Good-Bye Grenada!

It's been quite the journey... thanks for following

along.  I will miss the blue-blue sky, the heat, sea baths and the wonderful Grenadians I met along the way.  Although... I certainly won't miss the darn mosquitos - you won't believe the number of bug spray cans I went through!  Here's some 'last' photo moments...

My last day to the office in town...

 

My last swim in the sea...

 

At Grand D'Anse Beach.

 

And now it's time to pack-up and say my good-byes to the people I have met in Grenada. See you all soon!  

The Final Stretch...

Caught the early morning Public Bus at 6:30am today to be sure I arrived in Sauteurs to give the presentation of findings for the Market Access Research Study.  The presentation was well received.  It went so well that the discussions afterwards actually lasted longer than the presentation itself and now, Sabrina and I will be interviewed (15 minutes) on the local GIS TV channel this Tuesday to talk about this research study.  Too funny!  In between pulling the presentation together (report still to be finalized), there has been plenty of farewell celebrations.  Here are pictures of a recently held MAREP social where we hiked, and ate a lot - any excuse to have a day of lyming away from the office.

Hiking in to the (picnic) site - thought we were lost. 

At last, we found some of the staff members

 

Others were relaxing by the nearby fresh water river

 

Waiting for lunch to cook - these are dumplings being boiled

 

Working From The House

Into the final stretch with building the presentation and final report for the Market Research Study.  Lately, I find that working from the house provides more quiet time to gather the thoughts except... there's different kinds of activities that happen & distract my attention.  For example, the Land Lady sent a tree climber to pick coconuts in our garden before they fall.  These coconuts can weigh 5-10 lbs each and can really 'hurt' if they hit you.  About a dozen coconuts were pulley downed & with a handy cutlass, I have been enjoying fresh coconut water & jelly.  Here are some pictures...

 

 

I live in a house that is surrounded by 3 schools, so between the bells ringing, children playing outside, I also hear teachers reading to the pre-schoolers outside.  Here's a picture of the children being read to while I pretend to take the garbage out. 

 

Okay... must now go back to the report writing!  

 



"Oil Down" - Grenada's National Dish

Fridays at the office is typically 'Buy Lunch' Day.  Take Away in Styrofoam boxes is the norm with Grenadian food, unless you go to KFC or Subway the only American chains around.  This is Oil Down cooked in a HUGE pot over the fire with breadfruit, bluggoes, potatoes, coconut milk, chicken, salt beef, salted pigtail, salt fish, carrots, callaloo &, dumplings (dough boy!). 

 

 

So filling & always a generous portion.  This is my lunch AND dinner.  My colleagues laugh at me because they eat the entire dish for 1 meal (especially Nasell above). No wonder they take afternoon naps at their desk!

 



"Fieldwork" Completed!

For the past 5 weeks, Sabrina and I have been interviewing Purchasers of specific agricultural products to better understand their needs and challenges.  Their biggest need is the ability to consistently buy produce and chicken throughout the year to reduce the high import volume.  We talked with Purchasing Officers at Supermarkets, Hotels and Restaurants in Grenada and Carriacou.  Here are pictures of 2 big supermarkets (MNIB & Food Fair)...

(I do "take-away" lunch here at MNIB where people line up at the back of the store)

 

 

 

Here's a large vendor who sells all kinds of produce.  She even has a cooler inside the store for cold drinks...

 

And, this is Ade's Dream in Carriacou where I also stayed.  This is a hotel (guest house) with a restaurant AND large supermarket.  So they buy products for both outlets and therefore, a 2 for 1 trip for me! 

 

The next step is to gather and analyze all the data collected.  With the many discussions... suspect focusing on chicken, chicken, chicken is going to surface.  The huge demand and volume of (imported) chicken purchased is increasing and yet... throughout the island (urban & rural), you often see chickens running around on the road! 

 

 

 



Went on my 1st "Hash"!

Every Saturday, the Locals arrange a 'Hash' which is an organized hike where anyone can join in. Some run & many walk the designated trail that the organizers scope out in advance.  They usually post the location 3 days ahead & it can be anywhere on the island.  I was amazed that ~100 people showed up - all ages, locals & visitors alike.  Here's a picture of the group hashing...



 

The climb was steeper than expected - it even involved 'ropes' at one point.  The view from the top was worth it.  This is Woburn Bay and the surrounding area in the southern part of Grenada. A neat way to see the country.

 

The climb down required major braking with my old tennis shoes (very little treads left).  Needless to say, I'm recovering from stiff thigh muscles!

