Gators-63 Wildkittens - 5

GO GATORS !!!!

So - it was an excellent weekend all around - my team won and I got to be in Mauritius!! I hope I can remember everthing that I want to say....

On late Friday morning, Pamela and I had a meeting at the hotel Tamarin which is only about 5 minutes from where I live! Originally, I thought I was going to be able to sleep in and come into the office after my meeting but Pamela had to come with me because the executive chef is very interested in our products. It took some time but in the end, he was able to give us some interesting information that will help me greatly when it comes time to analyze my results!

On the way back to the office, I had to drop her off at our showroom because she had some work to do there for the afternoon. I went and grabbed a quick sandwich and spent the rest of the afternoon at the office.

After work, I went out for happy hour with some of the guys from work. I overheard someone speaking english with an american accent so I of course approached her and asked if she was from the states - she was canadien. We exchanged numbers and perhaps we will meet again in the future!

I grabbed a quick bite to eat later and then headed up to Grand Bay to go to the Banana Cafe. I was there maybe 10 min as it was taking everyone else too long to get there. So I got impatient and ended up leaving. I met up with my friend Bruno and a friend of his at a place called Shotz in Flic en Flac which is closer to where I live. We only stayed for a little bit since we were all so tired.

When I got home, I had some minor difficulties. If the key on the inside of the house is left in the lock then it is impossible to unlock the door from the outside. So, I went around to the kitchen because that door (its actually a gate) is locked with a padlock and I know where the keys are hidden. So I found them and tried to unlock the padlock. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I had grabbed the wrong set of keys. Since I could not open either door, I had to call and wake Audrey up which I felt terrible about. I called the house line 4 times and her cell twice be sure she woke up. I thought I was going to have to end up sleeping on the front porch like a homeless person. Luckily, she came and opened the door for me. I was never so happy to see my bed...

I woke up on Saturday morning and went to the grocery store for Audrey. An english couple arrived Saturday slightly before lunch who are staying for the week. They work for a non-profit called the "Mauritian Wildlife Fund" and are visiting nature preserves and aviaries all week long. They have lived all over the world and have 6 children between the two of them! They are interesting people and I can't wait to hear their stories during the week!

On Saturday night, I went back to Shotz to meet up with my american friend kathryn. I got a chance to meet a number of her coworkers - alot of fun! Bruno and a friend of his were supposed to join us but the bouncer at the door wouldn't let them in because he said "there were two many guys." It didn't work at all when Kathryn and I both protested and said that they were our friends. He said "well they should have come in with you." I guess this particular place's way of doing business is "people want what they can't have." I think that is just mean.

I got home early on Sunday morning, went to bed, and woke up in time for lunch. I decided to go to the beach for the afternoon to do one of my favorite activities, people watch. I left at around 5 and went home. We were all a bit out of sorts on Sunday evening because of the time change (lost an hour of sleep). We did not finish dinner until almost 11 pm because Robert and Celia (the english couple) had go to have an evening drink at the pub up the road. Audrey and I became impatient as we were starving.

I did not go to bed until 11:30 last night since my body thought it was 10:30. I am a bit tired today as a result.

I had a meeting this morning by myself as Pamela took the day off to prepare the feast for Divali (I will get into it in a bit). I consulted my map and found my way north to a town called "Trou aux Biches." The name of the hotel that I went to was called "Casuarina Resort and Spa." I was there for about an hour and half this morning while the man that I spoke with showed me pictures of his wife and son and asked about life in the states. Before that, he was yet another person that wondered if I preferred to speak english or french - it still absolutely bugs me that people ask me this. Please respond to me in the language that I am speaking to you in, thats all I ask. He filled out precisely 1 page of my survey before he told me that he simply didn't have the time and to leave it with him. I know that if I don't remind him he won't do it. I was a bit peeved as I had just driven an hour only to be told that he didn't have the time to fill it out - why didn't he just ask for it via fax before???

I am now back at the office for the afternoon after a quick lunch with Alex.

Some little things:
-I have the day off tomorrow because of an indian holiday called Divali. Apparently it is a "festival light" to symbolize that good triumphs over evil. I'm just happy I don't have to make the commute tomorrow - hopefully the weather is nice so that I can go to the beach
-Daylight savings time is opposite here -lose and hour this time of year and gain one in april
-Kathryn and I entertained ourselves by making a group of australian guys that we met on Saturday night say things like "shrimp on the barbie"- sounded just like an outback commercial
-Audrey says that I am the buffer between her and the english couple - my job for the week is translator
-the street vendors have an annoying way of repeating "cinquante" or 50 to mean 50 ruppees for whatever they are selling over and over again - it sounds completely nasal and it gets in my head
-when asked by one of my coworkers during happy hour on friday who I would date at the office I responded with Paul my boss (office gossip is universal)
-I had to buy produce for audrey at the grocery store the other day and when I got up to the register the cashier said that I needed to get it weighed and priced. It was a bit of a shock to my system as I remember back in my green vest days at Publix that it was the cashier who weighed the produce. In Mauritius, this is someone's job and all they do is sit behind a scale all day long
-I have the worst luck with shoes here as well (if you remember how dogs ate a pair of my heels). Well another pair of shoes broke so Audrey and I went to Rose Hill (a town with tons of shopping) so that I could find another pair of black heels. I spent roughly $25 and part of the buckle is already missing - w0nderful

I hope that this post suffices until Wednesday-will not have internet tomorrow!!

Cya!