The three legged race, sniffing cocoa beans, my participants all decked out in red and white for Canada Day and my smelly feet in the cocoa beans. Well again it has been another amazing week. Our workshops came to a close on Friday with a morning full of incredible participation by the Grenada Teachers in our Canada Day festivities. You could feel the excitement in the air as everyone was decked out in red and white, dripping in sweat and participating in the three legged race, bowling with coconuts, curling with coconuts, a hockey shootout, the lima bean blow, limbo, floating islands, quiz, quiz, trade, duck, duck, goose, standing long jump, Frisbee throw, keep the beach ball up activity and a free Canada stuff table. We ran it like a good old fashion play day with five minute stations and the old school bell ringing to move you to the next group. It was an extremely hot day. I was covered in sweat, I felt as if I had taken a shower in sweat as I was dripping from head to toe. It didn’t matter though these people were troopers and it was awesome.
Our closing ceremonies were lovely too. With each group presenting a cultural song or a song about what they had learned or something related to their subject. The math group sang their Math Olympics theme song. It is to the tune of “We will rock you” but has lines like we will add you, we will multiply you etc. I cannot say enough about the incredible participation. Certificates were awarded, emails exchanged and goodbyes said. Another amazing opportunity to meet and work with great people. Thanks CTF (Canadian Teacher’s Federation) and GUT (Grenada Teacher’s Union) for the opportunity. We were also presented with GUT union teachers shirts and made honourary members.
I should also tell you about Kanisha (one of my participants) trying to teach me to whine. Not that kind of whining the kind of whining that is part of the Caribbean dance moves where you have to move your hips in a circular fashion to the beat. It sure was a lesson. I didn’t know it but Roxann was filming it, so you can have a laugh at my expense when you see me try to do this.
The team finished the day with another special occasion at The Special Education School in St George’s Grenada. We planted an avocado tree to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Project Overseas, teachers teaching teachers. A tree was planted in Ottawa at our orientation and around the world trees will be planted to commemorate the 50th anniversary. A poster was created with the names of all of the last 50 years participants on it. It is pretty neat. The font is small but if you look closely the blue background is actually names and the tree is made up of pictures from over the years. We brought a copy with us and were able to have it with us at the tree planting.
We had a great night out with our co tutors at a place right on the water as the sunset. It was an enjoyable night of fellowship and who knew that you hunt a tattoo (armadillo) by chasing it into a hole in the ground and catch it my putting your finger up its anus to make it not be so aggressive so you are able to pull it out of its den. There were many stories shared as we played games like two truths and a lie to get to know each other. As it turns out the Union President Mr. Kenny James is a hunter of tattoo (armadillos) and this is how you hunt them. You chase them with dogs into the hole and then pull them out my placing your finger up their anus.
We also visited the University of St Georges. It is an American University right on the south coast of the island known for its medical school and veterinarian school. It just makes me think again of the incredible opportunities that exist, who said you have to go to school in Ontario? Imagine University in the Caribbean, or what about those countries like Finland where you don’t even have to be a citizen to go for free. It is worth investigating.
Now we are on holidays. Betty, Kathrin and I are in Petite Martinique. It is a beautiful island. I have been fortunate to have travelled to the Caribbean a lot but I had no idea there was as many islands as there are. A great future trip would be to just island hop. We took a two hour ferry ride from Grenada to Petite Martinique. Grenada is made up of three islands, Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. So let me now tell you about this little piece of heaven. The island is less than 600 acres and for the next few days the population has increased to 703 while we are here. Can you imagine a Caribbean island with a population of 700? Oh it is awesome. We are in one of the two guest houses and right on the water. There is one road with three stores on it in people’s homes for your shopping. Nothing is open on Sunday, but we knew this and brought food provisions for the day and cooked them in the communal kitchen. We are the only guests in the building that has about 15 rooms. The beach is rustic with boats pulled up on shore and fishing nets at the edge. It is a fishing community and an authentic experience. I recommend it for those that like the islands but want seclusion and away from that all inclusive resort experience. Our room is about $50 a night. The principal of the schools family owns it and that is how we found out about it. There is one primary school on the island. The high school students have to take a boat each day to Carriacou for high school, about a 20 minute ride.
A half a mile away in plain view is another island called Petite St Vincent as I type this in our room and I look out the open door I can see it. It is a private island owned by two people that’s rooms are $1000 a night or you can rent the whole island for $35 000 a night. I am just as happy with ours thank you very much.
Well now it is Tuesday evening and today was another incredible day, but the evening has been action packed, stay tuned. This morning we took the ferry at 5:30am from Petite Martinique to Grenada. Once arriving back around 8:30am Betty and I set out on our adventure travelling up the island by local bus, our destination, the chocolate factory. Well what a day it was. I was walking on chocolate beans in my bare feet. The bus driver (van driver) was kind enough to take us off the main road and drop us off at the chocolate factory. Once there I walked into an empty room and yell hello, upstairs there were three women. Two were sorting cocoa beans while another was packing cocoa powder. They are working in a two story building that is maybe 10 feet by 10 feet. They say that they don’t do tours anymore and I could see why, no more than the two of us would fit in there. They said they could get fired but still continued to let us have a look and then she said come quick and we got to check out the machines and the process downstairs. Then she hands us a fresh chocolate bar that goes for $10 here to try. It was awesome, both the chocolate and their hospitality. They told us to go a mile down the road and check out the plantation and the estate. So we did, we hemming and hawed but ended up going and it was the highlight of my day. At the cocoa plantation they have huge trays of beans drying and the women walk in the beans every 30 minutes to turn them over. So they let me do it. I said my feet are dirty and they stink but he said don’t worry Sarah it will be all right. Each bean is encased in a shell that comes off later in the process. So I got in there and had to dig my feet down under the beans and kept walking around the tray. It was so cool oh yes and the aroma in this area was amazing, not my feet the chocolate in the air, ahhh.
The plantation was really cool. It is owned by a Grenadian family. It was one of 81 plantations that use to be on the island. The family that now owns it acquired it in 1944. The man made his fortune in nutmeg. During the war no one was exporting nutmeg but this man still bought it from the farmers and stored it. Once the market was reopened he sold it and made millions. He bought the plantation for 35 000 pounds in 1944. In 1778 the property was valued at 30 000 pounds, yes that is the right century, 1778.
So this evening we are coming back on the bus and hear the news on the radio start up. I note to Betty hey this is the first time I have heard any news. So what is on the news? Liat airlines cancelled flights today do to employees not receiving their pay. So the first news I hear and that is it. We are to fly with them tomorrow at 6am. So we get back to our house and call to confirm our flight and they say no it is cancelled. It is 6:40pm the night before our flight but they say can you get here for 8:30pm? We have a flight then and don’t know about any for tomorrow. So we throw our stuff in our suitcases call Glen our ride to the airport to see if he can come now and take us and he can so now we are in the airport waiting for the now delayed flight to head to the Barbados.
What a day it has been and it is not over yet.
We have arrived in the Barbados and made out fine. Within four hours of finding out the flight was cancelled to getting to the airport and then onto the flight we arrived in the Barbados. Wow what a world wind day.
We stayed at a nice hotel for the night where two other Project Overseas leaders were staying for a five day holiday. So we had a great visit and now Kathrin and Betty are in the air home.
There are tons of photos here, two separate links as they all wouldn’t fit on the same account.
Click on this link for lots more photos from Petite Martinique, Grenada and Project Overseas
Click on this link for many MORE photos from Petite Martinique, Grenada Chocolate Factory and Project Overseas
