It's midnight and we've just ushered out the last of our impromptu party guests who are 'liming' in our apartment for really no good reason other than its a Monday in the Caribbean and what else are you going to do...we are as my friend Kathy says "living the dream" after all. We've had a few glasses of Chilean red at our local bar/pub, The Red Crab, with our friend Kevin who's retired and currently bobbing in the bay on a sailboat. We've had a good night. Kev and my husband, John, have debated the economy, politics and death all quite heavy topics for a Monday, and none of which seems particularly relevant to our current situation except perhaps my imminent death on this island at the hand of a Reggae bus driver. Driving in Grenada is not for the faint of heart.
Just as I am about to go to head for bed my skype starts ringing and it's Sarah, calling to recap a date gone right after a relationship gone very, very wrong. I can't tell you how much receiving a skype call thrills me. I've lived abroad for over two years now: a year in the African bush and a year in the Caribbean during which I have fallen in love, planned a wedding, gotten married and watched my friends have babies, fall in love, get engaged and just get on with their everyday lives. Because of modern technology, skype being my fav., we've been able to stay connected through it all.
So, thanks to skype I'm getting to do the thing I miss most (its not Target, fast food or hot water) its girl talk... Conversation goes something like this:
Sarah: (munching on something from what looks like a whole foods container) Had a great date with Irish.
Me: Who's Irish and what are you eating?
Sarah: Dates. This guy I met when I was dating the crazy guy who ended up having a crack pipe
Me: Hold on..I want something to eat. (I grab a jar of pickles) What guy with a crack pipe? When was this and how do you not tell me these things?
Sarah: Are you eating pickles? That's disgusting...Yeah, I found a crack pipe when I went through his stuff after he disappeared for two days... Shan, and I googled imaged it...I'll send it to you
Me: Ok, I don't know what one looks like anyway...just got it... wow, is that really a crack pipe? ok, so did you change your locks? where is this freak?
Sarah: Yeah, Tommy changed them for me. Hold on (she's now eating Doritos) So, Irish is great.
Me: to myself: I want Doritos, can't get them here closest thing I can do is cut up some corn tortillas, slap some olive oil on them and pop them in the toaster oven...ugh...too much work, why is everything so difficult here? So tell me about Irish. What's he do?
And that's pretty much how it went, but what I thought about after that conversation is how fortunate I am to be able to stay connected whether I am in the bush, on the beach or in any foreign land. I've planned my wedding on skype, chatted with my two year old nephew who thanks to skype knows who I am, can keep up with my girlfriends dating dramas and simultaneously eat strange food after midnight with my close friends.
I've decided to start writing about what life is like living abroad in countries that are a bit slower paced and don't offer all the modern conveniences of the good ole US of A. Things are slower, not as convenient and can be a challenge, but they can also be eye opening, hilarious and you'll do things you never thought you'd ever do.
Since my first post was inspired by my girlfriends I'll post a girlie recipe. My homemade face mask which I poached from some internet site that I can no longer find...I am not a good bookmarker.
Anyway with no Bliss on the island and no trips planned back to the States anytime soon I started making a face scrub from honey, brown sugar and oatmeal. It makes my skin softer and is a good exfoliant so worth a try for any of you out there who are without access to a make-up counter or who are pinching pennies due to the credit crunch.
Almost Bliss:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons dry oatmeal
mix together and scrub your face for about one minute. Tip: you may want to do this in the shower as its messy and sticky. Pop the leftovers in the fridge. It should keep for up to 5 days.
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