There was a lot of drama here for me lately. Thankfully I have gotten myself out of a bad situation and I hope, no, I know that everything will be much better now. Or, at least it better be. After the hell I’ve been through, certainly I must deserve some good things! I’m looking forward to a new chapter here and seeing this place in a whole new light.
I won’t say too much, but I will tell you this. I came to my new place last Wednesday evening amid all kinds of turmoil. I knew I had come to a good place because when I got there someone was there who hugged me and said can I make you a cup of tea?
Isn’t it funny how something as simple as a cup of tea can soothe you? I think it’s because I was raised drinking tea. I often went to my Opa & Oma’s house for afternoon tea (and cookies of course). And how many times these last few years have I been freezing in my old house and made a nice hot cup of tea to warm me up?
I’ve decided that anyone who offers you a cup of tea is a good person. Because good people, they drink tea. So, I’m drinking my tea and everything is OK. And it’s going to continue to be OK...as long as there’s tea anyway!
A lesson in humility
Last week when my life here was quite a mess I learned a new lesson in compassion. I hadn’t had running water in my home for 5 days. I wasn’t able to wash my body properly or wash my clothes properly. And it’s hot here so I sweat a lot. For a few days last week I was humbled to come to work with my clothes a bit disheveled and not smelling very nice, and my person not smelling very nice either. Because the situation was out of my control I was suddenly struck to think about all of those people that are in situations that are not within their control. People who maybe want their situation to be better but they can’t see how to make it better or they don’t have the means to make it better. There are a lot of people here in Suriname like that. Women especially. Many are uneducated or undereducated. They are dependent on men to support them and their many children. They go from one bad relationship to the next simply for the survival of themselves and their children. They are trapped in a cycle that must feel overwhelming to try to escape. I have always felt blessed to have been born in Canada and into the family that I have. While you can feel blessed to have these things, you appreciate it on a whole other level when you come to KNOW just how lucky you are.
Bailey’s & Coffee
I went out for a posh dinner with some friends the other night. And by posh, I mean posh by Suriname standards. So think Earl's in Canada and you get the idea. After all the drama I figured I deserved to splurge a little. It was a beautiful place along the water a bit away from the heart of the city so it was wonderfully quiet there. With the nice breeze from the water, it was heaven. The restaurant is owned by a Dutch man. He invited my friends there because they helped care for his daughter when she was in the hospital. He was very kind and told us our drinks and dessert was on the house – a very nice treat! While we were sitting, one of the girls said to me, you’re always so positive. With all the bad things that happened, you still manage to make things positive. I think that’s the nicest thing I’ve heard said about me in ages because I haven’t felt very positive lately. I’ve felt mostly negative and it’s something that has been wearing me down. So I guess maybe I’m not as positive as I usually am, but I’m still more positive than others might have been in my situation. These days, that’s enough for me!
By the way, sometimes it’s the little things in life. I have been dying for a decent cup of coffee. Mostly it’s instant here and instant isn’t coffee in my books, it’s just gross. Anyway I saw coffee & Bailey’s on the menu at the restaurant and thought I have to at least try. It was so delicious. It was the second best coffee & Bailey’s I have had. The best being in Seattle where the bartender hand whisked the whip cream for me. I’m still sad he turned down my marriage proposal but ah well!
Christa enjoys dessert
Coffee & Bailey’s – now that’s dessert!!
New Friends...Christa and Mariel
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