Saint George's!

Yesterday was not too exciting, just a combination of our last real day of classes and packing to leave Grenville for good. We took the time to say our last reflections about our time in Grenville, which was a little sad. I talked about the woman that I had met one day downtown who was so happy and was telling me about what she likes to do for fun. She was talking about how Grenadians don’t have much money but they know how to have fun. She loved to spend time with her family and do things like go to the beach or just have huge oil-down dinners. It really made me reflect on us as Americans. We are a culture that needs material things and a surplus of objects and wealth in order to be satisfied. Happiness should come from those around you who love you. It was a very eye-opening lesson in an unexpected place.

We went down to town one last time to get some food at the Melting Pot and looked out at the ocean. We were told that things were going to be more expensive in St. George’s so we enjoyed our last very cheap meal. Then I headed back up to sleep one more time in the mosquito-fest which was my room. Got a few new, fresh bites on my legs just as a parting gift I want to believe.

Today we woke up and brought our bags downstairs to finally say goodbye to Rainbow Inn, Grenville, to depart towards the big city (St. Georges). The thought alone of leaving behind our AC-less, mosquito-infested room was motivation enough for me to want to run out of there. We said goodbye to all of the Inn staff that we had grown close with over our stay there and we hopped into the van. Like we had done many times before, we drove through the rain forest in order to get to St. Georges, which was an adventure in itself. The drive is around 45 minutes and the roads are extremely narrow without lines. I swear I thought that we were going to crash a few times, but somehow we made it in one piece. Along the way we stopped at a lake at the top of one of the highest mountains in Grenada. It was a volcanic lake, and our bus driver explained how Grenada was a volcanic island with only one active volcano left. The lake was kind of eerie since the fog was rolling in, so we only got a chance to admire it for a little while before another downpour started.

As we got into St. Georges we made a stop at the Spice Basket restaurant which we had visited our first night in Grenada. Ironically, though, we weren’t there to dance or eat but rather to visit a museum that was part of the same complex. We had a tour guide take us around and explain the history of Grenada (which we’ve heard a few times at this point). I feel like I’m an expert now. Basically the British and the French fought over the island for awhile which is why there are so many French influences on the island, but eventually the British took over for the majority of the history. Then, they gained their independence in the 1970’s and there was a Revolution shortly after followed by the American Invasion. Ever since the Revolution they have had a parliamentary government in Grenada. The tour guide also showed us some old artifacts from ancient Grenada and a lot of pictures of Grenada’s history with the game of cricket. Because they were owned by Britain for so long, they have a very strong, rich history with the game of cricket. I heard that during the Revolution, the tough times led to more emphasis on work ethic, building stronger and more athletic men. Because of this hard-working mentality, Grenada had a very good cricket team for awhile during those times which directly reflected the economy and hardships at the time.

After the museum, we had planned to go visit a few forts but it was pouring and everyone was pretty hungry so we checked into our hotel. In the video you can see a little sneak peek of our room here. Karla and I are very excited that we now have working AC and internet. There are definitely less mosquitoes and the whole place is just cleaner (except for the four spiders that we had Vlad kill behind my bed and one that crawled into bed with me). A funny thing that also revolved around bugs was when we were running late for our meeting at 2:30, I noticed a huge centipede in the middle of our floor. When I went to look at it closer, it was dead so I left it there thinking I could come back and clean it up afterwards. EXCEPT, when we got back an hour later, it was GONE. We weren’t able to find it anywhere, so somewhere in our room is a giant centipede that knows how to play dead. Lesson learned: Don’t trust bugs.

We had Urias’ daughter, Z, take us to get some food nearby (only a 5 minute walk). I already have been noticing a lot of differences between Grenville and St. Georges. For one, there are actually street lights and lines on the roads. It’s a lot busier and there is a ton of diversity. We are no longer looked at as if we are specimens (one little girl yesterday pointed to us and shouted to her mom, “Hey look white people!”). We actually blend it pretty nicely here, which I’m not so sure I liked as much as I thought I would. Everyone treats us as if we are just tourists who have a lot of money. Another thing is that people are a little less friendly here. I tried saying hello to a few people on the street today and they actually looked kind of surprised and shy about it. It’s so different than what I got used to doing in Grenville where everyone knew one another and was friendly. This is a city, though, and there are lots of food places and things to do around the area which makes it a little more fun. But there is already a part of me that misses the country and the people who were so welcoming to us. 

One of the biggest things I’ve noticed about St. Georges is the prices. Everything here is so much more expensive. I got a great lunch but spent a lot of money, so tomorrow I need to make sure to go to the grocery store to get some food otherwise I will have no more money soon. After lunch we had some downtime so we took a nap and now I am just sitting on our porch watching the sun set over the beach. We’re right next to a main road so it’s a little loud, but the site is just beautiful of the water.