So, it has been a while... I blame pregnancy. Or maybe I could just admit to being lazy...
Doesn't seem that much has happened in the last month. The baby is getting bigger and threatens to be huge when he's born. 6.5 weeks to go, I guess we'll see.
I think my husband and I are both anxious to meet our little guy. It is exciting at each doctors appointment to try to get a look at him on the ultrasound. He's getting to the point now where he is so big, he's squished up against me and we can't get a good look at his cute little face. In good time we'll get a good look though. :-)
One interesting experience I have had is childbirth class. It's all in French. Mommies only for the first two sessions. Luckily I understand more French than I speak, but to say the least, I learned some new vocabulary. The terms discussed don't come up a lot in normal conversation... This weekend I have the first session where daddies are included as well, so I think that will be good.
Gotta run. Work is calling.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Nausea, cyclones and small talk
So, as you can tell, this is going to be an eclectic blog... These are all topics running through my mind today.
It seems that though the nausea of my first trimester has passed, it has come back to haunt me in the 3rd trimester. What is up with that? Seriously? As if waking up 3 times every night to pee in the middle of the night weren't enough, I am now haunted (once again) by the constant feeling of wanting to puke... To make matters worse, I have my in-laws making sounds and smells that would make a healthy person lurch... First, the smell of curry. Since I got pregnant, I can stand the smell of curry. But it's on the menu a couple of times a week here, so like it or not, I get to smell it. Then smell it again when they eat the leftovers. Yuck! In addition to which after said meals are done, I get to hear belching (not burping) belching that makes you think someone has thrown up said curry somewhere downstairs. It's really disgusting. Add on top of that the smell of cigarette smoke, which I detest. Can I move out now???
Next the topic of cyclones... I experienced my first cyclone in Mauritius this weekend. I have to say, it was kind of a let down. Saturday morning we were under a warning class 2, which got upgraded to a 3 at about 4 pm. Class 3 means that all business close and if you are driving around in your car and something happens, insurance won't cover you. It's the most severe warning level. Essentially, in the end, the cyclone just passed by the island and didn't hit us. We had some extra wind and rain, but nothing worth writing home about. Don't get me wrong, I didn't want to see mass devastation or destruction, but there was nothing worth all of the hype.
Finally, small talk... I could probably write a whole blog just about small talk. To sum it up... I hate it. I mean, what's the point? Small talk is essentially two people exchanging meaningless dialogue when the reality is neither person really cares... Good morning, how are you? Well, I am assuming that because you are not in a bed somewhere, you are fine. I can see you visually, but don't really need to acknowledge your presence with words. Can't a nod suffice? Maybe this makes me an unfriendly and unpleasant person... Maybe I am just pregnant and constantly nauseous and when you ask me now I am, I don't really have the freedom to rant about how I want to puke on you or explain the curry smells and belching. If I did, would you really want to know how I was? Didn't think so... Then you have the small talk that is awkward because you are left alone with a person and the "polite" thing to do is to say something. Well, again the reality is that the two of you didn't want to talk in the first place, you are just left in an uncomfortable position and feel obligated to break the silence. Can't you just both smile and walk away as an acknowledgement that you are uncomfortable and want to leave? Let's be real here people... And finally, you have the schmoozers who make small talk with you because that is their job, or what they are supposed to do. You know, the people who roam the crowd and try to make other people feel comfortable. Well, to tell you honestly, I'd be a lot more comfortable if I could just sit here by myself and get on with things... Again, writing this possibly shows you what a horrible person I am, but I am just not down with the small talk. If you have something to say, get on with it and let's not do the chit-chatty thing.
It seems that though the nausea of my first trimester has passed, it has come back to haunt me in the 3rd trimester. What is up with that? Seriously? As if waking up 3 times every night to pee in the middle of the night weren't enough, I am now haunted (once again) by the constant feeling of wanting to puke... To make matters worse, I have my in-laws making sounds and smells that would make a healthy person lurch... First, the smell of curry. Since I got pregnant, I can stand the smell of curry. But it's on the menu a couple of times a week here, so like it or not, I get to smell it. Then smell it again when they eat the leftovers. Yuck! In addition to which after said meals are done, I get to hear belching (not burping) belching that makes you think someone has thrown up said curry somewhere downstairs. It's really disgusting. Add on top of that the smell of cigarette smoke, which I detest. Can I move out now???
