This year the country celebrated 39 years of independence. I'm sure many people here can remember it!
Ross had the day off from school but studied for a little bit anyways. I stayed at home sewing a skirt for the occasion which I will blog about later.
Late in the afternoon when Ross was done we headed downtown for the celebration at the national stadium. The streets were absolutely deserted. That is one difference from America's Independence Day! The streets would be packed with cars and people hustling and bustling.
I was surprised we found a reggage bus so fast but we hoped on and were on our way. The driver was serenading us with some pretty sweet tunes like Karma Chameleon and the Macarena. Another bus patron was surely lovin' it because he knew all the words to every song. Haha.
When the bus was driving through the Carenage we got stuck behind a truck with a steel pan band! I thought it was awesome, the bus driver was less amused and sped passed. Fortunately I saw the truck again at the stadium and got a picture.
Ross and I arrived to the Stadium pretty late and I think we missed the more exciting parts of the celebration. First we saw Grenada's military... I think? There was the Special Services, Police Force, Coast Guard, Prison Services, Cadets, then I forget who was next, the boy scouts or something?
They had these cute little Red Cross kids.
The crowd adored them! But do you blame them?
Love that little boy, front and center marching.
There was also an address from the Prime Minister, Tillman Thomas. It was a little depressing, him talking about how the economy is failing etc. but he threw in some hope too.
It has been an exciting year for Grenada because the country produced their first ever Olympic Gold Medalist -Kirani James! We got to hear (kinda-the quality was pretty poor) a recorded message from him on the Jumbotron.
I loved this dog running around on the field, I am sure he/she will go home and tell all his/her doggy friends that he/she met Prime Minister Tillman Thomas.
It was fun to go to the stadium and see all the Grenadians so proud of their country. Everyone was draped in yellows, greens, and reds. Lots of folks had homemade outfits.
Some other highlights were the effervescent smell of weed during the national anthem.
And this guy, dancing and balancing a soccer ball on his head for a reaaally looong time in the corner of the stadium.
Before we headed back to our apartment we stopped at the church building because our branch was supposed to be having a celebration with Oil Down, the national dish. But upon arriving we found a empty parking lot and no one in sight! Oh well. The sun was setting so we took the rare opportunity to walk along the beach together. Here is a picture from right by the church building.
Along our beach walk we got offered and heavily persuaded that we wanted to buy some weed. We declined and decided to instead celebrate independence with some Ting.
I absolutely LOVE Ting, a popular grapefruit soda here. To me it tastes a lot like Squirt but with more grapefruit flavor. Also it has little bits of grapefruit pulp. I was determined to find some to celebrate and luckily I found some at a restaurant that happened to be open. As Ross and I walked back home we sipped our Tings and almost got accosted by a very angry, very drunk, soaking shirtless man. It was a little scary. Haha. Oh Grenada!
It was a fun day! It may not have been the most exciting or exhilarating day, but it was definitely something new to try. I feel like the past couple of months have flown by so quickly. I know we still have roughly a year and a half but Ross and I are really trying to make the most of our time here. I feel like before we know it we will be on a plane headed back to the States for good.
