All Saints Day

For a week that started out looking like it was going to be very boring, things have changed significantly. Monday and Tuesday were very slow at GRENCODA headquarters and it looked like the week would be similar to the previous ones. From the two previous sentences you would expect there to be a ‘but’ coming and, of course, you would be right. Things picked up for Andrew and me, as we were charged with an interesting project. We have been given the task of drawing up a business plan for three young men that are planning to enter the fishing business. It will be a small venture but very important, as these three men have had trouble with the law in the past. This fishing business represents a chance to make changes and avoid falling back in with the wrong crowd. Andrew and I know very little about the fishing industry but with a few business plan outlines from the trusty Info SuperHighway and questions put to our local fishing expert (Malcolm, GRENCODA’s accountant) we have devised a good plan that will hopefully address the various problems and potential issues that may arise from this business venture. Now we are just waiting for these guys to show up at the office.

We finished up our business plan before lunch on Wednesday and didn’t have much on the plate for the afternoon. We had heard that Ms. Williams, GRENCODA’s secretary general, was heading out for a meeting with some consultants contracted by USAID for a post-project evaluation, namely the reconstruction following hurricane Ivan. Andrew and I got ourselves invited to the evaluation meeting as neither of us had previously had the opportunity to attend a meeting such as this. I must admit that I was leery of what USAID would have to say in such a meeting. I was expecting a lot of self-directed, congratulatory style questions, and that was what I witnessed. However, I also learned that more often it is the personalities involved in these projects that enable them to be comprehensive and accountable. I am trying to keep this blog as apolitical as possible so I won’t go into the outcomes of various projects but let’s just say that their success hinged on who had supervisory control. Maybe I’ve said too much already, in any case I am glad that I attended the meeting.

On the way back to our house, Ms. Williams asked what if we had plans for the evening, to which I replied in the negative. November 1st is All Saints Day in many countries around the world, wherever the Roman Catholic Church has a good foothold. Ms. Williams invited us to join her and her brother and his wife at the gravesite of their father and two brothers at the public cemetery in Grenville. We agreed and were on our way across the island in no time. Since we had no time to pack any provisions, we stopped at a little bakery along the way. I will have to digress on Grenadian food shops and local stores for a bit here. Most local shops are quite non-descript, having no signs, hours of operation, often even lacking windows. When you walk by and you see a small counter with cakes and such behind some glass or plastic, then congratulations, you have found a store. Like anywhere else in the world, busy stores are usually an indication of good stores, but it can be very hard to distinguish a busy store in Grenada. One store may be filled with people but they are not customers, just friends of the owner and thus maybe not a good store. Another store may not have anyone in it and very little on the shelves; that can be a very good store because the owner does brisk business and sells out of the popular items. Of course, the best thing to possess when looking for a good local food shop is that most intangible of items; local knowledge. So, back to the story, on our trip across the island, Ms. Williams pulled up beside one of these anonymous-looking food stops. As soon as we stopped I understood why this was a good shop; the air was filled with fragrant smells of spices and baking. We sauntered up to the counter and looked at all the freshly baked goodie behind the glass, from soft and light butter bread to ‘meatloaf’ (which I would have called a type of pizza bun) to coconut drops (cookies). Normally I am not that much of a fan of coconut in baked goods but these drops were filled with some of the freshest spices I have ever had to pleasure to know. Grenadians always tell me that although Indonesia produces more nutmeg, Grenada’s main export is of a much higher quality. I can’t tell one nutmeg from another but these coconut drops were excellent. We hopped back into the car and continued on our winding way to Grenville. As we travelled and Ms. William answered our various questions about Grenada, she also divulged the history of the gravesite that we were going to visit. Her father and two brothers passed away within the span of a year and a half. We were therefore following the All Saints tradition of going to the cemetery and placing lit candles on the graves. This tradition is also a gathering of family to the places where loved ones have been buried, an opportunity to visit and hang out. It is not the solemn event that one might imagine; children are running around, teenagers are hanging out and trying to look cool and adults are catching up with old friends. This evening was quite nice with the wind rising only intermittently to blow out a few of the candles. As we were honoured to share in this moment of remembrance and celebration we got to observe the beautiful spectacle of seeing a large cemetery lit against the surrounding darkness by the glow of thousands of candles. I am quite sorry that I forgot the camera at home, but the images and memories are definitely etched into my brain.

After such a moving and beautiful Wednesday evening, Thursday looked like it might be a bit boring. However, we, all three of the Canadian volunteers, have been handed some longer term work. We have all been recruited into GRENCODA’s after-school program to help tutor students in various subjects of their choosing. Although we will all may be call to tutor in any subject, we have also been split into three major subject areas. Kristy was handed the English and language arts core area, Andrew chose the sciences and I got Math. As we all know, Kristy will do very well with the English area. I, however, am a bit intimidated by the grade 11 math with its emphasis on algebra, trigonometry and quadratic equations. It has been 11 years since I last seriously worked with any of this stuff. For the next week or so, I will be cramming as much math into head as possible. I didn’t think that I would end up doing math homework in Grenada, but life can deal you an interesting hand sometimes.

I think that I will wrap up this post for now. Kristy and I are going to the local and very undeveloped beach after I upload this post. I have been running on a regular basis this week and it has been tough going but the hills are getting easier and the distances longer. I may not be able to find a bike to ride in Grenada but my legs will definitely be ready for the spring rides when we get back to Canada. Today I will save my legs for tomorrow as we have plans to head over to the Grand Etang National Park and Rainforest. We are being picked up by GRENCODA’s accountant, Malcolm, in the morning and plan to do one of the medium length hikes in Grand Etang. It is a hike to Grenada’s Seven Sisters Falls. Not to worry I will not forget to bring the camera, there will definitely be some excellent pictures to post next time.

Jason