Friday, December 08, 2006
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Quick photo in the shop!
Here's a photo of me and my friend Susan and the internet cafe guy, Devern, just so you all know I'm alive and happy!
A taste of local DIY
Union island is only 40 minutes from Canouan by ferry, however it is considerably more developed, with the tiny bustling fishing village of Clifton at its centre. It lacks the perimeter of golden sandy beaches offered by Canouan, but makes up for it with civilisation in the form of small hotels and bars, and a variety of modest grocery stores and gift shops. One crucial element that I appreciate more than I can say is the freely available running water. Canouan has no natural water available on the island, so all water must be delivered in large vats at some expense and piped into houses through mostly medieval plumbing systems. Most of the inhabitants do not even have this ‘luxury,’ and use outdoor plastic bowls for all mundane water-related tasks such as washing, bathing and cleaning.
It is with relief then, that I sip my glass of iced tap water straight from one of Union’s underground fresh water wells and consider a cool shower in a moment to refresh myself before bed.
Today I watched three generations of a family, all female, building a house from foundation up with basic shovels and bare hands. The grandmother helped mix the cement with sand and quarry stones, the mother was doing the brunt of the foundation laying and a five year old girl splashed water into the cement mix at intervals. I stood uselessly in the shade of a brick wall, sheltering my sensitive skin from the merciless midday equator sun, and watching in awe as this family built their future with blood, sweat and sheer determination. The husband, and loving father of three (plus three more 'adopted' children) is necessarily absent, working on another island for minimum wages of no more than £330 a month, which must cover the needs of the family, including every precious bag of sand, stone, and brick used on their home building project.
Did you think that a visit to Home Base or Do-It-All for a self-assembly shelf was DIY? Sorry guys, but THIS is the real shit!
These people have almost nothing, however, everything they do have they share with each other, and the neighbours, and the neighbours' kids, and the neighbours' kids' dog, not to mention myself, a stranger in paradise, but accepted nonetheless as family and treated with humbling kindness and warmth.
It is with relief then, that I sip my glass of iced tap water straight from one of Union’s underground fresh water wells and consider a cool shower in a moment to refresh myself before bed.
Today I watched three generations of a family, all female, building a house from foundation up with basic shovels and bare hands. The grandmother helped mix the cement with sand and quarry stones, the mother was doing the brunt of the foundation laying and a five year old girl splashed water into the cement mix at intervals. I stood uselessly in the shade of a brick wall, sheltering my sensitive skin from the merciless midday equator sun, and watching in awe as this family built their future with blood, sweat and sheer determination. The husband, and loving father of three (plus three more 'adopted' children) is necessarily absent, working on another island for minimum wages of no more than £330 a month, which must cover the needs of the family, including every precious bag of sand, stone, and brick used on their home building project.
Did you think that a visit to Home Base or Do-It-All for a self-assembly shelf was DIY? Sorry guys, but THIS is the real shit!
These people have almost nothing, however, everything they do have they share with each other, and the neighbours, and the neighbours' kids, and the neighbours' kids' dog, not to mention myself, a stranger in paradise, but accepted nonetheless as family and treated with humbling kindness and warmth.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Oh the drama!
Oh the drama! My life is anything but boring. I had a fatal clash of personalities with my employer on Canouan island. We had a disagreement about the duties involved with the job, not to mention a few other incompatibility issues which only added to an overall sense of wrongness with the situation. After a few glasses of whisky (him, not me) and some tears (me, not him) I went for a late night walk to work out my options. Never being one to ignore intuition or gut instinct, I got the feck out of there the very next morning. I am currently in a secret location, somewhere off the coast of...err...Venezuala? I have even more secret plans to tour the Caribbean and end up somewhere lovely by early next year.
I have decided not to tie myself down to any dive job until I can be sure of my compatibility with both the owner and the general area. As I am an independant woman of means, I have no problem taking my time to think carefully before I commit to any offer in the future!
If I'm good, I might even get paid for my next job. :P
I have decided not to tie myself down to any dive job until I can be sure of my compatibility with both the owner and the general area. As I am an independant woman of means, I have no problem taking my time to think carefully before I commit to any offer in the future!
If I'm good, I might even get paid for my next job. :P
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