Hard to say goodbye

No no, I’m not leaving here any time soon. But I am saying goodbye to a really good friend here, who is really a big reason why I have been able to experience so much of the culture here. Not the time to be selfish, and I really do wish Sam all the best in the UK; you never know when you might see someone again. If the connection I share with a pile of wonderful Americans who I met in Tanzania is any indication, I know that you make the effort to see people you care about – and it’s always more than worth it. Looks like I will need to venture off solo to find more things to do. Or become extremely fluent in Spanish.

Our last weekend hanging out couldn’t have been complete without a pass off of knowledge of how to make the best fire for roasting breadfruit. I can guarantee a beach fire with roasted fish and breadfruit to any island visitors :) I had another surf lesson that went really well. On Friday, I watched this inspiring surf movie Riding Giants about big wave surfing emerging in the U.S. It was absurd! So for Saturday’s lesson, I was probably a little too pumped. After about 30 minutes of paddling around and trying to catch a wave, Sam took pity on me and started helping me out with timing. I’m telling you, I can pop up, ride the wave and pop down – but catching the wave requires reading the ocean. Not so easy!

Other than the surf, I ended up going with Sam up to Speightstown, the most historically significant town in Barbados, where Brits first landed on the island. The coastal winding streets displaying colonial architecture now contrast with modern hotels and resorts. Even though the island is relatively small, the size of Ottawa with less than half of its population, there are still so many places that I haven’t seen yet! And I got my first glimpse of the all-inclusive tourist life and got a chance to use some of their goods! I got my first sailing lesson – though I’m nowhere near ready for a real regatta – and it was really fun just coasting along the beach. After another breadfruit roast, Sam convinced a friend to let me water ski for a few minutes, which made my legs feel like jello. Another tidbit I found out this weekend is that there is a festival going on in Holetown in a few weeks – and there is a 7km afternoon race. Motivation to keep up the running! And to ignore the CONSTANT ice cream truck bells I hear everywhere. I’m telling you, I hear them in my sleep – it’s my official anthem in Barbados!

So this week, I get to learn more about what it feels like on the other end. How it feels to say goodbye. Time to keep things in perspective and make my favourite caveman proud. Time to hone by exploration skills and pretend iza Bajan!