Departure

What I will miss MOST in Grenada: All the people. We'll miss the other students and their families, the bus drivers (both local and school), the security guards, the shop owners, the branch members, all the missionaries, the people selling food everywhere, and the many other people I see on a daily basis.

What I will like MOST in America: All our family. It has been far too long since we've been with our families. We're excited to let our kids get to know their great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Even though we'll be moving to Michigan in a few months, half a country away is not so bad as half a world away.

1 Day

What I will miss in Grenada: All the little things. I'll miss going on adventures and finding real secret paths. I'll miss getting on a bus and sitting next to a great dane who's owners love kids. I'll miss the guava's Mrs. John gives us. I'll miss the great view during sacrament meeting at church. I'll miss the rain storms. I'll miss so many things I see every day.

What I will like in America: All the little things. I'll like soap in all the public bathrooms, an abundance of drinking fountains, music that isn't reggae, no more urination on the side of the road, wide sidewalks and streets, and carpet under my sore feet.

2 Days

What I will miss in Grenada: The kindness of strangers. Everyone we pass on the street tells us "good morning" or "good afternoon." If Esther has a hard time climbing on the bus, someone will help her. People often offer us rides when we're out waiting for the bus. When I've been lost, people have walked me to wherever I needed to go.

What I will like in America: Dirty kids. I've always wanted to be the kind of mom who lets their kids play and get dirty. It's hard here, because after they get dirty we have to board a bus home, then wash off when there may or may not be any water. The dirty clothes have to sit around for a while until we get a chance to do laundry. In America they can just get dirty in the backyard, come inside to take a bath and throw their clothes in the washer.

3 Days

What I will miss in Grenada: Foods that you just don't get in America. Esther and William love it when the fruit guy blows his conch shell on Wednesdays and Saturdays to let everyone know he's in the neighborhood. From the back of his truck he'll knock off the top of a green coconut with his machete so we can just put our straws inside. Unlike my kids, I don't really like coconut water. There are, however, many other foods here I will personally miss such as: guava, soursop, biskrems, Go Aheads, Crix, Ting, Grenada Chocolate, Shirley Biscuits, and Magnum Bars. I also love all the spices that you can get in America, but not as fresh and not as good a price.

What I will like in America: My own culture. I love the culture here, but there is no place like home. American Thanksgiving and Independence Day will be celebrated by a few very patriotic people this year.

p.s. Happy Birthday Cameron!

4 Days

What I will miss in Grenada: The SO Organization. This is a club I've been part of for the past three years. I've been on the board for three of the six semesters we've been here. We've had so many good times. Today we went on our last SO field trip. Cameron took his last test yesterday so the whole family went together. We had a really great time. Details will come in a future post.

What I will like in America: A wide variety of affordable, healthy food including, but not limited to: fresh milk, berries, grapes, mushrooms, nuts, avocados, and healthy snacks.

5 Days

What I will miss in Grenada: Pool Day. Every Thursday we go to the pool with friends. Can there be a better way to spend a Thursday morning?

What I will like in America: Every street has a name, and every house has a number. I used to take addresses for granted. Now I know better.

6 Days

What I will miss in Grenada: Smoothies. I know there are smoothies in America, but they're not the same. Some people prefer the American kind, but I have gotten addicted to these. This morning we stopped off for smoothies and I asked if I could have a few of their recipes since I'm leaving the island. They were very accommodating, so I'll be able to enjoy my favorite smoothies for years to come.

What I will like in America: Washers with hot water and dryers. Today I hung our clothes out on the line for the last time.

7 Days

What I will miss in Grenada: Playgroup. Every Tuesday we get together with a lot of the other students' kids and play. Usually we play at the swing set or in the little GAP room. We always have such a good time that Esther and William never want to leave. My kids and I have made many good friends through playgroup. Today we went to the University Farm for playgroup rather than the swings. I don't have any pictures of a typical playgroup, but here are some of our special playgroup today.

What I will like in America: Our own yard. I realize that this has much more to do with us living in an apartment than living in Grenada, but it's still something we're looking forward to when we get to our next American home. We've never had our own yard since we've been married. But the next time we move we're planning to rent a house with a yard for the kids to play in anytime they want.

8 Days

What I will miss in Grenada: The GAP (meaning the Grand Anse Playgroup). We love to play at the GAP. When we first arrived the GAP was one big air conditioned room with lots of toys that students' families could use whenever they wanted. It has since gotten much bigger and evolved into a preschool (which Esther loved attending once a week) that we can use during the off hours, plus a little room of our own for us to play in anytime. Whenever we want or need to get out of the house we head to the GAP.

What I will like in America: Parks and Libraries!

9 Days

What I will miss in Grenada: Movie night. Almost every Friday night the school lets us use one of their lecture halls as a theater. We get together and watch a DVD on the big screen. Sometimes we even pop popcorn. We look forward to it every week. Sadly, last Friday was our last movie night here.
What I will like in America: Laws. I love laws. I especially miss laws about trash burning, viscous dogs, driving, and noise. I am ready to be done with the smell of burnt tires. I like being able to call animal control about dangerous dogs. I'm ready to get used to cars not stopping traffic to talk to their friends. I don't think I'll miss the Celine Dion concert we have almost every week throughout church as the neighbor blasts it on his speakers for hours.

