Train ride

The Ross Spouse Organization put together a train ride in Roseau today and we decided to go!  I got everything ready and packed lunches and we met at the school to ride buses to the capital (Roseau) which is a good hour away.  It is a very windy, topsy turvy ride so I made sure to have my Dramamine on hand :) ( HELPS ME EVERYTIME)

When we got to Roseau we boarded the yellow train and were off to explore the city and go up a ways to the Botanical Gardens.  It was more of a big field/park with cool trees.  We all jumped out and wandered a bit and headed over to the smooshed bus.  That was from a hurricane in the 1970's? (ish)  It was really neat.  

After the Gardens we headed back down and finished the train ride and hit up the Juice Man in the city.  His smoothies are amazing!  Owen and I got Mango/banana and it was tasty!  Roseau weather is very different from Picard/Portsmouth area that we live.  The temps are much hotter in Roseau, so it was a HOT day.  The temperatures are definately rising here and I can sure feel it :)

Gotta go to the beach and pool more...

After wandering the city a bit the trip was over and back home we went.  It was a good Saturday!

Creatures

Creatures in Dominica are both small & LARGE!!!!  Just outside the front door of the apartment on the bottom floor there are crabs that hang out all over there.  It is always moist, and especially if it rains they come out and creep around.  They are just slow and creepy, but if they get bothered out come the clampers and they are aready to get ya.  

We don't get many bug around our area.  But every once in awhile I will come across something like this huge moth!  It was HUGE and pretty much the size of my hand!  It just sat there for hours and hours.  There are also lizards EVERYWHERE here.  Owen loves to go out to chase all of the lizards!

To Market To Market

We FINALLY hit up the market yesterday! We woke up early and I loaded the kids and went with some friends down to the market.  It is about a half hour walk to get there, and close to church.  The market is complete chaos!  Everyone wants you to buy at their booth and there is so much there.  Owen has been DYING to go and his wish finally came true.  I don't think he knew what the market entailed but he was happy to go and pick out some fruit he wanted.  We got some plums, apples, cucumbers and watermelon.  Towards the end we bought some tuna fish as well.  It was the small fish so kinda boney but we will give a try.  The locals catch the fish and bring it in and when there is some available they blow the conk shell and everyone goes and gets their fish.  I am glad we finally got to go!

After the market I had to take Owen to primary practice.  We went there and I got to listen to Owen practice with all of the cute primary kiddos! 

The program was today as well as my first time teaching in Relief Society!  Owen's part was,

"Agency is a gift to choose for ourselves"

He did such a good job and memorized majority of it.  At practice he stood up at the mic and said, "we believe..."  It was SO cute!!!!!  I am so proud of how well he did today!

My lesson was on kindness today!  I truly am going to love this calling.  I really enjoy preparing a lesson.  

Look at all the pretty fruit!  The guy in the black shirt kept shaking his head at me while I was taking a picture.  Whoops!

Booths all around us

Best area to go.  Nicely organized with walking room

Guy cutting up my fish, cutting off the eyeball

My walk home
It was SO hot yesterday!  I know I ALWAYS say this but I think that was the worst I have ever sweat while living here.  DRIPPING!
(and it was only about 10 am)

GOOD ADVICE :)

happenings

We had the missionaries (Elder Williamson & Elder Mena) over tonight for dinner.  We had tacos & I guess I bought some REALLY hot sauce ( I mean a little spice is good right? )  Elder Williamson took a bite of that sauce and said how hot it was and for the next ten minutes was sweating so bad because it was so spicy!  I felt so bad!  He kept saying he was fine and drank tons of water whoops!  It was nice for our family to eat with them.  I could not stop thinking about my cute brothers.  One that is currently serving in Quito, Ecuador and my soon to be brother will be serving in the Sierra Leone mission ( if you don't know where that is, it is a country in west Africa)

My heart is full when I am around missionaries or see them.  I am grateful for them and all of their hard work in spreading this Gospel

