Mawnin’, Mawnin’!

Good morning!   Living in a culture of less stress is one of the reasons we’re here…us and the many other ex-pats who call this home.  One the morals followed by everyone here actually decreases your stress …. and it’s simply by just by greeting every one you meet!  It’s very important to acknowledge those you are passing, greeting, or asking a question to……with either a version of ‘Good Morning’, ‘Good Afternoon (and BE sure it’s after noon!), Good Evening and Good Night are one and the same.  Saying ‘Good Night’ is the most difficult for me, because it doesn’t mean quite the same.  Often you hear the local responses as, “Mawnin’ Mawnin!” or “Okay”…sometimes “Alright”.   Whatever the verbage, it all means the same…”Hello, and have a great day”!  Just saying this and looking someone  face to face  really does help relieve any stress…it’s nice to always have someone saying something positive to you…no matter what time of day or wherever you are.  Mawnin’, Mawnin’ to you all!

Tropical Storm Prep…Candles, Batteries and Rum

Here comes Isaac!!

Experiencing what was to be my first Tropical Storm/Hurricane with the onset of Isaac was similar to planning a birthday party for my son.  Batteries, candles, cake,  and of course alcohol (a good option for the parents…not the kids).   Of course, the hurricane shutters were closed and locked, unfortunately not by us but by the condos which left us two days before Isaac was to hit without any breeze or light.  As it turned out, Isaac chose a different path and all we received were a couple of windy nights and intermittent rain showers, unlike those in the States.  Power came off and on, no more than it does any time during the week….something you should be aware of if you’re coming to live or visit the islands.  The real problem occurred AFTER the storm … and had nothing to do with it.  We (the condos in which we live) lost power for 6 days.  Now I know this is nothing compared to what people have gone through in Hurricane Katrina or the ice breaks in the winter, but it still is not a fun situation after about 12 hrs.  But, we survived by eating out each meal (costly!), having one battery fan to help with sleep, and using our Hurricane lantern and a myriad of candles for reading.  No internet, but luckily during the day we could plug our phones in at work and anxiously search FACEBOOK and emails on our Smart Phones in the evening.  Lots of drinking at our favorite beachside cafe helped too.  All in all it was an adventure….and certainly helped prepare me for the next REAL Hurricane!

Bar Time!

Isaac Morning After