back among the living

well... back at the Miami airport.
I didn't hardly get online at all the past 2 weeks. only to briefly check facebook.... I had 145 emails!! yikes!
it was nice to not be online... but I feel overwhelmed about catching up on things.
so many pictures to post, emails to respond to, blogs to write and read. eeesh.

it was a great visit home and I am trying my hardest to not be sad about going back to Grenada...
I miss my husband, but like in America is so easy. so convenient. so comfortable.

I want to cry thinking about sleeping in that uncomfortable bed.
I like my bed, my ac, my big squishy duvet.

but I will be content and enjoy these last 6 months b/c after that out little Grenada adventure is over... it will just seem like a dream....

12 seater plane.... shotgun!!

whoa whoa whoa whoa.
why did it take me 24 years to get to St. Vincent and the Tobago Cays??
it was the most beautiful place I've ever been!!

For my previously mentioned modeling gig I flew into Union Island and was wisked away by speed boat to the Cays for the 1st day.

I think I'll split this up into a couple different posts because I took 522 pictures and it was like a week's worth of events jammed into 2 days. 

To get there we flew SVG airlines, a tiny little charter plane that only seated about 12.  It was a full plane and so they sat me in the front with the pilot!!
Co-pilot Kelsey! 
I was not asked any security questions, no instructions of things to not touch, nothing.
How did they know I wasn't completely crazy and impulsive........ (no comments, LEE)
I could have crashed this plane in 3 seconds stat.
Thankfully I used some restraint and didn't push all those shiny buttons, switches, and knobs.
I had an INCREDIBLE [and scary] "birdseye" view.

 flying into Union Island! beautiful!!

Coming up next, Day 1 in the Tobago Cays!!

movie scene

Friday I had the opportunity to go up the north eastern coast of Grenada to what used to be Pearls Airport.  It has been abandoned since they built the new, much more convenient Maurice Bishop Int. Airport.
Pearls is about an hour away from the main tourist sections of Grenada, Grand Anse, St. George's etc. and also from SGU which would be terrible for students coming in and out of the country!
Maurice Bishop Airport opened in 1983, so before then Pearls is all the people had!

There are two cargo planes that have been left there for the last 30 years.  I was told they were American planes and they have some red, white, and blue painted on the side, but then I read on Wikipedia that they are Cuban planes (which is also red,white, and blue)
So I don't really know, but I know they had something to do with the 83 invasion of the US into Grenada.  The US invaded b/c they thought Grenada was in cahoots with Cuba and were building the new airport for / with them.

I got to do another photoshoot with yet again 3 photographers! My friend Ashley wasn't able to come this time, but a local photographer named Dwain came and we had a ton of fun.  I got to climb in the planes and act silly...

This was a much more natural look.. I only have on face powder and mascara!  I thought the last time I had on too much make up and it kind of made my eyes look funny.... but now I think I had on too little make up for this one. haha I need to meet in the middle. 

Here are a few picture that my friends have posted so far, more to come I hope!!

Back on the rock!!

everyone calls Grenada "the rock".... I guess it kind of is just a big rock sticking up in the middle of the ocean, but I don't particularly like that name.... kind of like those who wanted to be cool & call Mt Vernon, "then Vern" rather than "the Naz". no thanks.

ANYWAY

we are back!!!
we had a great quick flight... a direct flight! it only took about 5 hours from Toronto to get here.
once we were at the airport we however had to wait for 2 hours for our bags and to get through customs.... typical. welcome to Grenada things are sllllllow.

right away we noticed how green and lush and beautiful everything is. we left at the end of the dry season so it hadn't rained in months and everything was kind of brown and dry... now everything has bounced back to life & is growing out of control!!
everyone has said that the mosquitoes are really bad now too, but I have been here almost 24 hours and haven't been bitten yet! knock on wood.

my sweet friend Chris picked us up from the airport & brought us fresh homemade cookies & a bottle of ice water! exactly what we needed after standing around the hot hot hot airport in jeans for hours.

we are settling into the apartment, it is still a disaster zone, but soon I will have everything put away and can start decorating!
Lee had to start studying as soon as we go here :( and he's in class now.




last night I went to the grocery and I tried to get on the Grand Anse bus but it was full so I walked over to the IGA from the Texaco (about a 5-7 minute walk) and on the way I passed 6 kids I knew!!! I was so happy to see them! They were from our afters chool program Limes. granted I was walking right by their neighborhood where they all live, but I was still surprised to see 6 of them on the side walk :)
and in the store I saw a lot more people I know from the school! and met a new friend in the check out line, I could tell he was new so I gave him some advice about stuff, like the frequent shoppers card! I didn't have one for like 2 months! and he asked a lot of questions about school and stuff... I want to be really helpful to new people because I remember what it was like to have no clue about anything and all of a sudden be dropped in a 3rd world country. lol
on the walk over I started to notice a lot of things too, like this really is a poor little country... especially after spending the summer in the US and Canada where everything is excess excess excess.  I walked into little IGA to find 5 apples, 10 onions, no bread, 4 gallons of milk, no bananas.... haha and you just have to roll with it.

after the store I walked over to Grand Anse beach because there was a bus leaving from there going straight over to Lance Aux Epines (where we live now!) and I ran into 2 more people I know, Michelle and Bridget, & they both live in LAE so they drove me home.... :)
what a small little island! and I love it!

I just hope we re-adjust to the heat soon.... I don't care what the thermometer says, it is hotter here than I've ever been... lol.  It annoys me when people say "oh it's hotter in Ohio or Canada today than it is in Grenada" no, no it's not. impossible. whatever the internet says the temp is add 10 & 10 more for humidity.
We have 2 fans going now & last night we turned the AC on so Lee could study & sleep comfortably.  The AC unit is just in the bedroom so no matter how high it is I don't think it will ever cool the living room & kitchen off.  so I'll deal. I kind of like having all the windows and doors open.... reminds me of home.  I lived in a house until I was 17 with no AC & I survived. barely. but I survived.
last night before bed I took a cold shower and it was wonderful. not freezing cold, just cool & it made me feel so much better and removed about 10 layers of sweat.... I already have more zits today from the sweat! :/

ok enough words. here are some pictures!

we could see all of Grenada flying in!! 

The following pictures were taken 10 minutes after we got here, these are all very very BEFORE pictures. 

welcome home! 

 yay full length mirror!! finally!

Lee's little desk & the AC!!! we wouldn't have slept last night without it.

part of the bathroom, the shower is HUGE!  like a 1/3 of the square footage of the apartment. ok not really.

4 of my cacti survived the entire summer shut up in the apartment without a drop of water! :)

the view from our front door!

the place on the left with the orange roof is an ice cream store!