Last Wednesday in Mauritius

Well today is the last humpday here in Mauritius. I keep forgetting that christmas is next week because I keep thinking about the fact that I have to hit the ground running as soon as I get home.

My flight leaves at midnight on Saturday night and I will get in to Dubai at 5:30 am on Sunday morning. I then fly from Dubai to New York and arrive in the country (in theory) at 1:50. My flight from NYC to Pittsburgh was originally supposed to leave at 8:15 on Sunday night and get in around 10 or so. Jet Blue changed it so now the flight is leaving at 3:20 and will arrive in Pittsburgh at 5:15. I hope that I can get through customs in time to catch it - I might scream if I miss that flight and have to be stuck at JFK and not home in time for family dinner.

I left the office yesterday afternoon at around 5 or so and got home at around 6. Audrey and I sat around trying to figure out a jumbo crossword puzzle when Rosaline came over to hang out and have dinner.

Audrey got a sad phone call that her dad was not doing well. He suffers from Alzheimer's disease and at press time he is passing his last moments here on earth. It is painful to see Audrey so upset as she has always been particularly close to her dad. They are in the middle of trying to locate a priest do the last rites. So it is a difficult time - especially before christmas.

Rosaline stayed and ate dinner with Emmanuel, Benjamin, and I. Audrey came home a bit later and ate, chatted for awhile, and went to bed.

I woke up this morning and realized yet again that I am one day closer to leaving - the time passes incredibly fast here. But I have receive several messages from people using various forms of technology saying that they can't wait for me to come home! One chapter is about to close and another one is about to start.

Alex and I had lunch today and it is sad that it is one of our last together. Neither of us have packed but both of us have plane tickets saying that we are supposed to leave at a specific time. It will get done eventually we decided.

I expect this afternoon to be somewhat busy as I wrap things up here at work and I think of all that I have to do before I leave....

Some little things:
-I was telling the story at dinner last night about how Mom and Steve asked what my favorite part of my first trip to Europe was - I was 9 - I said that the moving sidewalks in the airport (no one understood when i said "sidewalk" as I said it with my american accent instead of the british way)
-I keep getting asked to stay here through christmas and the new year - somehow I don't think that the family would like that a whole lot

More later...

Last Tuesday in Mauritius

If you have been keeping up then you may gather that the titles of this week's post will all be somewhat similar - i.e. they will follow the same theme.

My Tuesdays normally aren't anything special as you might remember. I usually have nothing exciting to report and my life's happenings since Monday are normally mundane and uninteresting.

Today is really no exception - I just am feeling reflective and I find that when I have a lot of thoughts running through my head that it is best that I document them somehow.

I felt awful yesterday so I went home an hour early - I could not get any work done and my stomach and head hurt like crazy. So I left at around 4 and made my daily stop at the grocery store. I arrived home and lied down to read and relax. Before I knew it, I had dosed off.

I awoke to my phone ringing - Mom wanting to say hello and catch up. I find that I am spending less time on the phone as it is expensive to call and I often forget to buy calling cards - I text message like a crazy person however. Steve called a few minutes later wanting to go over a few things related to my departure and what my plans were as starting school was concerned. After reading again, I soon dozed off for about 45 min to an hour.

I am one of those people that can't stand when things intangible things in my life are in disorder as they seem to be right now. I always fear that I will not accomplish what I need to accomplish but I find comfort when I give myself a pep talk (ok now I sound psychotic) that I will surely get things done. Lists have always helped a lot too - I have so many floating around my desk and in my purse. It is way of turning things from intangible to tangible - thus further enabling my control freak ways as one of the things that I hate most is to ask for help - even though I shouldn't I view it as some sort of weakness. I guess I still have to grow up a little...

Emmanuel came back from his weekend in Reunion yesterday and the 4 of us (Audrey, Emmanual, Benjamin, and I) had a quiet dinner of lamb and vegetables - very tasty. Benjamin is an avid football (soccer) fan and there seems to be a game every day - so he excuses himself from the table. The rest of us sat around for awhile as we normally do.

I eventually climbed into bed at around 11. Again, thoughts of everything were running through my head - in english and in french - what I have to do, what souvenirs I still have to get, sadness that I am leaving, moving to a new apt, etc.

I eventually fell asleep and sure enough the morning came and it was time for me to get up, shower, and head to the office. I spent the morning working on my final project and answering emails.

Alex was occupied for lunch today so I went in search of a sandwich. I ran into my friend Kannen en route who was also going in search of something to eat. He asked me if I had ever been to the central market in Port Louis. When I said no he offered to show me.

We took the short walk and found ourselves among a plethora of different types of fruits and vegetables and various venders trying to get our attention. He suggested we get a juice from a juice bar that he knew about. I have never seen so many kinds of juices available in my life - over 20.

We both decided on "tropical" which I'm guessing is a mix of orange juice, pineapple, passion fruit, and banana. It is completely fresh and the only ingredients are the various blended fruits.

We left the market, grabbed a quick sandwich, and braved the heat on the walk back to the office.

Some little things:
-Some vender called me "Princess" to get my attention
-Kannen ran into some friends with his and they all asked him who the girl he was with was - this has never once happened in the thousand times that I have eaten lunch with Alex
-over the weekend I was talking to a south african at the BBQ at Alex's - my friend Jean - Francois on hearing this said he just wanted to speak english with me the rest of the day - when I started in my rapid fire english (in my american accent) he gave up and switched back to french
-Alex's friend Toby said on Friday that he used to date a Latina but he forgot what country her family was from - the only thing he could remember was that she was from New Jersey - to which I responded "gross"

More later....

Last Monday in Mauritius

Well I am exhausted today - sickenly so. I had a wonderful last weekend here in Mauritius so it is no surprise to me that I want to keel over right here at my desk. This post may be a bit lengthy...

Friday afternoon was the same as it is every Friday - everybody was itching to get out and go in search of after work cocktails (hey its always 5 o'clock somewhere). It was a particular special happy hour as it was Alex's last as an employee for ATS. He and I arrived first and ran into his friend Toby. We sat with him for awhile and caught up while waiting for the others (hey its island time). Toby had a particularly interesting story to tell as he has only been going out with his girlfriend for two months and is already moving in with her. So we of course gave him a hard time.

The rest of our friends from work arrived about an hour or so later. We had a great time together and Alex actually seemed emotional for once in his life - like he couldn't believe that we all cared about him that much. A bunch of people got together and got a pen engraved for him so that he would remember (fondly) his time with the company. He didn't cry or anything but I imagine he was close..who knows. We all went home around 9:15 as we were all tired and I was home by ten. I heated my dinner in the microwave and went to bed.

I have gotten quite used to waking up at around 7:30 or 8:00 even on weekends. I woke up around 10 on Saturday to a missed call from Carol as we had plans to go shopping in Rose Hill and Quatre Bornes to do our christmas shopping. I groggily answered the phone and told her that I would get up and get dressed and head out.

So I drove out to Pointe Aux Sables where she lives and couldn't quite remember where her house was exactly because there are tons and tons of tiny streets. She eventually found me and we went back so she could get her purse.

We went to Rose Hill and I am a person who has no patience for crowds when it comes to shopping, rapidly found most of everything I needed. She was on a mission to find a dress for a christmas party that she was going to. Nothing at all seemed to work...on top of it all she kept get annoying text messages from her little sister to buy her something.

We ended up leaving Rose Hill to go in search of lunch and more shopping. Neither of us could decide what to eat so we settled on sandwiches. While in Quatre Bornes we ran into Greta who was shopping for her business trip to Madagascar (ATS has offices/factories there). After failing to find THE dress, we gave up and made our way back to Pointe Aux Sables. We stopped at the grocery on the way and ran onto Elizabeth, another coworker. After all this, I did not feel like driving the 25 minutes back to Tamarin so Carol let me hang out at her house for awhile and chat with her family. We went for a short walk where she showed me where her grandmother, various aunts, uncles, and cousins lived.

I left around 7 so I could stop at the grocery store (again) for Audrey. I got home around 8 ish and did not feel like doing anything - I just wanted to enjoy the feeling of getting christmas shopping out of the way as it is one of my least favorite activities. After dinner, Audrey's nephew of sorts (shes good friends with his aunt) Vincent and his girlfriend came over to chat - they are both still in high school. I was too tired to stay up and chat late so I decided to go to bed.

I woke up at around 9:30 on Sunday morning and remembered that I need to go BACK to the store to pick up chicken that Alex had requested for the BBQ at his place that afternoon. It was hell on earth trying to find parking as the parking lot is small - even witnessed a fender bender (no I was not involved).

My only dilemma was trying to decide exactly how much chicken was necessary. I ended up overbuying as it is always good to have more than one needs. I went home and killed time for awhile before taking a shower and getting ready to head to Alex's.

As I was leaving Katheryn and Yannick were coming so I of course stopped to chat for a few minutes as my friend Yannick (Kathryn's son) never goes out and is one of my only friends that I have to make a concerted effort to see here. We chatted for awhile and then headed to Alex's. It was funny because I had never actually been to his house but Hugo had pointed in the vicinity several times - so I took the second right and stopped when I saw Alex's car.

Since I was one of the only ones who was local I was first. Of course I still have yet to learn that everything here actually starts an hour later than the time stated. So everyone else arrived at around 1.

I luckily knew or knew of most everyone there and we spent a great but tiring afternoon of eating, drinking, and swimming. Alex and Hugo were great hosts as they made sure that everyone was having a great time and were comfortable.

We didn't leave until around 8 pm. I was completely exhausted when I got home but forced myself to eat dinner even though all I really wanted to do was go to sleep. I went to bed around 11 or so only to wake up 3 hours later.

I had a very restless night last night as I kept having random thoughts going through my head - my life in Mauritius was flashing before my eyes. It seemed like I had literally thousands of dreams in 3 different languages - english, french, and creole (this was particularly strange as I have great difficulties in understanding creole but I find myself knowing a few words now).

