Sibling love and missing moments

After a hiatus that just flew by, I'm back to keep you posted on life on this (increasingly) small tropical island. I find myself saying "cheese on this island is very small" even more now!

First things first, my brother Matt, my first visitor while working abroad, spent a week here and it was both refreshing and exhausting. I felt simultaneously like a tour guide, parent, sister and bank. Working overseas has its perks - new and stimulating environments, meeting a world of different people, personal growth, running from winter in Canada, but it necessitates sacrifices as well. These sacrifices are more evident a certain times than others. Missing time while my younger brother grows up is right up there on the list of things it pains me to give up. I definitely learned that I can't bridge that distance in a week, especially not by overspending and giving him everything.

I can understand how a separated parent can feel by buying things to make up for lost time. But at least from my end, just spending time together - checking out a junior surf competition at Bathsheba on the East Coast and hanging out all together with some friends here - was the greatest feeling. I know a week cannot make up for many months missing at a time, but just appreciating it nonetheless as an opportunity to share my life with family and spend whatever time we have together, catching up. The feeling of hearing my brother rave about how amazing his first surf lesson was and together, watching him catch a wave on his own, is incredible.

Other highlights of his time here include getting him to dance, our tour of the Mount Gay Rum facility, not your average domino games, eating a lot of good food and enjoying the beaches. All I can do is be happy that we got to spend this time together.

In other news, I need to get back in shape for Oistins 10km run at the end of April. Too much hailing of the ice cream truck recently. And on the work front, looks like I might be in Antigua for my birthday and a couple days following for some youth media training, so fingers crossed I'll find out early this week.

Nickname updates: Met the following people in the last two weeks - Scotland Yard, Blood Stain (intense), Sacky, Ziggy and Damian (after Ziggy and Damian Marley).

And lastly, looking forward to Reggae Fest and Oistins Fish Fest - I heard some women can de-bone a flying fish in seconds! - at the end of April.

After a rainy session at Surfer's Point

It's about time!

I have been in Barbados for almost 6 months. Barbados is 430 square kilometres. Just the size of urban Ottawa is 357 square kilometers. It is slightly embarrassing to admit that I had not toured the country before yesterday. But at least we did it and since this week is a bit chaotic for me - my brother is coming on Wednesday! - this post might be dominated by photos. I have a feeling most people won't mind!

I did end up having a lovely weekend, involving celebrating a friend Ricardo's birthday (check out the snicker's decorated cake we got for him) on Friday and taking in a performance from Peter Ram, a popular bashment freestyle artist. Saturday was probably a contender for my laziest day ever in Barbados, and Sunday went surfing at Surfer's Point and first time I didn't get pushed into any waves. After surfing, spent the rest of the day on the island tour. Would like to give more details but need my rest right now, will update this later in the week hopefully.

Started by picking up a slew of great people pon de west coast, and saw him!

Finally made it to the North point - where do you want to go from here?

It's Animal Flower Cave (though we didn't go down in it - apparently the sea anemones for which it's named have mostly been washed away with rough weather the last few years.

So I made due with relaxing and taking in the amazing view.

Catching a rainbow!

This is Cherry Tree Hill (strangely no cherry trees) with a beautiful view to the Scotland district of Barbados, famous for the only rolling hills on the island and "ecky-beckies", White Barbadian descendants of prisoners and indebted servants.

I thought this was THE windmill of Barbados; apparently not.

Prime example of island erosion and the effects of climate change. That is a house. On a rock.

Pools at Bathsheba - should have brought my bathing suit!

Reminds me of a crazy straw!

Each parish has it's own parish church (so we saw quite a few). This one is where the former PM David Thompson is buried.

After going through St. Michael, St. James, St. Peter, St. Lucy, St. Andrew, St. John, St. Joseph and St. Philip, we go round past the airport and back home in Christ Church. That's almost all the parishes in one day!

