I’m Leaving, on a Jet Plane; Don’t Know When I’ll Be Back Again

This will be my last post before I leave the island. (Wow; that sounds weird!)

Friday night, Ana and I went to our final Elvina’s. There were a ton of people there! I guess Thursday night someone was filming a movie there and there was supposedly a travel writer there on Friday. Pretty cool, huh? We stayed for a few hours and were able to say goodbye to a few people we had met during our stay. After Elvina’s, Fish and Jamal brought us to Seaside which was also had more people than the last time we went. Ana and I danced in the corner until a woman took us by the hand and made us dance in the middle of the room. Ahh!! Haha… it was fun.

Ana and I slept in Saturday morning and made plans to hitchhike to Hatchet Bay, but Fish stopped by with his friend Pete and asked us if wanted to go to Spanish Wells. We hadn’t been there yet, so figured we would tag along. It’s funny how different the islands are. Spanish Wells was much more touristy… I didn’t care for it too much, but the beaches were beautiful. Ana got to drive a golf cart! We stopped at a little game room/restaurant where I got ice cream and Ana tried Prune Whip (it was really good!). After making a few stops in random stores, we decided that it was ridiculously hot and that we should go swimming. The tide was really low, but it felt good to cool off a bit. Ana and I were pretty tired when we got back and decided to get a good nights sleep!

Sunday, we slept in and took our time heading over to Holiday beach to find some last minute shells and soak up a little more sunshine (not that we need anymore!). The rest of the day was spent packing and cleaning. Pam and Gregory invited us over for dinner at their house. The food was so good! Linda was there too. It was really nice to sit down with all of them and talk and to say goodbye.

Today, we have a little more cleaning to do, but have plans to go to Hatchet Bay, the bakery, and a few other random stops. We’ll also most likely take our last swim down at Long Bight… Oh, and my camera is magically working again... strange!

Well, I should go start my day! I can’t wait to see you all! Until tomorrow…

Sand and Sunshine,

Jess

Fun in the Sun Day!

Phew! What a day! For the third day in the row, I’ve woken up in time to see the sunrise. Not on purpose, but my body has decided that I should be awake at that time and not get back to sleep. Oh well! I’ve dedicated the first hour or so after waking up to stretching and meditation. Usually I try to do that before I go to bed, but it’s a nice change of pace to do it in the morning.

Lessons this week went well; when the kids showed up. After our little 'incident,' it seems as though a lot of families figured we were taking a few days off. News travels fast! It was brutally hot this week though, so that could have also contributed to the lull in attendance. Regardless, it was a good week. We had a few kids come early every day and also show up at our house at random times during the day. It was a good week!

This morning, Ana and I decided to take a stroll around town to make sure we found kids to come to our ‘Fun in the Sun Day’ this afternoon. We put together a tentative itinerary of arts and crafts (coloring sea-critters that we cut out-super cute!), eating yummy snacks (PB&J with juice boxes), first aid and safety skills, and swimming games. It would have been so sad if no one came! Within minutes of walking, we found Chasies (pronounced Shay-zee) who presented us with a mango that he has been promising us for the past five weeks. But, he made up for his lateness by climbing a tree for us and introducing us to a new kind of ‘fruit’ called kineps? I’m not sure what they are exactly, or how you spell it, but they were yummy! Another one of our swimmers came to see what he was doing in the tree and joined us on our walk in search of other kids. They also found us coconuts and opened them for us! They explained the different stages of the coconut; they got the ones that were full of water and had lots of jelly in them. Chasies opened a few for us and went across the street to get sweet cream/condensed milk to make belly juice (minus that coconut rum). It was so sweet! The rest of the morning, Ana and I had our hair done by Lakeitra and then we made sandwiches, assembly style, to bring to the beach for all of the kids.

Our Day of Fun in the Sun was a success! I think we had about a dozen kids show up. It was very fulfilling to see the kids that we had taught in lessons show off their new swim skills! Every two seconds, one of the kids was shouting our name, trying to show us how they can float, go under water, or swim the different strokes! It was so exciting! The kids all dove for sea shells for us because we gave them lessons. I’m gonna miss them!

I am currently, pleasantly exhausted. Today was, I think, a perfect ending to our swimming lessons. Right now, Takio is depleting our supply of glitter glue and coloring pictures. I wonder how long he’ll stick around… he seems to have made himself quite comfortable.

I, sadly, am having technical difficulties with my camera, so I will have to post more pictures of my Eleutheran adventures later and with the help of Ana. I don’t know what’s wrong with it. It didn’t get wet and there isn’t any sand in it. *Sigh* Oh well… At least it stopped working at the end of the trip instead of the beginning!

Trouble in Paradise

Why does trouble always fine me? So… I guess the man was a little crazier than I had thought. There was a situation that has been dealt with, so there is no need to worry. I am not going to post details of the incident on my blog, but I will fill you in when I get home. There is good in every bad situation- In this one, Ana and I became honorary members of the Eleuthera police force for a day and they drove us to Governor’s Harbor to get Ana’s medication for her ear infection. So, as you can see, the past few days have been quite eventful! In addition, I finished two more books… ‘Dress Your Family in Denim & Corduroy’ and ‘Me Talk Pretty One Day;’ both borrowed from Ana and written by David Sederis. They were definitely mindless reading and a much needed set of pace. But, predictably, I am back to my non-fiction, human rights abuse literature. I have started a book on the sex trade called ‘The Natashas.’

Ana and I just got back from our mini-tour of the housing settlement up near Surfer’s Beach. Linda, one of the women we had met during our first days on the island, gave us a tour of her energy efficient, self-sustaining home. It was so cool! She has a cistern that collects rain water for all of her household uses and a solar panel for her electricity. Her yard was never developed/plowed, so it is comprised of porous limestone rock. She gardens in the holes in the rock and has a very impressive assortment of produce. Pomegranates, bananas, plantains, guava, mangos, avocados, limes, oranges- you name it, they’re probably growing in her back yard! Did you know that banana trees like to grow in holes? After showing us around her house, she gave us the grand-tour of her ‘neighborhood.’ You’d never even know anyone else lived there! Everything is well hidden in the bush. We went to a lot of people’s homes; some who were there, and others who weren’t. It seems as though most of the people who live out there are surfer’s that have washed up on the island.

We just enjoyed a lovely dinner of cold spaghetti and split peas. Mmmm. We finished our 8lb can of beans! Hooray! Did I mention that I made a refried bean sandwich? Yeah... I think I have a problem.

