08.10.06,
where did the time go? it has been almost 2 months since i landed here. intially, the pace was relaxed. and by toronto standards, it still is. but with the arrival of lois, che, willow, irma & shadow - this thursday night. suddenly, someone hit the fast-forward button.
i marvel at how much longer tasks can take to be completed. how long does it take to open a chequing account? 6-12 months is the policy... unless you have 5 figures of funds to deposit. then a credit history will do nicely. how long does it take to extend one's stay in antigua? 3-4 hours waiting... oh and $150 EC will get you 3 more months. how long does it take to get the permit to allow shadow (our cat) into the country? first, months in canada. then half the day as i super-sleuth across the island looking for the island's head vet office. and the big question: what does it take to get one's personal possessions out of customs? i won't get into that one, right now.
reality check? indeed. but i could not expect to make this transition without a few hiccups. if it were easy to trek part-way around the world to live, everybody would be doing it. the swiss family robinson had to build a treehouse. us? we have to hack through a modern day jungle. and that jungle is BUREAUCRACY. not just from the antiguan government. canada has made things pretty challenging too. i have a new-found respect for those who make it into canada.
in case you haven't seen my motivators for these antiguan adventures, (i haven't seen them for months), take a look at che & his little sister, willow. my other motivator is behind the camera, getting pretty good with it, i might add. this photo was emailed to me last week.
i have begun to acquire an antiguan, surrogate family which will merge with my canadian family. barber the goat is a real icebreaker. the small mob of wonderful children here love the goat. they come by to feed barber, who is happy for the attention. arnie the dog is also the pup who loves to play. st clair is my right-hand man. feel free to pass along a message to st clair. he just turned 7, years old.
i built a nice little compound for barber billy goat & arnie the puppy. it is 12 ft X 12 ft square of fencing w/ a house that allows goat up top to escape arnie's rough-housing. we go on a hike (a couple kms every day) much to some people's entertainment. i guess the white guy with the pet goat is a bit of a novelty. although there are lots of goats running around, they aren't really considered pets. i suppose it would be like a guy walking around with a racoon dawdling along. (but then again, i'm sure there's a law against that.)
here are some cool little facts:
FACT 1: many antiguans are old-school in titles. i am often introduced to MRS. or MISS.
FACT 2: arnie the dog likes pancakes for breakfast. flattened TOAD pancakes off the road.
FACT 3: want to be appreciated by neighbours? fill a couple street potholes w/ cement.
FACT 4: eric clapton has a private drug rehab clinic on his property on the island.
FACT 5: wear shoes at night, you don't want to step on a big, fat, furry tarantula.
FACT 6: people sing here. out loud. uninhibited. i love it.
photos described:
- west coast, from the same hill i found barber billy goat (top).
- brianna, st clar & barber.
- large church in downtown st john's (island capital city.
- travanté & arnie the puppy.
- neighbour's home.
- me (sweating from the hike) at an abandoned construction site on top of a hill.