I finally fell back asleep (I think) around 4 or 5 am. I was late coming into the office this morning and later discovered that everyone else was too. Since Greta is in Madagascar, I helped Alex and some others finish wrapping presents and I think (I hope) that we are finished now.

I am feeling just awful right now and want to go home to my bed right now...

Some little things:
-Toby mentioned in conversation that "he was no spring chicken" anymore (hes only 31). I never knew the story before but from what I gathered the term originated in the the UK because at one time there were always lots of hens born in the spring - Alex thought it was funny
-It was fun to have Carol with me at the Suffren on Friday as she was somone to explore with
-I noticed that Carol was wearing 7 jeans on Saturday and asked how much she paid for them - only 800 rupees! That is about $25 for $150-$200 jeans!
-Carol knows everybody - everyone she introduced me to was some sort of cousin - they are everywhere
-I ran into facebook guy on Saturday as well (the guy who was upset that I didn't add him on facebook)
-someone else said "hi kallay" and I of course didn't remember him until Carol told me that I probably met him through Rajnish - I swear I have the hardest time keeping up with everyone's names here
-Carol bought me a present when I wasn't looking even though I told her not too - its a cute little mounted friendship poem
-When we got back to Carol's her sister said that everything was ugly because she was mad that she didn't get anything
-my friends at work continue to think that I will forget them when I go home
-on Sunday I pointed out a house on the side of the mountain in Tamarin where I wanted to live when I was rich one day - Rajnish said that I was already rich because my Dad is good friends with Paris Hilton
-Audrey's sister Pascal, her husband Bruno, and their two kids came over for dinner on Saturday - the most riveting topic of discussion was Britney Spears and her comeback
-someone commented on Sunday that the mauritians were on one side and the europeans were on the other - I said well I am neither so what am I? turns out I am a just a jerk
-the definition of insanity (so I've heard) is the act of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results - I should have know better when trying to get on a float in the pool from the stairs


More later...

Starting to feel weird

So today is my second to last Friday here in Mauritius. I am starting to feel a bit weird about leaving. On the one hand I can't wait to get home and see everyone but I am really going to miss all of the wonderful people that I have met here. While Mauritius is a beautiful place by itself it is the people that I have met that will make my experience here unforgettable.

Yesterday afternoon was pretty uneventful - it wasn't as hot as it normally so I didn't feel like I was going to die of heat exhaustion. I made considerable progress on my final project of preparing my survey which I am happy about and I am hoping that this afternoon I can do the same thing.

Before I left yesterday I stopped to chat with Jordana for awhile. Her ride was impossibly late so I offered to give her a ride home since she lives just on the way. I love to have people in the car with me from time to time as I it makes the traffic and the driving seem to go by faster (as I have said over and over again, the island is full of the craziest drivers that I have ever seen in my life). I dropped her off and then headed home.

Audrey needed to go to the grocery store because she had to pick up a few things for dinner. We came back and shortly after Rosaline came over for dinner. We just had pasta for dinner last night which was fine by me. We all stayed up chatting for quite awhile.

When Rosaline left Audrey and I were the only ones left up so we decided to treat ourselves to an extra glass of wine (we drink Cape Leaf here which is a south african red - never seen it at home).

I woke up this morning and leisurely got ready - I had to take a few extra things with me to the office as it is Friday and I am probably going out tonight so I needed my makeup and such. It was a quiet morning here at the office as Greta, Cindy, and I worked wrapping presents for our VIP clients - they get leather covered planners with their names engraved on them.

I had a big lunch today with Alex, Greta, Navin, Jean-Francois, and Kannen. We went and had Curry Roti - a crepe/pancake with curried meat and vegetables inside. I had it for the first time at the end of my first week here and was excited to go back as it tastes delicious! It took absolutely forever to drive back as there was an enormous traffic jam for no particular reason - what normally takes 10 minutes took 45!

Tonight a bunch of us are going to happy hour because Alex's last day at ATS is next Thursday. I have plans to go shopping with Carol tomorrow and on Sunday Alex is having a BBQ at his place. So my last weekend here is action packed - I hope to have lots of stories to tell on Monday!

Some little things:
-I saw a chicken cross the road - and lo and behold it needed to get to the other side
-on the drive back from lunch today Alex, Greta, Kannen, and I had a philosophical discussion about meat vs. beef.
-Jean-Francois told me that he was going to miss our friendly banter that we engage in all day long when I leave (Bonjoooouuuurrrrr, ca vaaaaaa????)

More later...

HI CAROL!

Oh the weather outside is frightftul....but the fire is soooo delightful.....

And most of you know how the song ends. Except, there is absolutely warming oneself by a fire would not serve a purpose - if you need to be warm all you have to do is step outside. It has been raining off and on all day...

So yesterday was the first day in awhile that I had a car. It is a turbo hondo civic and has excellent pick-up - much better than the Nissan March. On the drive home yesterday I put the AC on full blast and it felt great.

I went directly to the grocery store and bought the essentials: wine, diet coke, and granola bars. I then went home and relaxed while Audrey and I chatted about nothing in particular while we waited for Emmanuel and Benjamin to get home (I have no idea how they can be at the office every day from 7 am until 8 pm - I would kill myself).

For dinner we had bacon wrapped chicken - absolutely fabulous. After everyone else went to bed, Audrey and I decided to take a dip in the pool to cool off. The water was the perfect room temperature - fantastic.

I was a bit late waking up this morning - around 7. Luckily I still got the office at a relatively normal hour. The morning was relatively uneventful.

I had lunch today with Greta, Carol, Cindy, Pamela and some of the other girls from work. I have never been around so many chicks at once since coming here - a new experience! My coworker Daniella's last day is on Monday. She is moving to Germany (where she does not speak the language) to be with her boyfriend (or as she says "mon amour").

After lunch, none of us felt like going directly back to the office so we stopped and bought lechis (a delicious fruit that I have never seen in the states). Being female, we decided to window shop and of course had to stop and look at shoes. We couldn't linger for long as we had to get back to the office.

I am feeling weary this afternoon and I hear my bed calling me all the way from Tamarin. I will be there soon enough!

Some little things:
-Carol and I were walking along today and we heard a cop telling a bum to move along (I can't be sure because the exchange took place in creole). The bum screamed at him and said "You don't know me!"
-Daniella was nice enough to say her goodbye to all of us in french today so that I could understand
-today is Bruno's birthday - I felt awful that I had forgotten but he didn't seem to mind

More later...

W-E-D-N-E-S-D-A-Y (thats how "wednesday" is spelled)

Well it is officially the middle of the week again and it is both a good and a bad thing. It is excellent because Friday is just a few short days away but it is terrible because I am one day closer to having to pack my life away that I have established on this island in the middle of the Indian ocean.

It has been business as usual over the past day or so. It continues to be miserably hot and humid. On the work front, I am starting to figure out how I am going to organize everything in preparation for turning in my final product next Friday.

I got home from work yesterday to find Rosaline hanging out. I chatted with her as Audrey was visiting her parents (her Dad is very sick). We had a leisurely afternoon of hanging out by the pool.

Emmanuel came back from a long weekend in Reunion Island yesterday so we are once again a full house. We had a great dinner and went to bed at a semi - reasonable hour.

Some little things:
-I GOT A CAR TODAY!!!!! YESSSS!!!!!!! I am now mobile and free
-I lunched with Alex today and tried to explain the BCS system to him - of course he understand nothing and just concluded that Americans are complicated - I don't think he really grasped the concept that there is not an actual playoff system
-there are a flock of birds that fly over the house every night around 7:30 (Yes I realize that it would have been cooler had I said "Flock of Seaguls" but I must stick to some semblance of the truth)
-I love sega music - Audrey says I should buy a skirt before I leave and wear it for halloween next year - I told her I'd take a picture and send it to her
-Two songs that I have stuck in my head are "C'Est ma terre" by Christophe Mae and "Rayon de Soleil" by William Balde - they are quite catchy and the music videos are probably on youtube

More later...

What day is it?

It's Tuesday. It has been so unbearably hot and humid that sometimes I momentarily forget what day it is. An interesting note - I am 24 and a quarter years old today in case anyone wanted to know....

Anyway - yesterday at the office was mostly spent recounting the crazy weekend that we all had and sharing pictures with one another. Alex has been busy these past few days so I have just grabbed quick lunches by myself - no big deal.

I took the smelly bus home yesterday. I ran out of books to read so I asked Audrey's friend Rosaline to take me to the bookstore - it was closed - so disappointing.

We had a delicious dinner of lamb last night. They looked absolutely enormous but it turned out that each piece just had a lot of bone - the dogs were happy!

Hugo came for dinner as well last night as he plays Badminton on Monday nights and doesn't feel like making himself anything to eat.

We all went to bed late last night - around midnight - Let's just say that it was somewhat difficult to wake up this morning.

I went with Stephanie this morning to get her car serviced so we were slightly late coming into the office. Other than that, it has been a quiet day here and nothing groundbreaking to report.

Some little things:
-Hugo likes to throw his sweaty shirt at me because he finds it funny that it disgusts me
-I tried something called a "gateau moutaie" for dessert last night - it looked like a funnel cake but tastes absolutely disgusting - it tasted like drinking syrup straight from the maple tree (yes I know that sounds delicious to some of you)

2nd to last Monday...

THE GATORS ARE GOING TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!

Well today is my second to last Monday here in Mauritius (yes I am aware that you can read but just wanted to reiterate) and what a ride it has been! I have had a few questions about my blog from my coworkers so I went ahead and forwarded the address to them.