Being on the island has given me a lot of time to think. Life in the US doesn’t leave you very much time to sleep, nevermind have time alone to yourself! Back home, I always have something to worry about; a friend, family member, upcoming exam, or what I plan to do with my life! On the island, I have found myself staring into the ocean with absolutely no thoughts at all. My mind is finally clear. I have accepted that worrying about things or thinking them to death doesn’t help you come up with any reasonable conclusions. Something always works out and shows up in the long run (even if it’s in the long, loooong run!).

I know I have said in recent blog entries that I do not want to leave the island. That is partially true. I can’t wait to be home. I am in desperate need of a Harry’s Famous Grilled Chicken Salad Salad, a new razor, and body lotion. But, more importantly, I can not wait to see everyone and hear you’re beautiful voices! It’s hard to believe my cell phone has been turned off since June 13^th. Crazy, huh?

In addition, I know that I am never content staying in once place, so, although I love being an ‘island girl,’ it is time for me to leave. My desire to learn by doing and loving the unknown will undoubtedly lead me to many other beautiful and unforgettable places with unique and wonderful people! A swimming coach once told me to ‘get comfortable being uncomfortable.’ I think that I have done that to the extent of which I am comfortable and at ease in most situations and environments. Home may be where the heart is, but I keep all of you so close to me, that I feel at home almost everywhere I need to be for extended periods of time. This trip has been a learning experience in many ways. I have learned about the island and its wildlife, but more importantly, about the people and Bahamian culture. I have also learned a lot about myself. As corny as it sounds, I left home to discover the world, and in doing so, discovered myself.

Remnants of Bertha

Hello Friends and Family! Happy Monday to you all! (And Happy Birthday Ian!!!!)

Sunday seemed like it could go on forever. So. Long. In the morning, Ana and I went our separate ways; she went to church to try to track down a woman we met briefly who has a completely energy independent/self-sustaining house. It turns out, she was in luck and the woman offered to stop by sometime this week to bring us by and see her house. Very cool! While she was at church, I decided to go for a walk to the cliffs down at Long Bight and gather my thoughts. As the day of our departure creeps closer, I find myself finding it more and more difficult to imagine leaving. I managed to get in a good 15 minutes of alone time in before I had a surprise visitor. Let me just say, that if I wanted to, I could be married before I left the island. I decided not to blog about the Bahamian men that have hit on me since I've been here, but considering I had somewhat of a marriage proposal, figured I'd fill you in a wee bit. No need for worrying though- I promise to come back home in one piece and without a ring on my finger! After a lengthy discussion, I managed to make him see that I was not interested and really didn't want to talk about our future children. *Sigh*... Why do the crazies find me?

In more important news, we were pummeled by the remnants of Hurricane Bertha. The lightning on the island is scary. I love thunderstorms, but here, they're a little more intense than what I'm used to. Ana and I spent the evening reading and then decided to make popcorn and watch Breakfast at Tiffany's. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Sadly, the water this morning is extremely rough. We saw a few kids that we were suppose to have lessons with this morning and told them to come tomorrow instead. For the kids we have this afternoon, we may end up doing arts and crafts. It's too much of a safety hazard to even attempt to get in the water... We shall see...

Here are some of the songs I've come to love on the island! Enjoy!

Tarrus Riley
http://www.myspace.com/tarrusriley

Demarco
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=117147255

Queen Ifrica
http://www.myspace.com/queenifrica

Richie Spice
http://www.myspace.com/inthestreetstoafrica

http://www.imeem.com/juliansdancehallmusic/music/w3GvhPT2/richie_spice_ah_no_me_dat_200883_riddim/

Wedding Crashers

This morning, Ana and I hitchhiked our way to Hatchet Bay to watch a couple get hitched! It was such a beautiful wedding! We were told by a few people that we should try to make it to the ceremony if we could, and seeing as how we didn't have anything else to do, decided to go. Random huh? I definitely felt a bit out of place, but here, it is culturally accepted (and encouraged) to go to other people's weddings- regardless of invitations. I kept thinking about that movie, The Wedding Crashers, the whole time though! Can you imagine looking at your wedding pictures and seeing people you don't know in them? Anyways, after the wedding, Ana and I found a ride back to Gregory Town where we enjoyed a little down time and decided what to do with the rest of our day. We decided to go for a walk and try to find the Queen's Baths. We ended up getting caught in a patch of heavy rain and waited out the storm under a palm tree. It felt good to cool off a bit. The walk was a lot longer than we had thought, but it was definitely worth it. We found the Baths and also found these boulders we had read about; The Cow and the Bull. "The Cow & The Bull about a mile south of the Glass Window Bridge. There are two large boulders, on one side, the boulder looks like a bull with two cows and on the other side, a bull with one cow. Both sets of boulders overlook the sea on both side, and when the weather is inclement and the wind passes through, the result is a roar that sounds like a bulls." Pretty nifty!
Hmmm...What else did we see... We walked by Lenny Kravitzs' resort, found a very small beach and then hitched a ride with some guys in a pickup truck. I think it's time for a nap!

Whirlwind of a Week

It’s hard to believe it has been almost a week since my last update. My apologies! I know that a few of you check my blog daily to see what is new on the island. This week has been such a blur. It still feels like it should be Monday or Tuesday. Let me see if I can recap the week for you…

I think I already blogged about last Sunday evening, but I neglected to tell you that both Ana and I brought coconuts home from our walk! We had a very difficult time opening them and were very disappointed when we realized that they were rotten! What are the chances? Monday, new lessons began and went very well with the exception of one swimmer who definitely had way too much sugar before he came to lessons. Monday afternoon, after lessons, Fish stopped by to check in on us. We told him about our rotten coconuts, and without hesitation, climbed the tree in our yard and brought down two coconuts which he proceeded to open the correct way… We had no idea the process was so involved. I wish I had taken a picture of him climbing the tree and husking the coconut with his teeth!

Tuesday, Ana and I went for a walk to try and find lettuce. We had heard rumors of a farm not far down the street, but discovered that since it is summer, they are only growing herbs and eggplant for the most part. On our way back, we found a coconut on a tree that was within reach. It was ginormous! Looks can be deceiving though…

Before lessons on Wednesday, Ana and I went for a walk down to the Cove Resort. We had been there once before on a jog, but wanted to come back and take some pictures. We made good use of their hammock while we were there! Wednesday evening, we went down to Long Bight to catch the sunset and to crack open the coconut. We pounded the coconut into the rock to make the outside layer crack, and then husked the coconut within. We definitely broke into a sweat! It was hard work! I have developed a newfound appreciation for coconuts. Ana and I decided we didn’t mind if we didn’t drink the coconut water and threw the coconut against the rocks to crack it open. Success!!! And yes, it was worth it.

