for blog updates when we
called to wish her a happy birthday last week.
So this one’s for you, granny.
Happy belated birthday!
One of the most exciting pieces of news I can share is that
we finally know what my sister and brother-in-law are having! Just like she predicted, they’re having a
boy! They’ve picked out the name Landon,
which I just love. I know my parents are
excited to have one of each grandchild and I’m excited to be an aunt again.
On the topic of small things, I wanted to share a photo I
took of our one remaining puppy from the litter Vodka had before we left for
Christmas break. All the others were
sold and they choose to keep this one.
His name is Buck and he is as sweet as he can be. He’s a tad clumsy, but that makes him cuter
in my opinion. Buck had some skin issues
earlier this month and had to wear a cone, but again, it just made him that
much cuter.
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| Buck |
I know you know all about our tiny, beloved sonar frogs, but
we had a visit from quite the opposite earlier this month. This is a cane toad that was waiting for us
on the step in front of the main house.
They’re so big and ugly! It just
stares at you as if to say, “I’m not afraid of you. Do something.
I dare you.” I stomped at it to
see if I could make it jump and it just stared me down. Jade and I turned our backs for a moment, heard
a big splat and twisted around to find it nowhere in sight. Creepy!
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| Cane toad |
Everything has been great moving back into our house. Jade and I were both looking forward to
returning from the break because this little house is OURS. If you think about it, we never had a home
together in the US so this is our home together. Our house was spotless and so fresh smelling
when we returned thanks to our landlord’s mom.
Most of our curtains had been replaced with nicer ones.
At first, we continued to have the same mosquito problem
that we did last semester, but that’s fixed now. I cannot convey to you my level of relief (my
sanity might not have held much longer).
Want to know how the problem was solved?
Jade finally listened to me. For
months we both theorized on how fifty to sixty mosquitoes were magically
appearing at dusk, every night, inside our house and we both suggested possible
fixes. Some were tested and some were
tossed to the wayside without much consideration. After about the third time I suggested Jade
block off the gap around the pipe behind the toilet, I finally asked him (okay,
told him) to do it even though he didn’t see how that could be the problem. I couldn’t explain it either, but I figured
it couldn’t hurt trying. HALLELUJAH! Go figure that all it took was some duct tape
to keep me from itching off layers of skin all these months. Husbands should listen to wives more often,
right ladies?
It’s also been really great to have some fun stuff to
decorate our house with this term. I
brought back fake flowers to put in the bottles above our cabinets for some
kitchen décor. Before anyone jumps to
conclusions about our alcohol consumption, let me say that we’ve been living in
Grenada for roughly 25 weeks and there are 12 wine bottles up there. That’s an average of one bottle of wine every
two weeks. No worries! I really love the way the flowers add some
color to all that lime green up there.
The menu board I made at home is also working out perfectly. It’s so much more fun than writing the week’s
meals on sticky notes! We hung the
wedding photos in the living room, which lasted for about a week, but even two
Command strips per photo couldn’t keep it on the wall. I also can’t find a way to hang the K (for
King) letter I painted. These walls are
tricky. Anyone have any suggestions for
me? I’d welcome them.
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| Some of this week's dinner next to Aunt Polly's smiling face |
As you all know, I’m on the board of the Significant Others
Organization as treasurer this term. We
have a weekly planning meeting and try to go to as many SO sponsored events as
we can. I spend more time on our
finances than I would have expected primarily because I’ve gotten used to
on-line baking. I don’t have that luxury
with the SO account so I manage everything the old fashioned way. It has gone really good so far and I’m
enjoying having more commitments and responsibilities.
Something else that has been taking some of both Jade’s and
my time is working out. At a New Year’s
Eve party with some of Jade’s best friends we decided to support one of his
groomsmen in getting in shape. He was
telling us about trying to run a 5K in May, a 10K in August and a half marathon
in December. Jade thought that we could
do it too, so that’s what we’re shooting for!
It’s been nice having something that Jade and I can work to achieve
together and it will be really great when we can support each other running
those races together. We think we have
the May race picked out already, which is exciting to now have a specific goal
in mind. We’ve been trying to jog/run
every other day with a mixture of indoor treadmill and outdoor runs. Some days are better than others, but we’re
working on it! I’m proud of us.
A few days after the Work Boat Regatta I began volunteering
with
Grensave, a local nonprofit that serves children and families around the
island in many capacities. My friend
Marieke had already been volunteering with Grensave and asked if I wanted to
get involved too. Their office is
located in downtown St. George’s and she typically goes in once a week. I began by going with Marieke and Ms. John,
the director, around the island to take pictures of some of their different
projects. The pictures are for self
promotion at their big fundraiser coming up this weekend, the International
Food & Drink Festival. With Marieke
and Ms. John I went to three preschools, a community center, a public bath they
built and a fresh water supply they constructed for a rural village. It was an all day tour around the island that
was so rewarding. It was also the
perfect way to start volunteering with them; seeing their projects firsthand
helped me really connect with what they do.
