Well...
I was just about to go to bed and wanted a glass of water.
I reach for the water that I had just poured and placed by the bed maybe 3 minutes ago...
I drink it. I swallow it. I open my eyes...
The cup is filled with ants.
Process of elimination tells me- I just swallowed a cup of ants.
Anddddd, officially welcome back to Grenada.
My life is awesome.
Showing posts with label TIG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TIG. Show all posts
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Fire, fire! The yard is on FIRE!
Well, today was one for the books.
I was studying for my Social Work board exam in the bedroom, with 2 fans blowing on me from different directions to help avoid heat stroke and completely engrossed in the land of the learning... or at least trying to be.
Then Nick Skype messages me saying that they can see smoke in the LAE area from campus. Interesting. I went out of the bedroom, didn't smell anything. Glanced outside. Still nothing. And wrote it off as not being a big deal. So I sat down at the table to tell Nick I don't see any signs of smoke when our entire house becomes engulfed in smoke. And when I say engulfed... I literally mean 100% filled with smoke... I couldn't even see my feet. My first reaction was "Oh my God, it is OUR house that is on fire!!!"
I coughed my way outside and breathed a breath of fresh air 1) for my lungs and 2) because it wasn't our house going up in flames, but rather I could see it was coming from a couple houses down. Curiosity got the best of me, so I walked down closer to the water to try and get a look. At this point I was thinking it was contained, but still... I was interested. That's when I see fire quickly moving across the dried brush of our neighbors backyard quickly approaching our own backyard. After staring in awe for several seconds, I realized I should probably do more than just stare at it and ran and got our neighbors. Dana and I proceeded to run up and down the street and called security to connect us to the fire department and Dan joined some other neighbors in throwing buckets of water on an ever spreading fire.
Since we don't have the fire department number on hand (or didn't before, but now do) we called campus security to get the number. Dana and I each talked to them once, and I thought my conversation with them was pretty comical and pretty typical "no panic, no rush, you can't really have an emergency" Grenada, so here it is:
Finally, I was connected to the fire department, who acted like it was new news to them that there was a fire (even though I do believe others called it in as well). The fire department did respond relatively quickly though, which was good!
Anyways, long story short, we watched the fire spread (and inch closer) to our backyard for about 40 minutes- hour before it was finally put out. During that time the fire truck ran out of water which required them to leave with the truck and re-fill before they could return and put it out. While they were gone, there was a Grenadian man with his 2 buckets who walked up and down the rocks throwing water on the fire and actually kept it contained relatively well... and I stood nearby and had my bucket ready to assist if necessary too of course :)
The reason it started was not because of the dry ground and overly hot sun, but actually someone was initially attempting to burn things on their own. Hot day. Lack of rain. Very dry ground. Bad decision. It could have been SO much worse, and it was not easy to get the fire out. A few more feet and it would have been heading toward our houses via a wooden fence- really fast. And I would have been running to gather a few of our belongings before hitting the hills! Counting our blessings <3
I was studying for my Social Work board exam in the bedroom, with 2 fans blowing on me from different directions to help avoid heat stroke and completely engrossed in the land of the learning... or at least trying to be.
Then Nick Skype messages me saying that they can see smoke in the LAE area from campus. Interesting. I went out of the bedroom, didn't smell anything. Glanced outside. Still nothing. And wrote it off as not being a big deal. So I sat down at the table to tell Nick I don't see any signs of smoke when our entire house becomes engulfed in smoke. And when I say engulfed... I literally mean 100% filled with smoke... I couldn't even see my feet. My first reaction was "Oh my God, it is OUR house that is on fire!!!"
I coughed my way outside and breathed a breath of fresh air 1) for my lungs and 2) because it wasn't our house going up in flames, but rather I could see it was coming from a couple houses down. Curiosity got the best of me, so I walked down closer to the water to try and get a look. At this point I was thinking it was contained, but still... I was interested. That's when I see fire quickly moving across the dried brush of our neighbors backyard quickly approaching our own backyard. After staring in awe for several seconds, I realized I should probably do more than just stare at it and ran and got our neighbors. Dana and I proceeded to run up and down the street and called security to connect us to the fire department and Dan joined some other neighbors in throwing buckets of water on an ever spreading fire.
