So, i continue to look at my blog and wonder when I'll be inspired enough to write again.

Perhaps the flood at my school is worth writing about...






or the fantastic fish market visit and fresh tuna lunch I made with friends last term that I never told you about...







or the fun that I'm having at school with my class...




or the rainbow I saw last week...



or the baby frog that I found in my shower this morning...

or the storm outside with intense thunder and lightning...

Well, it's certainly not because I have nothing to write about. I think it's just that, well... life is happening. Dave continues to study of course, day in and day out. I spend my days at the Grand Anse Playgroup with my wonderful class reading and listening to Charlotte's Web, making homemade drums, creating official Germ Fighter badges, exploring the 5 senses, making shadow art outside (when the sun is just right), learning about shapes and colors...oh the list goes on and on. I love my job, and even as hard as it is...I know Dave loves school. So, take my lack of recent posts as a mere sign that Life is Good! Dave and I are doing well and simply soaking in the simple life of Grenada for the last few months we're here!

Or...the power that just went out! Wonderful!

Sea Moss?

Well, while we are here for a few more months, I have decided to soak it all in while we still can. Last Saturday, a large group of students (and me of course) caravanned out to a hidden beach I have spoken of before, Galby Bay. You have the choice to either drive down a terribly treacherous road with huge bumps and holes or park near the top of the road and walk down. A few cars braved it down, carrying bbq grills, surfboards, kayaks, etc. We chose to park and walk down...a much better choice...even while toting large tubs of cold beer. It was a great, relaxing day..."just limin'.

For those of you unsure of what " limin' " is...according to the Trini Dictionary
Lime* = limin' Hanging out, loafing.

Here are a few pictures from the day...






Also, on a side note, I noticed (for the first time yesterday) a tasting booth set up at IGA. I realize this is probably set up for curious people like me who have not sampled all of the local products yet, but remain curious and hopeful to before we leave. Nonetheless, I was feeling lazy and was not feeling adventurous so I walked right on past. I then stopped, thought for a second and turned right around. I had to try something...it was my duty as a semi-permament visitor in a foreign land. Ok...sea moss drink...sure I'll try it. It was a white, creamy drink sort of resembling a banana smoothie. More specifically, according to the Grenada Market,

"Seamoss or Irish Moss (Mousse d'Irlande) is a marine plant which grows abundantly along the shorelines of the Southern Caribbean Islands. It is fan shaped with shapely finger like prongs and is translucent when first harvested.

Seamoss is processed into a nutritious, invigorating drink, which restores energy and vitality. Grenada folklore abounds with reference to the powers of Seamoss; How it acts as a romantic stimulant; How it drastically reduces the effect of alcohol; How a night watch on a sail boat became less tiring after drinking Seamoss."

It was weird...ok I'll say it...but not bad. I sure didn't feel romantic after drinking it, but I'd probably try it again sometime. So...hmmm, what's next?

Settled Back In

A dear friend of ours emailed me yesterday asking me if Dave and I were "settled back into 'island life' yet." I thought for a second and realized that it probably took us all of a few hours to feel settled back into our life in Grenada. Truthfully, Grenada feels more like home now than when we are back in the States. With jobs, school, may of our close friends, everyday adventures and experiences all being here now on this little island, we have begun to feel a bit like visitors when we go back to New Jersey. Yes, our friends and family welcome us home with open arms and the warmest smiles we could ever ask for, but at this point in our lives (for a few more months at least), we are still visitors just passing through with a quick hello before we are off again. We love Grenada and treasure the time we have spent here as well as the few great months we have ahead, but we so much look forward to being "home" back in the US with our families, friends, and simple conveniences we are used to. We have soaked in the culture, mingled and made great friends, learned the local lingo, spent many a days "just limin' ", sampled (and even "cooked") caribbean cuisine, exchanged Eastern Caribbean Dollars, driven on the other side of the road, enjoyed (probably too much) rum punch, soaked in the caribbean sun and sand, and simply put...settled ourselves into island life quite well. What a fun journey this has become! We're excited but at the same time sad to think about it coming to an end in a few short months.

Carnival...Spicemas 2010!