In this picture is a bunch of yummy stuff!  Crawfish & crab.  A couple of weeks ago 2 local guys came to work on the leak in our apartment.  I was getting all the scoop on everything!  What to eat while here, what to do, places to see, people to meet etc.  They said they go catch crawfish and crab all the time.  He asked me if I knew how to prepare them to eat. I told them I would not even know how to go about cooking something that is alive in front of my eyes.  They hurry and catch them, hold them with their foot and break off their legs before the clampers get them.  I told them I want some the way they make it.  He promised me he would bring some by and tonight showed up with a bowl of all of this yumminess.  Crawfish & crab in a broth with garlic and spices.  I was hesitant to try but Trav and I dug in.  It was SO yummy!  They sure know how to cook em here!  

Owen Birthday Morning

I think Owen enjoyed his 4th birthday this year.  But when we first moved to Dominica he kept crying and complaining that he did not want to get bigger and DID NOT want a birthday.  Travis and I thought he was just being silly and would keep hyping up his birthday.  One night a couple weeks before his birthday we made our nightly phonecall to dad at school.  Owen asked his same old questions:

"HI DAD!  You at school?"

"should we go to the park tomorrow?"

and continued the conversation...

Then Travis asked him if he was excited about turning 4 in a few weeks.  Owen got very upset and said, "NO!  I don't want a birthday!"  Travis asked him why and all he could say was because.  Travis explained to him how much fun it is to get bigger, to be able to go to school and to play with other kids and play sports etc.  Owen's lip quivered like he was fighting back tears and said, "I just don't want to get bigger!"  

They ended their conversation and Owen hung up and handed me the phone and was very sad.  I asked him what was the matter and he looked at me and burst into tears.  He asked me if I was going to go with him as he gets older?  I was also fighting back my tears but couldn't.  It was so sad that my little 4 year old was already so worried about leaving me.  I told him I can't go everywhere with him anymore to places like primary and (soon) school, but I told him that I would always be his mom and that he is mine forever!  We hugged for a long time and then I put him to bed.

A little while after he still did not want to have a birthday but I figured to tell him that 3 & 4 are the same and it isn't much different.  So he finally accepted that he was turning 4 and that he would have a birthday! :)

That day he mostly played with all of his new superhero toys and we got a smoothie and hung out and made cupcakes to take to our branch Halloween party that night (in another post)

It was a fun day!

Halloween

This year for Halloween we had:

A bunny...

A monster...

And some trying to be from the 80s (we tried our best hahahaha) & at one point a homemade Batman!
We had a FUN island Halloween!

I am laughing at that last picture...

Creole

Right now in Dominica it is Creole.  It is Dominica Independence and it is SUCH a BIG deal here. It is pretty cool how much the locals get into this time.  Creole starts September 23 and goes clear till November 5th.  There is lots of celebration, music, dancing, traditions etc.  

Here are some of the things involved in Creole:

• National Dress - The Wob Dwiyet is the centrepiece of this stunning costume and is widely worn. The last Friday before Independence is Creole Day and all Dominicans will wear at least some variation of the national dress.
• Jing Ping - Our traditional music, it is formally known as the Accordian Band and features the Bamboo Flute, the Boom Boom (a long bamboo wind instrument), the Gwaj (an idiophone) and of course the Accordian.
• National Dance - Our Quadrille and Bele dances evoke a time of elegance but with a distinct Caribbean flavour.
• Market Day with A Difference - Our markets are generally a riot of colour, but at Independence they embrace the mood. Each week at one market around the island  vendors will dress in national costume, and Jing Ping will be playing!
• National Food - Independence would not be complete without enjoying our unique dishes. Crab-backs, Callaloo, Titiwi accras are just some of the many delicious foods you'll be able to try at this time of year.

(Info above from here)

In the pictures above are of a CUTE local family in our branch.  They are such a sweet family!  All of the kids names start with J.  This is only part of the family but pictured is Jemulin, Jemula, Jemuna and Junior (Owen LOVES Junior!  They are buds)

I wanted a few pictures with them because they were all dressed in their creole attire.  This is the pattern and colors used for Creole.  I think they look adorable!  We hope to be a part of the celebration in Roseau (the Capital) soon.