Thursday morning, we made the trek over to Holiday beach. The surf was rough, but beautiful. It was nice to just sit and listen to the wind and the waves. Thursday was the Bahamian Day of Independence, so only one of our lessons showed up. Everything here is closed on Independence with the exception of J.C Discounts (which was open until 3pm). Ana and I keep our eyes on J.C. to look for the delivery trucks so we will be sure to get food before others come and wipe it out. We made a trip over after they were done unloading and were, once again, ecstatic to find lettuce! We grabbed a loaf of bread as well, considering the last time we said we’d come back for it, we did, and it was all gone. Ana and I made our way around town to check out the Independence activities, but didn’t see too much. It was nice to see everyone wearing yellow, black, and blue though!

We had a great group of kids this week for lessons. We were worried about the extremely hyper boy, but he has proved himself to be an enthusiastic student and is also quite comical. During one of our lessons, I had told him that when I was under water, I saw a black and white stripped fish and it was really close to my nose- he told me I should have snuffed it up. I wouldn’t even want to imagine what that would feel like; for me or the fish! Yesterday afternoon, we worked on endurance swimming and tried to get him more comfortable with floating on his back to take breaks and with the idea of swimming in deeper water. Our goal was to swim to the buoy and he was literally three feet away, turned around, and said he would do it on Monday. He was so close! He was getting a little nervous, but still felt accomplished! I have spent the majority of this week trying to get one of the little girls to put her head underwater and she finally did it! I’m so excited! This was actually her second week of lessons. I’m interested to see how she will do if she comes back next week as well.

Takio is back from Nassau! Although he was a handful in the beginning, Ana and I have missed not having him around. He found us this morning and wants to do lessons again next week. This is good news for us because almost all of the other kids have gone away to visit family in the states or Nassau, so whoever we get will be great! Ana and I have also been trying to plan a “Fun in the Sun Day” for next Friday for all of the kids that have taken lessons so we can review everything and have one last day with them all. I can’t believe we only have one more week of lessons…

I finished reading A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. It was a hard book to put down. I feel like I need something a bit lighter this time around...

Plans for this weekend are up in the air. We may try to go to the Bluff Homecoming, go to a wedding in Hatchet Bay, hitch to Governor’s Harbor or wherever else we feel like going… I like
not having a plan. Life happens!

Happy (Belated) 4th of July!

Happy Belated 4^th of July! What a weekend! Let me catch you up to speed…

A few of our lessons didn’t show up on Friday, but the lessons we did have went really well! Ana and I have been making completion cards for the kids on fish we made out of construction paper. They all seem to enjoy them and like the fact that they have something to bring home to show their parents. They’re fun for us to make too! In the afternoon, it started to downpour so Ana and I had to run back to the house. It felt like we were being pelted by icecubes! After a brief shower, the sun came out again. Later in the evening, the instructors from the south came to visit. We thought it would be fun to hitch up to the North and take a water taxi to Harbor Island to celebrate the 4^th of July. I guess a lot of Americans go there since it is a more touristy location, so there was going to be a celebration for the 4^th. Before leaving, we gave the other instructors a quick tour of Gregory Town and they ate icecream while Ana and I got our first bowl of conch salad. It was so yummy! We had gone to the place by the dock asking about conch salad all week and they said to keep checking back. A man actually found us walking around town to tell us that he would have conch salad on Friday, so we made sure to be there! They made it fresh to order. It has conch, onions, herbs, tomatoes, green peppers (I think), lime, squeezed orange, and cayan pepper. Shortly after, we decided to start hitching. We were picked up within minutes. It couldn’t have worked out more perfectly! We actually had previously met one of the men in the truck. The two men and the woman all work at the airport! I hope we see them on our flight out!

They waited us at the dock so they could make sure we got on the water taxi alright. It was so nice of them! The water taxi came and brought us over to Harbor Island just as the sun was starting to set. It was absolutely gorgeous. Eleuthera and Harbor Island were like night and day. It felt so surreal! The only way I can explain H.I would be to compare it to some resort/tourist location down the Cape. There were wealthy white people everywhere riding around in golf carts and wearing polo shirts (there some pink polo sightings which completed the picture). After strolling around, realizing we weren’t quite in “Kansas” anymore, we went to the docks and marveled at the multi-million dollar yachts. I feel like we all had a bit of culture shock going from our small settlements on Eleuthera to being left at a vacation destination for the wealhy, rich, and famous. Supposedly Cher was visiting the same time we were! We did a little more exploring; found a pizza place (with frozen yogurt!), and made our way back to the docks before the fireworks started. We struck up conversation with a lot of different people; a family from Texas, a man from Brazil, a few captains and first-mates who work on the private boats, and a few locals as well. We were told that the yacht decorated in red, white, and blue was having a party with free food! We bumped into Amy who told us we should make our way to Gusty’s and then try to check out Vickums (I think that’s how you spell it…). We decided we would check them out for a little while. I would say the highlight of the night would be Vickums. It’s a danceclub/”disco” with an open roof so you can see all the stars! We were all getting pretty tired, but Zane was a dancing machine! He was getting everyone up on the dance floor and making friends left and right! At around 2:30am, we decided we should start looking for a place to sleep. We were so tired that we sat down next to the harbor and we all fell asleep. Who would have thought that we’d sleep on a sidewalk? It was surprisingly comfortable! There was however, an obnoxiously loud rooster that was sleeping in the tree above us. We woke up when the sun came up and took the first water taxi back to Eleuthera where we hitched back to Gregory Town to sleep a little more. The rest of the day we tried to catch up on sleep, but then went to Monicas for lunch and pineapple tarts. Later that night, Fish stopped by and asked if wanted to join him at Seaside; the danceclub in Hatchet Bay. After some convincing, we agreed. I’m so glad we went! I forgot how much I missed dancing. It was exactly what I needed! When we first got there, there was only one man on the dance floor (also with out a roof- I saw a shooting star!). It’s amazing how good people are at dancing here. It was a little intimidating, but I decided not to let that stop me. After a few hours, I was definitely ready for sleep.

