I’ve been blogging since 2014 and have written a lot of posts about Grenada, our adopted home. Because of that, I’ve been approached from time to time by people who are thinking about moving to Grenada. They contact me through the comment section of my blog and then we correspond via email and phone conversations. I even met one couple when they came to Grenada to explore building a house in Carriacou. We had a good lunch and a great conversation. I love being an informal ambassador for this beautiful country that we call home.

Recently, things went to the next level. I was at the Fish Market in downtown St. Georges to get some fish for dinner. I was on the lookout for Shark or Barracuda, so I was strolling between all the tables looking to see what the fishermen had caught that morning. I saw a couple walking among the stalls, checking out the selection as well, and so of course I said hello. The man had a tee shirt that said Canada so I assumed they were visiting from there. They said hello back and that was the end of the encounter.

I kept strolling and saw numerous subspecies of Tuna, as well as Mahi-Mahi, Swordfish, Butterfish and a few fish I didn’t recognize. There was no Shark for sale, but there were a number of lovely looking Barracuda that were being displayed at a particularly busy table. I jumped into line to be sure I could purchase what I wanted before they were all sold. The prior week I had come around 11:00 AM and almost all the fish vendors were sold out so this time I arrived bright and early at 8:00 AM.  The market was already bustling and some vendors were almost finished selling their catch.

Each vendor has their own stall and sells the fish that was caught that morning. This woman is selling fresh Tuna, right off the boat.

A little while later, I was over at the cleaning tables waiting for my Barracuda to be scaled, cleaned and filleted. I saw the man again as he waited for his fish to be cleaned and we stuck up a conversation.

We asked all the usual questions – where are you from, where are you staying, etc.  Keith said that this was the 9^th time they’ve been in Grenada and they had rented a villa for a month. It was the first time they had been in Grenada for an extended amount of time. As his wife Christine came to join us, I started asking them about places they have already seen and suggesting things they should consider doing while they were here.

They were especially interested in what I thought about driving in Grenada. I told them that I’d finally gotten over being terrified after the first year and am now very comfortable driving here. (See these posts if you want to relive my terror trying to get comfortable driving in Grenada  Proceed at Your Own Risk ~ Driving in Grenada Part 1; Proceed at Your Own Risk ~ Part 2; Proceed at Your Own Risk Part 3)

I know our guests are often terrified of The Seat of Death – sitting shotgun in the front seat of our cars.  Driving on the ‘wrong’ side, with small roads and crazy drivers – not to mention the pedestrians, goats, dogs, etc. all trying to claim a small part of the narrow, hilly, windy road is not for the faint of heart. We chatted for another couple of minutes and then they got their fish, said good-bye and walked away.

After they left, I was disappointed that I hadn’t given them my business card with my local phone number in case they had more questions while they were ‘on island’. As I continued to wait for my fish, I saw them standing outside the market. I told the fish cleaner I’d be right back and rushed out to catch them before they disappeared into the rush of people. As I handed them my card and told them to call if they had questions or wanted to get together for a drink, Christine squealed “I know you. I read your blog all the time!” She started excitedly taking about our renovations, then about our refrigerator purchase and we all had a good laugh. They said they loved my blog and I got a thumbs up for starting to write professionally. What fun!

They talked about living in the US right now, but were in the process of being transferred back home to Canada for work.  They were trying to decide if they should just rent there and maybe figure out a way to buy something in Grenada. So now, the offer to get together turned into dinner at our house for a more in-depth conversation.

The man’s name is Keith Mitchell which just happens to be the name of Grenada’s Prime Minister. Our parliamentary elections were just barely over a week away so he was seeing lots of posters with his name on them, lots of advertising and of course hearing all the general conversation on whether Keith should be elected for another term. I congratulated him prematurely on his expected win and we laughed some more.  I didn’t ask them if they have a local phone number so I was just going to have to wait to see if they believed me when I extended the sincere invitation to get together.

Fast forward a couple of days – I got a message from Keith and we planned to get together for dinner at the end of the week.  They don’t have a car, so I offered to pick them up in exchange for a chance to tour their villa.  (I’m always interested in seeing new villas and their floor plans.)  Keith and Christine had selected a great villa with a nice layout, a pool, beautiful furnishings and a great view.  For first time renters, they hit the jackpot.

We got back to our house and I gave them a tour of our house.  We had a fun and lively conversation over dinner.  I was impressed with how they have integrated themselves into Grenada and have made local friends during their trips.  Hopefully, Michael and I are now added to that list and we look forward to seeing them again either during this visit or their next visit to Grenada.

If you are thinking about visiting or moving to Grenada, I’m always happy to share about our lovely island.  I can give you suggestions on fun things to see and do, great local places to eat and list all the pro’s and con’s about island life.  Reach out and let’s have a conversation!