Next the topic of cyclones... I experienced my first cyclone in Mauritius this weekend. I have to say, it was kind of a let down. Saturday morning we were under a warning class 2, which got upgraded to a 3 at about 4 pm. Class 3 means that all business close and if you are driving around in your car and something happens, insurance won't cover you. It's the most severe warning level. Essentially, in the end, the cyclone just passed by the island and didn't hit us. We had some extra wind and rain, but nothing worth writing home about. Don't get me wrong, I didn't want to see mass devastation or destruction, but there was nothing worth all of the hype.
Finally, small talk... I could probably write a whole blog just about small talk. To sum it up... I hate it. I mean, what's the point? Small talk is essentially two people exchanging meaningless dialogue when the reality is neither person really cares... Good morning, how are you? Well, I am assuming that because you are not in a bed somewhere, you are fine. I can see you visually, but don't really need to acknowledge your presence with words. Can't a nod suffice? Maybe this makes me an unfriendly and unpleasant person... Maybe I am just pregnant and constantly nauseous and when you ask me now I am, I don't really have the freedom to rant about how I want to puke on you or explain the curry smells and belching. If I did, would you really want to know how I was? Didn't think so... Then you have the small talk that is awkward because you are left alone with a person and the "polite" thing to do is to say something. Well, again the reality is that the two of you didn't want to talk in the first place, you are just left in an uncomfortable position and feel obligated to break the silence. Can't you just both smile and walk away as an acknowledgement that you are uncomfortable and want to leave? Let's be real here people... And finally, you have the schmoozers who make small talk with you because that is their job, or what they are supposed to do. You know, the people who roam the crowd and try to make other people feel comfortable. Well, to tell you honestly, I'd be a lot more comfortable if I could just sit here by myself and get on with things... Again, writing this possibly shows you what a horrible person I am, but I am just not down with the small talk. If you have something to say, get on with it and let's not do the chit-chatty thing.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Ranting...
Well, it's summer time. The beginning of the year. And we have lots of holidays... I have to admit that having an extra day off every week is nice and something I could easily get used to. This week our island celebrated the Abolition of Slavery on the first of February. I think it's a great thing to celebrate. However, when I look around me, I wonder how far we have really come.
I realize that this blog is coming from a very Western mindset. I am, after all, American. But, when I look around I feel like we are seriously lacking in progress. We don't have indentured slaves anymore. At least, not on the surface. But many people here are living lives of merely surviving...
I heard a statistic this morning that is still resonating in my mind. Less than 9% of the population of this island makes more than 25,000 Rupees per month. (That includes me) If you do the math, that is just under 900 dollars a month. Now, of that 91% remaining, I would recon most aren't making an amount close to 25,000 Rs/month. They may be earning half of that, or even less. I understand by African standards, that Mauritius is doing relatively well and I appreciate that, but I can help that feel that Mauritians are still being exploited.
Now, a lot of people reading this might think that the economy here must just cost less, so making around 900 dollars a month must be pretty good right? Well, maybe not... Depending on where you live on the island, rent for nice property is going to be at least half of your monthly income. You likely cannot afford to have a car of your own, so you probably ride the bus, or if you are lucky you might have a motorbike or have someone in your family who owns a car and can give you a ride. If you do have a car, you may have about 4,000 Rs/ month in fuel costs not to mention a car payment and insurance. So, if I am being generous, you may have about 10,000 rupees left. Now, of the 91% we had left, I would guess most aren't making 25,000 rupees, they are making less, so your money is probably already used up and you haven't bought groceries or clothes or anything else you and your family might need. If you don't have a car, you get that money back. Great! Now you can pay for public transportation and food.
Food costs depend on where you get your food. Do you buy it from the grocery store, or from the local fair (market). If you get it from the market, you might save yourself some money, but only if you are local and can speak Creole. Otherwise, you get totally ripped off. (That's a whole other blog) I could continue carrying out this little excercise, but the reality is... at the end of the day, there is nothing left.