Sunday we all went down to Long Bight for a swim. It was so refreshing! Then, we spent some time jumping off of the cliff. I can’t believe Ana and I waited so long to jump off of that one. It was so much fun! We spent the afternoon eating beans and rice and relaxing in the air-conditioning before the south had to start hitching to Tarpum Bay for their lessons this week. After they left, Ana and I went for a walk to, what I like to call, Sea Turtle Point. The sea turtle was still there! A couple of potcakes accompanied us on our walk which was a nice surprise. Ana walked back so she wouldn’t miss her phone date with her parents and I decided to stay and try to catch the sunset and do a little meditating. Sadly, the sun slipped behind a cloud before sinking below the horizon, so I did not catch a complete sunset, but regardless, it was breathtaking. The sun illuminated the outline of the cloud in a brilliant, burning white while the rest of the sky was a deep shade of peach. I will admit, that after two weeks, I definitely felt ready to go home. I miss you all so much! I still miss you, but it’s getting increasingly difficult to accept the fact that I have to leave the island in a few weeks. I have fallen in love with the island and the people here. I have a feeling this won’t be my last trip to Eleuthera…

I started a new book before drifting off to sleep last night. So far, I have completed Three Cups of Tea, For One More Day, Sylvia Brown’s Guide To Dreams, and The Alchemist. I recommend them all! I have just started reading A Million Little Pieces. It’s pretty intense so far…

Our first lesson today was with Tina and her mother, Monique. They always crack me up! They invited us to a wedding this weekend. We’ll see!

The weather is a little crazy today. Hopefully it holds up until after our afternoon lessons!

Seared Cookies?

Last night after posting, Ana and I walked down to say goodbye to Rick and Barbara before they left for Georgia. They really went out of their way to show us around the island and make us feel at home. We got to see the inside of their house last night- it was adorable. I think that it could very well be the description of my dream house when I was a child. Every room was brightly painted in different colors; pineapple yellow, exotic orange, lime green, lavender etc.. Each room had it's own charm with different sea shells, fish pillows, and other ocean themed accessories! They bid us farewell, but sent us home with a bag of stir-fry veggies and barbecue chicken they had left over from dinner. We made good use of both today- they were delicious! I wish them a safe trip home!

We started the day with a little bit of reading and some really ripe plantains. We're finally getting the hang of how to use the gas stove and how long we need to cook them on each side! They were so yummy...

Lessons went really well today! It's really encouraging when the kids tell us how excited they are about learning something new or at how much they enjoy looking at the shells and fish in the water. Ana and I made a point today to take the kids out in deeper water so that they could become more comfortable with the idea of not being able to touch the bottom. What's the point of knowing how to swim if you panic in deeper water? It took some of the swimmers a little while to warm up to the idea, but after some gentle encouragement and frequent reassurance, they were surprised to see that they can break their own personal barriers! Not every lesson is a piece of cake, but small breakthroughs here and there make it all worthwhile!

Although most of the kids can not really swim and are petrified to go over their head, they have no reservations about doing double front and back-flips off of the rocks or diving into shallow water. Eeeek!

Once the sun starts sinking in the sky, Ana and I have been getting ridiculously cold. This IS the Bahamas, isn't it? I feel like we've just become accustomed to it being so warm all day that by the time 4 o'clock rolls around, we're wishing we were dry and wearing sweatpants!

This evening after dinner, Ana decided she wanted to try and make peanut-butter oatmeal cookies. We didn't have all of the ingredients, so, we made things up as we went along. We then discovered that we don't know how to use the gas oven... SO, she tried to make a couple in the microwave and I tried my luck on the stove-top. In the microwave, the sugar crystallized and started burning. They were as hard as rocks! We ended up searing the rest of the cookies on the stove. They were dangerously delicious!

I think I like makeshift, stove-top cookies :)

Feeling a Little "Batty"

Sunday afternoon, after our adult lesson, Pam and her husband installed air-conditioning in our house. It felt so nice!!! We decided to leave it on at night so that the rest of the house cooled down as well, but I ended up being pretty cold during the night. I don’t think I’ve ever slept with the blanket over my head before! We’ve decided to only turn the AC on every once in a while because we are pretty cold when we come back from lessons at 5pm and having cold air blowing is unbearable! I never thought I’d be saying how cold I was in the Bahamas!

Monday’s lessons started off really well! We have an entirely new set of faces to teach this week. I love starting new lessons because you can see how quickly the swimmers progress. It’s so exciting!

We had almost all of our lessons show up- and arrive on time! It was so nice for a change! In addition to the lessons, Ana and I had a chance to walk around town and scope out the ice-cream store, ‘Ida’s Delights’. We hadn’t had icecream since before we left home. I miss it! We ended up each getting a pineapple-coconut fruit bar and a pint of strawberries and cream to bring back home. I’m not sure if tasted amazing because it was, or if it’s because we haven’t had it in a while! It was a perfect way to end the day.

I woke up Tuesday morning to rain and thunder. Ana and I hoped it would pass by quickly so we could start lessons in the morning, but it was cold and the rain persisted. When the rain finally did let up, we made our way over to the gift store to get some postcards and then to Thompson’s grocery for some apples. The rest of the day was spent reading and taking naps. It sounds boring, but we definitely needed a down day where we had to do nothing. We did a little bit of cleaning and yoga in the kitchen, so the day wasn’t a total waste of time.

This morning, I woke up to more rain and thunder. Although it was nice to have a day to lounge about, I was anxious to continue on with lessons. It rained pretty steadily until half an hour before our first lesson and then stopped. We decided to make our way down to Long Bight to see if our lessons would show up. It was cold (I have no idea what cold is anymore… probably 70F; It’s been so warm here that that seems cold!) and the water was ridiculously choppy. We waited around for a while, but no one came. We figured we’d go exploring for a while and come back for our afternoon lessons.

Ana and I decided to make the trek to the Hatchet Bay Caves. It’s probably a four or five mile walk which seemed tolerable with the mild temperatures. On our stroll, we had several cars stop to ask us if we needed a ride. People look at us like we’re crazy when we say we’re going for a walk! Where were all of these cars when we were hitchhiking to Wemyss Bight? Anyways…We were maybe a mile away from the caves when a man in a truck offered to give us a ride. Not knowing how much further we really had to go, we hopped in. He was worried we were going to have a hard time walking the rest of the way because the road gets a little narrower and there’s not a lot of grass to walk in. His ride was greatly appreciated!

So, the caves…We found what appeared to be the entrance and walked inside to find neon spray-painted messages on the rock.

Walking a little further though, we heard bats- lots of bats. I was nervous at first, but they were so cute! When we tried to walk a little further into the cave, I walked under them and braced myself for a potentially traumatizing encounter, but am happy to report that no such calamity occurred! We decided not to venture too far into the cave since our two flashlights weren’t bright enough to really see where we were going, or what was flying at us.

