Grenada first week

Grenada
The Spice of the Caribbean

Fall 2007

Happy Birthdays!

September 1 - September 15, 2007

Happy Birthday to: Jonathan and Anna!

Anna and Jonathan had a lovely balcony birthday celebration at Anna's apartment.

A few days later, Anna demonstrates the perils of birthday Blue Lagoons on the beach at the Rex.

Jonathan displays his birthday card at the Coyaba...arrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Birthday cards!

Lizzy! I found Lizzy snoozing in her Lazy Boy...

Until my flash went off. Check out her legs: they are vertical!

Crapzilla!

Yup; Crapzilla is, thankfully, still shuddering away. I am compelled to share an email exchange I had regarding the 'Zilla. One of Peter's very good old friends, David, sent us a thoughtful update on happenings in his life, which included a thorough run-down of the status of his automobile, which was very fitting, considering David's normal, matter-of-fact detail oriented self and Peter's keen interest with anything whatever to do with BMWs. I responded by offering an update on the "'Zilla."

David's Update:
"The green
BMW is alive and kicking, with 87,000 some odd miles on it, and only a few
minor malfunctions; the speedometer sometimes sticks when it shouldn't, but
only when I first start the car in the morning. It will read zero when I'm
driving 40, or read 20 when I'm parked, but it gets its act together right
quick. I am a little concerned that I'm driving it 1,000 miles every two
weeks, but it continues to perform well; before we moved down here we
changed the tires, and had the New York state inspection done, and I check
the tire tread and pressure frequently."
Heather's Response:

"Peter will be thrilled to hear your BMW update; you know how much he adores them.

I shall in turn give you a little status on our car here. Officially, it's a Suzuki "Escudo," a four door, four wheel drive beauty. It hails from about 1995, give or take a year. Unofficially, it's called "Crapzilla." Status: it still runs! Ever since one of the external body parts fell off (unnoticed) a few weeks ago, it makes a lot less noise and even seems to shake less when in neutral, which was a surprising perk. I, too, check the tire tread and pressure frequently, as Crapzilla encounters many substantial potholes on a daily basis. I am happy to report that there is still a discernible tread on all of the tires and none of them are showing any underlying metal yet. As long as I fill up the back left tire with air at least every two weeks, we can keep driving on it. Hopefully, we'll get it's annual (give or take) oil change soon, and with any luck, the status quo will continue for another eight months. Go Crapzilla!"

Lost and Found Ad:
Lost: Maroon red Escudo body panel. Please call 473-457-0278 if found.

Hero that Jacqueline is, she created a fantastic Rosh Hashanah meal for her dorm-mates using only a pot, a pan, and a toaster oven. It was an international gathering, with representatives from all over the world. Mmmm: unbelievable food, great company, and a joyous occasion overall. It's always fun to be around people who can have a great time without drinking alcohol. How refreshing!

Everybody did their best to pitch in, but it was truly Jacqueline's production.

One of the evening's highlights was the utter delight of the two women from Trinidad who discovered, for the first time, the wonders of Rice Krispie Treats!
Peter came by to gorge on all the yummies, but had to leave too soon in order to get back to the books. Poor guy!

Sadly, we came to experience the Grenadian healthcare system this month as a result of a friend becoming extremely ill. It was scary to not know what to do, how to help someone make decisions, or how to advocate for another in a different culture with very few resources. Grenada is a developing country, and some situations bring that reality to the fore. There is a private hospital on the island, which we didn't know was an option because we went through the University's protocol, and there did not appear to be a choice regarding the destination of the ambulance. Upon arrival at the general hospital, the situation only became more alarming. The "waiting area" is the outdoor space adjacent to a door leading to the hospital's emergency services. Some of the waiting area is at least sheltered from the weather above. It was very dark and contained a few occupied chairs, more persons standing or pacing, and an emaciated dog lying near the emergency room door. There is no desk, no reception area, and no paperwork. Just one dark door tucked behind a building. The door is guarded by a none-too-friendly nurse who appears every once in a while, and who may or may not be inclined to allow a single family member through the door to be with a patient. I was able to talk my way past her and reach our friend. Inside (and out, for that matter,) it's the kind of place where you don't want to touch anything. It's just one of those places that doesn't seem like it can get clean. Gloves tend not to be utilized by health care workers in Grenada. [All of those modern sanitary precautions that seemed so strange when they were first utilized (i.e. dentists wearing gloves and masks and goggles) is entirely absent here...even in extreme situations where it's not just a precaution and body fluids are all over the place.) You notice when sanitary precautions aren't used and feel strangely indignant when you think they should be used. Then again, safety is not exactly an acknowledged value in Grenada, judging by the workers who travel to their place of employment by standing in the back of trucks. Most of the tiny space of the patient "room" we were in was occupied by a large, rusty, metal framed bed. The rest of the room was piled high with what looked like ancient equipment and supplies, last usage unknown.

More to the point than surroundings that lack in luster (and likely in cleanliness) was the apparent knowledge basis and service resources available to the practitioners, not to mention the lack of external information resources (as usual, there did not appear to be a computer in sight.) "Radiology" is closed at night, so no x-rays or ultrasounds could be done until the next day...and even then it was recommended to go downtown for such services. There is one CT scanner on the island; it is privately owned and lives in a trailer off the main road. You'd have to visit another country if you thought you needed an MRI. The only thing our friend gained from the experience was a grave inconvenience (which can never be underestimated when one is extremely ill) and surely some exposure to unidentified infectious diseases.

Peter continues to mutter, rather unhelpfully, "Don't get sick or hurt in Grenada." I've asked him to cease repeating this mantra.

Pirate Jonny, staunch republican, gets the last word:

September 15 - 30, 2007

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