The Coconut Beach

Wednesday evening some of my work friends arranged a nice chill hang out. After work we went out for drinks at this restaurant called The Coconut Beach. I didn't have a preference but when Lauren suggested the place I was really excited because I had always wanted to go. Apparently the food isn't great but we were just there for drinks so it was all good. 

Plus, look at that sunset! That is hard to beat. Cassie, I just loved the atmosphere, you know? Being able to kick back and relax with your toes in the sand, a pina colada in your hand is the quintessence of island life right? It was the perfect evening. It was one of those events that you kick yourself for not doing more often. The company and conversation were the best I have had in a long long time. I am reminded once again of the truly amazing people I have met here in Grenada. I am beyond lucky to be such good friends with them, and I know that the bonds I formed will last long after I leave. 

Sadly not everyone could make it, but for being last minute, I think 5/7 is still pretty good.

SGU Campus Tour, Tidepools, and Lookout Point

Sunday, December 29th 2014

Sunday we went to church. Our church building is right on the sea. The beautiful white sands of Grand Anse beach end and its a bit rocky, that is where we go to church. It's a pretty beautiful view from the back hallway. It was probably a good idea that the chapel windows don't over look the sea because it would be distracting.

I think Rissa took some pictures with her camera. Ross and I are just spoiled so we didn't even think to bring the camera.

After church we fulfilled our Sabbath Day responsibility. Napping. That's my daily duty, but the responsibility is extra hefty on Sunday. When we had relaxed a little we moseyed over to campus to show Rissa where Ross lives and I work.

http://www.moderndaygilligan.com/2009/02/st_georges_university.html

Campus is pretty beautiful on the outside (yeah, that was kinda rude). It's a perfect setting and the bright oranges and blues are very complimentary. There is a reason why the school's promotional brochures catch everyone.

Featured in my lovely collage; Ross by his old locker, the bus stop, where I spend about a third of my life, me checking the mail (send me mail!), and the new paint job outside of Charter Hall.



Here we have the inside of a lecture hall where Ross typically spends 3 or 4 hours a day. The rest are pictures of the student center where they have a small (no TINY) convenience store, Subway, and some other places to eat including New York Bagles. Hopefully the people who make the signs aren't the same people who teach.

This is looking out from the student center, Charter Hall is on the left, Taylor Hall in the center-ish. A dorm there on the right.

We wandered to upper campus to DES where I work.



Lots of pretty views (and people) around campus!

A rare moment with Ross and I both on campus. 



It doesn't take long for a tour of campus, so after we headed to the tidepools in Lance aux Epines. Second to Grand Etang, I think this is Ross's favorite place in Grenada. It is always breezy out on the point with the tidepools.

I love the cacti! It seems so random that you could see beautiful, tropical bougainvillea then turn around and see prickly cacti.

We hung out for a while but decided that for the sunset we would go to lookout point for a better view.

Am I the only one who can't get over how beautiful my sister is? Lookout point is just a few minutes' drive from the tidepools. There is a lighthouse type thing. I always wonder what it's story is. It looks like someone is living/ squatting there now, but I wonder how it worked back in the day.

It was a perfect Sunday nice and chill. Watching the sunset was absolutely phenomenal. I still just cannot get enough of Rissa being here. It's the simple things, like watching the sunset with her, that make me so happy!

Christmas Day 2013: Grand Anse Beach (Part II)

After our walk around the neighborhood, we decided that we had better hurry and get off to the beach. Last year's Christmas was incredibly rainy. My memory of the day was that it pretty much poured non-stop.

With the break in the rain we grabbed our stuff and headed out to the beach, fully understanding that we might get rained on.

Let's face it, it is incredibly cool to say that you went to the beach on Christmas. Even if it is a little stormy. Actually, it was on my short term bucket list.

"94) Be at the beach on Christmas" (12/25/2013)

First thing I have officially blogged about crossing off my list. :D With a video to prove it.

We took some photos before we dove into the water.