On Friday I was feeling particularly antsy for the weekend to start as it was unbearably hot outside and the last place that I wanted to be was at the office. Alex and I went for lunch at the waterfront like we normally do on Fridays. I went directly home after work as everyone was getting up early on Saturday morning to go catamaraning (yes I know that this is not a verb). I got a ride from Jordana and Stevie and we were the first ones to arrive at 8:30 am. We were all a little bit worried as we hadn't seen anyone else and we didn't want to miss the boat (not in the cliche sense).

Luckily we found everybody and boarded. All of us were anxious to get started with the festivities but we were told that since we were on a boat we were each only allowed one drink per hour (we were not happy). All of that aside, we arrived at the beach at Ile au Gabriel (??) and swam and hung out for awhile. I did in fact take some pictures but was too scared to bring my camera with me when we were dropped off at the beach.

We all swam back to the boat which was anchored. When we arrived, we were all famished and had an enormous lunch on the boat. Afterwards, we danced and drank for the rest of the day.

I arrived home at around 6:15 and promptly went to lie down on my bed. Audrey woke me up at around 9 pm to eat dinner. After dinner, we relaxed in the pool for while before going to bed.

I woke up early sunday morning (around 7:30) and lazed around all day. I finished my very last book that I had with me (Angels and Demons) and took a long nap. We were supposed to go and see the sunset but it was cloudy and rainy.

It is now Monday and I am at work - I should have more stories soon!

Some little things:
-Stephanie was telling me that alot of the young guys here give themselves nicknames - the father of a friend of hers recently told everybody to call him "The Sphynx"
-Paul wants Stephanie to do a "gang chart" this weekend - I am still not clear on its exact meaning but I think it involves crunching numbers - we just had fun comparing our accents
-I felt all warm and fuzzy inside when I was told how much I was going to be missed :)
-my friend Pascal, after telling me that he and his girlfriend broke up, promptly decided to scream "I am single!!" to anyone who would listen
-I must figure out how to upload the pictures from my camera...
-when going onto the beach, we were asked "Are you all mauritian?" Being me I said "No I am not Mauritian." The guy then told me I had to pay - I said "no" absently and kept walking
-a young french girl (around 16) arrived yesterday - she is part of an exchange program and is going to school with Audrey's niece


More later...

One of my last fridays...

As of today - I officially have two weeks left until my last day. It feels strange to say the least..

It has started to get hot again - almost to the point of unbearable. It is the afternoon and I am so ready to go home and start my weekend!

The past day or so has been uneventful - nothing particularly groundbreaking to report. It was a quiet evening at home last night as it was just Audrey and I for dinner - Benjamin didn't come home until 11 pm!

I've been at work since about 8:30 this morning and had a severe stomach ache this morning. I located some aspirin and I feel much better. Alex and I continued our tradition of going to the Caudan (waterfront) for lunch (we go just about every friday). I like going there because it is fun to eat outside and watch the world go by.

There are more presents to organize this afternoon and I hope it goes by quickly! There is no happy hour excursion this evening as we all are getting up early tomorrow to spend the day on a catamaran in the north. I'm sure that I will have a plethora of stories to report on Monday. Till then!!

This 'n' That

Hello all-

Today is another day- I actually forgot what day it in fact was until I checked the date on my computer - THURSDAY! The weekend is almost here. Although I am excited as I have big plans that involve spending the day on a catamaran with my crazy coworkers but my 32 hour trip home is vastly approaching.

Unfortunately for those of you who enjoy reading what I have to say about living the life here in Mauritius, the stories will soon be coming to an end as I make my way back to the USA. However - I am excited that you will get to see me in the flesh (or at least speak to me on the telephone). And I am excited to see all of you as well - don't worry.

I know that my last post has to be unique - I want to go out like Jerry Seinfeld - on top and leaving you, my faithful readers, wanting more! Hopefully I can live up to my own expectations.

Anyway - the day was spent yesterday finishing wrapping and organizing presents by region. In the more than 3 months that I have been here in Mauritius, I have come to know the geography decently well. I still mess up when it comes to pronunciation which repeatedly gives Alex, Greta, and Cindy a few laughs that make the day go by faster.

I hitched a ride home with Alex yesterday and I guess that he forgot that I was in the car because he drove right past my street. Luckily, he realized when I vocalized my desire to leave the car that he had indeed made a small error.

Rosaline came over and had dinner with Audrey, Emmanuel, and I. Benjamin worked late and did not get home until around 10 pm - so he had to reheat his dinner in the microwave. I went to bed around 11 and have been at work since around 8:30. Hopefully I will have more exciting news to report in the near future....

Some little things:
-Audrey's nephew who lives next door decided to pop in for a visit - when we asked what possessed him to climb over the wall as opposed to walking through the front gate he replied that it was "more fun this way" - he is 11 afterall
-whenever i something funny (as in email) - i try to laugh as quietly as I can at my computer but I never fail to incite glances from my coworkers (they then ask me about it on friday nights after wondering all week as to what I was laughing at)
-the past few nights have been decently pleasant - there has been a nice breeze which vaguely reminds me of air conditioning
-fan + mosquito killer capsule = decent nights sleep in Mauritius

First Hump Day of December

Well its Wednesday and it seems like Sunday night was just yesterday. Although I detest Mondays and Tuesdays, everything seems to be going by very fast here.

Alex left early yesterday (around noon) because he had another doctors appointment for his back. Since I had had so many issues the day before of trying to catch the bus, I took a walk down to the bus terminal on my lunch break to see if there was a sign that I perhaps missed. I didn't miss anything - like everything else in Mauritius, the bus system is not very well marked.

I grabbed a quick sandwich afterwards and headed back to the office. I helped Greta and Cindy wrap more presents to the point where the tips of my fingers were sore. I left the office yesterday at around 4:15 as to try and find the direct bus home. Luckily I was there at 4:40 when it arrived. I wouldn't use the word "pleasant" to describe my second bus experience but I would describe it as slightly more bearable. The seats were slightly more comfortable and I had a row to myself. I tried to read my book but had to put it down as the driver kept making abrupt stops which caused me to feel queasy.

On the walk home, Audrey and Christiane drove by and I hopped in the car with them to go to the grocery store. Once I got home later, I had to take a quick nap because the heat wore me out (yes it has been that unbearable).

Benjamin (yes he goes by his full name) came yesterday. He is from the Ivory Coast and works for Colas (he is also an engineer) and will be staying until around the 23rd of December. No stories yet - we are all just getting to know him!

Work today has consisted of wrapping presents and organizing into boxes by region of the country - it makes it easier for whoever will make the deliveries. There were 4 of us involved in the process so it went by relatively fast.

I'm not sure what else is in store for today but I will let you know soon enough (as I always do)!

Some little things:
-Stuart, an avid surfer, calls the small group of locals who surf regularly the "white short brigade" - Audrey says everyone calls them that - they get mad at the tourists who want to surf on their waves
-saw a street yesterday called "Kung Fu Lane"
-the main drag in Grand Baie is called "Sunset Boulevard" - I get the impression that the Mauritians have a fascination with california (reference to Bel Air, Melrose, etc in previous posts)
-if you have been reading off and on and have skipped a few posts, chances are something that is not explained well in one post is better explained in another - just type what you are looking for in the upper left hand corner and click "search blog"
-Emmanuel greets me with "Bonsoir jeune fille" every evening (hello young girl)
-Kathryn and Luc commented to Audrey the other day - "wow it must be so nice to have a young girl around to help you" - Mom you would be so proud....

More later...

A Living Nightmare

It continues to be miserably hot here - it is horrible at home where there is no AC but it is OK and work since all of the window units got fixed last week.

Yesterday was an interesting day. Alex and I had lunch (ok so far not that interesting) and since my car is out of service for the moment, I had no idea how I was going to get home for the better part of the afternoon. Alex was unavailable (doctor's apt), Stephanie and Bruno were also unavailable. So my only option (I didn't feel like spending a fortune on the cab fare) was the go to transportation method of the majority of Mauritians - THE BUS.

Now - I have never ever been a fan of the bus. I remember how excited I was to get my license back in high school so that I could drive myself. There is something about a bus that disgusts me - people everywhere, you never know what exactly they have touched before touching the metal handrails, etc. Not to mention, there is often no AC and the regular patrons of the bus do not exactly smell like roses if you know what I mean.

My adventure began yesterday at around 4:30 as I wasn't sure exactly where the bus station was located (had only seen it on a map) and the last bus that I knew of was due to leave at 5 pm. So I wanted to give myself plenty of time. To go the bus terminal (Victoria Square) was about a ten minute walk from my office. I have never been in a more confusing place in my life. I started wandering around and looking for my bus # that I had researched on the internet on one of the signs - it was nowhere to be found. I asked two people - one bus employee and one police officer - where I should wait. I ended up having to cross the street.

I came across a bus that was headed to Flic en Flac (near where I live) - the conductor said that the bus I was looking for had already left! I looked at the clock on my cell and the time read 4:45 - my bus was not supposed to leave for another 15 minutes!!! I of course started to panic a little but until the conductor said just to get on and get off in Bambous which is just before Flic en Flac.

I felt about 14 again as most of the seats were taken and it didn't look like anyone wanted me to sit next to them. Luckily, I squeezed myself next to an older couple. 40 or so long and smelly minutes later (no AC + plus people that dont wear deoderant = UNPLEASANT ODOR) I got off the bus in Bambous and promptly gasped for fresh air.

I was afraid that the next bus that I needed to take would never show up and I would be stuck in Bambous. Luckily - 10 minutes later it showed up. So I hopped on and got off again in Tamarin about 20 minutes later - at the wrong stop of course, I should have waited for the next one.

We had a good dinner last night as the Kathryn and Luc left to go back to Paris this morning. Emmanuel, having spent the weekend with his family in Reunion, was back as well. Rosaline and Hugo also joined us (even though Hugo now lives with Alex, something tells me that we will continue to see a lot of him).

I was exhausted and fell right asleep after reading a few pages of "Angels and Demons."

I have been at work all morning and will let you know how the day shapes up....