Walking back to Gregory Town, a small red car pulled over. It was the same man who had given us a ride before! He said it must be our lucky day. I think he was right. The sun had started to come out and it had gotten pretty humid which didn’t make walking too pleasant. We made it back in time for our afternoon lessons. Truthfully, I feel like today was the best day of lessons yet even though we were not able to have our first two this morning. We taught two sisters, a group of four, and then a mother-daughter adult lesson. Eight people in three hours- Not too bad! The mother-daughter lesson was a lot of fun. The daughter who is sixteen has come to a few lessons, but her mother had wanted to learn too. It’s amazing how much they can learn in an hour. They were hilarious to be with!

Phew! That was a long post! I should make sure I keep on top of this blog so I don’t have to write epic entries after missing a few days!

Hope for sunshine!

76 Miles South

What a weekend! Where should I begin? I suppose, with where I left off.

Our lessons Friday afternoon went very well! We went over everything we had learned during the week, played some games, and then had the kids color fish that Ana and I made for them out of construction paper. They really seemed to enjoy that! Then, we had our 'adult' lesson (she's really only 16) which was also very productive!

After washing off the salt and sand that had caked on during the day, Ana and I went out to eat with Rick and Barbara. They treated us out to dinner at the Seven Seas Restaurant in Bogue. I tried the conch and it was good! Bohemian food consists mainly of fried food and macaroni and cheese; I'm not a fan of fried food, but I figured while I'm here, I should try some of the local favorites. After dinner, Ana and I went to Elvina's for an hour or so before calling it a night.

We had planned on hitchhiking to Wemyss Bight on Saturday morning, but as luck would have it, Pam (who owns the Island Made Gift Shop) was driving to one of her shops in Rock Sound (which is relatively close to where we were going) and offered to give us a ride. We made a few stops along the way in Governor's Harbor, which is the capital of Eleuthera. We went to the bakery and I had an amazing cheese danish that was still warm! Once arriving at Rock Sound, Ana and I headed out to hitch the rest of the way. Sadly, we waited in the sun for about an hour before Pam and her daughters drove by and offered to drive us the rest of the way. Hitchhiking supposedly isn't that hard here! Could we be doing it wrong? Is that possible?

We arrived, 76 miles south, at the Ship to Shore Hotel and Restaurant around 1:30pm and finally met the other instructors! We met the boys and went to meet the girls down at the beach. There are less businesses in Wemyss Bight and everything is very spread out. The other instructors have to bike to their lessons everyday and change locations weekly. It's hard enough walking around in the heat; nevermind biking eight miles to lessons! They half- jokingly call their experience on the island "Survivor Eleuthera." They have had a much harder time getting water and fresh produce than we have (and it hasn't been a piece of cake for us either)! Anyways... once getting to the beach we met the girls- they were all so nice! In summary of the afternoon, we went for a swim (I forgot my suit back at the room, so jumped in with my clothes on..), went back to the room, had a meeting with the Sail Caribbean coordinators (the program in the south is going to do a few days with them), and had dinner at the restaurant. I tried grouper fingers and a ginger beer (Both, very yummy).

After dinner and digesting for a while, we all took a late night stroll down to the beach and did some stargazing. Originally we were going to go crabbing, which would have been fun (or a little scary.. I haven't decided yet!). The other instructors seemed to get along so well and were all really down-to-earth. It's really cool to see how everyone heard about Swim to Empower and the diverse paths our lives are heading down; even though they are currently overlapping.

We realized that coming back on a Sunday would probably be near impossible considering that everything on Sunday is closed and that everyone would be at church! Ana and I were told that there would be a bus for the Haitians to come up north to go to church, but that it would be leaving at 7am. Thankfully, the couple that own and run the restaurant knew someone that was driving up north early this afternoon. So, Ana and I avoided hitchhiking- we were dreading the 76 miles especially after our failure the day before!

After arriving home, we relaxed on the beach for a while and read our books and swam before having our 4pm adult lesson.

My computer battery is dying so I will end this post!

Hitchhiking to Hatchet Bay

Since today is the last day of lessons for our Week 2 Swimmers, we arranged the schedule so we could have a little time to explore in the morning. We made another trip to the post office (it was open this time!). On our way to the bakery, we passed the house where the woman who bakes amazing bread is suppose to live and three little kids were knocking on her door to see if she had any loafs left. She did! Ana bought a loaf. It really was amazing. It tasted a little bit like a croissant, but more bread-like. You'd have to try some to know what I mean! Sadly, the bakery was closed, but after having a piece of bread we didn't mind too much.

We had decided to try to hitchhike to Hatchet Bay this morning and see what else was in that settlement. We walked for a mile or two before a truck picked us up. Hitchhiking is definitely a little awkward, but we are repeatedly told that it is a natural thing to do here. The man was very nice. He showed us where the Hatchet Bay Caves are so we can check them out at another time. He also said that there wasn't much to see or do in Hatchet Bay, but we still wanted to look around anyways. We strolled around the town to see what there was to do there. There were probably fewer stores than Gregory Town, but the waterfront was worth the trip. Ana and I investigated one of the cliffs and found 'some stairs to nowhere.'

We went in a couple little shops and ended up talking to a woman in a clothing store. She had a table with CDs strewn across it, so we figured we'd ask her where we could find a place to get some local music. There is a lot of 'island-sounding' music, but Ana and I were interested in getting some music with more of a reggae/hip-hop sound. The woman told us that there was a man down the street who could possibly burn us a CD of island music. It turns out, he's the DJ at the Sea Side Nightclub we've heard so much about. The woman, whose name was Tanile, walked us down to his house and introduced us. He told us to come back in a half an hour or so and he'd have one for us. In the meantime, Ana and I went to go visit Double D at the internet cafe and to get a smoothie. I was definitely craving a smoothie...

We went back to the house and he had our CDs! I was so excited! Island music! Yay!! We decided we should start heading back to Gregory Town for our afternoon lessons. It was so incredibly hot out in the sun. It seems like when you're hitchhiking, the cars are always going in the opposite direction. A man with an air-conditioned truck picked us up after we had been walking for about ten minutes. We were so thankful! I don't think I could have walked much further in this heat!

So, we are getting ready for afternoon lessons and our rendezvous with Rick and Barbara (the couple from Georgia) later on this evening. Yesterday afternoon, Barbara invited Ana and I out to eat at the Seven Seas Restaurant in Bogue. They are leaving to go back to the states soon and wanted to treat us out to dinner. Hopefully we'll still be able to go to Elvina's tonight!

Still can't call the States... but, keep the emails coming! :)

You're hot and you're hot...

