Blogger! I want to strangle you and throw you into a pit of snakes! Go away forever!
....
That is all.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
Grenada Carnival! Monday Night Mas
Even if the hangovers haven't, Carnival 2013 has now come and gone from the Isle of Spice!
Last year I came into Grenada right after Carnival so I missed everything entirely. This year though, I was determined to watch at least some (more tame) parts of it all.
I just grabbed this picture off the internet, but the "Respect the Nutmeg" makes me laugh, maybe CeCe and Katie can pin down why exactly.
In order to get the full effect of this post please pick one or more of the following inappropriate soca songs. Turn up your speakers, plug in some larger speakers, multiple sets if you can, and place your ear on the speaker. And maybe hide your children, grandparents, and parents. -UNLESS it is carnival. In that case everyone get up and DANCE!
Lizard & Madlock Ft. Jentle - Washie You Know (Grenada Soca 2013)
Boyzie - Drink (Party Up) (Grenada Soca 2013)
Sheldon Douglas - Touch Me (Grenada Soca 2013)
Monday night was an event called "Monday Night Mas." Which upon first listen sounds like a nice quiet, tame worship service in a beautiful church.
Au contraire!
Travelgrenada.com offers this definition of Monday Night Mas for us:
My amazingly incredible friend Jillian offered to chase the parade with us and drop us off. So Ross and I jumped in her escudo and zoomed along towards Saint George's until we caught up with it. Jillian must've given some shimmies and winks to the Police Officers because they kept moving the road blocks for us. Sweeet!
Soon we caught up (Thanks again Jillian for the ride!)! Backin' the pack we had this mobile bar in the back of a pick-up. Business was good.
You can see the streets are packed! Ross said, "it's pretty much like a mobile rave." Ross must know from his younger college days.
In the distance of the above picture, you can see a big double-decker party truck with HUGE speakers and insane sound. I know this from my younger college days. And don't forget varying levels of drunken dancers on the top of the truck!
Every once in a while the DJ/ emcee would turn down the music and shout things like "point to the sea! Saint's George's! Sea! Saint George's!" (at least as far as I could make out). Here you can see everyone pointing with their light sabers.
Last year I came into Grenada right after Carnival so I missed everything entirely. This year though, I was determined to watch at least some (more tame) parts of it all.
I just grabbed this picture off the internet, but the "Respect the Nutmeg" makes me laugh, maybe CeCe and Katie can pin down why exactly.
In order to get the full effect of this post please pick one or more of the following inappropriate soca songs. Turn up your speakers, plug in some larger speakers, multiple sets if you can, and place your ear on the speaker. And maybe hide your children, grandparents, and parents. -UNLESS it is carnival. In that case everyone get up and DANCE!
Lizard & Madlock Ft. Jentle - Washie You Know (Grenada Soca 2013)
Boyzie - Drink (Party Up) (Grenada Soca 2013)
Sheldon Douglas - Touch Me (Grenada Soca 2013)
Monday night was an event called "Monday Night Mas." Which upon first listen sounds like a nice quiet, tame worship service in a beautiful church.
Au contraire!
Travelgrenada.com offers this definition of Monday Night Mas for us:
"Carnival Monday ends with the Monday Night Mas' street jump-up, where party goers in brightly coloured T-shirt bands wave fluorescent wands and dance through the streets into the wee hours of the Tuesday morning."It was late Monday night and I wasn't sure if the parade would already be over. After 15 seconds of contemplation I laughed at myself. Blame it on only being back for almost a month, but I had already almost lost all memory of how Grenada works! Not only would they have started late, but of course the party would still be going!
My amazingly incredible friend Jillian offered to chase the parade with us and drop us off. So Ross and I jumped in her escudo and zoomed along towards Saint George's until we caught up with it. Jillian must've given some shimmies and winks to the Police Officers because they kept moving the road blocks for us. Sweeet!
Soon we caught up (Thanks again Jillian for the ride!)! Backin' the pack we had this mobile bar in the back of a pick-up. Business was good.
You can see the streets are packed! Ross said, "it's pretty much like a mobile rave." Ross must know from his younger college days.
In the distance of the above picture, you can see a big double-decker party truck with HUGE speakers and insane sound. I know this from my younger college days. And don't forget varying levels of drunken dancers on the top of the truck!
Every once in a while the DJ/ emcee would turn down the music and shout things like "point to the sea! Saint's George's! Sea! Saint George's!" (at least as far as I could make out). Here you can see everyone pointing with their light sabers.
This is one of my favorites. As everyone was heading down the hill towards Port Louis, you can see the masses in the streets and a river of glowing florescent color!
Just in case you still don't feel like you were there, here is a video. In the end you can see a beer truck. It had huge kegs as well as glasses of bottles. People would hand up their cup or water bottle and get it filled.