Ross and I were cold. Rissa didn't see the big deal, she is a little mermaid and still has years of the freezing pacific waters ingrained in her being. We swam around like otters, Rissa's preferred method.

Pretty soon it started to rain. Just small drops. Just small tiny magical little drops on the ocean. Since the sky was a nice matte gray you could really see the details of each little drop. It was really strange because the rain almost looked like one of those hydro-phobic commercials. The rain appeared to land and roll along the sea surface. Like good little science kids should, we discussed why that would be... doesn't science just made the world so fascinating?! (Dad- LATWTAWYS & keep doing science!!).

Listening to the rain on the surface was a whole different sensory experience. Ross, Rissa, and I all laughed as we compared what we thought the rain sounded like. My vote was for Pop Rocks. It was all fun and games until we saw some lightning. Then we figured it was best to not reside one huge electrical conductor.

Just as we got out and were drying off, watching the waves roll in and out and the lightning strike in the distance, the rain really started and we headed back home.

It was a fun little field trip and the pain of leaving the beach was soothed by the dozens of presents we had waiting at home!!

Rained Out -Grand Anse Beach

Maybe it is just me (probably not) but I feel like this week is taking FOREVER to pass. I know I should be reveling in the holiday break and no work or school for Ross or I, but I cannot contain my excitement for my sister to arrive.

Wednesday Ross and I helped some friends move to their new place off campus. Thanks to some help from our friend Tammy, who brought her car, the whole process was pretty quick and painless. Afterwards Ross and I headed to Grand Anse beach to meet my awesome friend John. He is seriously such a cool guy. He's the kind of guy that just seeing him and saying hi makes your day awesome. His positive energy is contagious.

Looking out towards downtown, the weather did not look promising. And sure enough, by the time we got onto the beach. It started drizzling. We hid underneath a tree to try to stay dry, but as soon as the lovely wintertime breeze blew by I was freezing. Beach towel shawl to the rescue!

We waited for awhile then figured my friend wasn't coming, due to the weather, so we wandered over to a different spot on the beach and swam for a little bit. Then, we saw even more menacing clouds... and dried off and too shelter before all of this happened.

Dun.... dun....

DUNNNN....!!!!

It started POURING rain and anyone who was on the beach went running. Ross and I rode the bus back to campus, but the bus to our neighborhood wasn't leaving for about an hour. The joys of holiday bus schedule. :( So we decided to wander to the the print labs to print some stuff. BUT... being SGU the two close print labs were either closed or all the printers weren't working. A print lab.. with no working printers. Lovely. In case any of you forgot, I love printing stuff at SGU.

So Ross and I moseyed over to the farthest stretches of campus to print. Aka. The Library.

As we were walking back down to the bus stop, I snapped this pic of the airport, which Rissa will be arriving at NEXT WEEK! I am so excited I can't even contain it.

Closer....

My name is Kristen Petersen, and I approve of Rissa flying in to this airport soon! And last but not least, a beautiful rainbow!

 Grenada may frustrate me, but I will hand it to the country, it has the most beautiful rainbows and sunsets I have ever seen in my entire life!

Workboat Regatta

Last weekend Ross and I ventured to Grand Anse beach to check out the annual Workboat Regatta.

It started out as an absolutely gorgeous day. I got a ride with some friends and we headed to IGA, the grocery store, to get some snacks for the beach. The boys were ready for the beach and therefore had no shirts on. Well, the security guard didn't much like that.

The ever inventive Patty came up with a plan. Maybe it is a mom thing? She grabbed a grocery bag, poked a hole for the head and some holes for the arms and viola! Instant shirt. The security guard was absolutely satisfied with this solution and gave her a re-affirming thumbs up. Haha!

The other boys got a little jealous and wanted one too. They continued wearing their new "shirts" after we were all done at the grocery store.

Some sailboats on the horizon, looking towards downtown Saint George's.

Here is a boat pulling ashore.

