it’s a few minutes before 11pm here in Nevis and i woke up in bed wide awake almost two hours ago. after tossing and turning for far too long, i padded quietly downstairs and left Jonathan to snooze in peace. i am sitting with my legs tucked under the coffee table and the laptop plugged into the nearby modem.

so, we obviously arrived safe! but we are not yet in my new home! Tessa (my landlady) met us at the airport and claimed a few things weren’t ready with the house: the phone line was being worked on and the new furniture hadn’t yet arrived. she has put us up in her “executive suite” in downtown Charlestown for the night (or two?) instead. we’re hoping the rest of the furniture will arrive by midday tomorrow and are looking forward to actually unloading the rental car then.

but let me back up a bit…

our layover in San Juan was the longest one yet. i think it also felt longer because we were ready to hurry up and BE THERE. the weather seemed a bit muggy, but not overwhelmingly hot. the tiny plane left a little to be desired in cleanliness and sturdiness, but was safe and not too wobbly. it actually reminded me a lot of the plane i took from Jo’burg to Livingstone in Africa a couple of months ago. i didn’t realize even more Zambian flashbacks were waiting in the wings.

after touching down in Nevis, we made it through the initial customs check and stood watching the luggage conveyor belt with hope and anticipation. all four of our checked suitcases made it fine and dandy (thank you, Baby Jesus!). but no bike. the porter helping us with our bags said it would probably arrive on a later flight in the next day or two. so i didn’t have much to do but file a report with American Airlines and cross my fingers.

our white Suzuki SUV rental was waiting for us in the parking lot, with keys and a temporary driving permit left at the airport counter for me. i pulled the truck around to the loading zone (being careful not to mix up the turning signals and windshield wiper on the right-hand drive) and we piled our bags inside. then we waited for Tessa to show.

and waited.

and waited.

okay, we didn’t wait that long. but we were tired and hungry (Jonathan is such a patient trooper) and it FELT long. then, when she finally arrived, we had the great news that we weren’t just hopping across the street to the house, but driving all the way around the island into town and staying at a place that is not The House. not the best news, but hey we’re flexible. no biggie, right?

and it really is no biggie. the apartment is lovely and clean. unfortunately, it is on the second (and third) storey of a large building in a rather noisy area of town. right now the frogs and crickets are competing with some sort of music DJ for our undivided attention. i think the DJ is winning. but the frogs are putting up a pretty darn good fight.

the fact that the apartment entry is narrow and at the top of a rather long flight of stairs resulted in the executive consultation (with Tessa regarding the safety of the area) and decision to leave our HEAVY overweight suitcases locked in the rental truck overnight. there was no way we wanted to lug them all the way upstairs just to bring them right back down again tomorrow morning. have i mentioned they are HEAVY? they even have bright orange stickers telling you to “USE YOUR KNEES” to prove it.

after sort of settling in a bit, wandering through town to hit the bank and grocery store, showering, downing a few local Carib beers, and having a nice meal at a waterfront restaurant, Jonathan and i fell into bed exhausted. but we obviously crashed a bit too early (around 5pm our time) and are now dealing with the consequences of being wide awake at an inconvenient time of night. i left him sleeping soundly in bed 30 minutes or so ago, but he is now next to me reading on the couch.

i mentioned earlier that there are a few things about Charlestown that remind me of Livingstone. in no particular order:
- the concept of “time” (ie: 5 mins actually means 30+)
- the less-than-warm-but-not-quite-hostile welcome from the locals (aside from Tessa, who is quite lovely)
- sticking out like a sore thumb
- the night noise (music, animals, loudspeakers, but no barking dogs yet!)
- driving on the left side of the road
- heat & humidity
- i even found the exact same ginger nut cookies i was addicted to during that month! munching on them now!

tomorrow likely promises to be another long day. i am hoping that there is at least a bed and mattress at the house so we can tell Tessa the rest doesn’t matter and are able to escape the weekend noise of town by banishing ourselves to the relatively quieter airport end of the island. i’m also just dying to unpack my overstuffed suitcases. and of course we want to dig out our flippers and hit the beach…

things don’t often work out exactly as you had pictured them in your mind, even if your pictures were very gray, grainy, and out-of-focus. i am okay with that. however, i am a little freaked out at the concept of spending 18 months on an island that evokes such strong emotional memories of Livingstone, Zambia. those who were reading in June know that wasn’t an easy time for me…

i am so SO glad Jonathan is here with me for two weeks. mini-emotional-PMS breakdowns are sometimes a bit easier to bear with a shoulder to take them out on. and i am more determined than ever to get Maddy out here. i really think i’m going to need her moral support too.

at any rate, please know that all is well. we are safe and sound, if still a bit unsettled. lots more photos to come soon, i hope!

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.