Today's route via Cayley: http://runkeeper.com/user/cayley/route
So I decided I would start tracking my progress publicly to keep me accountable. The more people I tell "I'm running a marathon in November", the more likely I am to stick to my schedule and do it. While I do consider myself to be pretty self-motivated, it would not be difficult to say "its too damn hot to run today"... September is supposed to be Grenada's hottest month, and I think both Cayley and I can attest to that truth! I do feel that in the almost-month we have been here, my endurance has drastically improved in this weather.
Our weekend: So we had another "date night" on Friday- Pat was only at school until 7pm (instead of 11 or 12) and we met up and went to dinner and a movie. With him being gone 18 hours a day during the week, I appreciate these moments immensely.
Saturday I went hashing again... I also had an emotional breakdown regarding a dog: We get to Apres Tout, about 45 minuets from where we live, and we enter a typical 'third-world-country' neighborhood- shack houses with tin roofs that may or may not have running water. While we're all standing around and getting ready to run, an English man comes up to our group and asks if anyone is looking to adopt a dog and if so we should check out the stray under the deck around the corner. Of course I jump at the chance to play with a puppy and Pat and I had already discussed that at some point we would like to get a dog, so why not now? I head around the corner of the building and a tiny, black puppy is cowering under the deck. She is completely emaciated and very, very timid. I am in love. She couldn't have been more than a few months old and I could count every rib in her body. By now there is a small crowd of us and some people are asking if anyone would take her home. Another woman introduces me to her dog and says she was found in the same condition and now she's big and healthy and so this dog deserves the same. I decide I'm taking her. I have yet to let Pat know but I know he is sensitive and wouldn't be mad once he saw her. We tie her up, go on the run and the whole time I am hoping she is still there when we get back. As we're about to leave for the evening, I head over and pick her up. She is adorably sweet and rests her head on my shoulders. I begin to stand up with her when an older, Grenadian man walks over and tries to tell me he thinks this is his sisters dog. He is very confused and I'm having a hard time understanding him, much less explaining that I was directly told "the owner dropped her off here and abandoned her". I decide to start walking and am surprised to realize he is still following me. Looking back, I should have just walked all the way to the car and left right then, but we stayed and tried to respectfully explain to this man that this was nobodies dog. Suddenly I look up and I feel like half the town is surrounding me. The same men that told me earlier she didn't belong to anyone are now siding with this confused, older man with dread locks. By now I am angry and begin arguing that clearly no one is feeding this dog, and I was told she doesn't belong to anyone. When we hear mention of the police the group decides not to push our luck (looking back I realize that was probably just a threat; the police in Grenada rarely respond to real emergencies, much less something like this) and I begrudgingly set the dog down and walk away in tears.
Things that I learned from this experience: 1) I have an irrational emotional attachment to animals I don't know, 2) Grenadians are very possessive of things even if they do not outwardly take care of them, 3) don't get involved with the police in another country (images from "locked up abroad" come to mind) 4) I should have listened to the English man and discretely hid her before we left on our run. 5) different cultures view animals differently then I was raised to view them.
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| Everyone about to start the Hash- photo courtesy of "Grenada Hash House Harriers" |
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| Cayley(front) and me coming out of the forest |
So Sunday I am still sulking and begin planning ways to get to Apres Tout.
Later we meet up with a two other couples so that Pat can study and I can gossip with the girls. It's a pretty decent arrangement for me :)
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| Not a bad Sunday |
Tuesday: Limes started! Limes is an after school program for kids as young as 2 and the volunteers help with homework, playing, and giving them much needed attention. They are incredibly fun, energetic and outgoing! I went Tuesday and Thursday this week and I think I plan to be on that schedule as long as I am in Grenada. Between that and the hospital on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, I feel pretty productive and involved.
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| Outside St. Augustine's Medical Clinic |
Without a doubt, September is miserable here! We kept being told that the fall semester is the rainy season, but I feel like we've barely had any rain to cool things down. I find it so helpful that we're running together. There are days (especially with this heat) that I would absolutely talk myself out of going if I didn't know you were waiting for me!
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