Where to even begin! So much has happened since my last blog
post yesterday to this point tonight. Last night half of the group decided that
we wanted to go out and experience some Grenadian night life, so Mac (Police
Superintendent) hooked us up with a ride to a local reggae concert. The place
that we are staying right now is not very central to anywhere, so it was
crucial that he provided transportation as well as a local connection. Mac
picked us up at our hotel and we all piled in to his car (and by piled in, I
mean four people squeezed in the back seat with a person laying across). I
found it pretty comical that one of the head police officers was jamming our
car full of people without even thinking twice, but it just goes to show how
things are just that much different.
The first artist was a reggae musician whom Mac told me was
a former police officer. It took a few minutes, but all of us quickly got into
the atmosphere of the arena. It was unlike anything that I’ve experienced at a
concert before; everyone was vibing with the music and the artist was preaching
peace, love, and respect. In between artists there was even an MC who kept the
crowd going. He would play songs and make everyone in the crowd dance, keeping
the whole experience lively and exciting! We never stopped dancing the whole
entire time and we had the time of our lives. Everything just felt so peaceful
and it was a beautiful night out. I definitely think that I have a new
appreciation for reggae music now that I know how people can really experience
it, live it, and vibe with it. All of the artists were local, too, constantly
shouting out to people in the crowd and demonstrating how small and connected
the whole island really is.
Today was an even greater adventure, although I thought it
would be impossible to top the amazing experience that I had yesterday. I’m
beginning to see that this trip will be so much more than I could have ever
dreamed, and I am so thankful I chose to do it. We started off the day by
loading into a van and traveling to the Belmont Estate. Along the way I got to
see a lot more of the country and am still under the impression that it is one
of the most beautiful places I have ever experienced. I have been to the
Caribbean before, but I have never experienced island life quite like this.
Everyone waved to us and seemed so inviting, yet very curious. A lot of people
want to know what we are doing on the island, and I think we are really trying
to establish that we aren’t just tourists looking to get in quick and leave.
The country was so beautiful with lush trees and the air is so pure and
unpolluted. It really makes me stop to think about how we live sometimes in the
US, so close together and in our own lives.
Once we arrived at the estate (comparable to a plantation) we
learned that it used to employee many slaves to help grow and cultivate cocoa.
We were shown one of the main trees with the slave bell which rung when a slave
was to be hanged on the tree as punishment. It is so awful to think that things
like that really happened. But, today the plant is still up and running
producing some of the finest chocolate in the world, regardless of its history.
We were show the whole process of producing the chocolate,
from chopping down the fruit, to fermenting and drying the beans, etc. It is
such an elaborate process. Our tour guide, Lauren, let us try the beans before
they get made into chocolate (very gross) as well as the seeds of the fruit
when it is first picked off the tree (so sweet and delicious). Then we got to
sample some of the chocolate ourselves which was absolutely amazing. We were
then led around the estate to visit some of the animals, like monkeys and
parrots. The parrot was probably my favorite because it actually was saying and
repeating phrases that we were saying (something I’ve never seen before in my
life). As I was walking around I was just breathing in the fresh air and
closing my eyes to appreciate the opportunity to be in such an incredible
place.
After the estate we traveled a bit down the road to see the
slave pens where the slaves would live who were working on the estate. I think
we were all a little unprepared for the hike that it required to even see the
pens. We had to travel through high grasses, and a lot of us had flip flops and
shorts on including me. I got bit really hard by something in the grass and had
shooting pains for awhile and the pens themselves just did not interest me, so
that part of the day wasn’t the greatest for me. But I did think it was really
neat how anyone that wanted a mango could pick them off the trees at any point.
There were really so many opportunities to eat mangos whenever we wanted, as
well as other fruits like bananas, etc.
Then we traveled to Leaper’s Hill. Leaper’s Hill was known
as the spot where the last standing Caribs decided to commit mass suicide by
jumping off the cliff in order to avoid surrendering to the French. Peering
down over the edge I couldn’t imagine choosing to end my life in that way, but
I did think it was pretty noble of the Caribs to try to maintain some dignity
in their deaths. Besides the sort of morbid history of the place, it was a
beautiful view from the top. In the picture you can see my roommate Karla and I
at the very top.
After Leaper’s Hill we finally made our way to the beach for
the traditional “oil down.” We met up with the Tivoli drummers as well as many
members of the community who were connected to the families. We spent some time
mingling with locals and helping them prepare the dinner. A lot of them were
really shy to talk to us, especially the younger ones. But, I think they were
all very curious by our group. It seems that many of them were content with
just sitting and “being,” living life. I realized that I didn’t always need to
try to talk to them about something, as long as we were just coexisting near
one another and sharing that space. It was a really cool and interesting
experience. I talked to one girl in particular who was very outgoing, talking
about how she teaches primary school children. I thought it was incredible that
the children here are required to learn three languages! I still can’t believe
that Americans only learn English when the rest of the world is really making
an effort to be global.
While we were waiting for dinner to cook we went to the
beach for a bit, and I got to dip my toes into the water. The water in Grenada
is just so warm and the sand is free of debris, easy to walk around in. I laid
on a chair for awhile, again breathing in sweet smell of the island and
appreciating my time on the island. Once dinner was ready, it was delicious. There
were so many people that they were feeding, but we each got a generous helping
of things like chicken, curried bananas, bread fruit, and dumplings. The food
again was extremely spiced and on top of that delicious. As it started to get
dark we kept the bonfire going and we continued to mingle and enjoy the company
of one another.
Thinking that the dinner would be the end of my night, I was
shocked when the head Tivoli drummer summoned everyone to the arena across the
street. At this point they started to play some drums and people from around the
area came to join in. He had us stand in a circle, and told us that we were
going to be experiencing a few local traditional games. I was so unsure what to
expect, but before I knew it the sun was setting and there was a chorus of
drums playing a beat. I would say there were close to 60-70 people at this time
that either participated or watched as every single one of us was pulled one by
one into the center to dance.
The first dance we had to do was to teach the rest of the
group a dance move. I can’t even begin to tell you how embarrassed I was when
it came time for me to go. I have never danced in front of other people before
and the locals that were dancing were incredible. I was pretty proud of the
move that I thought up while I was waiting for my turn, but then it just got
even more difficult. The second dance was a slower rhythm, a tradition that
they would do when someone died. I was shocked when I saw someone
demonstrate..they were getting down low!! From my understanding it was supposed
to be some sort of sexual dance, and I was completely terrified. At this point
more and more people joined to watch what was going on and one by one people
were getting in the middle and moving in ways that were sexual and impressive.
I was mortified when I had to get in front of everyone and I tried to
pathetically move my hips. I do give myself an A for effort, but it was pretty
painful even for me. I was so amazed by how the locals could move, though. They
were so fluid in their motions, and they moved so well with the beat. The third
dance we had to do was supposed to be our final move to leave with the crowd,
which again I probably made a fool of myself. I did just enjoy watching everyone
else though; one girl jumped up and landed in a split, almost giving me a heart
attack. Most of the Grenadian people are on such a different level when it
comes to dancing I can’t even begin to imagine getting close to that.
Another long, exhausting, rewarding day. Thanks for reading!
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