-Emmanuel got a speeding ticket yesterday for 100 rupees - equal to about $3.50 - the fines for talking on the cell phone while driving and illegal parking are more expensive - go figure

3 Months!

Gators 45 Criminoles 15 - watch out Bama!

Well, today is December 1st and I have been living and working in Mauritius for exactly 3 months! Time has gone by EXTREMELY fast but I definitely feel differently than I did when I first arrived. I cannot believe how much that I have learned and the amount of great people that I have met. I am so happy that this blog has been such a success and thank you to all with whom I regularly communicate. I will be home soon enough!

On Friday, I went to happy hour like usual with my coworkers. It was Shri the intern's (see cast of characters) last day so there were more of us out than usual. I was too tired to do anything afterwards so I went just went home. I was starving and luckily Audrey had some leftovers for me to heat up in the microwave.

I randomly woke up at about 7:30 on Saturday morning and about an hour later, it became unbearably hot and humid (stayed this way throughout the weekend). Even though I have been a floridian for almost 9 years - I have never not lived in florida without AC - I have no AC where I live here. I did nothing but laze around all day long. Audrey and I went out for lunch after going to the grocery store and each took naps when we got home as Audrey, Hugo, Rosaline and I went out for dinner as it was Hugo's last night (he is now Alex's roommate). Afterwards we all went to the new bar up the road for a quick drink after deciding we were all tired from the heat and headed home.

On Sunday morning I woke up at around 8:30 to find that Hugo had gone to work - he worked 7 days last week! I went with Audrey to see a local outdoor market but I was def not in the mood to shop as I was so hot. Luckily Audrey felt the same and we went home. Hugo came home in time for lunch so the three of us ate and then we played a game called Trionominos (sp?). It is played with triangles that are numbered and you have to match them. I was the only one that hadn't played before but I won the first game! The second game was a draw.

Hugo and I later decided to go to a town called Chamarel to see the "7 colored earth." Originally, Mauritius was volcanic and somehow the lava flow created a ridged earth that is comprised of seven colors and absolutely no vegetation. Unfortunately, it was raining so we could not see all of the colors. We also saw the waterfall at Chamarel which was quite impressive as well.
Later on in the afternoon we went and swam laps for about an hour and got some good exercise in.

A bunch of us were at dinner last night - a french couple named Kathryn and Luc who are here until tomorrow, Audrey, Hugo, Stuart (he left this morning), and I. We had fried noodles and fish and it all tasted great!

I had a hard time sleeping as I kept coughing and waking myself up and not to mention the strange dreams that I was having. Paul is back in the office today and I suspect this afternoon I will kept Greta with more present wrapping. Hope you all have a great week!

Some little things:
-Alex is the latest person to find out that I am adopted-people always think I am offended by questions but I never am
-I was telling the guys on friday night that I would miss them and Rajnish countered with"you will forget all about us when are with your friends back home" - I certainly hope not!
-each floor of offices is assigned one stall in the women's bathroom - the key is supposed to be kept downstairs but somehow it is never in the right place and one always has to go in search of it
-the international calling card that i purchased does not only have instructions in english and friench but in creole as well
-Alex says im not like other girls because I like beer - my response: I went to a very large american university where life revolved around the football team

More later...

Black Friday

To those of you who are brave enough (and have the patience to boot) to go shopping today I commend you. I hope that you all had a fabulous thanksgiving!

As you know, my thanksgiving was spent at the office. To my chagrin, there was no thanksgiving dinner waiting for me oin the table when I got home, but the lasagna that we had was delicious!

The past day or so I have been wrapping holiday presents for our suppliers like mad. There are over 1000 in total! (Sorry if I mentioned this in an earlier post)

I had lunch as usual with Alex today and we parted ways afterwards as he had to go and get a haircut - he seems decently happy with it - still looks like a normal person to me!

I am not entirely sure what my plans are for the entire weekend -just know that I am supposed to go to dinner with Hugo tomorrow night as he is moving in with Alex on Sunday. Hopefully the weather will get nicer as it has been dreary the past few days and I desperately want to go to the beach and get some fresh air.

Anyway - I will be sure to update you all on all of the trouble that I got into this weekend on Monday. Enjoy this amazing weekend of college football and GOO GATOOORRSS!!!!

Thanksgiving

So I have tried several attempts at today's post but each time I have felt tears welling up in my eyes and had to stop because in my opinion it is unprofessional to cry at work. I didn't think that it would be that big of a deal to miss Thanksgiving as there are tons of Americans who do not spend the holiday with their families every year. A few examples that I can think of our brave men and women in uniform, business travellers, workaholics, people who are physically but not mentally present, and the millions of Americans living overseas. I am comforted by the fact that I am not the only one who is not spending thanksgiving with my family in the united states of America.

It is early morning EST and plenty of people have been up and busily cooking for a good amount of time. Turkeys are being stuffed and put into ovens everywhere or being prepped for the deep fryer. The rest of the household will be awoken shortly by the aroma of the grand feast that is being prepared right in their very own kitchen - turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, pumpkin pies...yum. Later on , long after dinner is finished and people still find themselves hungry, turkey sandwiches will be made and an exciting weekend of college football rivalries will commence. Some may go and see a movie or two and some may even brave black Friday tomorrow - though one never knows with the current state of the economy. For those with likely sticker shock due to the rising prices, a long walk around the neighborhood will certainly suffice.

One of my favorite family traditions, along with talking about the overly commercialized pilgrims who sailed to America on the mayflower and supposedly befriended the native americans (Squanto and friends), has been going around the table and saying what we are thankful for (sorry about the preposition at the end of this sentence). If no one minds (If you minded you would have stopped reading by now!) I would like to share a few things that I am thankful for:

1. For my health and the health of my friends and family
2. For the unconditional love of my friends and family
3. My loyal readers of this blog
4. Urban Meyer
5. Tim Tebow
6. The Gator Nation
7. The opportunity to live and work in Mauritius
8. The state of Florida has yet to be underwater
9. I have my basic needs covered
10. My safety and the safety of my loved ones
11. Facebook
12. CNN.com
13. Everybody that I have come to know in Mauritius (See "Cast of Characters" Post)
14. Email
15. Text Messages
16. The opportunity to pursue a masters degree
17. All of my worries and fears that I have overcame this past year

Anyway - as you enjoy your hearty meals today eat an extra piece of Turkey for me so that I may live vicariously through you!

On the Mauritian front, it has been a relatively few days. The office has been uneventful but was tired nonetheless yesterday as I went home and took a quick nap. Audrey didn't feel like cooking so we all went out for chinese (different place than normal) which was fabulous. I had a quick lunch with Alex today as he had to go and get a haircut. Unfortunately, he was unable to get his desired haircut even after waiting for 45 minutes! It will be time to head home shortly and I seriously doubt that there will be a sparse of turkey on the table. I miss you all and hope I hope that you all have absolutely wonderful thanksgivings!!

Some little things:
-Thanksgiving is just not understood here no matter how much I try and explain it - to the rest of the world it is just an excuse americans use to gorge themselves
-My british friend Toby told me recently after a he had had a bad day that he could see the silver lining in the cloud - some imagery
-I saw a street the other day called Kalee street (Yes I pretended that it was pronounced like my name)
-We were discussing a former french presidential candidate the other day (Le Peine) and communism - I said that I found communism scary and was told that I was "so American" lol. Luckily Audrey backed me up and said that no communist country had ever prospered for long

More later...

Thanksgiving Eve

Hi Everybody-

I certainly hope that you are having a relaxing Wednesday as Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I will be dreaming of Turkeys this evening even though I have to work tomorrow.

Anyway- nothing spectacular has happened in the last day or so. Things are a bit slow for me right now as it is hard to arrange meetings. So I have been helping to wrap christmas presents for our various clients in the textile, hotel, and automotive industries (when we are finished we will have wrapped more than 1000 gifts!!). It continues to be quiet otherwise around here.

Last night we had the usual crowd for dinner + Rosaline. Stuart the architect likes to eat earlier than the rest of us as he has been going back to work after he finishes dinner. I wasn't feeling that well yesterday so I wasn't chatting as much as I normally was. Emmanuel of course that it was because I was in love - no in fact I was exhausted and had a sore throat - not terribly exciting!

It has been a quiet Wednesday so far today as I grabbed a quick sandwich by myself as Alex had a business lunch. I suspect that I will head home in an hour or so.

Some little things:
-my friend jean-christophe calls Pork-eating muslims the "bacons"
-I am still harassed about my choice of afternoon beverage - I always stop and get a diet coke AND and large bottle of water. I was asked why I didn't drink juice - my answer: juice has more sugar than soda!
-Dominique says that I have integrated within Mauritiuan culture very well
-I am obcessed with a song by Christophe Mae that I keep hearing - I wish I could remember the title
-Sega music is also really fun to listen to
-I am happy but surprised - my work friends are committing early to coming to happy hour on friday - its only wednesday!
-my friend Carol continues to like it when I say her name the American way instead of the prettier french accented way - she laughs every time

More later...

Long Days, Short Nights

Well- today is tuesday- yet another one that has decided to pop up. Although my Tuesdays are never particularly exciting, it just means that it is one step closer to Friday!

Yesterday was monday and particularly uneventful. I chatted with Pamela about getting more meetings but unfortunately all of the hotels are extremely busy right now as it is prime time to come to Mauritius - it is afterall summer. So Alex and I went for lunch at the Port Louis waterfront, this is normally our Friday tradition but since we couldn't go Friday we went on Monday. I like walking down there because it gives me a good bit of fresh air (or as much fresh air as one can get from the numerous busses that drive by).

It has been great coming home in the afternoons because the days are no longer so it doesn't get dark until around 8 o'clock. Daylight savings is particularly new to Mauritius as it is their very first time (Reunion Island, their next door neighbor, chose not to do daylight savings so they are 1 hour behind). There is talk however that they will switch back to the old time in January because it has been messing business up - the world wide recession is slowly coming but it will probably most be affected by a decline in tourism as people won't have the extra deposable income.

