sailing, sailing...and a new "friend"

So today was another third termer weekend adventure.  It has been so nice to be able to have J around more, and for him to experience a lot of the what the island has to offer while he can.  Our friend Andrea had a lifelong dream to go out on a sailboat, and found a pretty good deal to make it come to fruition here in Grenada if she could gather 10-12 people to tag along for a 2+ hour charter.  

J and I were among them.  

I am prone to motion sickness and I had heard that sailboats were the worst offenders, and so I popped a WHOLE dramamine pill before take-off.  Alas, it did not work as well as I was hoping [or did it really work and I just didn't know that I was saved from some serious cookie tossing? I don't know...] but I felt relatively sick the whole time and wasn't able to engage in much conversation. However, when I was laying down with a cool drink in hand, feeling the cool breeze travel across my face while listening to the conversation around me, it was pretty relaxing.  I just couldn't sit up very long :)  I did manage to get some pictures because it really was very pretty.  J loved every minute of it, and didn't feel motion sickness at all...of course :)  But I am glad we were able to do this together, even if I am a novice at these types of adventurous things :)

We were able to watch the sunset and come back to Port Louis with the moon glowing above us and the city of St. George's glittering around us.  These are the moments I remember how beautiful this little island is truly, even though it is difficult living here at times. 

 

There she is!

 The planner herself! She was VERY excited :)

This was before I just gave up my attempt to hang out and laid down :) [photo courtesy of Andrea]

 Look! Haircut and clean-shaven! WIN!!!

 Friends with a mast.

 St. George's.

Another sailboat that would have been thousands of dollars to charter, ha!

Unfortunately, the awe was short lived as we got home to discover the HUGEST roach I've EVER seen [and I've seen quite enough for my lifetime, thank you] skittering over our stove where I had left some leftover PLAIN rice in our one pot [that has no lid] in my hurry to get out the door.  A dumb move on my part considering my knowledge of the bugs here, but I was hoping the stove [which is not attached to anything else in the kitchen] would have prevented any little food-snoopers. WRONG. I will never do that again.  And the worst part is that my fearless husband was unable to kill the sucker.  So it is still alive and well, probably waiting for us to go to bed to come out and search our house.  Ug, I just got some chills thinking about it...I also think I spotted some poop?? Not sure, but it sure did look like a goodie of some kind, and J said it was possible.  Gross.  Everything is currently soaking in a lot of water and tiny bit of bleach, just for our peace of mind. Well folks, sorry to end that story on such an awful note, but I gotta present the good and the bad, you know? :)  We're fine, really!  

Tomorrow night is the second installment of Batman back on campus in a lecture hall...then we will just wait until Grenada decides to buy and ship in the new movie reel so we can all see the third one :)  I hope everyones' weekends are going well!  

Much love from your sailing roach hunters here in Grenada :)

back in the saddle again.

So this is my first official day back in Grenada and I've made at least one new friend...the handy-man's dog.  Seriously.  This dog follows me everywhere, tries to walk into the apartment when I come home, and then chills outside my door in the meantime.  The sketchy little dude even pawed on my screen trying to get in...I threatened that he would pay for a broken screen if he tore it...he stopped.

Oh! And I also made an enemy.  Namely, the roach that was IN MY FRIDGE and I killed in cold blood [and cold surroundings]...it makes me sick to even think about it. 

A. How did it get there in the first place?

B. How LONG had it been in there??? [it's COLD!]

C. WHY was it in there?? I mean, what was it doing?? 

Luckily, a friend and neighbor [Amber] was over and came to the rescue by sacrificing her shoe to be the weapon.  Sucker was gone quick, but not after a bit of squealing and "Ew! Gross! Seriously!?!?"s...it was disgusting.

HOWEVER, on a better note, I have thoroughly cleaned the place, and I am currently drying our sheets and other newly cleaned items in our FREE dryers downstairs [after being escorted by fore-mentioned neighbor watch dog...who, by the way, is the most ridiculous looking "guard dog" I've ever seen...who is scared of a mini bear-faced, puffy haired, 25 pound dog? I will try to take a picture soon...]  I went grocery shopping [with Amber] and bought enough food for this week and stocked up on some things for the term.  