"You're hot and you're hot... Not in the I like you kinda way, but in the sun is burning you kind of way." -Takio

The past few days have flown by! I've been meaning to update before I go to sleep, but have been too tired. I also only get internet outside and the mosquitoes here can be fierce! Let me update you on life!

Tuesday morning, Ana and I set out early before lessons to try to run some errands around town. It is practically our only time to go to the local businesses because many of them are closed by the time we are completely finished with lessons for the day. We set out to go to the laundromat, post office, bakery, and gift store. I think I forgot to previously mention, that things here run on "island time." Our first stop was the laundromat, which thankfully, was open. Our next stop was the bakery. It is located on a steep hill and we could smell the aroma of something delicious baking in Daisy's kitchen. When we got there, we were told back to come back in two hours! We felt a little defeated, but decided to come back during our lunch break. The couple from Atlanta had told us that there is a woman in a gold-ish colored house on the hill that bakes amazing bread to sell every morning, so we decided to try and find her... We were told to come back in two hours. Next stop- the post office (I think you see where this is headed). We decided to go back to the house and run our errands later when everything really was open.

Later Tuesday evening, I had wanted to try to walk down to the cliffs at Long Bight to to try and see the sunset. Ana and I walked down and found that it was a bit cloudy, but the view was still incredible!

Lessons have been going very well this week! Nothing here on the island goes as plan, but I'm really kinda like it. Everything is very laid back, so you have no other choice, but to go with the flow. The kids we scheduled for lessons this week did show up- but, brought a few siblings or cousins along! Some lessons run a bit more smoothly than others, but everyone is progressing very well! The kids are adorable and say the funniest things! Our friend, Takio has been one of the most challenging to teach, but yesterday we broke some major ground! He is practically petrified of the water, what lives in the water, and that we are going to let him drown. Yesterday though, after almost a full hour, he was able to float on his belly! He hung around for the majority of our lessons yesterday and by the end of the day, could almost swim on his front. Today we will work on floating on his back... Hopefully, that goes well. There is a boy that is suppose to come to lessons with Takio, but he shows up to whatever lesson he feels like. I hope he comes to his lesson this morning though- he's good at encouraging Takio and to also tell him to stop acting like a baby. The two of them stopped by after lessons yesterday and tried to vacuum our floors. We didn't mind!

There is a four year old who is fearless in the water and it is a little scary! His name is Teyshon and I've never seen a little kid take to water like he does! That lesson period is a little crazy. Ana and I have four or five kids in the water and Teyshon is repeatedly diving off the rocks onto our backs! Ahh!

Last night, Ana and I went to a going away party for Deanna. She is a teacher here and has helped us a great deal with organizing lessons and getting to know the kids. She is headed back home to Canada to go to Grad School. The power was out for a few hours last night (which isn't anything new here), so her party was in the dark. Eventually, candles were found and placed strategically on steps, which helped a little. The food was reallllly good.

Well, it's time for me to go get ready for lessons!

P.S- I uploaded more pictures to snapfish! Check them out! :)

"My Mummy Says I Smell Like White People"

What better day to start the day then a visit from Takio. We schedules his lessons in the morning this week, but that could end up being problematic. He stuck around for the following lesson and then followed us home. He is an adorable kid, but he likes to wreak havoc! He says the randomness things too. Today he told us that his mother told him he smells like white people when he comes home. I guess I never really thought about it, but maybe we do smell different! A lot of the kids here designate us as 'white girls' or 'white people' if they don't know our names. Now that they are getting more used to us that is changing. Walking down the street or on the beach we can often here kids yelling 'Anaandjess!;' like we are one and the same. Takio asked me why I was fat today, which didn't really boost my self-esteem, but I knew he was just trying to make me cry (he told me so). He also said I was turning black. I guess I am getting pretty tan...

Before I got to Eleuthera, I couldn't imagine why people didn't know how to swim. So many of the kids are petrified of the thought of sharks, jellyfish, or something else getting them in the water. Most of the adults here don't know how to swim either. So many of them jump go cliff jumping and do flips in the water, but then, they bounce off the ocean bottom until they can reach onto something. Foreigners that want a piece of paradise usually purchase homes that are on the coastline and make their driveways private property. The coastline is completely public property though; which doesn't really make much sense. Anyways, Bohemian communities become completely isolated from the coast. It's so frustrating to me... How can people move to a foreign country and fence themselves off from the community that it really belongs to? Being interested in public health, I really wonder what really happens when someone needs to see the doctor. I know there are nurses on call that can open the clinic if there is a dire need, but if someone gets seriously hurt, they have to take a boat or fly to Nassau. I'm going to investigate this... It seems as though people here are relatively healthy though, so I'm not sure if there is a need. There are still a lot of things I need to figure out.

I ate a 'curve'/'curb' today. I'm not sure how you spell it, but it was definitely interesting... They cling to the rocks and look like fossils almost, but the kids love to eat them. A few of our swimmers took them off the rock and gutted them for us... it was pretty chewy and fishy tasting. I guess it tastes like conch?

I uploaded some pictures, but there are plenty more! I will try to upload more when I have a chance.

http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=223185146/a=16687309_16687309/t_=16687309

Someone let me know if this link works!

<3

My Little Piece of Heaven

*Sigh* Today was most definitely the most relaxing day I've had here so far. Ever since landing on the island there has been something to do or somewhere to go. Ana and I slept in late and then both did our own thing for a few hours. Ana went to the cliffs we had found last week to do some painting and later explored Long Bight a little more in depth. I decided to make the trek up to Holiday beach. I took my time getting there and took pictures of everything along the way. I was the only person on that beach for miles. It was like having my own little piece of heaven. I sat there for a while, overwhelmed by the fact that I am here. I don't think it will really sink in until I'm already on my way back home. I sat there on the beach in disbelief. I am so fortunate to have this opportunity. I did a little more exploring and hunting for seashells before I sat myself down on the rocks to read. It was hard to tear myself away from the beach. Gorgeous.

When I got back to the house, Ana and I walked around town to try and find the kids we have scheduled for lessons this week, but no one seemed to be outside. A little while later, we went down to Long Bight to see if our 4 o'clock adult lesson was coming... but she didn't show. So, the couple that lives on the hill invited us to go to Surfer's beach with them. They are a nice couple from Georgia that spend a few months at a time down here in Eleuthera. They told us where to get the best homemade breads and which restaurants to go to when we have the chance.

Now, Ana and I are going to try and get a hold of our swimmers to start another exciting week of lessons on the Road to Paradise.