Well, after a wonderful, relaxing summer at home visiting family and friends we are back on the island for our final term. When you arrive, 2 years seems like an eternity, but now it's hard to belive that our carribean adventure is almost over. We both look forward to an exciting last term, but we can't help but think about how the end is near. As you know, we love living here in Grenada, but being home continues to remind us how much we miss our friends and family while we're away. However, we have an exciting term ahead and it's already gotten off to an amazing start. We caught up with friends yesterday and had a great time at Grenada's renowned Carnival, Spicemas 2010. We sipped rum punch and watched the parade of dancing and costumes. Here are some of my favorites.

It's been a while...top ten

I need to catch up on everything we've seen and done in the past month and a half. Here is the top ten (in no particular order). Let's see...

1. One of the coolest things we've done while in Grenada was swim with illuminescent jelly-type algae. Sorry for the lack of scientific terminology, but that's what these creatures seemed like to me. A few weeks back, we gathered with a bunch of our friends for a bonfire on what is called "airport beach." It's a hidden beach way past the airport where one has to walk in the pitch-black, flashlight in hand, over precarious rocks only to arrive at one of the most beautiful beaches here in Grenada. It's a small pocket of beach with rocks that surround you on either end of the beach. It creates a perfect spot for a midnight bonfire. After roasting marshmallows, some of us decided to go swimming. I was being chicken at first b/c I had forgotten my bathing suit (note to self whenever going to the beach...at any time of day or night), but Dave dove right in and started yelling something about "Avatar." Being entirely intrigued, I decided to just go on in the water in my clothes. I mean, how many opportunities does one truly have to go swimming at midnight in the Caribbean...especially when it supposedly looks like "Avatar?" Lo and behold...it was amazing! There were glow-in-the-dark little clear things all over the water. It looked almost like lightning bugs but they were under the water. This was definitely one of the coolest things I've seen...ever. Everyone must try to see this before they leave.

2. I saw more goats...a lot more goats by the side of the road. Even cows and sheep (I have learned since my last post that many of the said goats are truly sheep, depending on whether their tail is up or down.) Go figure. So anyway, more goats...sheep...oh whatever...

3. Dave continued to do LOTS of studying and I have been busy working at the Grand Anse Playgroup, running the after-school program for all the school-aged children.

4. I continued to help out as part of the ECIP (Early Childhood Intervention Program) team, providing play therapy to local children with special needs.

5. I spent the day at a new beach...BBC beach. So beautiful!! I continue to be amazed that we actually LIVE here.

6. We attended Liam's 1st birthday party (congrats to Julie and CJ!) It was a fantastic fiesta filled with great food, wonderful guests, and beautiful homemade decorations. Great job Julie!

7. I tried a new restaurant...it was delicious! Stewed turtle anyone? I was aghast! I got the fish.

8. I have been very busy growing two mystery seeds at school with my kids. One has finally sprouted. (fyi---they are avocado seeds, but don't tell them. The kids are convinced we're growing pumpkins.) Go figure.

9. I saw a real man o war jellyfish...a few of them actually.

10. I watched a few local kids fly kites higher than I've ever seen kites fly before. Flying kites is a tradition for the children of Grenada over the Easter holiday. It was really fun to watch!

So, another great month filled with new experiences!

Goats, goats, and more goats!

One thing that I find really funny about living here is the amount of goats that one sees on a daily (yes, daily) basis. Before moving to Grenada, I believe I had seen goats at zoos and such, but I never saw them just meandering around as I do here. There are goats tied up along nearly every street just grazing on grass and hanging out. Of course, we see the occasional cow as well, but goats are the primary sighting. Today, on my way to campus (approximately a 10 minute drive), I saw...count them...8 goats! I finally got my camera out to capture shots of the last few as proof.

Goat #6

Goat #7

Goat #8

Ha, I love it!

The Good Life!

One of the finer things in life...fresh fruit. I'm not sure if we'll ever have orange, grapefruit, AND mango trees in our backyard again, so we are enjoying this while it lasts. We have been eating fresh grapefruits every morning with breakfast. The oranges are almost ripe, and we are waiting with bated breath for mango season...it's our favorite. Such a treat!