Ross and I didn't stay the whole night, but I am glad that I went. It was really fun to see some Carnival festivities!
Monday, July 29, 2013
You've Been ACCEPTED (now how do I get there?)!
My first question (since I have HOARDS of readers) is, when your Significant Other was accepted into medical school, how did you respond?
Did you cry?
Did you laugh?
Did you panic?
Did you cheer?
Other (super exhaustive list, I know)!?
Or did you do all at once resulting in a crazy epileptic break-dance of joy and fear?
Did you feel like you were in the movie UP?
ADVENTURE IS OUT THEEEERRRREEE!!
^I can almost promise you watching that clip will be the best four minutes of your day!
Grenada is in the West Indies, it's like India, BUT WEST! :)
After you are done being excited about moving your clubhouse and saving blank pages for all the "Stuff I'm Going to Do" you will wonder, just like Ellie,
"Only, I just don't know how I am going to GET toParadise Falls Grenada!"
And although it would be awesome to ride in a blimpe, or float up comfortably suspended by balloons, most of us just take an airplane.
When you are booking your airfare and looking at airlines and itineraries, here is a good expectation to have.
You have American Airlines all the way to Grenada or you might find routes that includes Liat or Caribbean Airlines.
You may get lucky and have a good experience, I hope you do, for both of us!
Caribbean Airlines: Is what I call Caribbean Luggage roulette. But instead of spinning a barrel with a bullet, you put your bags on the belt at the concierge and as it rolls away, you gamble ever seeing it again in the next week, or month.
Liat Airlines: Is where you should bust a hole in the window and dive off the plane with some awesome luggage and float to Grenada because you'd get there faster, and your luggage would be guaranteed.
And America Airlines is just a pain. They like to raise prices around when students enter and leave the island and they also like to randomly cancel legs of your flight, maybe they will tell you, maybe they won't. Also maybe they will charge you for the second bag, but also maybe not.
Delta also flies to Grenada.
Generally, I stick to American. And I avoid long layovers in the icebox Trinidad and Tobago Airport. I never thought I was so close a chilly frozen death than when I was in that airport. And that is coming from a Desert Rat who lived in Utah for a spell. Yeah.
Buying your fare is always an unfortunate ordeal. Here are some suggestions from other SOs (Significant Others) that I shamelessly took from the SOs of SGU Facebook page.
-Use sites such as these to find a good deal, and don't forget to compare different days if your dates are flexible:
-Try splitting up your trip by booking separately. For example, fly to New York, and from NY to Grenada. Or fly to Trinidad (Port of Spain) and from there to Grenada. Might be worth it, might not. But worth a look.
-Pay attention to travel embargoes and your luggage amounts so you can pack accordingly.
When I landed in Trinidad for my layover, I had to collect my luggage, go through customs, leave the airport, and walk back in to re-check my bags through Caribbean Airlines. Although AA allowed me to have two checked bags no problem, Caribbean Airlines kinda hassled me about it, but in the end with a smile, wink, shimmy, and wide-eyed I-barely-understand-anything-because-of-your-accent look I got the second bag on without problems.
Good luck with your travel itinerary and remember:
Did you cry?
Did you laugh?
Did you panic?
Did you cheer?
Other (super exhaustive list, I know)!?
Or did you do all at once resulting in a crazy epileptic break-dance of joy and fear?
Did you feel like you were in the movie UP?
ADVENTURE IS OUT THEEEERRRREEE!!
^I can almost promise you watching that clip will be the best four minutes of your day!
Grenada is in the West Indies, it's like India, BUT WEST! :)
After you are done being excited about moving your clubhouse and saving blank pages for all the "Stuff I'm Going to Do" you will wonder, just like Ellie,
"Only, I just don't know how I am going to GET to
And although it would be awesome to ride in a blimpe, or float up comfortably suspended by balloons, most of us just take an airplane.
When you are booking your airfare and looking at airlines and itineraries, here is a good expectation to have.
You have American Airlines all the way to Grenada or you might find routes that includes Liat or Caribbean Airlines.
You may get lucky and have a good experience, I hope you do, for both of us!
Caribbean Airlines: Is what I call Caribbean Luggage roulette. But instead of spinning a barrel with a bullet, you put your bags on the belt at the concierge and as it rolls away, you gamble ever seeing it again in the next week, or month.
Liat Airlines: Is where you should bust a hole in the window and dive off the plane with some awesome luggage and float to Grenada because you'd get there faster, and your luggage would be guaranteed.
And America Airlines is just a pain. They like to raise prices around when students enter and leave the island and they also like to randomly cancel legs of your flight, maybe they will tell you, maybe they won't. Also maybe they will charge you for the second bag, but also maybe not.
Delta also flies to Grenada.
