The traveling was the worst part. The buses are slow, crowded, and usually stuck behind some old crappy car that spews black clouds of diesel exhaust every time the driver shifts gears. The waiting by comparison was at least relaxing. I was able to try a new beverage called Shandy, which is basically Sprite mixed with a bit of beer to create an oddly sweet, super carbonated, and slightly alcoholic beverage (0.9% alcohol! WOOO!) So I was able to pass the time by sipping on an ice cold Shanty while talking politics with CJ (see photo of him showing off his battle wound), who is an intern at the U.S. Embassy but is unfortunately leaving on Monday to go home and start his senior year at Williams College.
The paintballing was held at the main base of the Barbados Defense Forces, which is located just below the airport. We played three matches on a course comprised of an old, abandoned military bunker, some rusting artillery pieces, and lots of knee high grasses with painful nettles. We played two games where one team had to defend the bunker while the other attacked, and one game where both teams tried to capture a flag and bring it to a central location. My team lost every time (not my fault, I swear!) but it was still fun.
So most of my day was taken up by the leisurely pace of island life. I was a bit annoyed at having woken up at 8am only to waste so much time traveling and waiting. I wouldn't complain about the pace of things here if I knew that it was going to extend to my academics. But I know that I will never hear a professor of mine say "Oh yes there is a paper due technically on Friday, but in reality you guys can hand it in whenever you want! Now go outside and have some fun at the beach - class is canceled for the day!" Instead, classes are going to be long and difficult. I'm just thankful that I can walk to and from the university. If I had to take a bus I think my head would eventually explode.
Tomorrow is my last day of freedom, so I am going to spend it like any normal 22 year old would: going grocery shopping! YAY! One of my two week marathon classes starts on Monday, so I know that I'll have no time to go shopping for about two weeks. So tomorrow I am going to stock up on as much stuff as possible. I'm also going to try to buy my own set of snorkeling gear so that I can go whenever I want.
That's all from today. Now I must go play some mindless video game while I still can. Before I know it, all my homework will keep me from rotting my brain to mush. Bah.
Note: The last photo is how I felt at the end of the paintball session. Crawling through thick, knee-high grass in 90 degree heat while wearing jeans and a sweatshirt = complete exhaustion.
No comments:
Post a Comment