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| Well, this will be my last entry.
I'm home now. I really thought I'd have some major culture shock upon my return, but I've settled back into things rather nicely. Even driving didn't seem as mundane as I'd anticipated.
That is not to say, of course, that this experience didn't change me. Besides my newfound taste for soca music, I've found myself to be much more outgoing and friendly - traits I learned through each of the wonderful Grenadians I met during my experience. I've also found myself surprised on more than one occasion of the speed which our world functions at. So much rushing, not enough enjoying. Seriously, folks - take a break and relax once in a while. It's nice.
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| The past week has been rather uneventful, especially as far as work goes. While it has been nice to relax a bit, I really wish that I could feel more productive as far as my job is concerned. We've only even gone into the office twice, and out of those times I only feel like I really accomplished something one day. I helped some women in the childhood education department with general computer topics, like Powerpoint, Excel, and E-mail. The other day I ran a virus scan on a computer and then "sat around waiting for the bus to come" - Mr. Thomas. I really wish I could contribute more, but that was all that the MOE set up for us, so I guess they're content with that.
Other than work, things have been going really well. These last two weeks have been for exploring and enjoying Grenada, and we've done just that. Mostly enjoying the beach, the pool, and the island. Yesterday we went to a festival in Grenville called Rainbow City. It's supposed to be about art and culture, but for the most part it was just an enormous street party. People are getting psyched for Carnival... getting in the spirit. It's really a shame we won't be able to stay, but that's OK - it's a good excuse to come back.
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| Last night was freakin' sweet. If I've ever had the experience of 'real' Grenada, this was it. Our driver, Josh, invited us to join him and a bunch of his friends for some oil down and festivities. For those of you who don't know, likely everyone, oil down is the national dish of Grenada. Basically, you get a big pot, more or less a cauldron, fill it with coconut. Cook the coconut till you get oil, then throw in all sorts of meat, some dumplings, and some breadfruit and banana. Cook more - season heavily - poof! Oil down! And dangit it is goooooood.
Anyways, last night was totally an experience more than anything. All sorts of people just hanging out on the streets, kids playing cricket in the middle of the road, people talking, hanging out, and having a good time. Ate some oildown. Hung out more... PLAYED DOMINOES! Dominoes are totally the coolest. It's a really big deal here, and I never quite got it... till i played. It's fun and has lots of strategy, which I love. I ended up winning the first set of games somehow, I guess I picked it up quickly, but then one guy, Samuel, came and subbed in and totally wiped the table. Aw, phooey.
Besides the general events, last night was just cool. I mean, seriously, how many visitiors in Grenada get that kind of experience. We were not tourists there, we were just more people hanging out and partying. I'm very very grateful to Josh for bringing us. He may be late once in a while </understatement> but he is a great guy bringing us along. I'm glad he considers us his friends. We were talking today about taking him out before we leave and getting him some sort of presents - I think it's a fantastic idea.
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| The reasoning behind my lack of recent updates is twofold: I rarely get access to a computer, as I don't really have any labs around me, and have to borrow others' computers, and there really hasn't been all that much to talk about. Nothing to talk about most certainly doesn't imply that I'm not enjoying myself. I absolutely am. There just haven't been quite as many eventful things. Rather, I've been laying around by the pool/beach, doing some reading, and generally relaxing. This week we started working with the teacher's, teaching them JAVA at a speedy rate. I must say I enjoy teaching them much more than the students, each teacher definitely wants to be here, and it shows. Many of them are working well ahead, asking me for ways to do things that have forced me to really dig back to my old JAVA knowledge and recall some things I haven't done in a while. I like it. I got a call and voice message from Erin last night, apparently we have a room number for next year. 617, I think she said. I've also gotten the chance to talk to a few friends from back home recently, with some nice AIM convos as well as a phone call here and there. It's nice to hear back from the people back home. I'm starting to miss them quite a bit. On a final note, I think there's a solid chance that I may be spending my Spring Break back here in Grenada. I've recieved some positive feedback back from people, so I'm hoping it's gonna happen! W00t! | | |
| Sorry I haven't posted in a while. We were on a different island and I didn't have Internet. Anyways, we spent the past week in a tiny island called Carriacou. It's still part of Grenada, but a good bit different. It's much more laid back, which may seem impossible, but it certainly is. A little too much for me, personally. I mean, I liked Carriacou a lot, but I prefer Grenada. Carriacou is the kind of place which would be great to retire to, where I could just hang around all day, but I like to do things. Two definite highlights of Carriacou are Mr. Snagg's and Semicolon. Semicolon was our dog during our time in Carriacou. Any day we went to the beach, we'd bump into Semicolon. Unlike most strays though, Semicolon didn't want food... she just wanted to cuddle. And with a doggie that cute, I obviously obliged. But Mr. Snagg... oh what a guy. He owns this bar/restaurant that has to be the coolest place I've ever seen. Pictures really won't do it justice. Neither will any description. There's a good chance that Tim is going to work on making a website for him (with a little content-help from me). But yes, Mr. Snagg is cool. Really cool. And easy to talk to. I wish I could do it justice, but I can't. You'd better go to Carriacou and find out for yourselves. Oh, one final thing: I'm thinking Grenada for Spring Break next year. Shouldn't be too expensive... a thousand for a week of fun should do. So start saving people! | | |
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