Generally, I stick to American. And I avoid long layovers in the icebox Trinidad and Tobago Airport. I never thought I was so close a chilly frozen death than when I was in that airport. And that is coming from a Desert Rat who lived in Utah for a spell. Yeah.
Buying your fare is always an unfortunate ordeal. Here are some suggestions from other SOs (Significant Others) that I shamelessly took from the SOs of SGU Facebook page.
-Use sites such as these to find a good deal, and don't forget to compare different days if your dates are flexible:
- Booking straight from the Airline can sometimes be the cheapest, and it also often makes it easier to make changes and adjustments.
- Kayak
- Priceline
- OneTravel
- CheapOAir
-Try splitting up your trip by booking separately. For example, fly to New York, and from NY to Grenada. Or fly to Trinidad (Port of Spain) and from there to Grenada. Might be worth it, might not. But worth a look.
-Pay attention to travel embargoes and your luggage amounts so you can pack accordingly.
When I landed in Trinidad for my layover, I had to collect my luggage, go through customs, leave the airport, and walk back in to re-check my bags through Caribbean Airlines. Although AA allowed me to have two checked bags no problem, Caribbean Airlines kinda hassled me about it, but in the end with a smile, wink, shimmy, and wide-eyed I-barely-understand-anything-because-of-your-accent look I got the second bag on without problems.
Good luck with your travel itinerary and remember:
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Grena- WHAT?! (.gif packed action!)
When my dearest husband told me that he was going to apply to a medical school in the Caribbean, I laughed. I think I was conscientous enough to laugh on the inside, and my outward manifestion of desperation was masked by wide eyes.
"Huh?"
I mean, I knew he wanted to have options... but I wasn't about to sign up for some crack-pot-voodoo-magic-med-school.
*ahem*
The days went on and I began to think, "lounging in the sun for a couple years couldn't be THAT bad!"
Then I used my debit card to pay for the application. And things got REAL.
So like any self-respecting, self-proclaimed Social Scientist would do, I got to work researching. I attacked the information with ferocity! I found the Significant Others web page, I read blogs, I took notes (nerd alert!).
And I cried.
I'm not afraid to admit that. Plus, that was in my younger and more vulnerable days.
And then came the move back in with my parents, the acceptance letter, the crappy buffer jobs, and all of a sudden, we were packed and sitting in LAX for the world's most anxiety packed trip.
I must have been in a fugue state or something. Because almost a year later, here I am!
All jokes aside (because honestly, a fugue state might've been better ha...ha...ha).
My intention is to write a series of GRENADA posts to help my fellow SOs, ex-pats, and adventure-lovers -pack, arrive, and adjust to the adventure of living in Grenada! :)
Welcome.
"Huh?"
I mean, I knew he wanted to have options... but I wasn't about to sign up for some crack-pot-voodoo-magic-med-school.
*ahem*
The days went on and I began to think, "lounging in the sun for a couple years couldn't be THAT bad!"
Then I used my debit card to pay for the application. And things got REAL.
So like any self-respecting, self-proclaimed Social Scientist would do, I got to work researching. I attacked the information with ferocity! I found the Significant Others web page, I read blogs, I took notes (nerd alert!).
And I cried.
I'm not afraid to admit that. Plus, that was in my younger and more vulnerable days.
And then came the move back in with my parents, the acceptance letter, the crappy buffer jobs, and all of a sudden, we were packed and sitting in LAX for the world's most anxiety packed trip.
I must have been in a fugue state or something. Because almost a year later, here I am!
All jokes aside (because honestly, a fugue state might've been better ha...ha...ha).
My intention is to write a series of GRENADA posts to help my fellow SOs, ex-pats, and adventure-lovers -pack, arrive, and adjust to the adventure of living in Grenada! :)
Welcome.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Crochet Project
Previously I posted about a sewing disaster *ahem* adventure I embarked on.
Next on the docket was a crochet project. Lucky for me YouTube has lots of crochet videos that simplify the hobby. I'm not coordinated enough for knitting, but crocheting is just typing a bunch of knots in yarn so how could I go wrong right?
Armed with a crochet hook and colorful yarn I brought back from the States, I embarked. It is by far the longest (pun intended) and lengthiest crochet project I have finished. "Finished" being the operative word here. Ask my mom and yarn stash about my track record with finished projects.
But without further ado, pictures!
The nice thing about living in a world where Arts & Crafts are a lost art is, you don't have to do much to impress people. I am totally okay with that!
Here is the one side, where you kind of have ridges around the borders of the squares.
Here is the other side that looks a little smoother.
Here you can get the full effect!
Tada! It is supposed to match the bed sheets and curtains I have in the room. The colors aren't exact but these also weren't exactly purchased and Bed Bath and Beyond or Norstroms or anything. Haha.