My husband and I have noticed that this year, we have seen with our eyes the literal change in buying power. Usually the last weekend of the month is crazy busy. This is the weekend people get paid, so usually the stores and shops are all busy. Parking cannot be found. It's the perfect weekend to go to the beach... Last weekend when my husband and I were out, it was like being in a ghost town. The only lines were at the bank where people were getting money from the ATM's, however, it's unclear where they went to spend it. The grocery stores were not packed as usual. Restaurants were empty... It was kind of creapy...
So, now I am getting long winded... Sorry about that.
I guess this is just a rant (maybe even to myself) about two things.
1. Always be thankful for what you have. Without notice it can all be taken away. Even if you feel like you don't have anything, when it's gone, you will realize you were wrong.
2. It's easy to exploit people. Whether you are doing it legally by paying them small amounts when you know they should be earning more, or whether you are doing it illegally by forcing them to serve you without pay, people have been getting away with it for centuries.
I have so much more to say, but lack the ability to express myself. I blame it on baby brain... Anyway. Just some things I've been thinking and ranting about lately.
I realize that this blog is coming from a very Western mindset. I am, after all, American. But, when I look around I feel like we are seriously lacking in progress. We don't have indentured slaves anymore. At least, not on the surface. But many people here are living lives of merely surviving...
I heard a statistic this morning that is still resonating in my mind. Less than 9% of the population of this island makes more than 25,000 Rupees per month. (That includes me) If you do the math, that is just under 900 dollars a month. Now, of that 91% remaining, I would recon most aren't making an amount close to 25,000 Rs/month. They may be earning half of that, or even less. I understand by African standards, that Mauritius is doing relatively well and I appreciate that, but I can help that feel that Mauritians are still being exploited.
Now, a lot of people reading this might think that the economy here must just cost less, so making around 900 dollars a month must be pretty good right? Well, maybe not... Depending on where you live on the island, rent for nice property is going to be at least half of your monthly income. You likely cannot afford to have a car of your own, so you probably ride the bus, or if you are lucky you might have a motorbike or have someone in your family who owns a car and can give you a ride. If you do have a car, you may have about 4,000 Rs/ month in fuel costs not to mention a car payment and insurance. So, if I am being generous, you may have about 10,000 rupees left. Now, of the 91% we had left, I would guess most aren't making 25,000 rupees, they are making less, so your money is probably already used up and you haven't bought groceries or clothes or anything else you and your family might need. If you don't have a car, you get that money back. Great! Now you can pay for public transportation and food.
Food costs depend on where you get your food. Do you buy it from the grocery store, or from the local fair (market). If you get it from the market, you might save yourself some money, but only if you are local and can speak Creole. Otherwise, you get totally ripped off. (That's a whole other blog) I could continue carrying out this little excercise, but the reality is... at the end of the day, there is nothing left.
My husband and I have noticed that this year, we have seen with our eyes the literal change in buying power. Usually the last weekend of the month is crazy busy. This is the weekend people get paid, so usually the stores and shops are all busy. Parking cannot be found. It's the perfect weekend to go to the beach... Last weekend when my husband and I were out, it was like being in a ghost town. The only lines were at the bank where people were getting money from the ATM's, however, it's unclear where they went to spend it. The grocery stores were not packed as usual. Restaurants were empty... It was kind of creapy...
So, now I am getting long winded... Sorry about that.
I guess this is just a rant (maybe even to myself) about two things.
1. Always be thankful for what you have. Without notice it can all be taken away. Even if you feel like you don't have anything, when it's gone, you will realize you were wrong.
2. It's easy to exploit people. Whether you are doing it legally by paying them small amounts when you know they should be earning more, or whether you are doing it illegally by forcing them to serve you without pay, people have been getting away with it for centuries.
I have so much more to say, but lack the ability to express myself. I blame it on baby brain... Anyway. Just some things I've been thinking and ranting about lately.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Retired Men Should Have Mandatory Hobbies
After spending part of my holiday season with my elderly step-dad and having returned home to live with my retired father-in-law, I have discovered a great truth in life... Retired men should have mandatory hobbies. Lack of such hobbies allows them extra time for destruction. They don't intend to be destructive, but it is inevitable because they are bored.
