Sunday, March 8, 2009

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...well without the snow....

Hello blog readers! How are you all doing? Another beautiful week in Saba...although it was a bit chilly a few days this week, down to 24 and some winds and a little rain too (trying to make you all feel a little better about your own crappy weather...tee hee) We had a pretty good week here on Saba, a busy week for sure.....we came here with the assumption that life would slow down considerably for us but it hasn't quite worked out that way....I have come to the conclusion that maybe we are just busy type of people and we make it that way because we like it? Anyway the boys had a decent week at school. Monty had to write an essay about a woman from Saba for national women's day and he chose our neighbor Lynn. He had great fun interviewing her for the essay and then writing it...it turned out pretty good....he is a smart cookie that one if you can get him to sit still long enough to do some academics!!
The boys both had sleepovers on Friday night...Monty had his friend Helke and Christian had Jim of course! We rented movies, got junk, the whole 9 yards and the kids had a great time. Jim outplayed, outlasted all of the others and was the last man standing (well laying but still giggling at the TV) at 10 PM....it was his first sleepover ever so he was pretty pumped (and perhaps my decision to allow them to have a ring pop during the movie wasn't very well thought out?) Finally he did sleep though and they all slept through the night....they all got up around 7 but I thought that wasn't too bad considering.....Saturday morning Monty and Helke had guitar lessons so we drove them down to windwardside....then I was over talking to Manuel in the community garden and bringing him some fresh cookies that Joe had baked and I wasn't watchiing the clock and all of a sudden it was 11 and i was late for the boys....so off I went to pick them up.....and then....as I am driving down the hill a truck passes me and in the truck is Monty and Helke and they wave and smile at me.....they had hitchhiked a ride back home.....now before you go freaking out, apparently hitchiking is a very popular mode of transportation with the locals and everyone knows everyone so it is perfectly safe....now I don't have any problems with people hitchhiking but Monty is not people....he is my 10 year old son....so I was thinking good heavens this is crazy....Monty of course thought it was great fun...and he was picked up by teacher Randall the grade 2 teacher who knows the boys and who knows me....anyway life is definitely different here! Helke hitches rides up to our house at least 2-3 times a week....like I said it is like public transit for the people here....but it still freaks me out a little.....so what do you think?Am I losing my noodle??
Saturday night we went to a BBQ with Jim's family and we had a fabulous time....they are such fun and lovely people and the food was amazing! (endive salad with a creamy homemade dressing, satays on the barby, steak and pork....a meal fit for a king! we felt very spoiled) So today was a great day because my mother and my aunt Bernie arrived for a visiit from PEI....well it didn't start out as great....Igot up and got ready and went to the airport to pick them up.....got there at 9 (flight due at 9:05) waited, and waited and waited some more...by 9:20 I was thinking the plane must be delayed and as I had been sitting outside the airport enjoying the morning sunshine and +26 temp (ah hah you knew I had to sneak that in somewhere didn't you!) I thought I will wander in and see when the flight is coming....so I enter and to my surprise there is not a person in sight....and I think,wierd , there are at least 10 cars in the parking lot and there is a flight over due...where are all the people? Have aliens come down and taken them away? Did the rapture happen and I am left behind? what is going on?? So I call Joe and ask him to call win air's office (since there is NO ONE in the airport at all) Joe calls back and says that head office in St Maarten says the flight is in the air and they should be there anytime...so I think ok, wierd but whatever...out I go in the sunshine again to wait and watch for the plane....10 more minutes pass and I think, ok the flight is 12 minutes long and 10 minutes ago it was in the air sooooo where is it exactly?? so I go in to the airport again and I finally see a man (security guard) and I say ummm sir where is the 9:05 flight from St Maarten? He says there is no flight at that time, the next flight is due at 11:20....so I say ah yes there is a flight and apparently it is in the air and my mother and aunt are on it....when will it be arriving? and he says sorry ma'am but the next flight is in at 11:20....so I call Joe and have him call again and call me back and I drive home....when I get home, Joe tells me that apparently the airline cancelled the flight and mom and Bernie are now on standby for the 10:20 flight...and I say 10:20? that is weird,,,,it is a 12 minute flight and the airport said that it wont be here until 11:20....Joe says yeah it gets better,,,,they are flyiing to St Eustatias first !!!!! I said WHAT! NO WAY!! Bernie is going to freak out! So I call over at 10:20 to win air and say please make sure they get on the flight for goodness sake and some fellow says I will see what I can do...he calls my mom up to the desk and I can hear her in the background explaining the situation .....so he comes back and says, I have your mom booked but not the other passenger Perry? I am going to have to check with my supervisor...call me back in 5.....click.....so 5 long minutes later I call back and say Kendell? He says they are on....good bye.....thats it....so down I go and get them.....they have arrived dragging many bags behind them....and so we sat outside by the airport for a few minutes and headed home.....so once we got home, we started opening the bags!!! I tell ya , you never saw people so excited for the strangest things....the boys were gaga over the candy (cream eggs, mini eggs, smarties adn nerds,,,thanks Jamie, Bernie and mom!) and my gluten free stuff (thank you thank you thank you!!) and Joe was doing a dance for his BSG DVD's (Thanks Bruce!) and I was so excited to get my hands on Greys Anatomy episodes (thanks Jamie!!!) We got crocs and socks and flea treatment and candy and erasers and pencils and hair accessories and chalk and home schooling material (I am going to be supplementiing) Anyway it was like Christmas, the whoopaing and squealing going on around here!
We had a great first day, the weather was great, the company was great, lots of fun swapping travel stories and other stuff.....we can't wait to get out and enjoy the next 6 days...I hope that they don't go too fast!!
So take care friends and we will meet again....I will tell you all about our visit next time! God Bless you in the coming week!

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