Weekend Activities

Saturday after Independence Day was spent lazying around. I helped my host get ready for her Johnny Cake and BBQ at B&D. She usually spends all of her Saturday there.

I spent the afternoon reading at the Cove, a calmer side of the sea. I dipped in the water for about 20 minutes then read then went back in. There were a smattering of people around, but not as many as I would have expected for a Saturday afternoon, but I guess if you have almost 20 beaches to choose from, and this is not peak season, this is plenty.

On Saturday, I also felt homesick for the first time. It would have been right around the time my trip would have been wrapping up if I was on a short vacation. I missed my own space and my cozy bourgeois life in the Berks. I rushed to the grocery store in search of some Harvati, a ciabatta loaf and some Muscat, but I was not lucky 😦 I settled for some Apple-Smoked Gouda which was tasteless and some loaf of some kind. I need to venture out and do some shopping if I am to last here. Anyway, I also think reintroducing the Abilify has caused some balancing acts to take place in my brain.

Anyway, I went to bed and woke up right-side up on Sunday. I went to St. Gerard’s, the only Catholic Church on the island. It was a lovely service. The priest preached about the song: Don’t Worry; Be Happy, and how Jesus asks us to take on his yoke because it is lighter but most often we choose to be Atlas. Very clever take on the Gospel. It’s a Divine Word missionaries church so I was excited to visit. That was who raised my sister and I when we were growing up in Ghana. Almost every song we sang was the exact same tune to the ones we used to sing back in Ghana. It was great!

I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon watching the John T. Memorial Cycling Race. About 36 cyclists did three rounds of the island before coming in to roost in The Valley. The excitement was palpable with scores of people lined up at various intersections to cheer the riders. I believe a rider from St. Martin came first. In its 15 years, I hear Anguilla is yet to win it.

I spent the evening getting drinks with my two Bay Area friends at Smokeys and Straw Hat. I will really miss them when they leave on Tuesday. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy their company. Now, I’m off to Blanchards Beach Shack with them to have some tacos with an island twist.