10,000 cookies

Today Amber and I cooked 10,000 cookies. Ok not really 10,000 but we sure cooked a lot. And by cooked I mean baked. Apparently cooked is the wrong word to use. I learned that today too.

Since students are all busy studying and taking exams there's not much for us to do on campus. Not very many people to find sitting around to talk to. Even meeting with my girls is a bit more of a challenge. So Amber and I got creative and decided to spend a morning baking cookies and then deliver them to a bunch of girls we know who live closer to our apartment.

We made 4 types of cookies and came up with a great list of people to encourage with our cookies. I say encouraged because they are edible and delicious if I may say so myself. We made chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin (my favorite), snicker doodles and peanut butter cookies. Basically we were mixing and measuring all morning. Thanks to our oven not working we used the boys and therefore got some good exercise running back and forth too. :-p

For all you taking exams: Persevere!! it will be over before you know it.

Beautiful Creation + me + a camera =

I took my camera to campus one day and the following is what resulted:

frangipani cluster from the pathway

This is a flower in our backyard.

water hyacinth and water lilies

from our backyard too
look at the pattern

Antidotes

The Asian Palm (like Palm Tree)
Wednesday was stint girls night out and we decided to go to a Chinese/Thai restaurant in Speightstown! We found it ok after getting off the bus 1 stop early and asking a little old man on the street. The food was pretty good. The Thai Green Curry was by far my favorite. surprised? you shouldn't be. My heart melts for coconut milk and curry. We dined on the balcony overlooking the little street. The weather was wonderful until the very end when it began to sprinkle, but that was ok because we were leaving. Of course we pay and get out onto the street and it's sprinkling a bit harder but we figure we're still ok and head for the bus stop. It starts down pouring and we begin sprinting for the closest cover which happens to be a bus stop...but the wrong side of the road. We chill under the bus stop and it finally slows down enough for us to walk to the next bus stop going the right direction. Of course as soon as we step on the bus the rain ends. Yes it only rained for 20 minutes while we were in transit!

the Shack
Friday after Servant leadership Meeting we were waiting for someone to leave campus and had a conversation about the shack by the cricket field.
Once we left campus we walked down the hill and ate at a little fish place/shack. Twas good. And the real meaning of shack was established.

Saturday Shopping with Kadia
For the first time since living in Barbados I went clothes shopping!! I'm getting in touch with my inner female. Kadia and I had a little shopping spree. I went with her because without her I would have NO idea where to find anything. It was quite the fun experience, complete with crazy clothing shops jam packed full of clothes and some neater ones, plus the great earrings you buy off the street. Cultural difference: you can only take 2 clothing items into the dressing room with you. It was a wonderful day of firsts; my favorite is still Kadia running to the ZR stop. :-)

Surfing

Something I've picked up over the past couple months is surfing. Matt (my twin) surfs and so I've been out w/ him a couple times in Florida but not that many and was never very excited about it. It was a lot of paddling for not a lot of wave. But my first experiences have served me well anyhow. At least I know how to carry a surf board.


Anyhow our downstairs neighbor, Amit, is into surfing and Stephen (CCC student) is into it so Jeffrey quickly got sucked into it since they are all inseparable. One of my main girls that I hang out with loves surfing too so I started going along for something to do, it got me to the beach, to hang out w/ Jessie and then because I enjoy it!


On Saturday we went to Drill Hall. The waves were small and choppy and the current was strong. I eventually came out and had almost drifted to the Hilton so I went ahead and walked over there anyhow. It's a nice looking hotel. Maybe one day when I'm rich and famous I'll stay there. :-P Later on I caught a ZR to Accra and bought a rash guard. I am officially dedicated, at some level, to surfing as monies have been spent. whoo hoo!


Amit has a wobble board which is supposed to help you learn to balance and simulate a similar feel to riding a board on a wave. Jeffrey taught me how to use it last weekend. It's so fun! I've gotten good enough to go around our little car park twice without falling off. It doesn't happen every time though. I am really going to miss the beautiful beaches here and the great waves, even though I can't half surf all that great. Good waves make it a lot easier.