Merry Christmas, Kids.

I lied. My promised "few days" lieu turned into a few more days and consequently into a few weeks. Family visits don't happen very often so I determined to enjoy every bit of it. I'm sure you don't hold that against me.
However, my recess leaves lots for me to catch up on. Beginning with the orphanage.


I volunteer at a children's home every monday afternoon. Our last visit of the year was the much anticipated Christmas Party! Due to some changes, the kids were not going to receive presents for Christmas this year. I talked to my dad about it and he arrived in Grenada loaded with toys, games, crayons, and dolls, donations from Canada.

All fourteen kids rushed at our bus as we pulled into the compound. Dad tagged along to enjoy our Christmas cheer and ended up having a fantastic time. The kids were fascinated by dad and was asked more than once if he was Santa. He didn't mind.

One happy daughter!

The party started with cookie decorating. Icing, sprinkles, coloured gel migrated to the plain cookies to become delicious masterpieces. Of course, sometimes the masterpiece ended up on the face instead of the tummy.

Part II: Presents. We loaded a suitcase full of goodies for the kids. The mix of Canadian donations and our own contribution resulted in multiple presents for each child. After waiting for the gift distribution,  sounds of tearing paper and shouts of happiness filled the humid air.

All ready to be opened!

I have never seen a reaction like I saw that day. Joy is the only word that could come to mind. Who ever thought that electric cars and nail polish could elicit such happiness? 

Then it was time to play! Dad joined right in, working with R on his new puzzle.

And playing with cars.

The christmas party was a smashing success. We left some sugar-high and hyper kids with toys and teddies in hand. It was a day I won't forget...especially since I shared the day with my dad.

I hope you all had a merry Christmas and plan on having a fun-filled New Year!

Teaser

I haven't forgotten you. I'm working on an especially good post and want it to be perfect...so be patient. It's coming in a few days. Picture editing, beach limin', and some partying is required before I'm ready to unleash my adventures to the world.

To help you hold on, here are some teaser pics. Enjoy.

There's a cookie under there...somewhere..

Warning: my next post is going to be photo-happy. Kinda like this little guy.

Christmas is coming

The calendar says Christmas is near. The weather doesn't. Grenada repeats a continual August therefore the passage of time can only be noted calendar events, like the End of Term Social.  End of Term Social has marked the close of our first four months in Grenada. Students still have exams, of course, but the social was the final event for us wonderful SOs. Our dinner social was held at Dodgy Dock, a lovely resort/restaurant located at True Blue Bay. It's a great place to for limin' and was a pleasant venue for saying farewells to friends not returning after the new year. Students attended for one last breather before the craziness of finals begins.

Food at Dodgy dock

 Oceanside tables and ribs provided a nice break from cleaning and studying for Justin and me. We enjoyed our time chatting with friends before they disperse for Christmas break. Most students will be finished with exams at the end of next week and begin the return to family.

Restaurant on the dock

Christmas in Grenada is sure to be much different than any Christmas I've ever known. Busses blast reggae versions of Christmas carols. Secretly I laugh every time I see snowmen or snowflakes decorating cars and malls because I know that half of the population has never seen snow. With my family joining us for the holidays, I want to feel like Christmastime happens in Grenada, too. My biggest wish was to have a Christmas tree. A friend told me to forget about it...trees are expensive. 

My New Tree!!

Well, I found my tree! It's only three feet high but it's absolutely perfect. One of my trips into town led me to spot trees in the window of a hardware store. Trees are available most places but they really do cost a fortune. This hardware store had my little tree upstairs for a reasonable cost and even had pretty little decorations for it! Needless to say, I was thrilled!

Topping the tree

This Christmas will be Zoey's first as a part of our little family. Christmas trees proved to be an exciting addition to our house. Ever suspicious, she had to see what was up. She couldn't quite figure out why the little tree received more attention than her!

We finally spruced the little guy up and beheld our lovely tabletop Christmas tree. I thought I'd have to settle with a Charlie Brown palm branch but Christmas came to me in a much happier way. (I plan on watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas" sitting next to my lovely tree.)

After a few crafts and addition of candy canes, our Christmas tree has become a thing of festivity and joy.  Slowly but surely additional ornaments and presents will brighten up that corner of our living room. Christmas will happen in Grenada after all.

P.S Green Monkey? The toy monkey is Zoey's birthday present. Justin put it in the tree to be funny. It was funny but the monkey is now beside my tree patiently waiting until the 18th for my puppy's first birthday.

Fish Friday

Grenada contains many gems if you know where to find them. This beautiful country has several mountains and waterfalls I've been itching to hike. I have a list of local food venues I want to try. Topping the list was Fish Friday.

Fish friday happens every Friday in a small northern town called Gouyave. Most people drive or bus, but the SOs decided to arrive by boat, in style. The Carib Cat (Carib is a locally brewed beer) loaded fifteen SOs from Grand Anse Beach and set off on our hour-something trip. The sun was setting as we waited but was completely down when we set sail. Our distance from shore gave a unique perspective of Grenada, the island. On board, friends laughed and mingled while sipping rum punch. This outing gave a great opportunity to meet people outside of one's typical circle. I enjoyed sailing up the coastline while chatting in the dark with new friends. Though I'm not a boat person by any definition, I'll admit cruising proved to be a fun way to travel.


Everyone loves Fish Friday. I will insert that the hype about it can be deceiving. The event is held in random alleyways among bars and loitering people. The alley is narrow and dirty. Music blares and forget about finding a seat. Bear that in mind. All that being said, Fish Friday was a terrific time! I knew it wouldn't be anything fancy but I didn't expect so much variety or deliciousness! Throughout the night I consumed lobster pizza, fish kabobs, and my favourite, fish spring rolls!

SOs spread out among the booths and readily shared recommendations of favourite dishes. My favourite recommendation pick was shark. I don't know what kind of shark or if "shark" is really Grenadian slang for some other fish ("Dolfin" is another name for Mahi-Mahi in Grenada) but it tasted good!

The food was great. Everything I ate was under $10EC giving the opportunity to try multiple dishes. I ate until full without trying everything. Definitely means I need to return.

Lobster Kabob (and one happy man!)

Half of the fun was food. The other half was friends. We all had so much fun chatting about nothing while gobbling down fish cakes and drinking passionfruit juice. Our husbands came along with the girls to take a well deserved study break (which Justin really needed). We were limin' amid butchered Christmas songs in Caribbean style. You couldn't help but dance to "O Holy Night."

Limin' in Grenada

Homemade banana ice cream was a fun treat we tried. The lady was churning it right before our eyes in metal buckets and ice. Soft and creamy, it was a good end to our meal.

Everyone had a great time and we all made it home alive and full. The moon decided to appear on our trip home making the water silvery and bright. Food comas made the trip home quiet and peaceful. Fish Friday was a smashing success. I'm definitely going back to pick up where I left off.

Good name for a beached boat.

Tired, full, and happy :)