Apr
25
i’m home
Filed Under life, saba, thoughts | Leave a Comment
Well, after an entire day of traveling . . . we’re back in the good ‘ole U.S.A. I’ve not been shocked at what I’ve experienced, but have certainly noticed a few things. My first comment comparing the U.S. to my experience on Saba was in the Miami airport. We purchased some food at a little stand. I got a club sandwich. It was pretty reasonable in price and was HUGE. I had a hard time getting my mouth around it for a bite. My first comment? “Welcome to the U.S.” I didn’t see a sandwich that large my entire time on Saba.
My second comment came during our drive from the DFW airport. One lane is the width of the road on Saba. Yes, in the U.S. a car has that space all to itself. In Saba, that same space is shared by two cars traveling in opposite directions with a rock wall on either side that will tear up your car. Then, on further comparison of roads here and there, the tiny roads I thought we had in the development from which we moved felt incredibly wide.
Last night, when we laid down to go to sleep, I mentioned to Emily, “I miss the tree frogs . . . and the wind . . . and the sound of the ocean.” Sounds I have grown to love . . . sounds which lulled me to sleep each night. Exhaustion finally took over and I fell into a deep slumber, until Hannah woke me up in the morning.
This morning, I took my dogs out and decided to walk around a bit. One word. NOISE! It is so noisy here in suburbia. Saba has a peace and quiet for which I long.
I knew things were going to be different. I figured once I got back here, I’d just get back in the swing of things, but as I have a direct comparison . . . the differences are, for the time being, quite noticeable.
Apr
19
another chapter comes to a close
Filed Under happiness, life, thoughts, trials | Leave a Comment
When I arrived on this island I had a hard time believing I was going to live in the Caribbean for nearly two years. Now my time is up, I’m having a hard time picturing my life in a place other than Saba. This island has truly taught me many life lessons. My experiences have been wide and I’ve met so many wonderful people. This experience has truly enriched my life.
I’ve wanted to write something about how I’m feeling as I close this chapter in my life, but as I sit and think about how to put into words the experience I’ve had, it’s hard to formulate just what to say. Life in the Caribbean has certainly been interesting, and I can’t believe I’m ready to leave. I already miss the way of life to which I’ve become so accustomed. The one thing that is helping me feel excited to leave is that we have been car-less until today. Our friends have gone to St. Maarten for a week and were very kind to let us borrow their car until we leave (they secretly saved our love of the island). I think if we had been car-less for our last 10 days on the island . . . we would have left with a sour taste. The same could probably be said about anywhere we felt confined. However, I still can’t believe I’m actually saying, I’m bored. I still love the view. I still love the pace of life, but it is certainly true that a person should be anxiously engaged in a good cause. Purpose is a good thing. It helps get a person out of bed in the morning and gets them through the day. I guess I have just felt like we’re flying in a holding pattern.
I’m determined to do better with my remaining four days on Saba. I haven’t regretted any time I’ve spent on this island . . . what a shame it would be to regret the end.
Apr
17
Emily and I were sitting around this morning talking about how we feel like we’ve really had our time on Saba when our neighbor called me outside to our patio. My eyes were immediately drawn to the railing . . . something that in the two plus years we’ve lived here, I had never seen on our patio.
I told my neighbor I was thought it was probably hunting for geckos. There is a light next to where it was perched where the geckos congregate to hunt for bugs. All I gotta say, is that it’s one smart snake. Not two seconds after I said what I was thinking, a gecko ran from the top of the railing down to the light and in the blink of an eye . . . it was securely in the clutches of our new little friend.
The snake originally grabbed the gecko by the side, then it inched it’s mouth around to the head and gulped it down. You can see the gecko is still trying to hang on with one of it’s back legs.
Mmm . . . all done! Certainly not something you see every day. (I seem to be experiencing a lot of that lately.)
Apr
11
not something you see every day
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What do you do when you’ve lived in the Caribbean for nearly two and a half years and your time has a definite end date? Mine happens to be April 24, 2008. Actually, I don’t know if I can really count the 24th as we will be traveling the balance of that day. So really, my last real day in the Caribbean is April 23, 2008. So, what do you do? I’ll let you know.
Today, I saw something that you don’t see every day. Actually, I have to admit . . . I’ve never seen this before. A few times as I’ve lived here and have been sitting on my patio, I’ve seen something on the horizon that I haven’t immediately recognized. Today was one of those days . . . and since we’ve sold everything in our house in preparation for our move I couldn’t grab our binoculars to get a closer look at the UFO (unidentified floating object). As it got a little closer, I realized what it was. Here’s a picture.
An oil drilling platform was being towed by two tug boats. Just another aspect I’m going to miss about living in the Caribbean . . . random things float past our house on a daily basis. I’ve really enjoyed it here!
Apr
5
We gave up our transportation today. Those who have visited may have fond memories of our 1995 Daihatsu Cuore. Cuore, you ask? Oh yeah, it’s not one of those cars you’d find in the U.S. as an accident with a bicycle would leave the driver of the CAR in really bad shape! Fortunately we rarely go over 20 mph on this island and since there really isn’t any cross-traffic, the risk of getting “T-boned” is quite minimal. The only thing I can think of that would do similar damage would be a boulder rolling down the mountain and smashing the side of the car . . . another incident that would most likely render the driver of the car . . . well . . . dead!
We had anticipated making contact sometime today with the buyer of our car as today was the day we told her we would be able to part with it. However, on the first of April, we realized our Saba phone had been disconnected. We called the phone company with our Vonage phone (as they hadn’t cut off the internet) and they explained that all the students leaving the island for good have their phones cut off so there isn’t an outstanding bill after they leave. I understand the reasoning, but it would have been nice to have a little warning. So, since our phone was disconnected, I had to track down contact our buyer in person. I remember her telling me she worked at a certain restaurant. I dropped by the restaurant, but they had a hand written sign in the window that said, “Closed for lunch.” This is something that is commonly done on Saba. If they don’t feel like opening up . . . they don’t. I then recalled she said she lived in The Bottom in a certain area. I parked the car and started walking around the neighborhood. I saw a woman, and asked her if she knew where my buyer lived. She told me where I could find this person and I found my buyer. She asked me, “How did you know where I lived?”
I kind of chuckled and said, “Did you forget what island we’re on?”
She got the cash, and I handed her the key. Done deal!
Now, I had a bit of a dilemma. I was in The Bottom and had to get to Lower Hells Gate . . . WITH NO CAR! I wasn’t really in the mood for the 1.5 hour hike to get home so . . . I started hitchhiking. Yup, no less than 30 seconds after my thumb first flew I was standing in the back of a pickup truck with a couple Rasta guys. That’s the way people ride in trucks around here . . . standing . . . in the back.
I think I’ll get along alright without the car, but I do feel bad for Emily. I’ve got the bus to take me to school and back when I need to go, but she’s got to rely on hitchhiking (with a toddler and pregnant belly) or her friends to get her out of the house. Independence is certainly a wonderful thing . . . but I’d consider letting it slide a bit to keep my view indefinitely.