We had a low key dinner of pasta last night - a typical monday meal, no complaints. Emmaneul's wife had brought back a berry flavored liqueur which we all tasted afterwards - absolutely delicious! I am particularly tired today as I was in bed late last night due to prolonged gossip with Audrey and Emmanuel - but it was fun!

I woke up this morning with a bit of a sore throat (this happens some time when I do not get enough sleep as I woke up several times throughout the night) and made myself come to work anyway because I have never been a busy that takes sick days really - I hate to not feel productive - and if I had stayed at home and I wouldn't have gotten anything accomplished.

Nothing out of the ordinary has happened so far today. I grabbed take out and chatted with Jordana for awhile as I imagine that it can get lonely in the reception area. She is getting married in February and was telling me all about her plans. Who knows what the rest of the day will bring? I guess I'll have to let you know tomorrow!!

Some little things
-Emmanuel went to the doctor last week - he came back and said that his cholesterol was awful but at least he didn't have AIDS!! (thats a glass half full if ive ever seen one)
-Rajnish decided to fill my inbox with forwards yesterday
-made me feel good to get a phone call over the weekend from 4 people at once who all wanted to say hello!

More later...

Time flies..

Hi Everybody!

Hope you all had a good weekend! I had an interesting one myself. It is hard to believe that I will be headed home to the states in less than a month! I miss you all!

On Friday, after my day at the office, I went for happy hour with my usual group of coworkers. There were a few more of us than usual. I ran into the guy that wondered why I hadn't added him on facebook (I did afterwards) and he told me thanks lol. Of course I was with all guys who were wondering why I was talking to someone other than them haha. Oh well.

Afterwards, I went and met up with Jean-Christophe in the north to go to zanzibar (it had been awhile since I have been!). I of course knew about half of the place so it was a lot of fun - ran into Alex too! I spent the night at Jean-Christophe's and headed back shortly after lunch on Saturday afternoon.

Hugo and I went to the beach for a little while in the afternoon to get some sun and watch the wind and kite surfers down at the Le Morne. We came back and showered and got ready to go and have dinner at Kathryn's house (steak!). Afterwards, we all went out for a glass of wine at a new bar that just opened in Riviere Noire (Black River). It was a really cool place as it was all outside - there was a mix of tables, cabanas, a jacuzi, and a pool! We were all exhausted so we went home shortly after.

Sunday was an uneventful day as nothing remarkable happened - just went to the grocery store with Audrey and lazed around the house the rest of the day. Emmanuel's wife was in town so the two of the spent the weekend house hunting. She is leaving to go home to Reunion today.

Some little things:
-a random rumor that I heard as to the reason I came here was that my stepdad was close to Paris Hilton (??)
-on saturday morning - someone noted that all of us were sitting around not speaking and totally engrossed in our blackberries (they really are crackberries haha)
-my friend Rajnish was upset that he was not listed in my "cast of characters" post so i listed him
-I taught Hugo the lyrics to "Pump It" by the Black Eyed Peas yesterday

More later...

Fab Friday

Before I get started - I will continue to update my "Cast of Character's" post as I meet people so you can refer to it if you ever need clarification on who someone is!

Yesterday was one of those "you really have no idea whats going to happen" days. On the surface it wasn't particularly eventful but for some reason my mind told me that a lot was happening (no I'm not crazy I have a point - just be patient - my little things at the bottom are more interesting).

I had lunch with Alex and spent the day in front of my computer. I chatted with people that walked by etc. I went home at my regular time, rested a little while, and then sat and chatted with Stuart while he at his dinner. I then heard a horn honk in the driveway and I thought that it might be one of Audrey's friends so I went outside to see.

Turns out it was my friend Jordana who decided to stop by randomly because her fiance Stevie lives in Tamarin! They invited me to come and have dinner with them at Stevie's house (he only lives 5 minutes or so away). His house is on the side of a mountain and he told me that when he parks his car in the driveway it rolls down if he doesnt put huge rocks behind the wheels. I met his family and we had a delicious dinner of Octopus curry. His little cousins were over as well because it is summer vacation here so they were in the pool all day long.

Jordana and Stevie are getting married in February and Stevie is in the process of adding an entire floor to his family's house. Right now it is just the foundation but we walked around and they pointed out where the bedroom was going to be, the living room, their future childrens' rooms (lol) etc. Below their house, there is a 3 bedroom condo that the family rents to tourists. I would stay there purely for the view - you can see all of Tamarin!

They took me back home at around 10:30 and I headed to bed.

Today has been a relaxing Friday here at work. I had lunch with both Alex and Stephanie today which was nice as we haven't had lunch with Stephanie in awhile! I'm about to head out in a little bit since Alex and I have our usual happy hour plans. I will post again monday with all of the trouble I will have caused this weekend!

Some little things:
-Bruno and I were chatting yesterday and he asked me about september 11 and whether New York was close to Florida. So I pulled up my trusty google earth and showed him on the map where Florida is and where NYC is. His response - "whoa thats far - does it take about 6 hours to fly there??" lol
-I took a short nap when I got home last night and Hugo randomly snuck into my room and poked me on the foot and screamed - i jumped about 3 feet in the air
-Stevie wants me to do his marketing for his family's condo because he wants to generate american interest

More later...

Cast of Characters

I thought that I would take a little time today to identify most of the people that are mentioned throughout my blog in case you were scratching your head wondering how in the world the particular person weezled their way into my life here in Mauritius:

Kallay- A carefree american girl who is on the adventure of a lifetime (me of course)!
Veronique - works for kasa textiles which is a sister company of ATS where I work - takes care of all my nitty gritty details (visa, etc)
Dominique - CEO and the reason that I got this opportunity
Stephanie - Dominique's oldest daughter and one of my good friends here on the island (my coworker as well)
Celine - Dominque's other daughter and my friend - currently living and working in Paris
Antoine - Dominique's son and my friend - currently going to school in Paris
Sophie - Dominique's wife who has also been a great help to me!
Paul - my direct boss at ATS
Alex - my good friend and co-worker - a french expat who has lived here for about 3 years
Audrey - person who owns Grain D'Sel - the name of the house where I live
Nicolas - french intern who was at Audrey's my first month
Sarah - french intern who was at Audrey's during my first week
Thaib - Sarah's boyfriend
Kathryn Rey - Audrey's friend
Nathalie - Kathryn Rey's daughter and one of my local friends in Tamarin
Olivier - friend I met via Nathalie - also lives nearby
Alain - Mauritian expat who lives in South Africa that stayed at Audrey's a month or so ago
Christine - Paul's Secretary
Jackie - Audrey's friend
Yannick - Kathryn Rey's son and my friend
Fabien - Yannick's friend
Kathryn F - my american friend that I met here on the island
Gilbert -coworker
Roegen - former coworker
Jean - Christophe - Veronique's son and my friend
Robert and Celia - british couple that stayed with audrey for a week
Joel - Nathalie's boyfriend
Nicole - friend who lives in grand baie
Lee - Nicole's brother and my friend
Sebastian - friend who I actually met on facebook before meeting face to face on the island (met nicole and lee through him)
Pamela - coworker who works in sales department - she is a huge help to me as she is the one who usually accompanies me to my various meetings
Bruno - friend and coworker
Armorie - Stephanie's boyfriend and also the name of one of Joel's little cousins
Hugo - also staying with audrey and my friend
Rosaline - Audrey's friend
Emmanuel - works with Hugo and is also staying with Audrey - from Reunion Island
Christiane - Audrey's friend
Rajnish - coworker and friend
Jean - Francois - coworker and friend
Kannen - coworker and friend
Carol - coworker and friend
Stuart - South African architect who is also staying with Audrey
Ben - coworker and friend - sometimes comes with me to meetings instead of Pamela
Greta - coworker in marketing dept with me and my friend
Cindy - coworker and friend
Audille - Audrey's sister
Jordana - coworker and friend
Stevie - Jordana's boyfriend
Deborah - friend I met through Sebastian
Kathryn and Luc - French couple from Paris who spent the last weekend of december at Audrey's
Benjamin - From the Ivory Coast, works for Colas and is staying with Audrey until just before Christmas

On Cloud 9!

No I am not on cloud 9 because I met the love of my life and plan on getting married this weekend - Facebook now works on my phone!!!! I have been deprived for so long and am ecstatic to be somewhat back in the loop with my friends back home in the US of A.

I am so happy that it is Thursday but time continues to fly here. The days go by faster and faster and sadly I don't have much time left here in the grand scheme of things.

Yesterday it was so hot that it was to the point of uncomfortable - just awful. One of those "thighs stick to the chair" days. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary happened - just at the office and then went home. I helped Greta and Cindy wrap presents all afternoon for some of our current clients - I never want to see another notepad again.

We had chicken and shrimp for dinner and we were all up late as usual. Audrey's friend Christiane came over after dinner to hang out for a little while. Turns out she is on facebook as well!

Nothing interesting so far has happened this morning - Paul is back from a business trip to Madagascar so the office is abuzz!

Some little things:
-Alex and Stephanie arent the only ones that I regularly see on the road in the mornings - I see lots of the same cars and I wonder if they notice me too
-I always manage to get stuck behind a bus
-Emmanuel's car has bright yellow seats and Audrey says that she can picture him jamming out to Bollywood music as he cruises down the road
-I can't go to the grocery store without running in to someone I know

More later...

need caffeine...

I was greatly disappointed this morning that my usual convenience store did not have diet coke (I have my own at home but having forgotten to put some in the fridge I needed to make a stop). So I ended up buying a massive bottle of water this morning instead and now I have a headache. Meanwhile, it doesn't help that I continue to have arguments about the sugar content of "Coke Light." I love the mauritians but sorry you will not convince me stop drinking diet coke - it is like air for me.

