The pictures are from this weekend. The one on the left is of Nanan and I at the Grand Etan Rain Forest. The lake in the foreground is the Grand Etan lake and is one of the largest fresh water lakes in the country. It is also a primary source of water for all on the Island. The rain forest is beautiful and one of my favorite places in the country.
The picture on the right is of Nanan's cricket team. His team is batting and won this game 210-85!!! It was not a close game. Nanan is not pictured. He bats 8th on his team and I think they only made it through 5 batsmen. He did bowl (pitch) and hit three wickets (which is very good). Cricket is a nice game and I finally understand it. It's not that complicated really, but it was hard for me to convert from baseball to these rules. Basically the rules are this..... each batsmen bats until he makes an out or the ball hits the wicket (the 3 pronged object behind them). When you hit the ball, it is like baseball in that you run to the next wicket (base). You get a point for every base you touch. If you hit a ground ball that makes it to the fence (boundary), you get 4 points. If you hit it over the fence (boundary) you get 6 runs. They typically play 20 overs. You get 6 good pitches per over. So in effect, you get 120 good pitches to see how many runs you can score. Probably the only thing I don't like about it is that not everyone gets to bat. Like in Nanan's game, the other team couldn't get the batsmen out and they kept batting...and Nanan didn't get a chance. Now, when he was younger, I hear he batted 3rd or 4th and always got to bat. Ah....to get older. Some age like wine, some like a banana.... :) Nanan ages like wine.
The cricket match was in Las Sagesse, and there is a beautiful beach there also. Nanan and I went for a swim before the match. There was a nice surf here and it is a much smaller beach, somewhat enclosed like a lagoon. There were rock outcroppings on both sides and high cliffs. The water was not as clear as Grand Anse beach and the surf was very sandy because of the pounding waves and shallow water. I have concluded Grand Anse is my favorite beach on the Island.
In the morning, we had Junior boys and girls national team training. There were 15 boys and only 6 girls. This continues to be an issue for the girls. The ones that do show up, however, seem to have tremendous potential and there is a strong nucleus for the future. It was interesting to me that many of the athletes (both boys and girls) do not know each other. We spent time today learning about each other, introducing ourselves, and working on 'team.'
Sunday will be a day of rest. I need to get groceries will likely spend some of the day on the beach reading. This completes my fourth week here and time has gone by quickly. There are only two weeks left. I am having an incredible time, but miss my family. It's funny, the things I complain about the most living in the Midwest are the things I miss (except the humidity)....oak and maple trees, mowing the grass, watering the flowers, running the kids around to practices, grilling pork steaks and burgers while sitting on the patio, and watching movies on a big screen. But I do love it here. It is a wonderful, beautiful, place with a simple relaxed life style and friendly, respectful people.
Respect and Love.
No comments:
Post a Comment