Lovin Island Life

The past 24 hours have been crazy! Ana and I did end up going to Elvina's last night and it was a blast; even though we were exhausted! Walking over, it seemed like everyone in town was having a party. Elvina's is a small little restaurant/bar and there is live music every Tuesday and Friday. Some of the "Queen's Highway Band" were playing last night and were a lot of fun to listen to. I took a video, but I don't think it does them justice.


The lead singer wore sunglasses even though it was dark inside and the drummer chain-smoked and danced the entire time. Elvina's is decorated with old surf boards, buoys, and license plates from all over. It definitely had an eclectic, beach-bum flair to it! I guess anyone can get up and play an instrument if they want to. Ana played the bongo drums and was quite good! I was exhausted and favoring a potentially broken toe, so sadly, I didn't do much moving around. It certainly did a lot of people watching though! There was an Italian couple who were there that are down here on their honeymoon, the owner and chef of the resort down the road. It was all in all, a very interesting evening.


Today, Ana and I wanted to give some lessons due to the nasty weather we'd had this week. The water was really calm today. Unfortunately, our first two lessons didn't come, but the ones we had this afternoon went really well. We talked to a couple that lives up near where we give lessons and they offered to take us out on their boat sometime soon so we can see more of the coastline and go by Lenny Kravitz's beach. He has a home right down the street. Crazy!

Later this afternoon, we went to a birthday party of one of the little girls we had met earlier last week. It was a lot of fun! I met a lot of interesting people and heard their stories on how they ended up in Eleuthera. Everyone seems to end up here by chance, and then never leave the island (I hope I'm not scaring anyone- I will come home, I promise... haha). The kids seemed to have a great time running relay races and breaking open the piñata. I ran a three-legged race! My toe is purple and swollen today...but, not bothering me as much as it was last night.

I found quite a few shells this afternoon walking along the water's edge. After picking one up, it's hard to stop! I've always tried finding shells that are completely intact and flawless. Being here I've realized that even things that are broken can be beautiful. Things here may seem rundown and dirty, but really, it is the imperfections that make them perfect. I hope that makes sense! Trees and flowers seem to make the rules here and I like the unkempt, natural feel to everything.

Fishy Fishy Cross My Wadah

Last night we went out and played basketball with a few of the kids we give lessons to. One of the boys that had invited us, dragged us through a "shortcut" in the bush (which may or may not have been a shortcut at all). Once we got there, we realized he didn't have a basketball. He led us on a wild goosechase around the town in search for one- and was finally successful. In the middle of our game, the visiting missionaries decided to introduce themselves. While we were talking, some of the boys we were playing with decided to go fishing and left us there. It was just as well, since we were both really tired.

This morning was beautiful and sunny, and the water had finally calmed down a bit! Finally! Our first lesson was a lot of fun. After going over everything we had learned this week, we played a few games; Diving for a foil covered rock, Dribble, dribble, splash (like duck, duck, goose), Marco Polo, and Sharks and Minnows. They seemed to have a lot of fun. Towards the end of their lesson though, the skies got dark again and the waves got much more rough. The next lesson had two little boys who aren't too confident in the water, so nature couldn't have had worse timing! Their Father/Uncle stayed with us while we tried to teach them how to float, but the water was just too rough. There were a few times where we ended up getting tossed up against the rocks. As soon as that lesson ended though, the skies cleared and it was beautiful again! I thought that the weather in the Bahamas wouldn't be as unpredictable as New England! Oh well...

I really feel as though I should tell you the lizard that just ran out on the porch is definitely dancing to the reggae music that is blasting from across the street. Hilarious! Now all I can hear is the clucking of chicken, crowing of a rooster, a morning dove (?), and a barking dog. I think I should look around for a partridge in a pear tree and I think we'd be covered!

Ana and I came back and made oatmeal and tried frying up some plantains. They were pretty tasty, but we definitely need to perfect them. After a short lunch, we decided to have the next group of kids stay and draw pictures with us at the house since the water was too rough. We had a semi-chaotic afternoon between lessons and arts and crafts, but overall, I'd say it was pretty successful!

We have a little stalker named Takio. He comes by the house a few times a day asking for cookies, water, and begging to play basketball. He is cute, but he is a little trouble maker! He actually broke our table yesterday while he was trying to spy on us. I spent the first part of his lesson today, digging a piece of glass out of his foot; and then he wouldn't get in the water!

He accompanied us over to the store and we found lettuce and decided to splurge on our 7lb can of refried beans! I wonder if we'll ever get sick of them... We'll see!


Tonight, we are thinking about going over to Elvina's for some live entertainment- that is; unless we fall asleep first!

Sand dollars, Jellies, and Broken Glass

I can hear the waves crashing against the rocks from the front porch. The past few days have been really stormy which has put a small wrench in our plans for teaching lessons. This morning, Ana and I walked over to Holiday beach, only to have our first lesson not come! The walk is pretty long and there isn't too much to look at, but we certainly see our share of lizards, soldier crabs, and black crabs. There are also a lot of abandoned cars in the woods here. I wonder how they got there and why people just leave them. We waited around for a while and then decided it would be best to try to walk back, eat lunch, and try to do lessons at Long Bight Beach. We ended up giving lessons for the next four hours and they went surprisingly well considering the massive waves and the number of kids we had. We only had four or five at a time, but some of them couldn't really swim at all, so that was a little stressful. We went out in a kayak though! I didn't realize how strong the waves really were until I was trying to paddle against them!

Ana and another girl got stung by a jellyfish today. It looked like it really hurt! They were both troopers though. We finished up the lesson and one of the boys found a sand dollar for Ana. It is so beautiful! I hope I can find one before I leave! After our last lesson, we walked back to the house with two of our swimmers. They picked us some goose berries, which weren't like any other berries I've ever eaten. I'm not sure if I can even describe the taste... The boys then refused to leave until we gave them a cookie, and even then wouldn't go. They hung around outside on the porch until there was a bit of a mishap. One of the boys was trying to see through our kitchen window (because we had locked them out) and decided to stand on a glass table. We heard the glass shatter and went outside to make sure they were alright. One of the boys had a few good cuts, so we cleaned up and sent him home. He felt really bad about the table and offered to stay and help us clean it. Hopefully we can find replacement glass for it somewhere. It's so hard to find anything here! Ana and I may have to hitchhike to find some fresh veggies. I'm really missing salad right now. I can't believe it's been almost a full week already since we've been here!

I still feel like I'm in the ocean being rocked by the waves...

Day 2 of Lessons

So, I am just sitting here; chilling on the front porch with the chickens. I love how they run around free here. Sometimes when I'm walking next to the woods it scares me a little because you can hear them rustling in the leaves. One of them just caught a lizard a minute ago and they were all fighting over it.

