Funny Ink

"Miss...you have something on your ankle and foot"
"Yes, that's called a tattoo, big people sometimes have them"
"Well that must just be white people"
"No honey, lots of people have them"
"No miss, we only color pictures here, not our skin"

Gotta love Grenadian children. This was the conversation i had with a little girl about 8 years old today. She was very confused how there was a tattoo on my ankle and foot and that it didn't come off ever. Tattoos are slowly reaching Grenada, but they are still very unknown to young children and some adults. I can usually hide the foot tattoo but the ankle tattoo is sometimes hard to cover up, so I've gotten used to the curious stare.

Grenadians have picked up on alot of the American culture and are always looking for ways to be a little like Americans but keep true to their Caribbean roots. I appreciate locals who can have an intelligent conversation about American culture but truly appreciate their own Grenadian background. I find such innocence in people who aren't accustomed to seeing tattoos on people. Its nice that some of Americans crazy ways have stayed far from Grenada and that we haven't warped the whole world into our thinkings. I am really learning to love Caribbean culture and the simple things that the people here enjoy, like sitting on the veranda enjoying the sunset, sharing fruits vegetables with neighbors and conversations about life. Many times i find myself reminiscing on all the time i spent in "autopilot" back in the States. Just living workday to workday and never really sitting down to appreciate what i have, stressing over the next material thing i could buy, or constantly on my phone. Those things aren't important here and i find such harmony in knowing that i can enjoy my dinner on my veranda while talking to my neighbor about Grenadian culture.

This truly is the life...I'm so blessed...

Hashing

I thought i would try to explain my adventure this weekend, but i find that Wikipedia would do it much better. I went to my first official Hash this last weekend and it was one of the hardest things i have done thus far in Grenada.

At a Hash, one or more members (Hares) lay a trail, which is then followed by the remainder of the group (the Pack or Hounds). The trail often includes false trails, short cuts, dead ends, and splits. These features are designed to keep the pack together regardless of fitness level or running speed, as front-runners are forced to slow down to find the "true" trail, allowing stragglers to catch up.

Members often describe their group as "a drinking club with a running problem," indicating that the social element of an event is as important, if not more so, than any athleticism involved. Beer remains an integral part of a Hash, though the balance between running and drinking differs between kennels, with some groups placing more focus on socializing and others on running.


This weekend was Grenada's 650th Hash and was met with a record number of people, somewhere around 300 people. We started out on a paved road for about 20 minutes and i thought to myself "this cant be that bad". Then as we started to get off the paved road and climb the mountain and realized that i wasn't ready for this type of physical activity. The other volunteers had been doing these hashes twice a month since we got here, but i knew i needed to lose weight before i would even consider it.


Well...27 pounds down and i still struggled up that mountain. We climbed around 1300 feet up the mountain and at the top were met by the organizers and a cooler of ice cold Carib, our national beer. Although I never seem to be able to turn down a beer, i gladly gave mine to another volunteer while i chugged the last remaining drops of my water. I felt extremely accomplished as i reached the top and was ready to descend back down the mountain, since down has to be much easier then up right? WRONG!!!! The way down was much harder then the way up, as the slope was more steep, the path less cleared and the ground totally muddy. As many who know me understand, clean shoes to me are mandatory. My poor shoes were covered in mud, along with most of the rest of my clothes and body.



After skiing down the mountain part of the way i finally reached the end where more
cold refreshments were waiting and felt really good about myself. Although I'm so sore i can barely climb the stairs to my apartment, i enjoyed the experience and might consider going again. Grenada hiking is BEAU-tiful.