… and that’s why, any time we visit with friends, we make plans for our next visit before leaving. Unfortunately, when the visit relies on one-thousand dollars for transportation per person, setting up future plans is difficult. That being said, saying goodbye to Mom after one week was especially difficult. Although, we would like to extend a cyber-“thank you” for all she did for us during that very hectic first week.
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| Mom as she was entering security to board the plane back home |
On Mom’s last day (Saturday), we went to Excel Plaza, where the theater is located, and poked around some of the stores. Aside from another small market where Mom was able to pick up some more spices, it was uneventful. We did, however, receive some advice from one of the shopkeepers to visit a grocery store in Grand Anse called Food Fair (Ivan and I now refer to it as Food Fart, but not because of the quality—it’s a nice store—because we can never remember the “Fair” part and Food Fart is easy to remember). Taking his suggestion, we walked down (by “down” I mean we moved along a sloping grade, not south, because I still can’t say where south is) to the shopping center. We bought a few groceries and toured the center. There we found an ice cream vendor and each got a cone. They were out of nutmeg, so Mom got a coffee flavor, I got rum and raisins (de-lish!) and Ivan got a flavor called “power.” The ice cream was a very soft brown color, like coffee with a double serving of cream. He asked the server what the flavor was and her response was “Guinness” (mind you, Guinness and Carib are about the most popular beers around here). Never the timid one, Ivan chose beer for dessert. Naturally I tried it. And it absolutely tasted like Guinness (I know, I hate the stuff). I can honestly say that the ice cream was tolerable, though I may not choose it for myself; if it were offered to me, I may not smack it away as I might a bottle of Guinness. On the other hand, Ivan seemed to greatly enjoy it.
The very cool shopping center attached to the Food Fart also had an oasis, as it were. I’m not entirely sure what else to call it. In the middle of the shops, where one might find a fountain littered with wishing coins, was a raised area with a goldfish pond, bridge and palm trees. Sounds like an oasis, right? It even had a coin-operated fish food dispenser (oases also have fish food dispensers, right?).
What I’m going to miss now that Mom’s gone: my cook, I don’t mind cooking, but I mind being cooked for even less; coffee ready when I wake up, nothing is as nice as a piping hot mug of coffee first thing in the morning, I hate waking up to a cold kettle and empty French press; the comedy, humor is never sparse when Mom is home; the company, it was kind of fun walking to three different shops to buy groceries and come home just to realize you barely got enough to get you through the day; someone who’s willing to do anything to make your adjustment a little easier, don’t think I didn’t notice, Mom, you’re always thinking of someone else.
:)
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