For now we’ve just been concentrating on getting ready for the festival
and I’ve only been into their office once.
Marieke and I are designing the boards with photos for their booth at
the festival and also putting together a video.
We interviewed a man who was sponsored by Grensave when he was younger
and are using it to show what a big impact Grensave has on individuals. I also started working on the other side of
the festival trying to get things together for the American booth, so I’ve got
my hands in a little bit of everything.
I’m really looking forward to the event this weekend!
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| Pearls Preschool |
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| A public bath house in Pearls |
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| Children wearing the national colors before Independence Day |
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| The first meeting place for Grensave volunteers and workers |
We missed out on eating junk food and watching the Super
Bowl with friends and family, but did our own little Super Bowl get together
here. Marieke and Emily threw a surprise
Super Bowl party for their husbands and their friends. Jade and I were the cover story and I helped
them make food for the event. The boys
watched the game while the girls left for a nearby restaurant’s grand opening. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with the
girls, but a part of me did want to be watching the game. We at least got to see the half time show,
which was fun for me because I knew several people working on the field during
the performance. I didn’t see any of them,
but it was exciting to look for the familiar faces. I know the guys had a great night and we
appreciative of the ‘man time’, or whatever it is they call it.
A few days later was Grenada’s Independence Day. We were thrilled when our landlord invited us
to eat a traditional meal with the family.
I’ll never forget last semester when Ms. Moore told me that Grenadians
are generally ready a few hours later than they say they will be. It was no surprise when our meal was a couple
hours later than we expected, but it was so worth the wait! It was very local fare that Grenadians all
over the island were probably eating the same day. Ms. Moore was going to make oil down, the
national dish, but she couldn’t get a hold of any bread fruit. So we had provisions, saltfish, rice and
peas, coleslaw, chicken and pork rib and fresh orange juice from the trees in
the yard. It was fantastic and the
company was great, too. We enjoyed
talking to Ms. Moore about Grenadian patois, although poor Teshawn was feeling
really bad. Ms. Moore even packed two of
my food containers full so we’d have leftovers to eat. They’re so good to us!
That next weekend I went on my first hash. For those of you that don’t know what hashing
is, here is an excerpt from the
Grenada Hash House Harriers (HHH) website:
"Every other Saturday, at precisely 1600 hours, a motley
group of assorted runners and walkers assemble at a previously designated rum
shop, somewhere in Grenada. After an
initial briefing by their leader (known as The Hash Master) they set off in the
bush, shouting ON ON. They follow a
trail of flour or shredded paper which takes the “pack” through some of the
most attractive parts of the island and they return to the rum shop a couple of
hours later to consume large quantities of beer and undo all the good that this
running and walking has done to them.”
According to Wikipedia, hashing started in 1938 and there are
more than 1,700 chapters. They can be
found on all continents. HHH has its own
lingo and funny rituals. At the end of
each Grenadian hash there is food and beverages for sale and usually
music. It’s quite the party as I
understand it. There is always a good
mix of locals and visitors (or students) and the true hashers all come to know
one another. Eventually they all get
nicknames and that’s all anyone calls you by.
I’ve only been on one hash so far, but it was something I intend to do
again and again. The scenery was just
amazing! I would never wander into the
woods without a trail, so this is the only way for me to see places that don’t
have hiking trails.
Each time it is somewhere different on the island, or even
on Grenada’s other two islands, so I can’t always make it. I was lucky to catch a ride with some friends
who were going. We did get a little lost
going to the hash so we started late.
Our driver, Richard, also locked his keys in his car and had to wait
with it instead of join Sarah, Myra and me on the hash. Being at the back we were able to take our
time and take lots of photos. We crossed
two streams, went through a bamboo forest, saw goats on a rooftop and many
other things. This hash started and
ended at Westerhall Rum Distillery in St. David’s. At the end I saw Kurlon and my other
landlord, John. I also discovered the
hash master is the man who is building our other apartment, so I knew several
people there! There was a pretty big
group of virgin hashers there and we all participated in the ritual and got
certificated commemorating our first hash.
The ritual consisted of standing in a big hugging circle while the
certificate was read to us and then getting sprayed with beer. I was so very, very sticky. I was also the very center of the hug, so I
think I got most of the beer. The other
fun ritual is that anyone caught with new shoes on a hash is made to drink a
beer from their shoe once back at the starting point. Luckil
y I knew about this one ahead of time
and was not about to make that mistake.
The whole thing was really a blast.
It was just a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon and I can see the
community that forms around it. I hope I
get to know some of the regulars and maybe become one myself within the next
two years.