Surprisingly, it feels very normal to be back here again.  I even drove to the store and didn't have to think TOO hard about driving on the "wrong" side of the road.  Being back in the grocery store felt very normal - it is great to know where everything is already and the lack of adjustment is very refreshing.  I still hate the heat, but our apartment is very breezy so its actually bearable and even cool at night!  Of course, I really miss home, but its been so nice to be back in a home-place with my J and get settled back in and mentally prepare for the year to come.  He was very sweet when I came home, by the way.  He came to the airport prepared with a dark chocolate bar in the car, white wine in the fridge at home, and surprised me this morning with a goat cheese omelet breakfast in bed [which really is our only option...we only have one chair...] but needless to say, very sweet and I am so grateful for him - he really did a great job setting up the place as best he could before I came :)

So tonight I think I will be making some beef and potatoes since he's been missing out...plus, that can be well-paired with white wine, right?  :)  I miss everyone, always...but know that for now, we are doing well in Grenada.  

Much love.

de brooke babe...

...and my new lens :)  So for my birthday, my mother in law bought me a new camera lens that I had had my eye on for a while - after being given the hint by my husband :)  Here are some of the pictures of Brooke, the daughter of the couple we are living with the rest of the summer...I babysat her today, and I think I will be forever spoiled by how easy she is!  I hope our kids have similar temperaments :) !!!

and just to pay some homeage to the Cantwells...here's the Jane Doodle...the most ridiculous dog we know :)

midterms are OVER!

SO sorry its been such a long time since I have blogged!  As my dad said, he felt "disconnected"...so I'm sorry for the rest of you who have also been let down!
It's been a pretty long time since I reported on the goings-on in Grenada...but I am MOST glad to report that midterms are OVER! and J has already found out that he made two A's :)  [He will most likely find out the rest of his grades on Monday].  Currently, I am making Dutch Babies for lunch [super easy, google it :) ] and we just got back from campus.  It's been so wonderful to have my husband for the weekend after a week of "good-morning," "good-night" [if I was lucky] interactions :):)
Friday we went snorkeling with Ryan [Marieke got home from the states that night - bringing beer, peanut butter and cheesecake!!! She is awesome!] and wore ourselves out.  We went to dinner at a new restaurant just across the street called Le Chateau.  I had pumpkin soup and curried Thai chicken, and J had a fish stew and fish burger.  We then had our routine celebration splurge...yep, you guessed it...ice cream :)  I got a scoop of coffee, and J got a rum and raisin milkshake.  Both were excellent :)  We slept well that night!! Poor J has been soooo tired!

Yesterday we lounged around all day until we went to Port Louis [a rich yacht area] and walked around and looked at little shops and such.  We were out for only an hour or so, but I got burnt again.  I even wore sunscreen.  I give up.  Anyway, we came home after that to listen to our home church's sermon from the week before, talked about it a little, and then we started watching Downton Abbey, the recent PBS/BBC series phenomena.  I had been watching it all week while J was studying and I was left all alone [cue: "Awwwww!"] so this was the first time J had seen any of it.  I've really enjoyed the show, although some of the plot lines aren't the best - I don't think the plots are glorified...you always have the feeling that you are meant to feel disappointed. Anyway, I can share a post on that later if anyone wants to comment on it :)  We watched the third Star Wars movie last night with Ryan and Marieke [actually, I ended up going to bed] and then this morning was CSA.  We are going to eat lunch now and hang out here for a bit before we head to the beach for a little standing in the water.  J clarified that he didn't want to swim around...just stand. He is still tired ;) 

ANYWAY, this was a super quick update since I want to spend time with him, but also wanted everyone to know we didn't fall into the ocean or anything...since it could happen :)

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow, this has been a wonderful, relaxing weekend and a lot of fun with my boo :)

Love from Grenada.

grensave food festival and other notes.