10 Days

What I will miss in Grenada: My kids’ popularity. Everyone knows and loves my kids. Wherever we walk or ride, someone will say, “Hi Esther” or comment on how big William is getting. William has many bus friends who he loves to play peek-a-boo with. Esther feels pretty special as she walks through the mall and people shout, “Hi Esther” from their shops (even the lady in the lingerie shop since Esther ran in there once to look at their watches). I never have to worry about my kids’ safety. If Esther wanders off while I’m doing laundry (yes, I do sometimes take my eyes off of her), the security guards know her and keep an eye on her until I arrive. If she runs away in the mall, everyone will point out the way to me as I track her down.Esther and William waiting for the bus after shopping one day.

What I will like in America: Fast friendly service, especially during busy times. One American custom that I really enjoy is teaching employees the art of customer service. I think many Americans get a little too used to this and expect the impossible from employees. But in Grenada it is a different story. Workers will make you wait while they chat with their friends for long periods of time before they will help. When we find a restaurant or store where the employees smile it is a rare treat. Okay, my kids' cuteness can earn a smile anywhere except KFC, but otherwise many workers seemed offended that we want to place an order or pay for our items. This rant is inspired by my trip to the grocery store today. It was a busy Saturday and all the check-out lines were long. My friend was in front of me, and before the cashier would start to ring up her food she had to chat with her friend for a minute. While the cashier slowly got my friend’s food rung up William was grabbing everything off the narrow isle shelf. Esther was busy tormenting William, then crying when he pinched her. I had seven items. The person behind me had two. When my turn finally arrived the cashier asked if she could check the person behind me first. I wanted to get out of that store so my kids could calm down so I said “no.” Normally I say “yes,” because normally I have a full load of groceries when asked that question, but it didn’t seem to me that seven items should take much longer than two. I was wrong. I made the mistake of buying the kids an ice cream cone. It did not have a UPC. My cashier’s strategy was to try guessing several different codes to see which one was right. She eventually figured it out, then had to call the manager to cancel something she accidentally added to my purchase during her code hunt. Meanwhile my kids were getting crazier by the second. After a moment I decided to bag my own groceries rather than wait a few more minutes for her to get around to it. Granted, this does not happen every time I go to the store, and there are some less than ideal employees at most American stores, but this sort of thing tends to happen a lot less often in America.

11 Days

What I will miss in Grenada: The natural beauty. It really is pretty here. I could stare at the scenery for hours if my kids would let me. There's the rain forest, the beaches, the flowers, the Caribbean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the waterfalls, and so many other picturesque sights in my constant view. I am always in awe as I look around that the great place I have been blessed to live in.

What I will like in America: Changing seasons. Grenada does technically have two seasons: the wet and the dry. Really it's more like the really hot and really rainy, and the really hot and sort of rainy. I love the colors and the crunch of leaves in autumn. I love playing in the snow, then getting warm by the fire. I love seeing the birds come back in the spring and all the trees blossoming at the same time, and after all that, three months of summer is nice. When I was a kid I'd watch "White Christmas" and laugh when one of the characters sang that she wanted to wash her hair with snow. I understand that desire now.

12 Days

What I will miss in Grenada: My simple life. I've learned that I can be perfectly happy doing just one thing a day. We don't have a lot of things, and I've learned to like that. We don't have a TV so we don't see commercials to see what we're missing. Our kids have never been in a big toy store so they're perfectly content with what they have. There isn't much variety at the store so our meals tend to be simple, giving us more time for family and helping our budget. Since there are so many things unavailable we have learned to make do with what we have or borrow from friends. There are no Joneses to keep up with.

What I will like about America: The stores. I really do like my simple life, but it will be nice to have necessities always available. Cameron and I each have one pair of pants without holes. The majority of our shirts are stained and holey. We're excited to have a few presentable clothes again. It will be wonderful to visit a store that doesn't run out of such exotic things as sugar and flour for weeks on end. When the first of our possessions in America breaks, we'll be in ecstasy as we are able to go to the store and buy a replacement.

13 Days

What I will miss in Grenada: No car. I love not having a car. I don't have to worry about driving, other drivers, oil changes, flat tires, major and minor repairs, insurance, inspections and the hundred other things that come up when you have a car. In my opinion the buses here work wonderfully, and we're in a location which makes it easy for us to always catch one going any direction. For more on the buses click here.

What I will like about America: Less advice from strangers. I appreciate that so many people are concerned for the welfare of my children, but it will be nice not to get quite so much advice. Random people throughout my day will let me know how my kids' hair should be done, tell me to hold Esther's hand, tell me not to carry William on my hip so his feet don't turn out, or to get the kids out of the trickle of rain before they get sick. The most common is, "Get the babies out of the sun!" when I'm waiting at a bus stop. If there was shade nearby I would gladly comply. I'd like to get the mommy out of the sun too.

14 Days

What I will miss in Grenada: The branch! We've met a lot of wonderful people at church here. I've grown so much by the testimonies of all the new converts and the veteran members. This is what the branch looked like last term - we don't have a current branch picture.

What I'll like in America: Always having enough water in the pipes to take a shower, do the dishes, or wash the clothes. This morning after breakfast Esther tried to wash her hands in the trickle coming out of the faucet and in a sad voice said, "Daddy, there's no water pressure." "Esther, did you know that in America there is always water pressure?" "But Daddy, on Sunday we had water pressure!"

Four Down, Nine to Go

We are very proud of our little girl!

The Countdown Begins

In 15 days we'll be getting on a plane headed toward America. I'm going to miss a lot about Grenada, but I'm also excited to get back to some things in America. I'm going to try to post one of each everyday for the next two weeks. So for today:

What I will miss about Grenada: The Egg Guy. Every Tuesday we buy eggs from a man on campus who sells them from his truck. Esther loves it because he always gives her three eggs of her very own. What a nice guy!













What I'll like in America: No more super-ants!

Fun in the Sun