A mix of things going on

First, Happy International Women's Day! To borrow from a note written by Melissa: "Today is simply a reminder that we (children, men, women and everyone in between) should mobilise for women yesterday, today, tomorrow and for all the days after that." It's not about the specific day but just to recognize that each individual, woman or otherwise, is unique and faces unique challenges, has special talents and embodies all the potential in the world if they are given an opportunity.

In other news, I had a fairly quiet weekend, with another surf lesson on Sunday with some new and old faces. Finally learning to catch my own waves; I can read when a set is coming in but still hard to time the paddling so that I actually ride the wave and not get rocked by it! I was at the beach with a friend Saturday afternoon, played a little raquette ball, enjoyed some rum punch and swam around for awhile. Last week, I went to a different friend's football (soccer) match, and watching from the sidelines really made me miss playing! Here is a picture from the game with a friend's little sister Samantha.

It's down to crunch time in Spanish class, so plan on cramming that for the next few weeks. The Institute is actually planning an Easter weekend trip to Venezuela - pretty cheap so it's tempting.

Otherwise, still running in the mornings and really liking experimenting in the kitchen recently, especially with red lentils. Next to milo, this is my current mini obsession. But eating more veg (even tried these), feeling good and thinking about my lovely friends in DC.

As I continue budgetting for food here, I thought you might appreciate a visual illustration of purchasing conundrums in a small island state.

This 2L jug of decent rum costs about 20 dollars

This package of strawberries costs 11.

Tax went up 2.5% in January, so VAT is sitting at 17.5% at a time when impacts from the economic crisis in North America as still being felt here. All over the world, prices of foodstuffs are going up, which affects people's buying choices. Already I can see a lot of American and fast food influence on people's eating habits here - between KFC and the local McDonald's equivalent Cheffette, I can see a lot of people get that taste for salt and a bargain. Here's hoping public health becomes more of a priority.

Also, my brother comes in T-one week!

Nicknames and our little misadventure

Just a few observations about nicknames here. First, they are very widely used. Second, they follow you, good or bad, pretty much forever. Third, here you can know someone for a very long time without actually knowing their 'real' name. And fourth, they serve the purpose of providing an alias should you decide to do something illegal, with the idea that the police would look for you using your real name, which some may not even know. Sneaky. One of our regular bus drivers, Piley, which is embroidered on his dashboard Kleenex box, and Supa Ted, a driver we had on a Bridgetown-bound West coast bus, are just some of the names I have heard. In Canada, we generally call each other by our full name or a short or cutesy version of it. It is rarer to call someone another name all together on a regular basis. In Barbados, I have been known to respond to Shorty and most people’s nicknames correspond to physical features: Tall man, Big guy, Rasta, Red man, Picka (he is a picky eater), etc. We used to have some dancer friends here: Casper, Froggy and Scooby. But I like it all. Keep your eyes peeled for a future post on speakin' like a Bajan - Melissa is officially getting "lessons"!

On the weekend front, Saturday I met up for lunch with some friends of my dad’s – thanks for lunch, ice cream and friendly faces Jim and Silvia! – and limed the rest of the day away back at Crane Beach. And eating some coconuts right out the tree!
On Sunday, Melissa, Chris and I headed out to the West coast after my surf lesson with the vision of taking out the kayak, catching a glimpse of some turtles and snorkeling around the marine park. I had done it already many times on my own and even with Melissa last month, so by now I should have the routine down pact, right? How wrong I was. I heard swell was big on the West coast, since surfing Sunday morning at Freights on the South Coast was not that great wave-wise. Apparently when one is good, the other really isn’t. But even after dragging the kayak, snorkel gear, fins, anchor, waterproof camera, bread for attracting fish, towels and whatever else down to the water’s edge, the wave breaks along the beach seemed manageable. We had all the good intentions in the world, watching the wave sets and looking for a calm moment to push in the kayak and hop on. But we misjudged. Badly. And the kayak (which has a crack in it already) filled completely with water, making it an 8 foot long rock sinking and crashing into shore! It knocked Melissa clear off her feet, sprawling into the water, along with all of our gear! And me, who owns a kayak at home and is at least a self-professed intermediate kayaker, was at a loss to figure out how to drain the extremely awkward and weighty boat. Meanwhile, I am sure the row of tourists sunbathing nearby was particularly amused at our little chaotic antics. Essentially for about an hour, we wrestled with the waves and keeping the kayaking from taking in water on the launch. And then we realized that in the midst of all the confusion, we lost both snorkel masks – the whole purpose of going out in the first place!

