Powderpuff && Dodge ball

SGU IEA hosted a Powderpuff football tournament for the first time this term- so naturally Nick's foobtall team (and their fabulous cheerleaders) had to put together a team! We had SO many players that we actually ended up being forced into breaking it up into 2 teams! At first we were bummed that we had to split up our fabulous gang, but in the end it worked out because we were all able to play a lot more this way. We thought the tourney would only last a couple hours and we'd just play a few games... well 8 hours in the beating sun and 6 games later... the tournament was over! Our team played great and went into the finals undefeated but unfortunately lost in the final game.

What an exhausting, but incredibly fun filled day! We had hardly eaten and did not drink nearly enough water (as we didn't expect it to last all day- we were severely unprepared.)  Nick actually ended up super dehydrated and sick (and most likely suffered from hypoglycemic shock) which was horribly scarey! What can I say? Powderpuff is hardcore!!! And... I could literally not move for a week afterward. Go Free Agents (and gals!)

Another fun event was the dodge ball tournament. Nick and the football boys have played in previous terms and have always been competitive, but this term they went in with 2 goals: 1)win the costume contest and 2)win the tournament. Nothing less.

After discussing what their costume should be continuously the week prior- they decided to paint their faces like the KISS Band members and wear white shirts that said "Kiss This" on it. It was pretty cute watching 10 guys carefully painting each others faces before hand. I am happy to report- they successfully accomplished BOTH goals! They won the costume contest AND tournament! It was so, so, so fun and nothing short of ridiculously competitive!

Friday Traditions

Last term Nick and his friends started a tradition of jumping of the cliff on the backside of campus every Friday after class.  They would normally go sometime around 5pm which allowed them to also watch the beautiful sunset at the same time. Talk about a great way to unwind after a week of classes and studying, and it is a chance for them to actually enjoy a bit of life on the island outside of science hall (or more commonly referred to as dry lab). When I visited last term I was able to join in the fun and it was one of my favorite things about my visit to Grenada- and I couldn't wait to do it again! Well, this Friday marked the first Friday of term 2 and I am happy to report that the tradition lives on, and now I get to be a regular participant!! :) The water was pretty rough, which added an exciting element to the whole getting out of the water part...sigh, I still can't do  it on my own (Nick has to pull me out) but I am getting closer... a few more pushups and maybe I'll be good to go... oh wait, I suck at pushups. Oh well, I think he likes helping me out anyways, it shows off how strong and manly he is ;)

It's what he looks forward to all week! A chance to let loose and unwind with friends- and it is much deserved :)

It's so fun! Just one of the many things I love about being in Grenada!

Also, to fill everyone in on our centipede (the one I found in the laundry) extravaganza... it turns out the little bugger did not drown in the washing machine after all!! I thought he was dead because I checked on him in a very OCD manner all day waiting for Nick to get home and dispose of him and he had never moved. However, when Nick got home I opened the washing machine and had a slight freakout when I notice that this time, he had moved!!!!  Luckily, he was still in the washing machine and Nick set out to get him. He wanted to reach in with just a paper towel, but thanks to our neighbor (who I had of course shared the story of the centipede with earlier in the day) I had been warned NOT to do that. I insisted he use our grilling tongs instead, and boy was he happy I had been so insistant! The little bugger was feisty and the sting from him surely would have been unpleasant. Once in the street, Nick stomped on him and we stood around enjoying our victory and then... he started to move again! Lesson learned- centipedes do not die! Don't be fooled! We did finish him off eventually and left him in the street as a warning to any other centipedes who may think they are welcome guests at our house.

It's a man's job to get the centipedes out of the washing machine.
Ps- we just got back from cliff jumping- he isn't like super sweaty or anything lol

It's aliiiiiveeee!!!! Come on--How nasty are centipedes? Yuck!

Look at those pincher/stabber things on this guy!!! That sting would hurt just a bit... Yikes, scare me!

Hashing! On-on!

Nick, Jessica, Mark, and I officially completed our first hash! Hashing is a hike that takes place somewhere on the island, where hundreds of people (locals, students, visitors, and children) all participate.  It is a huge event, that takes place world-wide! We were very excited to be able to participate in our first hash, and the experience did not disappoint! Every aspect of hashing was pretty awesome.  There is no way that I can even begin to describe how amazing and fun of an experience that is in this blog post, so the best thing I can say is to go out and experience it for yourself. You will not regret it.

Nick and I started out our first hashing experience in a rather unique way.  We have not yet mastered the bus schedule here so we missed the 12:45pm bus and much to our dismay realized the next bus would not be arriving until 2:00 pm.  This was very unfortunate because we were supposed to meet the group in downtown St. George at 1:30 to head to the hash.... so that being said, we really had one option... to walk.  In our minds, while this was not ideal, it was not overly hard either. We'd walked to our friend's house, which was on the way, so we figured we could make it and still get to downtown on time. Well, let me just say it was NOT a short walk. It was around 4-5 miles (from the University Club in Lance Aux Epines to the the Texico for those of you on the island!), in blistering sun and heat. nice. Nothing like a 4-5 mile walk before hashing-- nice little warm up! We were super worried we would miss the bus in downtown but luckily Grenada time worked in our favor and we made it!!

The hash that we participated took place in St. Marks, which is one of the highest points on the island.  Although, the drive was long (over an hour) it was worth it, and it was fun to be able to see different towns and parts of the ocean along the way.  We lucked into grabbing a van with some wonderful British people because they had extra space and saved us from the side of the road where we were desperately trying to catch a bus to the hash! The starting point on the hash was unbelievably gorgeous!! The hike itself was about 1.5 hours long, and you  may chose to either run or walk.  We chose to walk, and I was really glad we did. 1) because this girl is NOT in running shape, and 2) because it allowed us to go at our own pace and stop and take pictures and enjoy the scenery whenever we wanted! The way hashing works is that after you decide which trail you wish to follow (the walkers trail or runners trail) then you follow piles of shredded paper that point you in the right direction. Piles of shredded paper mean you are going the right way, a circle of paper means there are several different trails and you have to find the right one by picking a trail and hoping you can go about 10 piles of paper without finding a paper X meaning you went the wrong way and need retrace your steps back to the circle to try another path.  It's really fun, I'll post a link at the end of this that will break down the rules a little more! Upon finishing the hash, you end up back at the starting point, where there are tents filled with food, drinks, and basically an after party! It was really very, very cool! 

This link describes hashing and the rules, so if you like hiking take a look! It is a great way to explore the island (or any place you are visiting that participates in hashing! Seriously, it is world-wide, and something I will def look into when I travel from now on)  http://grenadahash.com/hash-faqs

View from the has starting point

Pretty eh?

The 4 hashing champs

Fresh Coca

Climbing up some big rocks! 

Cool!

Bamboo!

Pretty!!

We successfully completed our 1st hash!