Getting settled...

We woke up on day 2 and ushered the boys off to school. My goal was to get a drivers license and make contact with home. The day before we had seen a wifi hotspot in a children's park between our house and downtown. Success, I sent quick email and facebook post to the outside world to let everyone know we were ok.

While walking along the harbour lagoon, I got to see many different types of fish and crabs. I also met many friendly street vendors along the way. It seems that  if you have wares but no permanent spot, then you can just carry your items and offer them as you go along.  I even saw a lady selling SIM card top ups from a lawn chair by the side of the road, she just moved to wherever the shade was.

I am so happy I have brought my camel packs. They are great for staying hydrated and carrying small items that you may need. I have a pocket knife for cutting fruit and a handkerchief to help with the perspiration. I have drank at least 3 liters of water every day since getting here. I also find it solves my snack cravings.

In the afternoon we had an orientation with a local poet/historian Francis Peters, a high ranking police officer for a safety brief and the heads of NEWLO and PAM, the organizations Sara will be volunteering with.

After a quick late lunch, we met the boys at the end of their school day and headed to the beach as we had promised them their first swim at Grande Anse Beach. We also went to the beachside restaurant, Umbrella's for supper.

Day 3 was more of the same except this time we met with the other CUSO volunteers, Miriam and Linda who had arrived earlier in the year and they are assisting the Govt of Grenada at the Ministry of Youth. They are very nice ladies who had great information to share. We will probably meet up with them again for some social time.

On Thursday morning Sara and I ventured off downtown together after dropping the boys at school. We had a nice walk and as we were near the license office, Sara got hers too. An internet cafe had also been on our agenda, and it was nice to catch up with people and have time to send more detailed emails. I also looked for cars that were for sale in the classifieds. On the way home we signed up for wifi in the house and picked up some items our apt was lacking and tried some new fruit we had never seen before. My goal is to try something new everyday for the first couple of weeks. While putting stuff away, I found a scale in a cupboard and pulled it out. I have lost almost 10 pounds this first week. Hurray! The 220's are just around the corner. I had wanted to lose about 30 pounds while here and I have already met a third of my goal in less than a week. It is much easier when temptation is not just around the corner. The only fast food restaurants I have seen are a KFC and a SUBWAY. I also contacted a couple of sellers of used cars, who came by to show me what they had. The price was right but I was concerned about resale as they were quite rough inside.

Friday started off with a shot. Actually 2 beers before 10 am. Our neighbour Meena was at the bar across the street and as we stopped to say hello she ordered up and it was only appropriate that we stay and drink up. Then we were on our way downtown again to finalize some paperwork with the internet company. Once home I was able to make contact with a CFB Trenton co-workers friend here in Grenada who would take me to look at cars. We had a little success but were unable to meet the owner of one I was interested in. A couple more beers with my new friend Reginald to thank him for his help and I was on my way to a good evening. After Reginald left he stopped at the sellers again and found that he had come back, so off I was once again to look at a car. I think I got a slightly better deal than I could negotiate as Reginald is a local police officer. The deal was struck but it was after 4 and the banks were closed, so the car would have to wait until Monday. While all this was going on, Sara and the boys had been to Pandy Beach which is a nice walk down the road from our house. While going there they pass their school Beacon, a Rastafarian named Dan, a fantastic bakery and a street vendor named Scott. That evening, Sara decided to stay in with Owen as he had a bit of heat rash. I went across the street to try to blend with the locals. To say I was outclassed in the drinking department is an understatement, but most of my friends would know this anyway. I brought a Rum and Coke home for Sara to try. It was one of their lower alcohol blends at 40% alcohol but interestingly was considered 90 proof. Then I headed back for beers with my new neighbours. 4 for 15 XCD, or about $6 CDN and I was set for the rest of the evening.

On Saturday, we decided to take it easy. I had also made a promise to head down to the dealers to place a deposit on the car and also to go for a snorkle with Aiden at Pandy. This was only my second time into the ocean in a week, and I was really ready. We saw many fish including 2 lion fish, a sea snake, and what I call a flute fish. The reef is right on the beach so it makes it hard to enter as the bottom is also covered with Sea Urchins. On the way back in, Aiden and I found a split in the reef and we were able to come in unscathed. We looked for a landmark to make a safe entry for another time. Laundry and cleaning and final unpacking away also happened this day, but was much less interesting to describe.

Sundays are quite in Grenada. The morning music man isn't blasting at 6 am, hardly any cars are moving and the people tend to stay home. I am told that Grenadians tend to do laundry and prepare big meals and go to church on Sunday. Sara and I took advantage of this and slipped down to the park with a laptop so that she could post some blog entries. I also did some research for Aiden for his homework.That afternoon Sara took the boys to Grande Anse for a swim and beach time while I stayed behind to wait for the maintenance guy.

All through this week we have been trying to get everything working in the apartment. But Sunday was to be a day of more repairs for the local maintenance guy. You see we had not had warm showers all week. On top of this some light bulbs were out that were beyond reach without a ladder. One of the toilets would not flush and their was a 4 inch hole to the outside in the kitchen that did not have a screen in it. You had heard about the stove in an earlier post, but the fridge and freezer door are also slightly out, and they leak cold air. As we are paying utilities, we need these items fixed. Mr Dick or Vincent as some people call him as he is from St Vincent and the Grenadines and not Grenada came by again to fix the plumbing in our bathroom for our shower. The day before he had knocked an 8 inch hole through the concrete wall to replace the pipes. We now have no steady drip, drip, drip that turns to DRIP, DRIP, DRIP at night when the water pressure comes up.

This ends our first week in Grenada. We are happy and enjoying all the adventure has to bring us. While everything is not perfect, and we do not have all we are used to, we do have each other and that is enough. I am glad CUSO sends families as it makes the transition for the volunteer easier.