I'm sorry that it seems as if I can only write blog posts on the weekends...but currently, that seems to be the trend.  It's probably a good thing too, since I feel as if I am running out of new things to say.

This weekend, the organization that Marieke volunteers with [Grensave] hosted its annual International Food Festival.  I was recruited [along with other friends] to take photos, work the US table, and be there for any extra help needed.  It was a lot of fun, but it was also a looonnng day and I was so happy to sit down at the end of it.  The brain child behind our table decor was Becca, and another SO named Scott was the point man for recruiting the baked goods for the table.  I just made some brownies [Grenadians LOVE brownies, by the way!] and helped sell the goods from 12-5:30pm or so.  

The event covered three areas: an outdoor pavilion, and two large convention center-like rooms.  One room had the "opening ceremonies," some dancing, the Children's Village and arts and crafts for sale.

The outdoor pavilion had a bunch of different food vendors from places including: India, Grenada, Trinidad, Belize, and many others that I have now forgotten....meanwhile, China, Brazil, South Korea, the US and some others had the only air conditioned building for our tables :)  The Lord knew we would need it ;)

It was a huge event, and I took a bunch of pictures, but since I don't have my camera handy at the moment, I am posting some pictures one of our friends took and I will post mine later.

The main crew [minus Becca, who had left at this point], from L to R: Jon [a Peace Corp member], Natalie, Marieke, me, Scott.  

Scott and I suffer from the same photo-face malfunction disease...or we're both just hams...whatever.  By the way...this table had been FULL before...this was at the very end, when all of us just wanted to get home :)  But you can also still see some of Becca's awesome decorations!

 This was my Miss America pose.   I had to represent our culture, you know??

They thought we were crazy ;)

Our table was able to raise a little over $660EC for Grensave! It was a lot of fun to hang out with friends and support a great local organization that works for clean water and bath house projects, builds preschools, and organizes and sponsors after-school programs and camps for children and youth around Grenada.  

In other news, I had to go to the doctor on Friday to have some blood work done because the topical cream that they gave me to "cure" my fungus backfired and made it worse.  They then said that I would definitely need an oral medication, but needed to check to make sure my liver functions well enough to handle it - sounds great, right?  Well, of course my blood work was a bummer, as it always is [I cried...a little, but still...stupid natural reaction] ...but I was also given some advice from a local to try one more cream before I decided to take the oral med [which sounds scary anyway, if they needed blood work] so I took the advice [couldn't hurt, right? and this was a local lady who said she had often had this issue/used this cream] and bought the cream.  Within one day, my arms started to clear up and stop itching quite so much.  Three days in: significantly better, diminished, and significantly less itchy.  PRAISE THE LORD!!! Hopefully this means that I can avoid the scary oral pill, and keep this cream in mind for the future.  I'm just praying that this is the end of this FOR GOOD!

We are still feeling quite starved spiritually here - especially J, who doesn't have the same amounts of time that I have to read/listen to additional sermons/study, etc.  Please be praying for him, but it is a constant reminder of our desire/need for refreshment this summer, and we are so ready for it!

Midterm studying is in full-swing, which means J doesn't get home from school until about 11pm every night.  Please be praying for him [and us] in all these things, but mostly that we will keep our eyes fixed on the Lord and the glory of the gospel [although the Lord is pleased to hear all things...we just know He is so much more abundant in grace than simply answering the "please help me pass this test" prayers - and for THAT we are eternally thankful, and desire to know Him more fully! :) ]

I can say without shame that there have been many tears shed as I think of all the blessings we have in you, our friends and family, and the blessings of "home" that far surpass Target, Starbucks, and all the conveniences we can miss here on the island [I'm kidding a little about missing all those things, but you know what I mean ;) ] and we can't wait to be back face-to-face with all of you!!!!  

Much love from Grenada.

honors night.

