St. Lucia : Mom and Dad here

Long blog post alert. Here we go. My parents are here and there is a lot that we have done. On Monday, mom and dad came over for dinner. We made chicken in the crockpot and had some potatoes and vegetables with it. Mom and dad enjoyed seeing where I actually live and teach and were even able to meet a few of the teachers at school.

Tuesday after school Jen took us to the beach where I met my parents. We walked down the beach and my parents were officially able to meet Jen and Pat from church. While Abby headed home, I stayed with mom and dad and went to Tapas for dinner. Mom and I split a burger and some flatbread and I was actually really impressed with the burger. It was the best burger I’ve had in St. Lucia (although that’s not saying a ton). Tapas is a bit expensive, but for a treat, I may have to go back. We then walked back to the house and later on we went to Jem du Bois with my parents and Jen and Tom. Jem du Bois at night is really nice and it was great to have my parents officially meet Jen and Tom and spend time with them seeing as they are a big part of my life here.

Wednesday was a half day of school, complete with the school’s Independence Show and rally. The show was rather long due to an untimely start and the rain that came. I was thankful that in the end we took our students back upstairs to the classroom where they played games instead of sitting in mud and waiting for the next act. After the show finished, Najma and I were in charge of selling pizza and chicken at the rally. Mom and dad came to the show to get the Lucian experience and I think they have a better idea on what I mean when I speak about “island time”. I was so exhausted afterwards that I went home and enjoyed a glass of wine with the girls before eating quick and heading to piano. We got to piano really early, but only 1 student arrived for both Abby and I. We then stayed at church for the Lenten service and headed back home afterwards. We are so thankful for both pastors and Jen for being able and willing to give us rides to and from church. After getting home I did yoga and headed to bed.

Thursday was our first official day of break, however we had to go in to school to work in our classroom (our workshop was cancelled). I actually got a decent amount done and I felt really good about that. Mom and dad came over to school and were able to see the inside of my classroom. After our work day I headed home to take a quick nap before heading to the tax office in Castries with Jen. We all had to get some paperwork figured out and break is the only real time we can all go. On our way down to the offices we stopped at church because it was National Day of Prayer and Trinity was having prayers held every hour for the country of St. Lucia. While we weren't able to get everything done at the tax offices, we did get at least part of it figured out. Upon arriving home, we smelled some amazing food being made by my parents. Unfortunately it was only half cooked when we ran out of gas for the stove. Good thing we have Jen who saved the day and took us to go get more so we could finish cooking! Dinner was delicious! Lasagna, garlic bread, sangria, and chocolate chess pie for dessert. It definitely reminded me of home.

Friday morning I was able to sleep in a bit, eat pancakes, and listen to Pastor Ben’s sermon. Around noon Abby, Tanya, and I met my parents at Felly Belly where we each got drinks and then headed back to their hotel to wait for the parasailing guy to pick us up. While we were waiting, mom and dad got to see firsthand how big the centipedes can get. (I am proud of how calm I stayed basically telling my parents to pick up their things, move, and not let that nasty thing get anywhere near them. Centipedes here can sting you. Their sting is worse than a bees and many people have to go to the doctor afterwards). Val, our parasailing guy, picked us up and we headed to Pigeon Island where we met the boat. All of us had the opportunity to para-sail and I was actually surprised at how relaxing it was. I would have thought it to be more thrilling, like a rollercoaster, but it was actually a quite calming experience. Due to a large parachute and not being able to go up ourselves, I was able to go twice, once with Tanya and once with Abby. While both my parents and Tanya and I had dry landings, Abby and I did not have that luxury. The boat driver had heard that Abby did not want to get wet, so what did he do? He dunked us not once, not twice, but four times. I think we learned our lesson: always keep your comments to yourself. Upon arriving back we changed and took the bus to go to the Friday night fish fry in Gros Islet. We waited a very long time for our fish, however it is always worth it and very good. Mom even ate some of the fish!

Saturday morning I met mom and dad nice and early for the boat cruise down to Soufriere. This is one of my favorite activities to do on the island and since one of the workers recognized me from previous times aboard, she gave me and my roommates free shirts. Free advertising for them and of course you can bet I’ll be wearing that shirt around! The boat cruise was great. Mom and dad got to enjoy the day on the boat, as well as a waterfall, a mud bath at Sulfur springs, a tour at Mourne Cabaril Estate, and a delicious Lucian lunch served at the plantation. I, of course, made friends with the workers aboard the ship and had a lovely time. Always a good, long, and exhausting day aboard the Jus Tango or Mango Tango catamaran. Upon arriving back, I did a little bit of spring break research with my roommates before showering and heading to bed.

Sunday morning Abby and I were picked up by Pastor Tom in the truck (Jen brought my parents a bit later). Church was great and it was nice to be able to introduce my parents to some of my church family. After church Abby and I got to ride in the back of the truck. This was quite the experience as I was holding a two year old child in the process. (One of the Pastors in Antigua came down to preach an brought his son with him). I came home to change and then we met my parents at the hotel. We decided on Rituals for lunch and I can say that I was actually pretty impressed with their burgers as well (although I’m not sure my stomach agreed). We went back to the hotel and relaxed by the pool before getting a message from Jen inviting us to go to Donkey beach. Anytime I get an invite to go to the east coast I take it. We met Jen and Tanya, Abby, and I hopped in the back of the truck on our ride to Donkey Beach. The east coast is the Atlantic side, so the waves are much bigger, so much so that I got knocked over and washed into Tanya. After that we stayed out of the water. Donkey beach is gorgeous and we were able to watch the full moon rise. Such a relaxing night!

Monday was Independence Day. St. Lucia has been an independent country now for 37 years. We were originally planning on going to Pigeon Island for the day, but instead Pastor Bram invited us to Cas-en-bas beach. We did a bit of hiking, ate some brats, watched the guys play football (soccer), and enjoyed the waves crashing against the shore. What a relaxing afternoon. After getting home we changed and then Abby and I met my parents for dinner at a pizza place. We went out for drinks at Antilla before I said goodbye to them until July. It’s been a great break and I’m so glad my parents were able to get a taste of island life.