Next on the docket was a crochet project. Lucky for me YouTube has lots of crochet videos that simplify the hobby. I'm not coordinated enough for knitting, but crocheting is just typing a bunch of knots in yarn so how could I go wrong right?
Armed with a crochet hook and colorful yarn I brought back from the States, I embarked. It is by far the longest (pun intended) and lengthiest crochet project I have finished. "Finished" being the operative word here. Ask my mom and yarn stash about my track record with finished projects.
But without further ado, pictures!
The nice thing about living in a world where Arts & Crafts are a lost art is, you don't have to do much to impress people. I am totally okay with that!
Here is the one side, where you kind of have ridges around the borders of the squares.
Here is the other side that looks a little smoother.
Here you can get the full effect!
Tada! It is supposed to match the bed sheets and curtains I have in the room. The colors aren't exact but these also weren't exactly purchased and Bed Bath and Beyond or Norstroms or anything. Haha.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Grenada Pizza Kitchen
Welcome to GPK!
Grenada Pizza Kitchen, right here, in my little Grenada Kitchen.
Right after you know that my name is Kristen, of equal importance, you should know
I posted earlier about training myself to make bread, and as far as pizza crust is concerned, it is going fabulous!
They turned out awesome! Here is the recipe for the alfredo pizza.
Right after you know that my name is Kristen, of equal importance, you should know
I. LOVE. PIZZA.
Some people think they love pizza, there are people that love pizza, and then there's me. I love pizza so much, that I'm actually, not even on the scale.
Yeah.
In college, my pizza consumption occurrence probably averaged at least every other day. Maybe more. And the local pizza place might have known my number when I called and placed an order.... maybe.
I posted earlier about training myself to make bread, and as far as pizza crust is concerned, it is going fabulous!
Every week Friday comes. Now, in med school Friday doesn't really mean anything, but in the Petersen Household it means....
PIZZA DAY!
Thanks Aquabats. Ya know, your week may be crummy but when you have Pizza Friday, there is always something to look forward to.
Since Pizza Day comes every week, I try to mix it up a little and try different ways to eat the delicious food. Here are some ideas I found online that I have tried.
Pizza crescent roll-ups, Pull-apart pizza, Pizza rolls, Pizza calzone, and my first love- Stuffed pizza rolls.
Last week I got fancy and made a Chicken alfredo pizza and a BBQ chicken cheddar pizza.
They turned out awesome! Here is the recipe for the alfredo pizza.
But Teo brings up a good point, I guess it is more Pizza Night, not Pizza Day. I just think about it all day. And if I am really going to call my kitchen Grenada Pizza Kitchen, I should try manicou pizza.
As for now....
HAPPY PIZZA DAY/NIGHT!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
... But Then I Remember
I posted about how I sometimes I forget that I live in Paradise.
But don't fret! I remember to take time to enjoy all Grenada has to offer!
Sometimes I just head to the beach out of the blue, because I can! One of my favorite beaches is called BBC Beach, or Morne Rouge Beach. I usually head to campus then catch a Grandview Inn Bus to get to the beach. It saves me from having to walk up the hill and back down the other side to get to the beach.
Although this particular time the bus simply stopped at the bottom and told us to get off because he wasn't driving up there. Haha? If you live here in Grenada you know this is funny because if it stops at the bottom of the hill it is no longer a Grandview Inn bus, it is a just a True Blue/ Grand Anse bus, ya know, the ones that like practically every 15 minutes. Whatever!
But don't fret! I remember to take time to enjoy all Grenada has to offer!
Sometimes I just head to the beach out of the blue, because I can! One of my favorite beaches is called BBC Beach, or Morne Rouge Beach. I usually head to campus then catch a Grandview Inn Bus to get to the beach. It saves me from having to walk up the hill and back down the other side to get to the beach.
Although this particular time the bus simply stopped at the bottom and told us to get off because he wasn't driving up there. Haha? If you live here in Grenada you know this is funny because if it stops at the bottom of the hill it is no longer a Grandview Inn bus, it is a just a True Blue/ Grand Anse bus, ya know, the ones that like practically every 15 minutes. Whatever!
Here is a view of the more easily accessible Grand Anse Beach. This photo is taken as I was ascending the hill to get to BBC. On the far left of the photo you can start to see downtown St. George's.
Walk about five more minutes and do a 180 degree turn and you get BBC beach! I like to think it is a mini Grand Anse. It is so nice because it doesn't get as many people as Grand Anse.
On the beach, nice and lonely.
And since I am definitely one for the random, here is a cool little Grenada-painted door.
I am a super early riser (I know, I know, you should get it by now!). So the other day I headed out to the beach around 8. You can definitely bet it was deserted then, and it was very lovely and cool because the sun wasn't on full blast yet. You should definitely try it sometime! :)
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