Sam, if you’re reading this, Copper is looking for them, sorry! And your anchor as well. Not sure how we managed to lose that one. I suppose it’s a particular skill of mine.

All you can do is laugh it off, and after some good home cookin’ and a beautiful sunset, we headed back to the South coast, ready for the work week.

Check it out: post-surf lesson at Freights Bay!

Sunning and running!

With a cancelled surf lesson on Friday on account of high tides, I was hoping it would not be a bad omen for the rest of the weekend. With the success of the fishcakes last week, Melissa and I had two friends over for dinner on Friday, and headed off to Oistins for some dancing.

In case I somehow forgot to explain Oistins, it’s the central fish market on the South Coast, where fishermen sell their catch of the day and about 30 food vendors season, grill, fry, and serve up all varieties of seafood, chicken, salads, chips, macaroni pie and of course, beverages. Friday evenings, locals and tourists alike come out to enjoy good food, good music and in turn, some good dancing. For us, it’s a chance to unwind after the work week, run into friends (and foe), and indulge our foodie selves!

An invite earlier in the week from two new friends sent us to the island’s fanciest resort on Saturday afternoon: The Crane. I was told that the classification goes beyond the star-rating and is rated as a 4-diamond resort. I’m talking four pools, hot tub, a glass elevator down a cliff to the beach, ponds filled with coy fish - the works. Felt a little bit out of place, and as much as I try to avoid feeling or acting like a tourist at all costs, the day trip was beautiful and relaxing. And the cliff views out into the Caribbean Sea were breathtaking. I just feel bad for those tourists who come to Crane, with its restaurants, convenience stores and boutiques, and never experience everything else Barbados has to offer. And we got a tour of another relatively unexplored Parish: St. Philip. Mostly sugarcane fields and twisting roads, but the land is cheaper and it’s not too far from the action.

Sunday was time for my second race event in Barbados. And, like last time when I convinced Laurie to run the half-marathon with me, my friend Rodney was victim number two. And he did not come willingly and insisted on trash talking! The Holetown festival on the West coast has been going on all week, with Sunday being the last day. The festival consists mostly of vendors selling food, toys, art, jewelery and loads of other stuff. It was nice to see a familiar face, with Sam’s friend Maria showcasing her art. After poking around and resisting food for most of the afternoon, I caved and had a blueberry smoothie about an hour before the race. Probably not the smartest choice. And 4pm is not really an ideal time to be running in the heat, even it’s JUST 7k (Rodney hated that I was calling it ‘just’ which cracked me up). Actually finished better than I thought: 36:48, with Rodney coming in 30 seconds and a broken shoe later. He seems to think revenge will come at the Oistins Fish Festival 10k in April. We’ll see :) One funny comment came from a guy who I ran past during the race: “Hey sweetie, can I massage your feet when you finish?” I don’t think so.

After a dip in the sea, the arrival of Melissa’s brother Chris, the intake of many litres of water and many fishcakes, I was wiped. Now time for another week of work – at least there is the State of the World’s Children publication launch happening Friday to help with, plus a few other projects I have going on. And let me tell you, having Chris here is pumping me up for my little bro to come visit in a few weeks; my first overseas visitor!

Reflections on things I love

As I sit here in a sugar coma, induced by warm brownies and ice cream, I can’t help but turn my thoughts to all the love that I have in my life. My family, my friends here, back home and around the world, and countless things that make me smile. I ordinarily boycott Valentine’s Day, apart from the chocolate and sweets, as a singular day to express your love, preferring to do so the other 364 days in the year. I found it a bit odd waiting in line at the grocery store today, watching men buy fake roses wrapped in cellophane and cheesy cards from China, that in a country where it seems so many men, and increasingly women, have more than one partner, that V-Day seems a sort of day of redemption. On my part, I thought it nice to consider some of the many things I love in life, apart from people – they know who they are and I will make sure they know they are loved another day.

