Reflections

As our time is drawing closer and closer to the end, we take time to reflect on what we've experienced and learned over the past six months. Here's some of our thoughts:

We've learned that:

1. You can buy the essentials in life right from your front door: Coke, beer and bread!
   
2. Walking slower can get you there faster.
3. It is important to talk to your neighbors.
4. The best places to go are often the hardest to get to.
5. Sometimes all you have to do is ask.
6. Cricket is more than just a noisy little bug.
   
7. Cockroaches stink when you whack them with your shoe.
8. Dogs are extremely resilient, surviving cars, parasites, and the stones I throw at them.
9. Farming is a challenge, no matter where you are.
10. The world is full of inspirations.
11. Sometimes my skin is a burden and a barrier.
12. 24 C can be cold and 60 km/h can be fast.
13. Just because someone speaks English doesn't mean you will understand what they're saying.
14. Oildown is delicious.
15. Sometimes tourists' actions embarrass me.
16. Silence is a rare commodity on a Caribbean island.
17. Where there is passion and determination much can be done with very little.
18. Damage cannot be counted merely in a physical sense, it affects every aspect of a people and takes years for recovery.
19. Grenadians don't walk in the rain because they cannot depend on a health care system to cure their ills.
20. Laughter is universal.
    

Interact with us:
What have YOU learned recently? (Within the last 6 months)

More photos from R&D's visit

For lack of inspiration and desire to do something original, I'm uploading more photos from our latest visitors. Hope you enjoy.

Kelci, Erin and Andrea had fun playing together one afternoon.

Erin and Andrea watching people jump off the Seven Sisters Waterfalls

Erin, Rita and Afi (Africa), the friendly daughter of our favourite restaurateur.

Andrea and the fruit.

Erin and Andrea taking a drink from the spring.

Well that's it for today. My brain just isn't really in for a whole lot of thought. Any suggestions from you folks out there? I am at your command!

Kristy

Big News!

So it starts like this:

This Christmas, when Jason's mom was in Grenada we mentioned that we were considering home ownership when we returned to Canada. We felt like we would rather be putting money into something that will build equity for us instead of paying someone else's mortgage. So, we asked Jason's mom to keep her eyes open for us, thinking that come spring when we returned we would start hunting ourselves. She did as we asked, even going to see a few properties when they looked promising. We had not done any of the other requisites for home ownership like getting a pre-approval for a loan, so we were expecting simply to look and see what was out there, and begin the process in April. I'm sure you can all guess by now that it didn't quite work out as planned.

On Feb 19th or 20th (all the details get fuzzy after a while) we got a call from Jason's mom. She was very excited about a house she had just been to see. She told us that it had everything we were asking for (namely a large yard and kitchen!) She had been to see the house and believed that this was the house for us! The only hitch was that since the house went on display only a few days previous there had already been a number of people to see it. She wanted to know if she should put in an offer. We did a lot of talking that night. And the next. On Thursday, the 22nd we went to a nearby island of Carriacou with my brother and sis-in-law, who were visiting at the time. We had decided that the house was out of our price range, and we didn't feel right putting in an offer on a house we had never seen, regardless how highly it came recommended. On our return from Carriacou on Saturday, we read an email sent by Jason's mom informing us that she had put a preliminary offer on the house, just to buy us some time. So, again, we started thinking. I managed to call up my parents on Sunday night and I asked them if they could possibly go to the house and be another opinion. I was sure that my father would poke around the house and notice if there was anything he felt was wrong with it. There was also another third party verification of the value of the house. Both my parents and Jason's mom believed that if we purchased this house and found it too big for us we could easily sell it for a profit. In addition, the lot was already zoned for subdivision, so we could sell off 2 acres in the back and make back some money right there. Mom and Dad also took a tonne of pictures so we could actually 'see' the house.

With so much positive encouragement, plus our trust in our parent's good judgment, we decided to take the plunge. Again, things moved far more smoothly than anyone could have predicted. We went to the Legal Aid and Councilling Clinic associated with GRENCODA in St. Georges who helped us with transferring power of attorney to Jason's mother. Then we had to go to the registrar for verification (notary public). When we got to the registrar's office we were told he was in a meeting and would be back until 4:00. This was a problem because Jason had to teach an IT class at 5:00. We waited around 5-10 minutes, and all of a sudden there he was! Back early (this isn't a common thing in Grenada by the way). We got our documents signed, brought them back to the Legal Aid clinic, and were on our way back to Gouyave. We were told it could take up to a week for the formal papers to be lodged in the court, but we sent a fax of the preliminary document to Jason's mom so she could begin the process. Amazingly we received a phone call the next day telling us that our papers had been through the courts and were ready!!!! Jason went into St. Georges to pick them up and we sent them by Fed Ex the next day.