Since we don't have the fire department number on hand (or didn't before, but now do) we called campus security to get the number. Dana and I each talked to them once, and I thought my conversation with them was pretty comical and pretty typical "no panic, no rush, you can't really have an emergency" Grenada, so here it is:
me: "hi, we would like to report a fire, could please connect me to the fire department or give me their number"
security: "okay, we will file a complaint"
me: "no sir, a fire, there is a fire, we need the fire department, is it possible for you to give me their number?"
security: "yes, yes we are filing a complaint"
me: "This is like a real fire, and it is quickly spreading through ours and our neighbors backyards, we need the fire department"
security: "We will send one of our officers to come and check out the situation"
me: "this is not a situation where we need security, we need the fire department. I called you because I do not know the fire department phone number, please just give me their number"
Finally, I was connected to the fire department, who acted like it was new news to them that there was a fire (even though I do believe others called it in as well). The fire department did respond relatively quickly though, which was good!
Anyways, long story short, we watched the fire spread (and inch closer) to our backyard for about 40 minutes- hour before it was finally put out. During that time the fire truck ran out of water which required them to leave with the truck and re-fill before they could return and put it out. While they were gone, there was a Grenadian man with his 2 buckets who walked up and down the rocks throwing water on the fire and actually kept it contained relatively well... and I stood nearby and had my bucket ready to assist if necessary too of course :)
The reason it started was not because of the dry ground and overly hot sun, but actually someone was initially attempting to burn things on their own. Hot day. Lack of rain. Very dry ground. Bad decision. It could have been SO much worse, and it was not easy to get the fire out. A few more feet and it would have been heading toward our houses via a wooden fence- really fast. And I would have been running to gather a few of our belongings before hitting the hills! Counting our blessings <3
 |
| Our house after I went running out as it filled with smoke... there were few clouds in the sky today, so yeah... the white around it... not clouds. |
 |
| The first time I ran down it was burning off in the distance a little bit, but the smoke was already way intense and I could tell it was moving pretty quickly |
 |
| A few minutes later when I ran back down I saw just how quickly... |
 |
| At this point we were anxiously waiting for the firemen to return as the fire came within a couple feet of the wooden fence that would have been really rather disastrous if it caught on fire and made the problem SO much worse... they arrived in time and other than smokey houses, none of us had any actual property damage. |
Definitely was not an ordinary day and being from Michigan- I have never experienced a fast spreading brush fire before... thankful that my first experience ended with no major damage done and simply a good story to tell!
Oh, and so my streak of being the crazy, white girl running up and down the street gathering the troops for some crazy event continues... reality tv ain't got nothing on our life here in Grenada :)
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Ohh, the things I find in my washing machine
Remember when I thought finding a centipede in the washer was bad?
Well, today in the washer I found a dead mouse.
That's a new low.
He might have been small, but he sure did smell something terrible.
And now I'll have the heebie jeebies for the rest of the day.
A big thanks to our neighbor Dan for being on mouse removal duty while I sat on the counter top incase he magically came back to life or had more friends.
What is it about our washing machine? I will forever look twice before running a load of laundry.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
An unexpected house guest
Only in Grenada do you wake up to go the bathroom and blow your nose in the middle of the night and end up with a frog in your lap!!
To make matters more exciting, the bathroom was dark, I didn't have my glasses on, and I was extra groggy from medication that I took before bed to hopefully help me kick this nasty cold I've come down with.
So needless to say I was very taken aback when I felt something slimy land in my lap and make its way to my foot. It took me a second before I realized it was some kind of creature and hopped up super fast kicking and flailing for the light switch. Now we already have 2 other lovely house guests (Mr. Mouse and Mr. Lizard) so I was half expecting it to be one of them, and was actually somewhat pleased that it was only a frog. Yeah... only a frog!? This is Grenada. As soon as I realized it was a frog I quickly (and in somewhat of a panic) trapped him under a cup, so for several moments I stood there staring at it, half thinking "hey, good enough Nick will handle it in the morning." But, being the grown woman that I am, and realizing I was more than capable of handling such a crisis I did get Mr. Frog outside safely without making too much of a ruckus.
It was nice to meet you Mr. Frog, but please don't sneak up on me again like that in the middle of the night, and please inform your friends that we aren't a holiday inn for frogs, lizards, and mice.