Boats all lined up.

I love all the colors! And the bright blue sky.

Boats boats boats!

























Unfortunately it didn't stay sunny all day, a storm rolled in but the races continued! Here is the beginning of another race, all the boats are pushing off.

The menacing sky.

I love the sail of this boat.

It was so nice to see Ross on a Saturday! We relaxed and munched on snacks and tried to stay dry.

Christmas Dilemas

I remembered I had some pre-Christmas posts I wrote but forgot to post!

December 16th, 2012

I decided to make the most of Christmas here in Grenada. I am so freakin excited to have some time with Ross in between medical school terms. A whole month!
It will be nice to have a Christmas that isn't filled with packing up our life and moving a couple states away. Let me be brutally honest when I say that last holiday season was ... awful.
BUT, that is in the past and I am prepared for the BEST CHRISTMAS on anyone's record. Lots of people feel sorry for me and Ross, that we aren't going back to the States for Christmas, to play in snow and wrap up in blankets. And at one point I think I did feel sorry for myself, but I'm over it. Now I think more people feel sorry for me than I feel sorry for myself.

Think about it, how many people pay thousands of dollars to come to the Caribbean for a warm, sunny, sandy Christmas? How many people joke about Santa in a Hawaiian shirt sipping a smoothie? What I have is a rare opportunity! And years down the road when our family is swamped in bills and crazy kids I might be wishing I would have lived up those holidays in Grenada.
I decided to come up with little ways to get in the holiday spirit because we all know that it far from feels like winter here. This involves tackling what I will call:

Christmas Dilemas!

Dilema #1
Ross and I both LOVE lighted Christmas trees. Not having money, I thought of creative ideas for trees, felt tree? butcher paper tree? Ross even admitted to almost drawing one on the mirror with dry-erase marker. Haha.
But yesterday, whilst downtown, a Christmas miracle happened. Instead of having to settle for a tiny tree, I found one of two 3 foot trees left! I think they had sold out at the hardware store in Grand Anse because all the students got grabby.

And I found a strand of multi-colored lights that have different functions -dim in and out, blinking, normal, and light-rave party! Maybe there are more, but I was just so excited I couldn't think straight.

The best part was hauling that Christmas tree on a Reggage bus and walking through Lance aux Epines with it. Worth every second. Here is a happy kid with a lighted Christmas tree!

We will need to make some ornaments for it, but first things first, the tree was missing a star. Ross and I had a genius idea and he got to work fashioning a star.

Now, to the untrained eye, this is just a cute paper star, but any Widdison should immediately recognize this as Starlet. This is my favorite Christmas story I grew up hearing. It is the tale of a tiny star who thought she was too small to ever be important when one day she ended up falling from the sky and lighting the stable where baby Jesus lay in the manger. Then as she got brighter and brighter, she rose in the sky and became the most magnificent, beautiful star in the sky! And now she shines on the top of the Petersen Christmas tree!

Grand Anse Beach

Ross ended up skipping a lot of Orientation. Upper term students said it was a waste and 1st term students that went said it was really boring, so we just got the highlight reel from those who did go. :) I think it worked out alright.

One day we went to Grand Anse beach, which is really just beautiful! Soft sand and warm water. It was nice to relax before all the craziness starts. I kinda feel like it is a ticking time bomb. It makes me crazy to make every minute count, which I think is good. 

The nice thing about Grand Anse is that you can catch a SGU bus there and back. It is super convenient and a short trip. The bus drops you off at the SGU Grand Anse campus. And to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what it is. They have some run-downish looking dorms that are still used but besides that the ex-campus is used to park the SGU buses. It is surrounded by beach resorts that cost literally hundreds of dollars a night. It is prime real estate, but I'm not complaining because it is nice to just walk a minute from the bus and straight onto the beach!

Off in the distance you can kind of make out a harbor and you can't quite see the town of St. George's, there on the harbor.

Turn 180 degrees and this is the other view!
Gorgeous right?!