Sorry - had to get that off my chest. Yesterday was relatively uneventful as I was at the office all day long. I did not feel well when I got home so I rested for about an hour or so and dozed off before dinner. We had spaghetti last night along with fresh tomatos - tasted great!

Some little things:
-since the air conditioning does not work properly here in the office (there is no central air - it is the retro window units), the workers have been taking them down one by one, fixing them, and putting them back
-forgot to mention that Hugo and I got a drink thrown on us by some girl on saturday night - my shirt was soaking wet - she then asked him to dance and he responded "i don't dance" - too funny
-i told Carol yesterday that I was uncomfortable around clowns - she just laughed (the back story is that she was going to her 3 year old cousins birthday party and there would be clowns)
-i saw a policeman signal me to the left - so i thought, what in the world could I have done?? I wasn't speeding, not on my cell, seatbelt on, etc - turns out he was just signaling that he was pulling over because his turn signal didn't work

More later...

The Jeopardy Theme Song is in my head...

Yes - the thirty seconds of chimes is continues to run through my head as I stare at my laptop screen while deciding to what to write.

I finally decided on today's inspiration - I received an email from my grandfather this morning that described me as "gregarious." Ever since I first heard it while studying for the SAT's I have always loved the sound of it. I do like to think of myself who is constantly curious about what is going on and genuinely interested in other people and making friends.

This trait has certainly served me well here in Mauritius as if I had become a hermit who never left my bedroom, I would not have had the experiences that I have had. December 20th indeed will be a bittersweet day.

Sorry about the tangent - I'll get back to what I did yesterday. I spent the morning at the office and then after a quick lunch - Pamela and I drove the hour and a half or so to a beautiful hotel called "Le Touessrok." The purchasing director that I met with yesterday was in an extreme hurry and did not fill in any of the free response questions. The important thing is that I have another source of data and our sales department now has his contact information.

I arrived home relatively early last night (around 5:30) as I did not head back to the office after my meeting (It took about 2 hours for me to drive home!). I stopped at the store where I ran into Audrey as she was heading out the door. When we both got home, I helped her unload the groceries and decided to change into our swimsuits because it was a particularly hot day. We jumped in the pool for a few minutes to cool off.

For dinner last night it was only Audrey, Emmanuel, and I. Hugo was off playing badminton with his coworkers. He got home and by the time he was finished eating, all four of us decided to put our suits on and jump into the pool at 11 o'clock at night (I remember what a special treat it used to be to go night swimming!). None of us were in before midnight. The morning came fast today and I have been suffering all day long.

The only thing eventful so far that has happened is that Alex told me he is leaving the company (he has known for awhile but just made it public knowledge). Our last days are the same!

Some little things:
-I decided to dive into the pool last night to make a grand entrance and was told that I dive like an American - whatever that means
-Jean-Francois continues to taunt me daily about my diet coke drinking habits
-the closest bathrooms to the ATS floor of building now require a key that must be returned to the same place - i thought that the stalls were always in use
-I have been making lots of errors in french - I think its because Stuart and I speak english at home

More later...

FUNNY!!

Got your attention!

Well another weekend has passed and hear I am at the office on this monday morning. I am so happy that my gators had a good weekend! I can only imagine the look on Spurriers face as he lost to his alma mater by 50 points! I'm sure that it was a long bus ride home to South Carolina...

Anway - this weekend was quieter than usual. Alex and I went to happy hour on Friday night where I ran into my friend Deborah. She and I later decided that we were starving and took the water taxi (yes I said water taxi) across the canal to find something to eat for dinner. When we were finished I left and crossed the canal again to locate my parked car. I was home by 11:00 ish -early night.

I woke up around 9 on Saturday morning and went with Audrey to the grocery store. She of course knew half of the people there because everyone does their shopping on Saturday mornings. We came back and took a dip in the pool before going over to her sisters to hang out for awhile. We came back and had a mauritian lunch of rice, curried sardines, and vegetables. It was very good!

In the afternoon, Audrey, her sister Audille, and I took a short excursion to Albion which is about 25 mintues away. There is a woman who runs a store out of a house. She has all kinds of stuff from jewelry, to home goods, to fake designer handbags. I didn't end up buying anything because I wasn't much in the shopping mood but I suspect that I will head back at some point before I leave so I can do my favorite thing CHRISTMAS SHOPPING (I say that facetiously).

We went out for chinese again (yes we like chinese) with a large group - Audrey, Rosaline, Christiane, Kathryn, Hugo, and I. Yes - Hugo was the only man but he seemed to take it well. After dinner I went home to shower as I dragged Hugo along to go to Shotz in Flic en Flac to meet up with my american friend Kathryn. I apologized in advance for all the english that he was about to hear but he was a good sport and said he didn't mind. My only complaint is that he refused to dance - oh well not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

We got home in the wee hours of the morning and I had issues closing the front door. This was particularly frustrating as there is a chime that dings every time the door opens and closes. We finally got it to close and were thankful that we did not bother Audrey too much :)

I woke up at the crack of noon on Sunday and had my breakfast while Hugo was eating his lunch. It was a dreary day and there was no point in putting in any effort to go to the beach. I had a lazy sunday afternoon as I did some reading and swam in the pool.

It was a low key night last night as it Audrey, Hugo, and I had a quiet dinner and were all in bed relatively early. It was difficult to drag myself out of bed this morning but luckily I made it to the office in one piece!

This afternoon I have a meeting at a hotel called "Le Touessrok" which I have been to once before for dinner. Hopefully it goes well!

Some little things:
-some guy approached me on Friday during happy hour and wondered why I hadn't him on facebook - I responded with "and who are you?" - Alex about died laughing
-on saturday night there were 4 languages being spoken at once at the table at shotz - english, french, creole, and hindi - pretty cool
-to the anonymous person who posted a comment recently with a blog address for me to look at - it was a nice thought but in fact that is my friend Kathryn's blog :)

I see through world through rose colored lenses...

Well yet another Friday is here and I couldn't be happier. The sky is blue and the birds are chirping. Unfortunately, the air conditioning chose not to work at the office today so we are all cramped together trying to not to overheat.

Anyway, I feel like a tshirt when I say that life continues to be good. I get to be around my crazy coworkers all day long and get to be around my crazy housemates at night - who wouldn't want a life like that??

I can't think of any events that were particularly remarkable yesterday - just that I continued to be alive and well. I spent the day like usual in front of my computer and felt myself getting older by the second - I think that my vision is starting to go as I constantly have to refocus my eyes on the computer screen. Hello lasik surgery 5 to 10 years from now....

A new role that I have assumed here at the office other than "the little american intern" is social director. Since its Friday - most likely I will gather the group together to go for happy hour after work today so we can gossip about the everyday and bask in one another's company.

The friday protocol is quite different from the other days of the week as I normally go home and shoot the breeze with Audrey - for example yesterday. We were the only one's having dinner last night so we decided to go for chinese like usual. Chinese food here is not only delicious but cheap to boot. After we ate our dinner with gusto, we went home to our beds calling our names.

It was quite difficult to drag my lazy self out of bed this morning and even longer to decide what to wear. So frustrating - being a young woman deciding what to wear is the most difficult yet most important decision that I make all day long. I try about 50% of the time to be a "reasonable person" (thank you law school - i hate you like satan but some of your teachings remain in my brain) and analyze the problem logically. Some questions I ask myself are as follows (if you care to know and haven't stopped reading by now)

1. Have I worn it recently?
2. Does it fit?
3. Does it make me look not fat?
4. Will it elicit favorable comments?
5. Is it too revealing for the office?
6. Will it be comfortable as I sit at my desk all day long?
7. Will I be sweating bullets by the end of the day should I decide to wear said outfit?

I'm sure that I can think of many more but I choose not to do so.

Before I get back to my important duties as ATS marketing intern - a special shoutout to my supportive friends and family back home! I miss you (not crying or anything pathetic like that) and I will be back in the US of A sooner than you think. I LOVE EMAIL SO SEND ME SOMETHING!!!!

More adventures later...

Merci Alain!!

Finally! I have put some pictures up! However I must credit these to Alain who stayed with us about a month ago. I have photos of my own as well but I thought these would be a nice teaser!

Anyway- what you are looking at on the bottom is a view of the back of the house. The one that I prefer is the one on top as this is a view of the backyard. Notice the mountains in the distance. Just behind the fence are the salt mines where the laborers work from very early in the morning until sometime around mid afternoon. We spend a lot of time outide at that table as it feel great at night - usually breezy and the moon and stars in all their glory!

One of my favorite parts of the day is just before I get home in the evening, the sun is beginning to set and all I can see in front of me are the moutains. For some reason they are now exceptionally clear as the sugar canes on either side of the road have been burned away and harvested (controlled burning is part of the harvesting process). My other favorite part of the day is chatting with whoever is home about the days events. One never knows precisely how we get on certain subjects but they are interesting nonetheless - mostly current events, funny stories, and joking around in general.

Yesterday was a Wednesday like any other. Alex and I grabbed a quick lunch which we ate outside on the front steps by the church in the center of town. In the afternoon I went home and relaxed and caught with Audrey, Hugo, Emmanuel, and Stuart about the day's events. I was in bed around 11.

This morning was a bit of a drag as the internet in the office was down. IT, always hard at work, luckily fixed the problem. Who knows what the afternoon will bring? Hopefully sunny skies!

Some little things:

-as I walked into the office this morning, my friend Bruno says to me "Hello Ka-laaayy" - just to mess with me as he knows I HATE when people pronounce my name wrong

-somehow we got on the subject of chinese people last night and how they eat dogs and cats - I said they must eat humans too. Hugo responded that they only eat Americans - to which I responded "well they must think we taste good"

-this later led to talking about what sounds animals make - Audrey and Hugo thought it particularly funny that animals in america don' t have accents and kept making me repeat "Cocka Doodle Do" for the rest of the night

-The way that I know that I am well adjusted here is that I am now involved in inside jokes both at work and at home - I won't go into them because inside jokes are one of those "you had to be there" things.

