Isle of Spice and My Identity Crisis

It has occurred to me that I haven't really talked at all about Grenada. Allow me to introduce you to Grenada, "The Isle of Spice." A small island in the Eastern Caribbean (Windward Islands)about spitting distance from Trinidad and Tobago and a stones throw from Venezuela. My first impression about Grenada was. . .damn, it's hot. It is consistently between 80 and 90 degrees and there are only two seasons. . .wet and dry, (or tourist/non-tourist season.) If you were here you would see by my rat's nest that I call hair, that it is quite humid as well. I have gotten used to the constant sweating and have actually acclamated for the most part, or at least I think I have until I realize some random day that I am dripping beads of sweat down every undiscovered nook and cranny on my body even though I am doing absolutely nothing. Ha! Such is the life. Grenada is about 23 miles long or something like that and about uh. . .14 miles wide? The population is just about 100,000 which makes me laugh when I think about the fact that my entire hometown of Marysville, Washington was probably bigger than that. The terrain reminds me of a huge pimple. Big and rough in the middle but smooth and flat on the outer banks. Actually, the roads are pretty hilly and even though the island is only 23 miles long it takes me an hour and twenty minutes to get from one end to the other by bus, or as they are often referred to, coffins on wheels. Beautiful lush greenery and white sand beaches are something I never get sick of seeing.

People say that Grenadians are known for their hospitality, which in some cases is very true and in others, it's not true at all. I live in a town called Sauteurs in the parish of St. Patrick's. It is located on the northern tip of Grenada and is the furthest away from the tourist belt and capital of St. George's. I am said to be "Behind God's back," which means I am a country bumpkin. Who would've thought? I live alone in a two bedroom house that has a veranda overlooking the ocean and Grenadine Islands. Not bad at all. The closer you get to St. George's the more white people you'll see due to the tourists and St. George's University which is a medical school attended by a large American population. As for me, however, being in the country has come with it's own challenges but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else on the island.

Since I have lived here, I have been lovingly given a new nickname which is "Chiney." There is a sizeable Chinese population here and Grenadians are obsessed with kung fu movies. If I had a nickel for every "Ching a Ling" comment I received, I would be rich enough to fly around the world on my private jet filled with Shemar Moore look alikes, drinking bottles of Cristal. It used to really offend me and get me down, but it doesn't too much anymore unless someone is saying it to be malicious, which is most often not the case. People really can't figure me out. So far I have been asked if I am Italian, Czechoslovakian, Mexican, and Venezuelan. I get called "white girl" just as often as I get called Chiney so I suppose that I'll just keep them guessing. I used to try and explain that I am Korean American, but I found it took too much damn time and it was impossible for me to do a Geography lesson every ten minutes. To many Grenadians, there's three races; white, black, and Chiney. Some other interesting facts. . .I am CIA. There was a police officer who was a friend of a guy I dated here and he would ask all these questions about me because he sincerely thought I was a CIA agent. Then, on some random evening in St. George's, I was out at a club with my friends and a different guy came up to me and started pointing at me yelling, "CIA! CIA!" What gave it away? In any case, it's entertaining.

The one thing I do miss about Seattle is being surrounded by my female friends. It has taken me a long time to make the few female Grenadian friends that I have, but thank God even for those few. Although it has taken some time, I love Grenada. It has truly become my home away from home and the people I have met thus far have been amazing additions to the story of my life.