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| Westerhall Rum Distillery |
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| Sarah, Myra and I before the hash |
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| A circle of paper indicates possible trick trails |
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| Bamboo forest |
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| Crossing a stream |
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| The hash master himself, reading our certificates |
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| Wait for it... |
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| Me, covered in beer, with my certificate =) |
That following Monday was the dreaded Unified, the first set of tests for the medical students to gauge how well they're understanding the material in each class. It is relatively short, so Jade was out mid-morning and was able to meet me at the University Club pool after our SO board meeting for a little rest and relaxation. Two of our new friends met us there and then the four of us went to dinner that night. We went into St. George's to what I think is Grenada's only German restaurant.,
Schnitzel Haus. It was a treat to go into town and eat by the Carenage; it's my favorite place in the city. I think it's just beautiful. We caught a reggae bus into town and walked up the stairs of a building right in the center of the street that runs along the bay. The view was great, the service fantastic and the food was delicious
(I had Bratwürstl mit Sauerkraut). The German couple running the restaurant was so helpful and had the best accents.
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| View from near Schnitzel Haus |
The next day was Valentine’s Day and the SOs had a big
Valentine’s Day bake sale. Many people
baked for it and many, many people bought treats from it. It was held to raise money for the Dorothy
Hopkin Centre for the Disabled here on the island. I used the cute Valentine’s Day sprinkles mom
bought me and made chocolate sugar cookies.
We raised $1,740.50!! It’s
because of all the baked good deprived med and vet students that we made that
much! I don’t think your typical school
bake sale would normally bring that much in.
I also made Jade a special Valentine’s Day dinner. He got shrimp fettuccini alfredo with heart
shaped pasta, steamed broccoli and a tiramisu pie with red lip sprinkles. It was a pretty cute meal, if I do say so
myself!
Last week the support sessions from last term continued with
a local woman speaking about how to adjust to Grenada. I feel fairly adjusted by this point, but I
wanted to hear what she had to say. I’d
heard she was a hilarious woman and she really was. She was very intelligent and well traveled
herself. Her experiences helped her
understand other cultures so she was able to recognize the differences and
difficulties other people might have adapting to her own native culture. We talked about customer service and
catcalling, mainly. Many people I know
jokingly say customer service doesn’t exist here, which is true to an
extent. Customer service the way
Americans know it certainly does not exist here. The customer is not always right, nor is the
customer always put first. It can be
very frustrating and make people seem downright rude. The speaker explained that while Grenada does
have a large tourism sector, it is still not as big as most Caribbean countries
(think Jamaica, Bahamas, Virgin Islands, etc.).
The idea that positivity, big smiles and pleasant conversation can often
earn you a larger tip or repeat service is not really thought of. In such a bad time economically, she said it’s
common that people come to their dead end jobs, make dollars a day and literally
have a starving family at home. Especially
if I wasn’t trained on any customer service aspect of my job, I’m sure I would be
pretty blah at work too. She also said
that since Grenadians are descendents of slaves, there is some of that
remaining hostility when someone is expected to serve a particularly rude,
self-entitled and arrogant student from abroad.
I can absolutely understand that as well. I unfortunately see a lot of ugly Americans
here who expect certain things and tend to be very demanding and rude to locals. With several of those things compounded, it’s
easy to see why daily dealings at the grocery store aren’t always the best part
of the day. We really have to work at
proving them wrong on the negative American stereotypes.
We also talked about catcalling, which is really common
here, as well as many other countries I’ve been to. Heck, it even happens in the US, but not as
commonly in my experience. I don’t
understand how men around the world can seriously think they’re complimenting
us. For most women it is really
frustrating and annoying. The speaker
talked to us about how to deal with it and how to address a situation if we
really can’t take it anymore. It was a
rather funny conversation with her personal stories thrown in.
And to finally bring you up to date, I spent all Sunday with
a fabulous and
crafty friend who sewed with me for my first time. EVER.
I know, a wife who can’t sew can’t be much of a wife, right? Lucky for me suturing taught Jade everything
he needed to know about sewing and now he’s the one that can repair our ripped
pockets and missing buttons. But really,
I’m pretty proud of myself for what I was able to accomplish. My bag didn’t come out perfect by any means,
but even with Cat helping me it is more than I thought I would be able to
do. Cat has a small sewing machine and
she makes skirts and bags fairly regularly.
She was the perfect person to help me take on a tutorial I found on
Pinterest. It was for a beach towel
(with built in pillow) that rolls up into its own beach bag. It has pockets and everything for carrying
beach supplies! I brought the supplies
down with me from the US when we came back from Christmas break and I brought
Cat some pillow stuffing so she could make one too. One was definitely enough for a day! Our main issue was that the sticky Velcro didn’t
want to stay on the towel, but the Velcro was too thick to pass through the
sewing machine in order to stitch it into place. She also didn’t have any thimbles so ramming
a needle through Velcro by hand was out of the question. I currently need to figure out another way to
secure it closed, and maybe add the trim.
Then it will be fully usable and so comfy! It’s pretty cute if I do say so myself.
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| Just after stuffing the pillow |
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| The fabric used for pockets and eventually trimming |
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| Pockets sewn |
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| Like any good dog, Julep tested out my new towel for me |
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| Outermost side of the bag |
Well, that’s about all I have for you, plus you’re probably
on information overload. Who knows, maybe
I’ll start writing more often so I don’t spend entire nights doing this all at
once. Ahh who I am kidding?
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