9/29/02

I’m all moved now.  It wasn’t until last Thursday that I had the incredible realization that I was supposed to move this weekend.  It was actually kind of a nice relief.  It’s hard business living with someone else’s family.  Packing wasn’t too bad this time, and the move itself wasn’t too bad either.  Tom and Mary are still living upstairs, so they helped.  They’re moving to Soufriere tomorrow.  I was also able to sneak in on meals upstairs yesterday.  I went to the grocery store yesterday for a few things, but I have a lot more to get yet. I got some generic macaroni and cheese so I thought I’d make that for lunch yesterday.  It was hideous.  I don’t know what the problem was; if it was the mac and cheese itself or the nasty orange margarine that I got.  I thought at first that I could maybe make it into something else, but now I think it may go to the dogs outside.  On my fixed income, I don’t want to waste food like that!

For the most part, I’m settled in.  I got everything unpacked, but as I was going, I realized that I was missing a few things.  I’ll probably stop by the grocery store later to pick up some grocery store type things this afternoon.  Tomorrow on the way home from work I can go to the S&S (if you think things from Wal-Mart are made in sweatshops, you should see this place) and pick up some other things.  I can make do for now, but I have no towels, no laundry or dish soap, measuring pitchers, aluminum foil, etc.

But right now I’m taking a beach break.  I’m meeting Margaret in a little while.  Deb went on a hike today with her host agency, the St. Lucia National Trust.

Back from the beach. It was a perfect day for beach-laying and swimming.  I also caught a little sun. Margaret and I went to the same beach where I went last weekend.  It was still as nice, but there were more waves this time.  Some of the same people were there also.  Namely this group of families with about 15 kids between them.  It’s very strange with these kids because I’m not used to hearing a Lucian accent come from white people.

When I came home, I had a much more successful meal experience than yesterday.  It’s nice to cook for myself, but my options are pretty limited with only the few things I got yesterday at the grocery store.  I got some produce there reluctantly.  I’d rather get it from someone more direct like a neighbor with a garden or at the market.  One of the tomatoes I got yesterday was bad already today.

Tom and Mary have a happy hour every day.  Tonight was an extra big deal because they are moving tomorrow.  We had champagne and cake.

The people who own the house where I’m living are Paul and Mary Cadette.  Almost all of the houses here are built on stilts, for what reason I don’t know.  Many times people add on by building underneath.  In Babonneau, the family had the kitchen underneath.  Here, they have two apartments.  I think mine is the bigger of the two. 

I would say they have maybe half an acre of land.  The back is all cultivated into a garden.  There is no house on the lot next door, so that’s all wild and green too, but there’s a fence in between.  Paul and Mary are probably in their 60’s, and spent most of their lives in Britain.  They have two kids older than me who live there.  There are three dogs, Poppy, Boy and Razor, and a cat, Tiger, in the yard.  I’m trying to get Tiger to come down and hang out with me.  The dogs here are always confined to the yard and are well-fed and watered for a change.  There also are about 10 loose dogs in the neighborhood that roam around.  Down the road is also a "disco".  It seems to me it’s kind of an out-in-the-country disco.  Although it is pretty popular because everyone knows where it is.  For now, Deb is also in the neighborhood, although she’s moving next weekend.  The neighborhood itself seems pretty self-contained and safe.  I’m going to have to wander around evenings this week.

There are two important bits of news this week.  All week, everyone has been talking about a ten year-old girl who just had a baby.  It’s shocking in a girl that age, but a lot more common as girls approach 15 or 16.  It’s created a lot of public discourse on TV, the radio and in the newspapers.  But one article that Tom showed me was using this situation as an example of the deplorable condition of the nation’s youth.  I don’t think it’s the youth with the problem!  I think this girl’s 35 year-old rapist is the one with the problem!  But it can be very sad.  It’s not uncommon for girls as young as 13 or so to date men in their 30’s.  Most times the men are mini-bus drivers.  The way it was explained to me is that these girls usually don’t have fathers at home, and they seek that parental-type attention from these other men (who probably are fathers of such fatherless girls themselves).  Also, the mini-bus drivers tend to spoil the young girls with little gifts and cash.  It’s a bizarre and disgusting situation.

On a lighter note, there is a celebrity in our midst.  John Hogan is on island for two sold out shows.  You probably haven’t heard of him, and I hadn’t either until I got here.  He’s a country and western singer from Ireland.  He made guest appearances at charity events, and is singing two concerts.  They have been playing ads for these shows for probably a month now.  Everyone is all excited.  Deb was fortunate enough to have her picture taken with him.  It’s strange how popular country and western music is here.  It’s second only to BET.  Apparently back in the day, the only radio available on the island was piped in from Texas and all they played was country and western.  It’s mostly the old stuff that’s popular, not the big showy stuff of nowadays.