Posted by In the last post I talked about all the things we were able to do in Grenada. There was so much more I could have talked about, and it was all fantastic! But I would be remiss if I did not mention the indescribable friendliness of the Grenadian people and how that kindness toward everyone made even little daily tasks enjoyable.
It all started on our first visit to the main fish market in the city of St George. This fish market is the place in southern Grenada to buy and sell fresh caught fish. All fishermen, big and small, bring their catch to this market. The supermarkets buyers come here to purchase for their stores. Small restaurateurs to large resort chefs all come to buy at this market. On top of all these professionals are the local people buying for their dinner tables. Oh yeah, and the three of us. (Just me and the kids on this trip). I found a place to park among the chaotic streets of St George and the kids and I hiked back to the fish market. As soon as we got near the place we heard the mayhem and saw the hustle and bustle that we were about to be a part of. Now it is important to understand that there are no instructions or organization to any of this. And it is all happening very fast. Within hours of opening, all the fish is gone and there are always people left standing empty handed. So this was not the time to be patient, too courteous or hesitant. We watched for an opening in the gathered crowd and stepped up to the woman selling her fish as another buyer hesitated for just a moment. I bought two freshly caught small whole tunas. I asked her if she could fillet them for me and she pointed to a big guy with an even bigger knife, standing 10ft behind her and moved on to the next person. She and I would later become a little closer and she would save the hard to find Red Snapper for me if I asked her to. The big guy with the big knife grabbed my two fish and put them in line with his other previous orders. He told me it would be about 30 minutes until mine were done. So the kids and I began to wander. There was a row of men filleting and chopping and prepping fish for packaging and we watched them fly through their tasks with ease. At the end of the row was a huge fish the kids and I were trying to figure out what it was from what was still remaining. A man saw us discussing it and came up to introduce himself. His name was Jeff and he had caught this fish last night. It was a black tip shark. He said he had tried to cut it loose but it died before he could so he brought it back and is selling the meat. He talked to the kids and I for about 15 minutes about fishing in Grenada, the sustainable practices he implements and his life in Grenada. He was a super nice man and asked the kids about sailing and living on a boat. He talked about all the countries he has visited in the Caribbean and asked us about where we have been and where we are going. He introduced us to his first-mate on his boat. Elvis was the first-mate and he was equally kind and engaging. Elvis took the kids over to see some of their nights catch. He pulled up a big mahi mahi and the kids were enthralled as we have yet to catch a good sized mahi. I told him we were not the best fisherpeople so the kids are not used to seeing or eating proper fresh fish, which is why we are at the fish market. He laughed and said to Elvis to fillet this mahi up. We watched him fly through the process and he left not an ounce of meat on the bone. Jeff bagged up the fillets and handed them to the kids. We looked at him confused and he just said welcome to Grenada! He just handed us $120+ of fish because we were chatting with him and his crew. We would soon learn that that was not an unusual behavior. I was what would soon be our catch phrase during our time in Grenada when experiencing kindness, generosity, and a positive spirit, “That’s Grenada”! I visited the fish market many times over the summer and most every time I would go by myself. And every single time I encountered either Jeff or Elvis they would inquire about Alexander and Victoria (by name) and about our stay in Grenada. They were our first examples of how easily Grenadians make authentic connections between people
The streets in Grenada are often lined by small venders selling fresh fruits and vegetables. We would regularly visit these vendors but one of them really stood out. Leo has a small stand about a mile from our marina. He always has a good supply of eggs, fruits and vegetables. But where he stands apart is his big pile of fresh coconuts. Every day he can be seen chopping into the coconuts and preparing fresh coconut water. He keeps a big cooler full of ice for us visitors who need it cold while most locals prefer it not cooled. We visited Leo so many times, that as soon as he saw our little car pull to the side of the road, he was reaching for some cold coconut waters. Leo is such a kind-hearted man who always has a smile on his face and a welcoming greeting for everyone. Each time we visited Leo’s stand he would explain to us about new fruits and vegetables that are coming into season. He showed me how to prepare breadfruit. He showed us what to look for in coconuts in order to get the most water. He taught us how to identify sweet versus sour star fruits. He even gave the kids a few tips on playing soccer as we were headed to practice on day. We all were excited to begin cruising again but saying goodbye to people like Leo made for sad day.
Throughout the five months we spent in Grenada we had countless, meaningful interactions with the local Grenadians. Our interactions with the roadside venders like Leo were almost all fantastic, interactive and always educational. Our interactions with our swim students were wonderful and their appreciation was genuine. The camaraderie we developed with the other swim coaches was based on respect and too felt genuine. The one thing , though, that these relationships had in common was that they were at least to some degree a transactional relationship. This next group of people I saved for last because the impact that they had on our family, Alexander in particular, will be felt for a lifetime.