Well, it has been an interesting day. The past few days have been overcast and rainy, so the water at Long Bight Beach where we teach lessons has been super rough. I've got some pretty good scrapes from being thrown up against the rocks. A girl yesterday afternoon sliced her foot open pretty deeply. Ana and I really had to play lifeguard yesterday with our first aid kit. Today, for lessons, our first group told us that we should go to the Atlantic side to Holiday Beach because the water would be much calmer. They were right. It was about a 25 minute walk to get there though and we made the trek several times. The lessons we had today were pretty successful and the kids seemed to have a really good time. This afternoon, when the water was too rough we had a few of the boys over to draw pictures. They were hilarious. We've learned a lot by talking to the kids. I wish I could type everything here that I've learned, but it would take forever.

Ana and I just finished our delicious dinner of tortillas and refried beans, spinach, onions, and cheese. I'm kinda in love with refried beans at the moment. We almost bought a 7lb can of them this afternoon when we were refilling our waterjug at J & C Discounts across the street, but we figured we would come back another day for them. Right after we ate some really ripe mangos. Mm... Did I mention we found the bakery with pineapple tarts? It's up a really steep hill, so we have to earn them to eat them!

My fear of picking up an accent has started to become true. I seem to pick up accents really easily. Today, one of the boys told me I talked like a Bohemian. I couldn't hear myself saying anything differently, but he was pretty adamant about it.

*Stinging Doctor= Horse Fly

What a Ride!

Hello from the Bahamas! With a little down time today, I realized that I get wireless internet from the porch of our beautiful stone cottage on the 'road to paradise.' I will catch y'all up to speed on my adventures by typing some of my journal entries...

6.13.08

A lot of what I wrote on this day has to do with battling nerves and anxious anticipation, so I will spare you the nitty gritty details such as how long it took me to walk to my departure gates and where I bought an orange juice. After landing in Nassau, things became more interesting.
I met the other instructor, Ana at immigration. It was so nice to finally meet her! We had some time to chat before flying out to Eleuthera on Bahamas Air. I was really nervous about that flight... Maybe it was because we had to actually climb up stairs to get inside; really close to ginormous propellers! Or maybe, it was not knowing what to expect on that flight... It only seated maybe 15 people, and the engine was really loud. I was only three rows back, so I had a clear view of the cockpit. Yikes! The flight was only fifteen minutes long, but that was long enough for me! The view from the air was absolutely gorgeous though. I could see the whole island. Eleuthera is 2 miles wide and 100 miles long.

After landing in North Eleuthera airport, we met Jen and Deanna, who have been very active in organizing the lessons here. From that point, we really hit the ground running! On our way to where we are living, we crossed a bridge that showed both sides of the island. There is the 'Atlantic Side' (East) and the 'Caribbean Side' (West); but, both bodies of water are actually the Atlantic Ocean.

After arriving at our little stone cottage next to the 'road to paradise,' Jen and Deanna gave us a tour of Gregory Town where we are staying. Everyone here is so nice! We met some children who are taking lessons, saw coconut and mango trees, chickens, and a whole lot of lizards. After our tour, Ana and I went swimming and then I finished the other half of my pineapple tart (SO YUMMY!).




6.14.08

Amazing doesn't even begin to describe the day I've had. Ana and I started our day off with a jog and went down dirt paths to explore. Some ended up being dead end paths, but were worth it just to see the flowers. One path we went down was really rocky and long, but totally worth it. We ended up on a cliff overlooking the ocean. I wish I had had my camera with me! I have made a mental note to go back there- many times before I leave. I think I saw a humming bird today... but, I definitely saw a SEA TURTLE!!! After our jog, we went for a swim and saw some really pretty blue and yellow fish under the 'caves.' We also some some clear fish, a yellow and black striped fish, and a couple starfish.

After our jog, we went back to the house to grab some water and lunch, but then were out exploring some more! We stopped in the local stores to say hello to people and talked to several kids about lessons. They all seem really excited! We decided to find Surfer's Beach, which was apparently a lot further away then we had thought... A police officer stopped further up the road went in reverse to see if we were lost or needed a ride. He laughed at us when he realized we were trying to walk to Surfer's Beach. He drove us there and waited while we looked around. He drove us back to town and showed us several other beautiful beaches. He had a ton of very useful information and was super nice! I was initially nervous about getting a ride, but hitchhiking here is very much accepted. Gas is over $6 a gallon here, and not everyone has a car.
The remainder of the day was spent swimming, cooking dinner, planning lessons, and trying to call home. The one payphone in town doesn't work and neither do our cell phones. I hope everyone at home isn't freaking out! Later, Jen introduced us to our neighbors; Ma and Pa. They are the sweetest older couple!

I am pleasantly exhausted.

6.15.08

Another beautiful day in Paradise! We started our morning off with a jog, and ended up going further North then we had yesterday. We found a resort that had a beautiful beach, but it felt man made and artificial. On our way back, we tried finding the pineapple field the police officer told us about, but didn't have much luck. When we got back we went swimming with our clothes on. We were too sweaty to try and change! When we got back, we got ready to go to Church at 11am. We figured it would be a good idea to go since religion is a integral part of the people's lives here. There are several different types of churches here, so the congregations are very small.

To sum up the rest of the day, we called people about lessons, went to a family get together (that Fish invited us to- Everyone here has nicknames...) at the beach and swam for a few hours with some of the kids, jumped off a cliff (yup), and watched the Celtic's game at a someone's house.

*Bellyjuice= coconut water, coconut milk & rum
*Potcake= a mongrel dog that pretends to be fierce

6.16.08

The Celtic's lost! Sad! Everyone here seems to be a Laker's fan, so that didn't make the loss any easier. We finally got our phone working!! For local calls anyway... and I was able to use the internet again at Double D's Internet Cafe in Hatchet Bay. She makes amazing smoothies.

After having a little down time, we walked around town trying to locate some kids for lessons. A woman gave us some mangos. Everyone is always giving us fruit- I love it!

Later on, we went to Rainbow Bay where we saw some breathtaking views. The picture I have up at the top of the blog is from there... Wow. I wish I was better at climbing. I'm pretty scratched up.

6.17.08

First day of lessons. The first few went pretty well. The water was really rough due to the massive thunderstorm we had last night. Everything seemed to be going well until 30 kids showed up after their Vacation Bible School. We stayed out to keep an eye on everyone, but there was no way we could do lessons. I got totally fried. I applied SPF 50 multiple times, but it didn't seem to help much.