 

So Nice To Have Visitors From Canada

Friends from Canada have arrived to get a sense of life in Grenada &... no doubt, escape the cold for some R&R.  It also gives me a chance to see things I haven't visited.  For example, went to the Nutmeg Factory in Gouyave where they dry & manually sort 5 grades (sizes) of nutmeg for export.

....the Diamond Factory in Victoria where they process the cocoa beans into chocolate branded Jouvay (this is 1 of 2 Grenadian brands - the other is the Grenada Chocolate Company). The factory and land was a former plantation built in the late 1700's. 

 

...even saw local farmers pick the cocoa beans along the roadside & another, delivering it to the Diamond Chocolate Factory

 



 

Ended the day by returning to St. George's via Grand D'Etang, a rainforest up in the mountains with no monkeys to be seen - likely hiding during the rain mist we had. 



February 7th... Independence Day!

This is the 41st Anniversary "Independence Day" in Grenada.  A national holiday similar to Canada Day.  Lots of red, green & yellow on the streets with loud music & huge pots of 'oil down'.  These are school kids outside the house and Sabrina and I dressed up in Grenadian colours.  The last picture are the marching bands going up and down Melville St. - the oldest street in St. George's.

 



Market Research Fieldwork Begins...

So far we have interviewed 8 Purchasers (ie. hotels, restaurants, grocery stores) on specific fruits, vegetables & root crops to understand their local needs and in turn, help bring these products to market with local farmers.  One of the Purchasers we interviewed was Belmont Estate - previously a plantation & now an operating organic farm with a restaurant that is a wonderful setting for meetings, conferences or, weddings.  They grow cocoa beans, some vegetables and, goats.  Here's pictures of cocoa beans being dried, the Factory they partner with (The Grenadian Chocolate Factory) &, the end product that is very yummy.

 

Took a trip to Carriacou - a Parish of Grenada, much smaller (population 6,000), & a less rugged island that is a 90 minute boat ride to the north.  This is a picture of Hillsborough - the largest town on Carriacou, a fishing trowel being built and to the north about a 20 minute boat ride away is Petite Martinique - another island (or Parish) under Grenada.  In the distance you can see the many Grenadine Islands of St. Vincent.  So many little islands dot the sea... it's no wonder there is piracy in this area of the world.   

 

 



Prime Minister Comes to MAREP

All staff (including me) were summoned to attend the MAREP RIF (Rural Investment Fund) cheque transfers to 9 rural micro-entrepreneurs.  The RIF program offers funding to local small businesses providing a business plan is submitted & then, reviewed & passed by a Steering Committee.  As part of this program MAREP coaches these entrepreneurs with proposal writing, business plans, & accounting training to help build sustainable (new) businesses.  A ceremony was held this past Thursday with an invitation extended to the Prime Minister - the Right Hounourable Keith Mitchell (in coral shirt).  The ceremony took place outside of the MAREP office in Sauteurs (see pictures).



Staff scrambled with last minute details to pull this event together.  Imagine printing and then gluing 24 sheets of paper like a jig-saw puzzle onto cardboard (from boxes) to create this poster & another one for the large cheque used in the photo above. 

 

 

This is Sabrina (left) who I am mentoring and Sheivlyn who finally told me to call her 'Boney' because I can never remember her name and it works.  Many Grenadians have nicknames and it can get very confusing.

 



Every Bit of Space is Precious

Whether it's the Conductor on the Public Bus packing in people or, Shopkeepers stocking goods in little stores... every ounce of space is utilized.  Here are pictures of Linda at her friend's Donna's Variety store in the market - no space wasted...

Donna popped over at the house one day while I was hanging laundry.  She was aghast at how much space I left between clothes.  So, I now pin clothes more efficiently - see no space wasted with my laundry hanging now! 

 

BTW... my sheets dry in 15 minutes (no kidding) and towels take 30 minutes!  It's faster than a Dryer!!

 



Life at the Office in St. Georges

There is little in the way of "art-work" on the office walls except for the odd banners like the one behind Sabrina (see pic below).

I work in an open office concept & often hear others say 'Bless You' but no sneezing.  Then I realized that's their way of saying goodbye on the phone.  That's me at my 1970's style desk... curiously there are few filing cabinets but then again, paper is very limited (& expensive).  O-oh wait until I have to put a request in for photo-copying (b&w only) 40 copies of a 15 page questionnaire! 

 

 

Paper is not the only thing that is rationed, so are pens, pencils, paper clips, staples, and yes.... toilet paper!  Most staff have their own pencil cases that they bring to meetings (that's mine below) & toilet paper is a must to have in your desk drawer because there are none in (any) washrooms.