The weekly Hash brings out the adventurous, the challenge seekers, the people who not only don’t mind but actually love to run in the heat and sometimes pouring rain, up mountains, through mud and rivers, through bushes and back. The only thing at the finish is to have fellow Hashers to commiserate and have a BBQ with. In another words it is a sort of person who regularly attends the Hashes. And the Murphy crew is right at home with this group of crazies! It was our first Hash. It was just the kids and I and we did not know anything about Hashing. But we loved to trail run and get to know other runners. We were about 2 miles into this run when we noticed be began to slinky with a lone female runner. Slinky means to pass the runner and a few minutes later they pass you and then you pass them… You get the idea. So we encouraged her to just stick with us and the four of us finished the run together. At the finish line she gave us a thumbs up and joined her group of friends for the after party. We had made a nice little connection and we were proud of our run. Next week we saw the same woman on the trail (her name is Alana) however this time her friends were with her. There were high fives and encouragements aimed toward the kids as we slowly passed the group. Another nice connection. The following Hash we were slinkying with a big, built like a linebacker, guy. Now, it is the middle of the jungle. It is hot! I mean hot like you are covered in sweat just standing still, hot! And this big man is out running on these “trails”. Like we normally do, we encouraged him to stick with us and we all finished the run together. Huron gave us all high fives and thanked us for the motivation to keep pushing. He said it was great motivation when two kids are out there rocking the run and suffering through the mud, hills, and heat all with smiles on their faces! It turned out Huron was friends with Alana so we had a water together and said see you next week. The next week we were about 2 miles in and we came across Alana, Huron and another man. Shakim immediately began cheering on the kids and running with us. Huron too picked up the pace a little and just like that our little group, the kids, me, Huron, Alana and Shakim were all working together to finish this Hash. Near the end, Victoria and I began to run out of gas so I told Alexander to slow down and finish with Victoria and me. He wanted to keep running but I was not going to have him running off into the jungle with people I barely know. Instead of dropping us, our new friends slowed down too and finished with us. It was a great Hash and these people and their kindness and camaraderie made it even better! The next Hash was similar to the last. We all found each other on the trail about a mile in and began to run together. At the two mile mark the heat began to get to me so I pulled up and started walking. Alexander who loved running with our new friends, wanted to continue running. This time, with lots of hesitation, I told him to keep going without me. He said thanks and darted down the trail with our friends. They all took off, fast, but Shakim pulled up and came back to me. He looked me in the eye with complete compassion and understanding of my concern. And then he said, “Don’t worry dad, I will look after him.” And even though I barely knew this man and his friends, I just felt that Alexander was safe. And sure enough as Victoria and I crossed the finish line, we saw Alexander surrounded by his new running team drinking a soda that one of them bought for him. From then on, every Hash we went to Alexander would run with his new friends. There was a small group of friends that would run together but the core of them was Shakim, Alana, and Huron! Alexander would tell me how they looked after him when crossing rivers or when the trail was difficult to follow (which is often). He told me how they would pick him up if he fell or they would always make sure he was in the front of the group or in the middle of them but never in the back as they all looked after him. Here we were in a country far from home, in the jungles and mountains, my son was out running very poorly marked trails in the middle of the afternoon without me or his mother. That should have made me very nervous. It did not! Shakim, Alana and Huron were wonderful people who enjoyed running hard through the jungle and appreciated how much Alexander loved it too. Therefore, he was one of them and they watched out for him like he was one of their own. And this father felt that and never worried about Alexander for one second because I knew who he was with. There was even one Hash when Alexander ran with one of our cruising family friends. Eric and Nolwen are great runners and Alexander’s normal running group decided to walk so Alex ran with Eric and Nolwen. I finished about 1 minute behind Huron and when I crossed the line Huron looked at me worried and asked where Alexander was with genuine concern. When Huron had finished he did not see Alexander and then he did not see him with me either and became worried about my son. That is the kind of person he is. And Shakim and Alana are just as wonderful. Turned out Alexander was at a restaurant nearby with Eric and Nolwen. All summer long Alexander ran with this group of people. When we arrived at the Hash Alexander disappeared and would go hang out with his running team. They all ran so fast I never saw them again until I finished and they were all relaxing having a cool drink together. Alexander of course was loving this attention from these super nice and very cool people. He also loved that he could run hard and still feel safe and looked after. Saturday was Alexander’s favorite day of the week. It was not because of the Hash. Actually some of the trails were just brutal and fun could never be a way to describe them. But it was the way that Shakim and Huron made him feel! This father will forever be indebted to those young men who instilled such confidence and pride in my son. They are truly amazing men and a shining example of the kindness we experienced in Grenada.
Sailing Samadhi 