And so it happened that on March 9, 2007 on Jason's 30th birthday we became home owners. Happy birthday, here's your mortgage!!! We officially took possession of this house we have not seen on March 15th. Here's a picture of the front, and of the marvelous kitchen (sorry the photo is blurry, it's the only one I have on the computer where I'm working right now). We won't give you details as to its location, because we're selfish and want to see the house with our own two eyes before we let anyone else! Upon our return on April 17th (or shortly thereafter) we will be sure to send out more information for the bash that will follow to celebrate both our newfound house, and my dear husband's birthday! So there you have it. Our Big News.

just a couple pics

Two posts in one day? Are they crazy? Probably.

The most recent Gouyave Fish Friday Festival. See the smiling faces as we try to shoehorn a Caribbean lobster into our already stuffed stomachs.

Somethings happen more quickly for children. It took about 30 seconds for our niece to go from stranger to friend with these girls.

One of the countless lizards that live in and around our house in Gouyave. This photogenic example seems to be striking a pose that says, "Here I am, don't get in my way and I will eat all the bugs in your house." Notice that he is flaring his doolap (the flap on his throat) to appear macho and impress the ladies.

A Post for Post's Sake!

What have those crazy Canucks been up to for the last week? To be true we have been running around the island, trying to do many of those things that we love with our latest round of guests. It has been a blast but has left us with little energy or time for keeping up with our electronic journaling. As soon as I get a chance to upload a few more pictures from our camera I will do so but until then all our online voyeurs will have to make do with these.

A good view from our favourite beach, looking back at Gouyave. Black sand and no tourists.

I can almost see Trinidad. (Same beach as above just the opposite direction.)

Sometimes I can feel a bit guilty about having my cake...

...and eating it too! But for the most part I don't. It's been a blast to fulfill my practicum requirement in Grenada and as the days tick by on the calendar I find myself not wanting to leave my new found home. Guess I will just have to look forward to our little side trip to Barbados in a couple weeks. ;)

Beach Day

We went to the beach yesterday with R & D and the girls. I would say a good time was had by all.

Just Chillin' in the waves

Those waves can give you a little push if you're not careful!


And spin you all around.


Hey Uncle Jason, guess what just happened?

This look of excitement didn't leave their faces all day!

Surprise!

They got me! At 30, I have never had a surprise party thrown for me...until now. Don't they all look quite proud of themselves?

Ms. Williams and I goofing around.

Many thanks go to Kristy for doing a great job at keeping me from discovering the big secret. And even more thanks got to her from making me a little 'Death by Chocolate' for my birthday. One of those things that is hard to make in Grenada but man did it taste good! Thank you my beautiful wife!

Happy Birthday Jason!

Today this wonderful man turns 30! Make sure you wish him a Happy Birthday.

Jason and the Billy Goat

Once upon a time there was a goat. His name was Billy.

One day a wandering traveler came and stood on Billy's stump.

Billy didn't like that the traveler was standing on his stump and so he butted the stump.

Along came a fiery-haired princess who talked to Billy and asked why he was so ornery.
Billy told her that his rope had become tangled around the base of the stump and he couldn't get to his favourite grazing spot.

So the princess patiently untangled Billy's rope and everyone was happy.

The end.

Just for fun

These are just some pictures Jason found online a while back and I saw them while looking through my photos and they struck me funny. So...I'm sharing them with you.

I hope this doesn't happen to us!!!



Here's a question for you all... What's the worst destruction story you have from your (or your kids) past?

To get you all rolling, I'll start! Although I don't know if it's the worst (in fact it probably isn't) but for one reason or another it sticks out as a childhood memory. I was in the living room with my cousin where we were listening to music (twist and shout I believe) and we got a little rambunctious. We ended up having a pillow fight (bad idea in the living room full of plants and other breakable things) and she ducked when I chucked the pillow at her. Unfortunately directly behind her was a nice big breakable lamp. It crashed, and broke all over the floor. It was one of the times I figured I've be in deep trouble but mom just came upstairs and helped us clean it up. Just goes to show kids never know what their parents will do!