Hope everything is going swimmingly at home!

More later...

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if woodchuck could chuck wood?

????

How to start, how to start, how to start??

I have been living the normal life here in Mauritius since my last post. My coworker Ben and I went for a meeting in Mont Choisy yesterday at a hotel called the Tarisa Resort. We first had a meeting with the executive chef and then he had to speak briefly with the purchaser for laundry in regards to product prices. The executive chef was yet another person who did not have the time to fill out my survey right then and there - It is kind of frustrating especially when they are told beforehand that they will be asked to fill something out. I don't understand why they just say "I'm sorry but I don't have the time today perhaps we can reschedule for next week??"

While personally I believe that this is very rude, I also think back to a post from awhile back about embracing another culture. I am reminded that it is just another way of perceiving the world. However, it is still difficult for me to understand. I guess its not that important and life goes on - oh well.

We had the most delicious dinner last night - Osso Bucco! Audrey and I were the only ones that had had it before - my mom likes to make it at home! Instead of making it with tomatos, Audrey used vegetables - it was excellent! I was exhausted afterwards and was in bed by 10:30.

Some little things:
-It is very hard to be in a group of people where two languages are being spoken and one person only understands one. This has been Stuart's struggle. I try my best to translate for him every now again but I tires me out at the same time. This past weekend when I was around my coworkers who speak creole amongst each other - luckily they would translate into french for me from time to time so that I felt included - it was probably tiring for them too.
-I have seen tons of people who wear what looks like the UF sorority girl jacket - a navy parka with a an orange stripe around the middle. I am not sure if it is the same brand that I have but hilarious just the same
-In order to change lanes - the turn signal is not enough. You also have to look the person in the eye that you want to get in front of in order to get their attention as well as make it absolutely unavoidable for them not to let you in by inching your way forward
-I am happy that my hair now has some more highlights thanks to all the sun that I got this weekend
-My chore every night before dinner is to set the table and uncork the wine - Mom I hope you are proud
-I saw a guy with a Chargers jersey on this morning - random

More later...

And another Tuesday

YES! It's Tuesday....so hard to be optimistic about a Tuesday.

Yesterday being a Monday was a hard day to get through - but thankfully its over. I had a quiet day at the office and got home at my usual time at around 6:15.

Neither Stuart nor Hugo were there for dinner but we still had a good group - Audrey, her friend Kathryn, Emmanuel, and me. We had deer, sausages, vegetables, and something similar to a spring roll. It was all great! For the first time I tasted a leichi (sp?) which is a tropical fruit that looks like a cross between a rasberry and a grape. You have to peel the skin off to eat it and there is a seed in the middle. The fruit itself is an offwhite/clear color.

This afternoon I have a meeting up in Mont Choisy (where I was this weekend). I will enjoy the break from staring at my computer!

Some little things:
-My friend Jean-Francois and I can't look at each other without cracking up after this past crazy weekend - I'm sure everyone in the office thinks we are nuts
-I am starting to get to know people's cars by their license plates - for example I saw Stephanie this morning on the way in and Alex and I tend to run into each other at the grocery store
-in general, I am referred to as "La Petite Americaine" (The little american) even though I am nowhere near little

More later...

There are no words...

As I sit at my desk this Monday morning, I bear the battle scars of my weekend - a siginificant sunburn on my face and shoulders and aches and pains in places I didn't know existed. Allow me to explain.

On Friday afternoon when I was still normal, I left work to go and meet up with Hugo for happy hour. We decided about an hour later that we were famished and left to go and eat chinese at the local place near where we live. We ended up closing the place down and went home. We chatted with Audrey late into the night until we went to bed.

I woke up Saturday morning at the crack of 10 o'clock. I had breakfast with Audrey and a family that had stayed the night who were from the south but stayed with us as they did not want to have to make such a long drive at night. I relaxed for awhile afterwards and then took my shower and headed out to go to the north to meet my coworkers.

I was the first one to arrive and I wasn't sure if I was at the right place. Luckily, after I called a few people, it turned out that I was at the right place. Everybody rolled in at once and unloaded an enormous amount of stuff from the cars - food, paper plates, beer, soda, water, stereo system, etc. After we finished unloading everything, a few of us changed in our bathing suits and made a beeline for the pool. There was sort of a diving board and it was my grand idea to dive in - everyone else quickly followed suit.

As it got darker, we blasted the music louder, ate, drank, and were merry. I am one of those people that whenever I hear music I feel that I have to at least move to it. I am often the crazy person dancing in my car at stoplights. A lot of the music that we were listening to was sega (no not the handheld video game device circa 1995 but a traditional mauritian dance that dates back to slavery). It sort of reminds me of hula. Anyway, my friend Carol showed me how to do it properly as it requires hip movement but it is slow and smooth as opposed to the rap video girls - very pretty i'm sure when done properly.

My friends Jean-Francois, Kannen, and I were the last ones still up. While the three of us were still in a festive mood, everyone else decided against it. Unfortunately, there was no more sleeping space in the house as everyone was crammed onto couches, beds, etc. So Jean-Francois suggested we sleep in his car. I took over the backseat and stretched out as much as I could while the two of them were upfront. We woke up due to the sunrise a few hours later and went inside and grabbed empty chairs and couchs and passed out again for a few hours. We were certainly a sight as I kept feeling the flash of a camera in my face as my head was lying on the arm of the couch.

All of us spent the rest of the day chatting and swimming in the pool. We had a delicious lunch of something in between soup and pasta - it had chicken, vegetables, and white balls of something. It was great but incredibly tongue and my tongue is still burned today.

We all packed up and left at around 4. Carol rode with me as she lived just on the way. I got home at around 5, showered, and rested for awhile. Audrey's friend Rosaline came over for dinner and we all sat around and discussed the weekend. When it was time for bed I feel right asleep.

It was a struggle to get up and come to work this morning. Luckily, I had taken a shower before bed so I dragged myself out of bed at 7 and was out the door by 7:15. Emmanuel returns today from visiting his wife and children in Reunion this weekend so there will be a lot of us tonight. Other than that, I expect today to pass quite uneventfully.

Some little things:
-a lot of the guys I work with absolutely love the horse races that happen on saturday - there was a race on the tv that included a horse named "Hold My Jacket" - just imagine a group of people screaming "HOLD MY JACKET" all at once at a tv - hilarious
-somehow my coworkers and I got on the topic of my american accent and they wanted me to pronounce the names of everyone that we work with like an american would - they had a good laugh
-Kannen and Jean-Francois had never heard of Miley Cyrus while Carol had - when I explained that she was the guy who sings "Achy Breaky Heart's" daughter they quickly caught on
-i don't understand creole and this is the language that many mauritians speak amongst each other. Luckily, I someone would translate into french what they were saying every now and again
-Alex had a party at his place on Saturday night and Hugo told him all that we did on Friday night - he said he just laughed and said knowing kallay, that doesn't surprise me at all
-there is a hindu goddess named "Kali" and it is pronounced exactly like my name - people are very educated about religion here so they caught on quickly - when I tell people "Cali like California" it doesn't have quite the same effect

More later...

Exhausted

Well I am happy that its Friday - another week is over. It is starting to become bittersweet as I have some mixed feelings...on the one hand I am excited to see all of you again very soon but I will be sad to leave the friends that I have made here!

All week long I have not gone to bed before 11:30 and I am paying for it today. I have had so much fun getting to know the others that have come to stay at Audrey's!

Nothing fantastic happened yesterday afternoon - I was just at the office in front of my computer like usual. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home as it was my turn to buy the wine (Audrey and I switch off). I relaxed for awhile until everyone else came home. Someone else joined us yesterday, a south african architect named Stuart who is staying here until the beginning of december for work. I felt awful as he was the only one at the dinner table who could not speak french. I tried to make an effort to translate what we were saying and tried to speak english to him because I didn't want him to feel left out. He went to bed earlier than the rest of us - I hope his feelings weren't hurt.

Emanuel goes back to his family in Reunion (another island right next to Mauritius) for the weekend today. Hugo is coming with me to happy hour with my work friends this afternoon so that should be fun. Tomorrow I am off to Mont Choisy which is in the north for a huge party with my coworkers - its all anyone has been talking about for the past month or so!

I will update you all on all of the trouble I will have caused on Monday!

Some little things:
-I see the same white pick-up everyday that has "FOREVA" written on it
-I got stopped this morning by the police who were stopping random people to see if they had driver's licenses - I lied and said I was on vacation here and that my car belonged to Audrey - I was somewhat annoyed that the whole process delayed my commute
-I have no idea why bicyclists insist on riding in the middle of the road when they know full well that there is a huge chance of getting run over
-there is a sign that I see everyday that says "Cremation Ground" - do I really need it thrown in my face that dead bodies get burned just down the road from where I am stuck in traffic?

More later...

La vie est belle!

Translated - the title of today's post means "Life is Beautiful" (no not in the Roberto Benini sense but in the Kallay Cutler sense)

What I mean is that it is very hard for me to believe that I will be living in just over a month! While I miss you all back home terribly, I have gotten used to and quite happy with my way of life here on the island. I will be sad to leave the wonderful friends that I have made here and my job- I have been learning so much!

Yesterday's events:
I left work with Stephanie yesterday afternoon to go to her parents' house for the cocktail party. I was a bit nervous at first as I did not know anyone and everyone was significantly older than me. Alex was supposed to come as well but he is having issues with his back and it is hard for hime to move (I just make fun of him and tell him that the reason is because he is getting old). I met some of Stephanie's friends from high school and some of her cousins. I had a great time!