I could list a number of examples from my step-dad, but I will stick to one, just to give you an idea of what we are dealing with. One year after Christmas while my mom was at work, my step-dad decided that he would take down the Christmas tree. I believe he took all of the ornaments off without problems, but when it came to the lights things were not so positive... The tree he was working with was a pre-lit tree. You know, the kind where the lights are NOT supposed to come off the tree. They are permanently attached to the tree. Well, my step dad didn't get that, so he tried and tried to get the lights off the tree. After getting frustrated with his efforts, he took wire cutters and literally cut all of the lights off the pre-lit tree. Needless to say when my mom got home and saw his handy work, he was in the dog house. Nothing like ruining an expensive Christmas tree.
On behalf of my father-in-law we have two recent examples. One we were able to stop in advance. The other, not so much. So, my father-in-law is retired and has nothing to do, so he tends to find "jobs" around the house. This weekend he was on the phone talking to one of our neighbors. Essentially between us and our closest neighbor to the North there is an empty plot of land... He thought we needed to build a retaining wall at the back of their land to prevent soil from falling into the river that runs behind our house. After some time, we finally convinced him that it wasn't our land and we didn't have a right to do anything there. Not to mention, if they lose land, it's their problem, not ours. In the end, we finally got him talked out of that project. However, while we were in the U.S. he found another project that lead to us having a flooded bathroom on Saturday night. Evidently while we were gone, he noticed that there was a whole in one of our drain pipes in our house. He decided that the hole didn't need to be there and chose to plug it up. Well, it turns out that this hole was there for a calculated reason and this past Saturday when it rained, the drain pipe didn't drain properly causing rain water to seep into our bathroom. It flooded the whole bathroom and even got into our bedroom. My husband and I had gone out to dinner and didn't notice the problem until we returned at about 9:30. So, I got to spend about 30 minutes mopping up water all because my father-in-law needs a hobby.
Now, I understand that there retired men are trying to be helpful, but in the end, they almost always leave a path of destruction. This is why they need to have mandatory hobbies. Something to keep these men out of trouble!
I could list a number of examples from my step-dad, but I will stick to one, just to give you an idea of what we are dealing with. One year after Christmas while my mom was at work, my step-dad decided that he would take down the Christmas tree. I believe he took all of the ornaments off without problems, but when it came to the lights things were not so positive... The tree he was working with was a pre-lit tree. You know, the kind where the lights are NOT supposed to come off the tree. They are permanently attached to the tree. Well, my step dad didn't get that, so he tried and tried to get the lights off the tree. After getting frustrated with his efforts, he took wire cutters and literally cut all of the lights off the pre-lit tree. Needless to say when my mom got home and saw his handy work, he was in the dog house. Nothing like ruining an expensive Christmas tree.
On behalf of my father-in-law we have two recent examples. One we were able to stop in advance. The other, not so much. So, my father-in-law is retired and has nothing to do, so he tends to find "jobs" around the house. This weekend he was on the phone talking to one of our neighbors. Essentially between us and our closest neighbor to the North there is an empty plot of land... He thought we needed to build a retaining wall at the back of their land to prevent soil from falling into the river that runs behind our house. After some time, we finally convinced him that it wasn't our land and we didn't have a right to do anything there. Not to mention, if they lose land, it's their problem, not ours. In the end, we finally got him talked out of that project. However, while we were in the U.S. he found another project that lead to us having a flooded bathroom on Saturday night. Evidently while we were gone, he noticed that there was a whole in one of our drain pipes in our house. He decided that the hole didn't need to be there and chose to plug it up. Well, it turns out that this hole was there for a calculated reason and this past Saturday when it rained, the drain pipe didn't drain properly causing rain water to seep into our bathroom. It flooded the whole bathroom and even got into our bedroom. My husband and I had gone out to dinner and didn't notice the problem until we returned at about 9:30. So, I got to spend about 30 minutes mopping up water all because my father-in-law needs a hobby.
