150 boxes later

Finally our container was "released" from customs at the port - and our furniture and belongings were trucked to our new home. The road to our house is pretty rough (many potholes and uneven cement) and our driveway is incredibly steep. Full marks to our moving company - not only did they get everything safely from Vancouver - down to St. Thomas - but the truck drivers managed some tricky terrain and inclines to the house!

Four men, two trucks and 150 boxes later - we had a house. Actually - we had a toy store with some furniture. Needless to say, there was a lot of excitement. Train sets, cars, electronics. What to play with first? Julian and Max were also very excited.

Last weekend was spent unpacking and organizing and now we have a place that feels like home.

I am still uncertain as to what we packed two feather duvets and a quilt - but was relieved that neither a space heater nor ski gear got mixed up in our loads. While we clearly over-packed - everything seems to have a home.

This past week at work has been busy - but short. Carnival festivities in St. Thomas began last week but the big events have been running from Wednesday through Sunday. What this actually means is that there is another unofficial holiday when no one works. As of Wenesday lunch - everyone disappears to town to sample local cuisine and warm up for events later in the evening. Julian and Max had time off school and many businesses are closed. Take for example our water delivery - no one in the office since Tuesday afternoon, so we have had to get water elsewhere...

What is Carnival? From my limited knowledge, Carnival is a celebration based on folklore, culture and religion.

There is an energy and buzz on the island. The events and parades are loud, colourful and joyous with elaborate costumes, steelband competitions, calypso music and food. It's a family affair - young and old dancing and clapping. Ancient African traditions of parading through villages in costumes and masks are important to Caribbean festival arts. The parading and circling was believed to bring good fortune, heal problems, and "chill out angry relatives who had died and passed into the next world". Feathers are a huge component of the costumes and are symbols of the human ability to rise above problems and illness - to travel to another world to be reborn and to grow spiritually.

Today was the Children's Parade - starting at 10:00 (also known as 11:00ish Caribbean time). While I know I 'll receive little to no sympathy when I say it was incredibly hot today, I've never seem the perspiration roll off Max's face as I did at the parade. We wandered along the street - had a johnny cake and beef patty - and watched steel bands, small children with batons and very colourful costumes parade by. Both Julian and Max's respective schools had floats in the parade - and we saw their teachers and other new friends from school.

After a festive morning of Caribbean celebrations, we drove over to the St. John ferry dock to drop off Julian and Mark. Mark was going to do a quick check in with a client and took Julian for the ride over and some lunch on the island. Max and I went home for other duties including a nap.

Our Canadian theme of the day happened when we purchased a new barbeque at the local Cost-U-Less. I had discovered what looked like a fairly decent bbq to replace the one we'd inherited at the house that recently met its final demise. After we transported our new purchase home and hauled the 120 lb box into the house - we discovered the bbq was in fact, fabrique en Canada. Mon dieu - Canadian products show up in the oddest spots! Speaking of which - why is maple syrup cheaper here?