I left at about 9:30 to go home so that in theory I could go home and get some sleep. I ended up staying awake to chat with Audrey, Hugo, Emmanuel (he is from Reunion), and Audrey's friend Rosaline. I didn't end up going to bed until about 11:30 and I am severely paying for it today - I have the world's biggest headache.

Some little things:
-I saw a guy riding his bike in full denim - jeans AND a jean jacket - gross
-saw a woman hit her boyfriend over the head with her purse during a fight they were having on the side of the road - I wonder if she filled it with bricks beforehand
-thanks to Hugo I know the french words for Orion's belt, the big dipper, and the little dipper
-everyone really knows everyone here - in chatting with one of stephanie's cousins, she told me that she saw me back at case noyale during the hunting season party and saw me say hello to my friend Jean-Paul. She asked me whether or not he and his girlfriend were still together - I have no idea

More later...

Proud to be an American...where at least I know I'm free

Hello everybody and welcome back as I take you inside life halfway around the world!

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

In looking for something inspirational yesterday, I came across the preamble to our constitution. I vaguely remember reciting the words when I was in school but I must admit I have never taken the time to sit back and fully understand the true wisdom that it is expressed. Please allow me to offer my 24 year old interpretation.

First and foremost, we are a "People," not "persons." It seems that the dream of our forefathers was that despite our differences, it is our duty to work together and provide unconditional support concerning the general welfare of our "People" in hopes of guaranteeing future successes.

I am optimistic that as a nation, we will continue to find better ways to work together while healthily discussing our differences. God Bless America!

It has been very exciting indeed to keep up with our election but I am glad that it is over and time to worry about other things! I have had a busy week but not without excitement.

Yesterday afternoon, Pamela and I went to a beautiful hotel in the southern part of the island called the Shanti Ananda. While the island itself is small, the roads are extremely are no where near straight and oftentimes very bumpy. It took 2 hours to drive there from the office! Luckily I took the same roads that I use everyday so we found the hotel without much difficulty.

However, when we got there, we were told that the executive chef (person most qualified to fill out my questionnaire) would not be in until next week. Yet they still scheduled a meeting with us! Needless to say, Pamela and I were a bit peeved as we had just driven all that way only to be told that my survey could not be filled out. So defeated, we drove the 2 hours back to Port Louis. I calculated that I was in the car for a total of 6 hours yesterday - 1 each to and from work and then 4 almost all at once.

Yet another person came to stay where I live last night - he will be here for about a month. Like Hugo, he works for AJMC Colas, a worldwide engineering firm that is here in Mauritius. After a lengthy dinner, I happily went to sleep.

I came to work this morning to not only find out the results of the election but also to find out that I had a local meeting just 10 minutes or so away at a hotel called Le Labourdonnais. Ben, another person from sales, went with me today instead of Pamela. We met with the executive chef and director or purchasing. I am glad that Ben was there with me as they had lots of questions about products with which I was not familiar.

I came back and since Stephanie was busy and Alex is out sick for the second day in a row, I went a grabbed a quick lunch by myself. I expect to have a pretty uneventful afternoon but I am going with Stephanie to her parents' for a cocktail party (my boss) to celebrate their home being in the family for 50 years. It should be a lot of fun!

Some little things:
-The mauritians seem to know a lot about the American political system - I don't even know who the Mauritian president is
-The road along the coast (literally right next to the ocean) was extremely narrow and windy. Pamela said that cars have been known to get swept away into the ocean during nasty weather - scary but it least it was nice outside yesterday!
-because of these road conditions, we saw a few signs that said "DEAD SLOW" - the word "dead" seems to be a bit ominous
-we saw what we thought was a cow lounging under a tree only to realize that it was actually a rather large woman

More later...

Would you rather be rich or famous?

Current Mood: Impatient

To answer the question above - I would most certainly rather be rich but maybe a certain kind of famous. Who in their right mind would want someone from Star magazine or Page 6 loitering outside your house waiting for you to come outside in a bathrobe and no make up on - not me thats for sure.

I have a point I promise - well sort of.

In chatting with my little sister Annie this morning, she informed me that I was famous. I of course wanted to know what she meant by this. Afterall, I am just a young american girl that decided to embark on adventure halfway around the world to a tiny but vibrant island in the middle of the Indian ocean. Ok I see what you mean - to most people that doesn't even enter their mind.

I am certainly NOT most people - although as a child I was the shy and chubby kid who with extreme self confidence issues, since about 18 I have had a sort of spirit in me that makes me want to meet the people and "spread my wings" (corny I know - but I think I get it from growing up in a family that encouraged me to do this and learn new things. I don't mean the way that Angelina Jolie wants her children to be "citizens of the world" because she is crazy but the general theme of broadening one's horizons).

What (I think) she meant is that there are a whole lot of people out there that read my blog.
And I quote: "i think that blog really makes people happy because obviously you're missed." So simple yet so profound. I was touched.

I certainly try to appeal to the masses. I know that I insert my individual opinions but the LAST thing I want to do is turn people off and make them not want to hear from me!

Back to the events of the past 24 hours (or less)...

I had an uneventful afternoon and left to go home at around 5:15 ish. Hugo (my new roommate of sorts who is going to work here in Mauritius for at least six months and is french) arrived last night and I'm sure Audrey and I talked his ear off when all he really wanted to do was go to sleep! He seems like he will be a lot of fun!

Today I have a meeting at a hotel called the Shanti Ananda which is in the very south in a town called Riviere Des Galets.


Some little things:
-it is about 10:15 am as I write this on Tuesday 11/04/08 or election day. It is now after midnight on the east coast - we will shortly know who our new president will be! It has been quite an experience to be overseas during this time - everyone is interested and anxiously waiting. To Senator McCain or Senator Obama: I am going to need a "real" job at some point, will one of you please help the economy and end the recession so that I can find one at some point?? Thanks, much appreciated.
-Hugo says that I speak french with a mauritian accent - its Audrey's fault
-Hugo has been dutifully warned - in about 2 weeks he will start to know EVERYONE
-Stephanie is back today!

To be continued....

Last time I checked cut-off jean shorts were completely hideous

GO GATORS!!!!

Why yes - my favorite team won this weekend absolutely crushing the puppies that call themselves DAWGS. Although there may be a few ACR's (Alachua County Residents) who still wear jean shorts, at least I can say say most of my fellow fans have dumped their beloved jorts into yesterday's garbage never to be seen or heard from again...I hope.

Also - the time difference between Mauritius is and EST is 10 hours (we are ahead) due to daylight savings! It is going to be awful when I come home and am exhausted for a week!!

Anyway - back to my existence in Mauritius.

On Friday afternoon/evening aka halloween (BOO!! - Did I scare you?) I went out for happy hour with my coworkers like usual. This time around, the place was decorated for halloween. The mauritian people have only started to celebrate the holiday a couple of years ago. I have no idea if the children were out trick or treating as I was not home to see it. They did a decent job of decorating though!

I went to the north for a little bit to hang out with Jean Christophe but I decided that I was too tired so I went home.

I woke up on Saturday morning and relaxed until about 1 o'clock when I hopped in the shower to get ready for the halloween party that I went to that night with my friend Nathalie. I met them in Curepipe and left my car at her brother's place (I know that very few of you probably know where the places I mention are and probably think that I am making this up, but trust me, they exist). We then drove to the south to a small beach town called Point D'Esny.

A lot of Joel's family (Nathalie's boyfriend) spend the weekend at their respective beach houses in this little town each weekend and during vacation. They are all close together and all of the cousins are always outside playing together on the beach. We hung out for the afternoon along with Joel's brother Yannick and his girlfriend Petra who is from the Czech Republic. After they all were finished getting ready, we went over to Joel's cousin Vanessa's house for a glass of wine.

We got to the Point D'Esny club house at around 9 or so and were starving for dinner. We had shrimp, rice, lamb, veggies, and then a strawberry mousse cake for dessert. All in all, it was pretty good. There was not in fact a live band as I originally thought their would be but a DJ. The important thing is we got to dance! At the end of the night I left with my friend Yannick (Nathalie's brother) as my car was at his place. I was too tired to drive all the way when we got back to his place so he let me sleep on the couch.

We watched a few hours of BBC on Sunday morning and I of course loved it because I don't get to watch too much TV where I live! I went home around lunch time to shower and relax.

Nothing too eventful happened last night - just made myself a quiet dinner because Audrey already had plans to have dinner with friends.

I had a meeting this morning in the northern part of the island in a town called Trou Aux Biches with the purchasing director from the Casuarina Resort and Spa. I first went last Monday but he ended up not having the time to fill out the whole survey. It was quite an adventure driving back up there as the way that I normally get on the highway was blocked so I tried a different way. There was an accident at the round-a-bout where I wanted to turn around so I ended up having to drive 1 HOUR (!!) just to be able to turn around to go the other direction. Luckily - when I finally got to Trou Aux Biches I got what I needed - my survey!

Another intern is coming today to stay with Audrey for six months. He is french and going to work for the same company that Nicolas worked for. Hopefully I can make a new friend!

Some little things:
-I chatted with someone saturday night who loves that song "What's Up" by the 4 Non Blondes as much as I do
-Joel's little cousin Armorie (age 3) reminds me a lot of my brother Taylor at that age - into everything and a pest (he ran into the ocean with the nanny chasing after him and yelling)
-I ran into somebody at happy hour that I filled out my survey - I didn't recognize him at first and had to ask who he was - oops
-its Alex's birthday today but he could care less - personally, I view my birthday as a holiday just for me and to cebrate that I am in fact alive and well
-Election day is tomorrow - someone on the BBC put it so well - "the election that you will see even if you don't want to"
-it weirds me out when these purchasing directors that i talk to start to flirt with me (it happened again today) - do you have a boyfriend here in Mauritius?? (this particular guy has a wife and child!)
-i was "put in my place" today in that someone informed me that I only speak two languages - the USA is behind the times

More later...