I've said it before, and I am sure I will say it many more times during our time here in Grenada, but seriously never a dull moment. And on that note, back to bed I go- hopefully it will be a little less eventful this time around ;)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Independence Day Celebration Limes Style-- With lots of Videos!
We continued the Independence Day celebration with the children at Limes today. We had so much fun! Many of the SOs made rice krispie treats in Grenadian colors which was super fun and of course the kids loved them! We played lots of games, colored Grenadian flags, and even got a performance from a few of the girls who sang us some songs! One of the songs was the Grenadian National Anthem so that was awesome and so fun! It's a little loud and hard to hear at times so I posted the words to go with it :) They also include the Grenadian pledge of allegiance afterwards! (ps- I missed the first couple words in the video).
Grenadian National Anthem/Pledge of Allegiance
Hail Grenada, land of Ours-We pledge ourselves to thee-Heads, hearts and hands in unity -To reach our destiny-Ever conscious of God-Being proud of our heritage-May we with faith and courage -Aspire, build, advance-As one people, one family- God bless our nation.
I pledge allegiance to the Flag,
and to the country for which it stands, with liberty, justice and equality for all. I pledge also to defend and uphold the Honor, Dignity, the Laws and Institutions of my country.
The little ones also sang a song for me so I'll post that too! Don't you just love their little voices? I think they were still hopped up on sugar from Independence Day yesterday because they had SO much energy today and were extra silly!
Justin Bieber "Baby, Baby" Grenadian Style! In my opinion it's better than the original ;) ! Love them!
Another fun and successful day at Limes. These kids never fail to make me smile and make my heart very happy <3
Sidenote/TIG(this is Grenada) moment of the day-- Today, I was getting ready to cook something so as usual I opened the oven, lit it, and was preparing to close it to give it a couple minutes to warm up. Normal and logical course of action right? Well, this is Grenada after all and there is no such thing as a dull moment, so instead of closing the oven and continuing on with my day, I just about had the oven closed and BOOM- big explosion and tons of flames shoot out of the bottom of the oven!! I've never seen such a thing- the flames probably came out about 2 feet or maybe a little more from the bottom of the oven. (No worries, I wasn't injured.) After turning off the oven and peeking inside to make sure there wasn't a fire inside it or something, I inspected my feet and legs and I have a few semi-sore/tiny blistered toes, but otherwise I just dusted off burnt hairs from my feet and legs.... that's one way to avoid needing to shave eh? Oh, and it was a good excuse not to cook and just get a chicken wrap on campus. Tomorrow, I will further investigate the situation. TIG.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Officially in Grenada!!!
Well, it is official-- Nick left again for Grenada to start Term 2 of medical school on January 4, 2012 and this time I did not have to stay behind at home!! We have been here for several days and have almost completely settled in. The key word here however, is almost. I have quickly learned why the phrase TIG or "This is Grenada" is so commonly used. I obviously heard Nick say it a million times last term, and would even chime in myself and say it when he was telling me a story about something that happened to him or a friend, but living here gives TIG an entirely different meaning!
Here are a few of our TIG moments in our first couple of days:
- The first night we arrived there were hundreds of little, tiny bugs running around on the counter top in the kitchen. It was late, so although really kinda gross, we were exhausted and decided to just deal with it in the morning. However, when we woke up and they were gone and we have not seen them since. We told a few people about them who live near us and have come to find out these mysterious bugs appear once a month at night and disappear in the morning routinely. Sure, that makes sense? TIG.
- On the first night we got a first hand experience of what happens when you do not convert electricity correctly. We bought this little adapter gadget thing at Brookstone back home and were SO excited to use it. So as we are unpacking we decide to plug in the little fan I brought with me to help pull some fresh air inside. Well, Nick grabs the adapter and plugs in the fan and a few minutes later I'm looking at it and saying "Nick I think something smells funny" so he comes in the room and notices that it is smoking and the next we know it sparks and dies. Adios fan. Turns out our wonderful little gadget was ONLY an adapter, not an adapter AND a step down transformer. Good to know! TIG (Appliance #1 broken.)
