Aiden- A Cuso Kid: Grenada week 1

We left for our aunt ceilidh’s house at noon on August 31. We had lots of fun swimming in the pool and watching the Saskatchewan rough riders play Winnipeg blue bombers and it was a close game but the riders won!!!!!! During halftime we had a Chinese dinner (my favourite dinner it was yummy)! At 7:30 pm we left for Pearson airport in Toronto. When we got there we put our bags on the scale. The luggage guy noted a problem one of the bags. It was ripped well dad got it fixed we checked the big bag. mom Owen and I got through customs just fine but dad had to declare our money once that was sorted out we got to our terminal we all had Gravol to make us sleep but when Owen swallowed his I couldn’t so I ate it I got sleepy very quickly. Our flight departed at 11:30 pm. I only got about one and a half hours of sleep but normally I get ten hours of sleep it was an exhausting 5 and a half hour flight (granted I was up at 6:00 am on the 31^st) when we arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on September the 1^st we watched the sun rise over the hills in Trinidad and Tobago it was amazing. Soon after we got on the smaller plane to Granada. After a forty five minute flight we arrived in Granada when we got in the airport and got through customs we picked our bags up just when the power went out. We met Samuel my mom’s CUSO in country representative after we loaded our luggage he drove us to our new house somewhere up the hill across from the gas guy (none of the houses have an address).

When we went to get our uniforms from the school, we met our principal and my French & Spanish teacher Senior Rene. Sadly the school did not have the uniform my size, so we had to go and buy the uniforms elsewhere. We tried two stores before we found my uniform. Then we had to go upstairs to get it tailored because the pants were so baggy I could fit two people in them. After that we finally went home, but sadly we did not make it to the beach.

On the first day of school I met my teacher and classmates and had Senior Rene come in for Spanish. I couldn’t believe it but they gave us all a test on the first day of school. The Ministry of Education required a test on English and Math. I think I did well.

Sfter school we went down to Grand Anse beach. We took a city bus, but not any ordinary bus. It was a crazy bus, it could fit four people wide and three or four rows deep. After a 25 minute swim we walked down to a restaurant called Umbrellas. I had a delicious catch of the day sandwich which was Mahi Mahi, bacon, lettuce and tomato. It was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had.

The we walked up toward the Spiceland Mall where we saw lots of crabs. The crabs were red and they were coming in and out of holes in the ground. After a short grocery shopping trip we caught a bus back home. To get home you have to walk up a big hill.

On the second day of school I got voted form president. I am in form one which is equivalent to grade seven, but here it is the first year of high school. There are nine kids in my class. I don’t mind wearing my uniform.

We have gone to the beach every day after school except for the first day. Yesterday Owen, mom and I went to a beach ten minutes walk from our house, where there was a reef. So we went snorkeling. It was a lot of fun but Owen had a lot of trouble getting over the reef, but I am pretty sure he had a good time.

ON Friday nights you will not fall asleep easily until after one in the morning, because that is when the party music starts winding down. Luckily I had practice because the bar across the street plays music every night, just not as loud as Friday night! I had to sleep in my mom and dad’s room because it is at the back of the house not the front of the house like my room. Then they kicked me out when they went to bed.

I woke up at 4:30 a.m. because it was raining so hard I thought there was a hurricane. So I woke my mom up to tell her, but she said it was just the rain. And I am sure she fell asleep eventually because I did!

Today I caught a ride with Derek, from across the street to the market. Dad I went to the everything market. It smelled really, really good. They had Grenada chocolate, but we didn’t buy any. On the way back we walked around the bay and saw lot of crabs and little fish. We also saw a puffer fish. I named him Steve. When we scared some crabs they shot water out of their eyes.

I am working on a Lego yacht. We got to bring some Lego with us. The reason I chose to do a yacht is outside in the marina, there is a huge yacht.