There are no limes in our closest grocery store. There were no limes yesterday in the larger supermarket where we went for our weekend shop. And I have checked every produce stand I’ve come across; no limes there, either. The giant bag of limes was about $3 CDN the first month I was here. Limes … Continue reading What’s Cooking? Barbados Style
“What about these books?“ “Do you want us to pack up the Iitala glasses?” “One of the bookcases has to go, or the cabinet in the bedroom. Are there any extra duvets anywhere?” Someone else packing up my stuff My head is spinning as my sisters video chat through the apartment I haven’t seen for … Continue reading Letting Go, Yet Again
Mention Barbados and most people think turquoise waters and white sand beaches, colourful houses and friendly people. Yes, those are all here, but those are not unique to this Island. After being here four months, I keep finding more to love about this place. There are no private beaches in Barbados. Your way to the … Continue reading What I Love about Barbados
For the second time since I was 11 years old, I did not stay awake to see the old year out. My only other missing of the countdown was 7 years ago, when my flu turned to bronchitis turned to pneumonia. I canceled the party and went back to bed. I still remember my first … Continue reading Ringing in a New Year
When I was 19 and at university, 3000 kilometres from where my family lived, I planned to not go home for Christmas. I was living on student loans and money was tight. My mother quietly listened to my logic, then sent me a plane ticket. Of course, I had a wonderful time. But I remember … Continue reading Christmas (not) at Home
“This is a really good place to stop for lunch, if it was open.” “You’ll have to come back when St. Nicholas Abbey is open— It’s worth seeing.” “When it’s open, you’ll go down these steps and be able to swim inside the caves.” Animal Flower Caves The situation has changed dramatically since our first … Continue reading Barbados, (Mostly) Open for Business
“We killed the flu!” A friend who loves data posted a graph of the year over year numbers for influenza. There was a precipitous decline this year. Apparently masks, social distancing and hand washing don’t just inhibit transmission of Covid-19. He analysed data from the States but the same trend is apparent in Canada— seasonal … Continue reading Slacking Off, Tightening Up: It’s Not Safe Yet
We rented a car in Barbados for the first time the other week. I haven’t driven on the left side of the road since about 35 years ago, on a trip to England! Scott has only driven in the States. It’s not that the steering wheel is on the other side— it’s that the wipers … Continue reading Driving in Barbados
“You’ll get used to it.” “I can’t even sleep, now, if I can’t hear the frogs.” As I put my pillow over my head, earplugs in, I contemplated the advice offered on the Barbados Expats Facebook page on the sound of the frogs at night. Our place is right beside a field and the creaking, … Continue reading The Sounds of Barbados
“I envy your brilliant pandemic plan.” Wait, what? The comment from a friend whom I was messaging with, for the first time since I’d moved to Barbados, took me by surprise. I hadn’t thought of it that way. I did it for love. The closed Canada-US border meant that Scott and I were separated. After … Continue reading Caribbean Covid Plan
