Tagged: grenada

0

ABOUT / BLOGGING / GRENADA / SHARE YOUR WORLD

Mrs. Ball – One of a kind Teacher

‘A teacher affects eternity: he can never tell where his influence stops.’ –Henry Adams Education: The latin root of the word education means “to lead out” As you may know from other posts on my website I grew up on the little island of Grenada one of the Windward Islands in the West Indies. Mom home schooled myself and my brother for my early childhood but eventually when I was about 9 or 10 I think, I was enrolled in the primary school, Westmoreland. I was initially placed in 3rd form which I think was a year behind for my age. I guess overall I did well but my maths was a little behind. The school decided to move me into 4th form but I had to get tutoured after school by Mrs. Ball in Maths. I don’t remember much about the what I learned in the tutouring other than it being Algebra and that it involved me standing beside her desk as she instructed me. Imagine being new to a school, then new to a more advanced class and then learning that somehow letters have some mathematical meaning. Learning this from someone you are terrified of -well it was a do or die Maths experience for me. I wound up doing quite well in Maths overall after I got the hang of Algebra and Mrs. Ball really was instrumental in my understanding and appreciation of the subject. Every student of Mrs. Ball’s was affected for eternity. She may have terrified us in our youth but I think we all appreciated and respected her immensely as we have aged to adults. Mrs Ball was a teacher with an overload of personality and I doubt that there was a single student who wasn’t terrified of her and simply wanted to do...

2

SHARE YOUR WORLD

SHARE YOUR WORLD – 2015 WEEK #16

What are your favorite spices? Cinnamon & nutmeg.  Growing up on the island of Grenada these spices that are grown locally continue to be a staple in my life.  See my post here about Nutmeg & Grenada.   What object do you always have with you when traveling and why? My shepherd’s whistle.  I have it with me at all times because my dogs are trained to respond to it.  Mostly to come or come quickly.  I wear my whistle 24 hours a day because I don’t ever want to be without it when it is most needed as in dogs coming!   What is one thing you love about being an adult? I suppose tonight, watching parts of the White House Correspondent’s Dinner -I’m grateful to be able to understand the jokes and be able to laugh.  By the same token I sometimes wish I didn’t understand. What item, that you don’t have already, would you most like to own? I would like to own a home not to live in.  I love living on my boat but a home that could be rented out as a source of additional income for my retirement would be good.  

4

BLOGGING / THOUGHTS

Coup d’état -School Cancelled (13Mar, 1979) – Grenada, W.I.

March 13th 1979 …This was the day of the bloodless Coup that took place in Grenada, West Indies.    I will tell you about my day that day -or just a small portion of it. My brother and I walked to school everyday and March 13th was a Tuesday and we arrived at school right on time maybe even a little early to find only a handful of students and teachers there and a bit of a hush as the Headmistress and teachers talked in hushed tones.  Eventually we were informed that we needed to go back home because there would be no school for the day as there had been a Coup overnight. We walked back home and told our parents that school had been cancelled because there had been a Coup.  They didn’t believe us and insisted that we go back to school.  We weren’t in the habit of lying to them but I guess this just seemed too unbelievable.  We finally convinced my dad to turn on the radio. There was no TV back then and the only radio was from a few am radio stations that were local to the island.  Sure enough, the news confirmed our story.  My dad stayed home from work and we all listened to the radio and the news most of the day.   13 March 1979,  Radio Free Grenada, Maurice Bishop, Address to the Nation “Brothers and Sisters,   This is Maurice Bishop speaking.   At 4.15 am this morning, the People’s Revolutionary Army seized   control of the army barracks at True Blue.  The barracks were burned to the ground. After half-an-hour  struggle, the forces of Gairy’s army were completely defeated, and  surrendered. Every single soldier surrendered, and not a single member of the  revolutionary forces was injured.  At the...

15

BLOGGING101 / GRENADA

Independence Day 2015 & The Nutmeg

Is there anyone else out there that loves the smell of Nutmeg? Today, the 7th of February, 2015 is the 41st anniversary of Grenada’s (greh-NAY-dah’s) Independence. I grew up in the Spice Island of Grenada and  awakened this morning with a desire to write a little something about my home for today’s writing exercise. As I was thinking about a subject matter for my writing today, I made myself a cup of Chai Tea and then instinctively sprinkled a bit of Nutmeg on top. Doesn’t everyone do that? I sipped on my tea, and smelled that wonderful and powerful aroma of the Nutmeg. Right then, I had a realisation.  Nutmeg is not a staple in most people’s diet and probably not a spice that most people would even think to add to their food or drink outside of perhaps, the Holiday Season. Growing up in the Spice Island of Grenada,  Nutmeg was more than just a Holiday Tradition.  The aroma and taste of Nutmeg is something that melds with just about all foods as far as I am concerned!!  To be honest, I can live without salt or pepper but not without nutmeg and cinnamon! Grenada attained its political independence from Britain in 1974 which meant having a new flag uniquely Grenadian.  The key element remaining on the new flag was the Nutmeg.  Nutmeg and tourism are the two main sources of revenue for Grenada so it is quite fitting that the Nutmeg dons our flag with honour. Although from the sound of it’s name you might be inclined to consider the Nutmeg a nut, this is not the case.  The Nutmeg is in fact a fruit.  As the Nutmeg fruit ripens, it splits open while still on the tree, to reveal it’s seed.  Nutmeg the spice, is derived from the oval-shaped, lightly wrinkled dark brown seed of the...

%d bloggers like this: