I got it! And with only minimal groveling required! My move-in date is October 11.

One of the IT teachers at the college is out for a few weeks. This week we were only covering theory, so they doubled up the class and Miss Alexander taught the extended class. Next week however, we get into the practical part of the class and the students will need to use the computer, so Jim and I will probably take one of the classes so everyone can have their own workstation. Looks like we'll be teaching a little sooner than initially planned!

I stand at my kitchen door and look out over my balcony and think, “Oh-my-God, this is the view that I’m going to wake up to every morning for the next 2 years”, and I’m overwhelmed. This morning I was up at first light, stretched, dressed and out the door for the 4-minute jog to the beach, then ran along the sand from one end of Morris Bay to the other. Then off with the shoes and into the water for a short swim in the warm Caribbean. As I float on my back I’m watching the sunrise over Curtain Bluff, and I remember that my key is still in the pocket of my running shorts. Not wanting to have to tell my landlord on only my second day in my new apartment that my house key is on the bottom of the Sea, I head back in, negotiate my way barefoot through the cow pies on the grass to an old foundation where I can sit to put my shoes on, then it’s back up the hill to my house, and all before dawn.

As Rosabelle drove me over yesterday morning, I was surprised that I managed to nearly fill her car after having shown up on her doorstep 6 weeks earlier with only 2 suitcases. She took me shopping the day before, so most of it was groceries plus a fan that I picked up, but it still looked like a lot. Remember the days when we could move all our belongings in one trip with a small vehicle? Well, I did it yesterday! It was a far cry from the packing and moving that I had to do to get here. I did a bit of unloading, took an assessment and made a list of some essentials that I needed, then hopped on the bus and went back into town for more shopping. Several hot hours and 4 heavy bags later, I made my way home. Luckily I had picked up some frozen ravioli on my shopping trip with Rosabelle, because it took all the remaining energy I had just to boil water to make dinner! Now, a day and a half later, everything is finally organized and put away.

My landlords, Derrick and Gracey Jackson, live in the main house and I live in one of two apartments above their carport. Gracey did a fabulous job furnishing the place. I have a brand new refrigerator and stove, new dining table and chairs, bed, and dresser, and she will be purchasing a TV next month. Rosabelle did all the negotiating, telling Gracey everything she needed to buy and do before I moved in. I was so fortunate; she really took care of me.

I’ve been jogging every other morning, slowly working up my mileage since I hadn’t run since before I left California. I start my route right on the sand, along the shore near Curtain Bluff resort and Morris Bay, then up through the fields below an old sugar mill before making my way back home. Late in the afternoons I head down to the beach for swimming or snorkeling before sunset. As I walk back up, I pass the playing fields, now filling with guys playing football (what we call soccer in America) on one, cricket on another, plus there’s usually another group playing basketball on the adjacent courts.

People are starting to get used to seeing me. When they’re sitting out on their porches, they expect you to acknowledge them as you walk by, but they always wait for me to speak first – Hello, Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Night. So as I walk down the street, particularly if it’s very hot and I’m carrying heavy bags of groceries, I make a point to greet everyone I see but then continue on my way. Other times if someone seems particularly friendly and not otherwise engaged, I’ll stop to introduce myself from the road and chat for a moment. I try to memorize their faces, but I’m afraid if I saw them out of context, that is, anywhere besides their front porch, I probably wouldn’t recognize them (you can bet they would recognize me!) and as soon as I’m out of sight, I jot down their name and a note about where they live so I can remember next time at least, when I walk past.

This 3-month Integration Period is moving very slowly. We each put together a very elaborate plan for integrating into our communities during the 1st 3 months after swearing in and we’re 1 month into the plan now. During this time, we’re only allowed to work 1 day per week so we can concentrate on the other activities that we’re supposed to be completing. For Jim and I, it works out to more like 2 mornings per week helping with classes. Wednesday’s class went well – our class had been overcrowded due to Mrs. MacDonald’s absence, but yesterday Miss Martin took the “experienced” students and separated them into a different classroom so we were left with a much smaller group of new computer students. The lesson this week was an exercise to give them practice in using Windows, so Jim and I had plenty to do assisting those who were having trouble or didn’t know how to do something. Otherwise, work has been very slow; I feel that we’re being underutilized.

Today was day 3 of the Post Office strike. Government workers haven’t been paid in over a month and we’ve been wondering why everyone keeps going to work and no one seems to be complaining. Well, I guess now they’re complaining.

A sheep that grazes down near the soccer field has 2 new babies. Yesterday they were so wobbly, they couldn’t have been more than a day old.

Today I saw a school of about 20 cuttlefish while snorkeling. It’s something different everyday. Amazing!

I am exactly where I am supposed to be. The Divine Plan brought me here, at precisely this time, to precisely this place. The reason will unfold, as it should. The emptiness I feel in my heart was not and will not be filled by the distance, will not be filled by any person; it will only be filled by realization of the Oneness with God. To abandon the false belief in separation, to know that I am not alone, and never will be alone, and to accept and know that I have everything I need within me. Any sense of lack is an illusion. Any perceived problem is just circumstance. The answer does not lie in thought or reason. The answer dwells in the silence, the place where Spirit resides, the inner Being, Self, I.

I miss the hugs the most.

Had a meeting at the Ministry of Education today to talk about what more we could be doing. In addition to the college students and school teachers, Jim and I will now also be training the staff in the Culture division of the Ministry. That will be quite a bit different since the other course has a specific curriculum and this will be more personalized depending on each person’s skills and needs. We’ve also been asked to create an IT policy manual for them, as well as develop their website. That should keep us busy! They’re going to set up desks for us at the Ministry this week, although we’ll probably have to bring in our own laptops to use since they don’t have computers to spare. At school, Jim is teaching the next module on spreadsheets, and I’ll be teaching the database module after that. It will be our first times actually in front of the classroom since training.