CULTURE LESSON #1: When a Grenadian says "just now", that means 2 minutes or 2 hours. So if i say "i am going to pick you up just now", that really means i could pick you up in ten minutes or ten hours. Now to a woman who is VERY punctual about time and really respects time, this causes some serious anxiety.
Another volunteer came to visit me at my new home stay today and we decided to walk down to the playing field to see some football (American soccer). My friend Crystal, another volunteer lives very close to here, so we found it a good place to meet up. My fellow volunteer called our friend Ryon,as he was heading our way and figured we could hitch a ride. He said of course, and that he would be there "just now." So we are waiting, waiting, waiting and then BOOM, Ryon comes around the corner....ON A HORSE. Now, let me convey just how funny this is to me. First off, i haven't seen a horse on this island since I've been here. Second, the roads are NO PLACE for a horse, as they are one car wide. Third, he promised us a ride, on a horse. hahaha. Oh Grenada how i love thy.
So today i went to the beach with my host mom for a Sunday swim. Now I'm not sure if people realize this, but Grenada is a HUGE tourist destination for cruise ships. Before i came here i had no idea that cruise ships ventured to Grenada, i thought it was just to the cayman islands, Jamaica, Aruba, St. Lucia, etc. But when we are talking massive cruise ships from everywhere but America, this place is a hot spot. After Hurricane Ivan in 2004 destroyed much of the beaches, resorts and hotels, the tourist industry has been slowly rebuilding. They recently dug two new spots for cruise ships to dock, and the resorts are slowly beginning to pop up on Grand Anse beach.
The last couple of times we have been to the beach has been pretty quiet, with locals being in the majority. But today i was completely shocked at the amounts of people on the 3 miles of beaches, known as Grand Anse. There were three cruise ships in today, our maximum capacity. Britain, Swiss and French. Now i have never been to any of those places, but i must add that it was interesting to watch these people vacation. Maybe its because i am striving constantly to live as Grenadians for an extended amount of time but these people had no shame in their game. Children running around naked, men in speedos and women changing their suits in the open. I decided to take a step back and observe (from the water of course), and noticed how Grenadians reacted to these foreigners. I found myself hysterically laughing as they stared these people down like "what foreign place do you come from." I got a huge kick out of it and managed to laugh so hard i got salt water in my nose.
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