Here are some pictures from Saturday night taken by the new found friends at our table :)

Our view :)

Chattin' while we wait for the ceremony and food :)  I look bored, but really, it was a really fun night and I was glad to get to spend some time with my man all fancy-like :)

 Oooohh...artsy :)

Dr. Brahim giving his speech

 J receiving his certificate :)

 Yay, boo! :)

 Saying his pledge :)

Not my plate, but a sampling just the same :)

SO glad someone thought to bring their camera and not be ashamed :) Thanks, Grace!!!

picture weekend.

The following pictures will tell of our crazy, jammed-packed weekend...

Well...I have no pictures of this, but Friday was an impromptu movie night since we found out that the second Sherlock Holmes movie came out and we had wanted to see it - and since Fridays are two-for-one deals, we seized the opportunity. We were glad we did - we really enjoyed it, and appreciated the fact that Sherlock Holmes has been pretty clean, but still action-and-suspense-packed :)  It was a good choice - and better to see on the big screen than on RedBox...although we would have survived :)

Saturday morning, HSO had a painting crew go to one of the more neglected elderly homes in the area. The home was rather heart-wrenching.  The "living" space was just a room full of beds separated by curtain partitions.  Many elderly seemed to have severe mental issues as well, and all they did was sit around.  The ones who came to see us painting seemed very excited about what we were doing, so we hope it brightens the place up a little bit...and we are looking to spend more time with the residents the second time around.

 We began to repaint their dining room.

 Eventually [after midterms are over], the bottom half will be red.

 The "after" shot [mostly].

The after effects :) 

That night, we attended J's Honor Society Induction Ceremony dinner at the University Club - one of the swankiest places in town.  I would put up more pictures, but alas, I decided to leave my camera on campus because I thought it might be too awkward to lug it around, and this is the only "good" picture we got - the rest were blurred since we were riding the bus. Another alas: my husband's choice of face.  HOWEVER, the dinner was amazing! Beef Wellington, fish, chicken, veggies, garlic rolls, rice, cheesecake, and free wine...along with a nice ceremony complete with speaches and certificates.  I am very proud of my hard working husband that was able to get into the Honor Society after his FIRST TERM of medical school!!!  We sat with the other married second termers [two other couples] and two other girls.  It was a great night, and needless to say, another amazing provision from the Lord of a great time, great meal, and great blessing to reward great work - all by His strength :)  One of the girls we sat with took pictures, so I will post those when I receive them :)

Today I went on an island tour with Marieke and her dad and sister.  Miss John, with whom Marieke volunteers at Grensave, took around the island....through Grand Etang National Park [a big crater-lake], to Belmont, and then back along the west coast.  It was beautiful, and a great reminder that Grenada is not just what we see day to day in St. George.  Here are some flora pictures to enjoy...we also had a great lunch courtesy of Marieke's dad, as well as some good ol' Belmont chocolate :)

 Marieke explaining chocolate to her sister.

 Recently bagged cocoa beans :)

 Baby goat that liked nibbling on Marieke's finger :)  SO cute!!!!

 We were cracking up at this one - doesn't it look like he has a wig???

 Baby baby baby gooooattss....sorry.  Had to.

 Look closely at the horizon....you can see the adjacent islands!!!

 Coming on sunset...

We then headed to Dodgy Dock where there was a surprise party going on for our friend, Phil.  People had already been there for about 2 hours, but we were glad to see him and celebrate a little before heading home :)

Happy Birthday, Phil! :)

I just made Pad Thai for dinner and J's lunch tomorrow [score! I love double meals :)] and he is currently studying and I think I am going to watch a movie for a bit before heading to bed - we were both pretty worn out, especially after yesterday.  But it has been another wonderful weekend, and we are so grateful for the experiences we are able to have here.  Tomorrow I am looking at a couple apartments for next term [possibly] and going to the SO Board Meeting.  Things should be a little calmer these next few weeks...well, not for J since his midterms are coming up, but SO things are a little more chill.  I am currently working on the Photo Fundraiser that is in the works :)  Miss everyone back home!  We are eagerly awaiting our return stateside :)  Much love.