1. Skype – when phone connections suck, budget is tight and a voice isn’t enough, Skype answers the call and helps me feel connected!

2. Digital Camera – knowing my memory problems, photos help me relive moments over and over again, and reconstruct an experience on scrapbook pages.

3. Running – just you, body and soul, to exhert, unwind and reflect while you push yourself. Looking forward to the Holetown 7km run with our friend Rodney on Sunday. He seems to think I'm going to kick his butt :)

4. Ice cream – ok I couldn’t not include it. In fact, here is what my ice cream looked like an hour ago:


5. Stephen Lewis and Romeo Dallaire – two men I highly respect and admire for their humanitarian work in Canada and abroad.

6. Aloe vera – it’s the new windex; the current cure-all!

7. The feeling of a cool breeze on your face and through your hair, where you can just close you eyes and breathe it in.


8. Comfort food that feels like a rainbow in your tummy - you know those days where you can completely satisfy a craving, or when you try a new recipe out and it tastes divine; sit back and savour it :)

9. Peaceful, restful sleep - the kind where you really feel ready to tackle life when you get up; definitely need more of those mornings!

10. The feeling you get when you give a little surprise to someone and get their excited reaction - the best kind of egoism.


And while I'm at it, I want to thank in particular the friends that I don't keep in touch with as frequently as I would like, but who take the time to read here and keep posted on what I'm up to. When I see the stats and check out which countries are reading, it really brightens my day. Thank you with all my heart.

Surfing and fishcakes

I know that I haven’t talked much about the work I’m currently doing and I would like to share, but before I forget, let’s recap my weekend real quick. Essentially I limed my afternoons away, setting up a surf lesson for this morning.

Having only surfed with Sam on the West coast, I was a bit anxious about proving myself with a new instructor and a new surf spot – Freights Bay on the South coast with Christian and a group of EU diplomats (who are pretty cool). Even though I slathered on the SPF30 before heading out, I burned quite nicely. But it was worth it. When I’m out in the water, no matter how exhausted I am from paddling, it’s like I’m in my own world out there and life is good. I even watched a turtle stick its head out of the water and look around right in front of me! I rode a couple of good waves, one I even rode, thought it was over so I popped down then realized it was still going, so I jumped back up!
Burnt and worn out, I headed home to nap and make fishcakes for dinner, attempt number two at learning to cook Bajan.

I meant to make the fishcakes Saturday, but after forgetting baking powder and oil at the store, fatigue got the better of me and I tried them today. It’s essentially a fried ball of dough with spices, saltfish, onions, shallots and a bit of hot pepper – delicious! They turned out great ☺

Now back to another work week - but work is going fairly well. There are always challenges but I'm positive about the remainder of the placement. I'm working on a series of focus groups right now with teens to figure out how to engage this generation to talk and take action on issues that affect them, particularly using social networks. So far, a lot of interesting stuff coming out and a lot of social commentary that make my jaw drop! Apart from that, I got our office a social media presence with a Facebook and Youtube page, and trying to work on building up followers from around the region, particularly youth and those that UNICEF could partner with on projects. And I got the office using Prezi to make more engaging presentations for donors and stakeholders, which is fun for me and will involve some training of staff. Otherwise, as Tom, the Representative, joked at a staff meeting last week, he'll have to hire me as his personal consultant when I leave. Wednesday this week is the big meeting on presenting and discussing this year's Country Program Document (or CPD since the UN is very fond of acronyms) with Education and Social Affairs government departments in each of the (now) 12 countries that our office covers, since Anguilla was recently added. That's about it for an update right now!

And Melissa and I got a special (edible!) surprise from France this week, yummy! Gros bisous cocotte :D

And this is how happy I was to eat my first cheeseburger in months: