Colors of the rainbow

So weather wise this week has been a bit off. I know I know, all of you people are thinking, "You're living in the caribbean...please don't complain. I'm sure it's blue skies and paradise everyday." Well, most of the time you would be correct (yeah yeah, I am rubbing it in a little). Currently it's "winter" here. Or as much of a winter as you can get in the caribbean. (I know my friends and family from back home are rolling their eyes, as they have just gotten the biggest snowstorm in the last decade there! Sorry I'm missing it guys!!) Winter here means cooler weather (82-78 during the day and 73-70 at night). Perfect temps in fact. Though living down here as made my skin become thin, so its chilly to me. Also during this time of the year (usually starting in November and going through February) is the trade wind season. Think beautiful skies but tropical storm gusts of wind (probably around 40 mph~ that's a total guess by the way). These gusts of wind will blow everything around your house (curtains, papers, bottles, etc), and they've even awaken me at night.

So moving on to the weather of this week. I guess it really wasn't weird per se, just striking. Monday and Tuesday it rained constantly all day and night. As I was driving to work on Monday morning, the blandness of the day struck me. The tar on the road was gray, this gave way to the beaches where the rock and sand were gray/black (volcanic island- no white sandy beaches here), and the ocean was grey (reflecting off the sky), and subsequently the sky was grey, overcast and flat. All in all it was quite dreary (but really cool that everything was such a monotone and muted color). However, in true Dominican fashion on the horizon over the ocean was the brightest most brilliant rainbow I've seen. Not only was it the brightest one, but just above it but not quite as bright, was a second rainbow. This is not the first double rainbow I've seen (that one was in Australia) and I know it won't be the last (Dominica is the land of endless rainbows). But it is by far the most striking and memorable. It just goes to show you that even the most dreary and yucky days and parts of your life have specks of beauty and the promise of joy and life in the distance.

Home and back again

So it's been about a month since I went home to visit. Sorry I've been MIA from my blog for a while (was too busy having fun with friends visiting from back home!). It was definitely a nice change of pace to go back to the states to visit friends and family (a bit of a whirlwind is an understatement!), but I'm glad I'm back in Dominica. It was great to be able to "bundle up" in pants, scarfs, gloves, and long shirts (though I definitely still enjoy wearing short skirts and sleeveless tops all year round!). One thing that was apparent is that I definitely don't miss the stress and anxiety that comes from living in the states. For example, being back home I felt like everything was on such a strict time schedule. There was no room for relaxation and it was always go go go from one minute to the next. The slower pace of Dominica is divine. Back home, as soon as I got behind the wheel of a car, I was stressed out and got that minor "road rage" back when people weren't going the speed limit. In Dominica, there is no speed limit, so when you're behind someone that's really slow you just kinda deal with it. Therefore my conclusion about Dominica is that if you need less stress and a slower pace of life, this place is for you (I have an extra bedroom available for guests...hint hint). It wasn't all bad being home. I had a great time visiting my family (I love you mom and dad, but I still work best being around for a week or two at a time!), and I ate everything in sight (which I had planned on doing anyway~ though I gained 5lbs at home, I knew I'd lose it w/i a week or two once I got back here). The US is great for many reasons, but bad for many reasons too. The quality of living is definitely better in the US, but the quality of life is better in Dominica!