Now, I understand that there retired men are trying to be helpful, but in the end, they almost always leave a path of destruction. This is why they need to have mandatory hobbies. Something to keep these men out of trouble!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
A New Year
Well, it's a new year and I have been stinking at the blog... I guess I need to get back to it.
I was able to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas back in the U.S. visiting friends and family. It was incredibly refreshing to be back. It was a great time to catch up with people and to enjoy all things American. It was also a wonderful time to announce to everyone that my husband and I are expecting our first little one in May.
I have a feeling there will be some posts this year that relate to being pregnant and having kids overseas. In addition, my husbands parents have moved in with us and so there will possibly also be some posts about adjusting to living with the in-laws.
All things said, I am incredibly blessed.
Coming back to Mauritius has been interesting. It feels like we've been gone for so long. On the other hand, the time went by so fast it feels like we hardly left. I think I forgot some things about the island while I was gone... Thanks to the humidity, most of my husbands suits are moldy and so are the curtains in my living room... We have no hot water to take showers with which isn't necessarily just an island thing, but is an annoyance I was not anticipating. On the other hand, I am enjoying the warmth and the sunshine...
Anyway- I guess I am done rambling for now. Hopefully I'll be better at this blogging thing this year.
I was able to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas back in the U.S. visiting friends and family. It was incredibly refreshing to be back. It was a great time to catch up with people and to enjoy all things American. It was also a wonderful time to announce to everyone that my husband and I are expecting our first little one in May.
I have a feeling there will be some posts this year that relate to being pregnant and having kids overseas. In addition, my husbands parents have moved in with us and so there will possibly also be some posts about adjusting to living with the in-laws.
All things said, I am incredibly blessed.
Coming back to Mauritius has been interesting. It feels like we've been gone for so long. On the other hand, the time went by so fast it feels like we hardly left. I think I forgot some things about the island while I was gone... Thanks to the humidity, most of my husbands suits are moldy and so are the curtains in my living room... We have no hot water to take showers with which isn't necessarily just an island thing, but is an annoyance I was not anticipating. On the other hand, I am enjoying the warmth and the sunshine...
Anyway- I guess I am done rambling for now. Hopefully I'll be better at this blogging thing this year.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Where to begin
So, I haven't made a blog post in FOREVER!!! Things have been so busy.
Recently, I spent a month in England for work and when I came home, I was moved into my new house. It's lovely. Not to say there haven't been a few hiccups here and there. Hopefully we are done with that and can get settled in.
Currently, we are waiting on our cabinet people to deliver our cabinet. We made our first deposit 4 months ago and were supposed to have cabinets in 6-8 weeks. We will definitely be asking for a discount when they finally are delivered.
Here are some pictures of where we are now.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Shamefully overdue post
Right... So, I haven't blogged since the beginning of January. Things have just been crazy busy...
Where do I begin?
The house is coming along really well. They are supposed to be putting in the windows and exterior doors this week and by the end of the week, our main contractor should be handing over our house. After that, we begin the finishing works like plumbing, electricity, tiling, painting, cabinetry, etc. Perhaps if things go well, we will be ready to move in by July. We'll see. Either way, it's pretty exciting.
Our weekends have been spent shopping for our finishings. Sinks, toilets, water taps, doors, tiles, light fixtures. It's amazing how much you take for granted when you move into a place that is already finished. However, it's been a really fun process.
Other areas in life...
Work is going well for both of us, though we have been rather busy...
Other than work and house stuff, we don't really have much to report...
Thankfully things are beginning to cool off and temperatures in my office are hovering in the upper 70's rather than the 80's. This is a VERY welcome break and has made my daily runs more enjoyable as well.
I'm working my way up to a 10k for Thanksgiving, which we will be celebrating in the U.S. I am looking forward to seeing everyone.
Here are some updated pictures of the house for your enjoyment. :-)
The first is the house from the street.
Next is the upstairs family room looking from the back terrace to the front of the house.
Next is one of the extra bedrooms.
Next looking from the laundry room through the kitchen into the living/dining room.
Finally, a picture of the back yard from the ground floor back terrace.
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