- Nick was taking a shower and all of a sudden we hear a loud snap/pop noise, like something had exploded. Sure enough something had indeed, and this time it was the shower heater. The TIG moment... the water heater is all ghetto-rigged up INSIDE the shower. So, after the loud noise, a decent amount of smoke and a horrible burning smell, there was no more water heater due to it getting wet during Nick's shower (because you know, putting a water heater inside a shower is a very dry and safe place). So, showers are a bit more exciting here... luckily, we are so hot during the day we don't really want warm water anyways! Cold showers for the win. TIG. (Appliance # 2 broken.)
- A few hours after the shower explodes we hear a really loud, high pitched sound coming from somewhere in the house. We look around and can't find anything. I was convinced the house was about to go up in flames and suggested we just "run and get out"... but luckily Nick was a little more level headed and discovered that the source of the loud sound = a cricket who had found its way inside... TIG.
- Today, we find a transformer under the sink and are all super excited because this will allow us to use more american style plugs! So, naturally, I go to plug in a surge strip and BAM, loud noise, a spark, and the surge strip is dead. Nice. Just when we thought we were getting the hang of it. (Applicance # 3 broken).
So, needless to say it has been an exciting first couple of days on the island! Ace hardware (which yes, does exist on the island!) has been our best friend, and the workers there have been extraordinarily helpful and haven't laughed at us too much. After killing 3 appliances, including a transformer, we splurged on a larger 750 watt transformer and have since had no problems! Although, I must admit I have become a transformer nazi and am constantly saying "what's the voltage?" "how many watts?" and "please unplug everything else before you use that".... ya know "just to be safe". How long till those phrases get super old to Nick? haha TIG. On the plus side- I now know much more about electrical stuff than I ever thought I would. Every day/hour here is a learning experience!
Here are a few of our TIG moments in our first couple of days:
- The first night we arrived there were hundreds of little, tiny bugs running around on the counter top in the kitchen. It was late, so although really kinda gross, we were exhausted and decided to just deal with it in the morning. However, when we woke up and they were gone and we have not seen them since. We told a few people about them who live near us and have come to find out these mysterious bugs appear once a month at night and disappear in the morning routinely. Sure, that makes sense? TIG.
- On the first night we got a first hand experience of what happens when you do not convert electricity correctly. We bought this little adapter gadget thing at Brookstone back home and were SO excited to use it. So as we are unpacking we decide to plug in the little fan I brought with me to help pull some fresh air inside. Well, Nick grabs the adapter and plugs in the fan and a few minutes later I'm looking at it and saying "Nick I think something smells funny" so he comes in the room and notices that it is smoking and the next we know it sparks and dies. Adios fan. Turns out our wonderful little gadget was ONLY an adapter, not an adapter AND a step down transformer. Good to know! TIG (Appliance #1 broken.)
- Nick was taking a shower and all of a sudden we hear a loud snap/pop noise, like something had exploded. Sure enough something had indeed, and this time it was the shower heater. The TIG moment... the water heater is all ghetto-rigged up INSIDE the shower. So, after the loud noise, a decent amount of smoke and a horrible burning smell, there was no more water heater due to it getting wet during Nick's shower (because you know, putting a water heater inside a shower is a very dry and safe place). So, showers are a bit more exciting here... luckily, we are so hot during the day we don't really want warm water anyways! Cold showers for the win. TIG. (Appliance # 2 broken.)
- A few hours after the shower explodes we hear a really loud, high pitched sound coming from somewhere in the house. We look around and can't find anything. I was convinced the house was about to go up in flames and suggested we just "run and get out"... but luckily Nick was a little more level headed and discovered that the source of the loud sound = a cricket who had found its way inside... TIG.
- Today, we find a transformer under the sink and are all super excited because this will allow us to use more american style plugs! So, naturally, I go to plug in a surge strip and BAM, loud noise, a spark, and the surge strip is dead. Nice. Just when we thought we were getting the hang of it. (Applicance # 3 broken).
So, needless to say it has been an exciting first couple of days on the island! Ace hardware (which yes, does exist on the island!) has been our best friend, and the workers there have been extraordinarily helpful and haven't laughed at us too much. After killing 3 appliances, including a transformer, we splurged on a larger 750 watt transformer and have since had no problems! Although, I must admit I have become a transformer nazi and am constantly saying "what's the voltage?" "how many watts?" and "please unplug everything else before you use that".... ya know "just to be safe". How long till those phrases get super old to Nick? haha TIG. On the plus side- I now know much more about electrical stuff than I ever thought I would. Every day/hour here is a learning experience!
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