No turkey coma or lying around in the snow here.

Christmas was a rather non-event, actually. There was a typical build-up, playing Christmas songs on the radio, ads on TV, houses decorated with lights outside. But the day itself was much like any other holiday. On Christmas Eve there were a lot of parties at night, both at the bars and at people’s houses. Deb went to a party where she got back at 8AM the next day. For Christmas Day, most all stores were closed and there weren’t many cars on the road. A lot of people had barbecues and there was loud music everywhere.

Since Christmas on the whole was rather unusual, I really didn’t feel much in the spirit. I didn’t feel Grinch-y, but it was easy to just ignore the whole thing. I had been naughty and opened everything as soon as I got it in the mail, and I had only one decoration. I think that was probably just as well because I didn’t feel homesick at all. I hung out at the beach all day yesterday, and Deb joined me later.

A number of the volunteers are still in town. Two people from our training group in July came back to visit their host families. Two of the Canadians, Shannon and Heather, are around, and a bunch of volunteers in Guyana came for a visit. We’ve all been hanging around and have some plans for Friday. The Guyanese girls expressed an interest in climbing the Piton, so Deb and I are trying to set that up. I’m not the world’s most enthusiastic hiker, but I figure I should do the Piton while I’m here.

So actually things have been rather busy.

Deb has had her share of drama to last all next year. I’m living vicariously and lending emotional support.

It all started a few weeks ago, we were at one of our usual weekend nightspots, Shamrocks. Deb hit it off with Alvin, a waiter there, and they danced most of the night. We saw him again a few weeks later, and it came out that he and Deb are neighbors. We are pretty visible anyway, and people tend to know our whereabouts at all times. (Lauren lives in a small town in the south, and she said she thinks it would be perfectly acceptable to address mail to her: The White Lady, Laborie, St. Lucia). So after that, Alvin started dropping by Deb’s house. Deb asserted, about seven times, "No, I don’t want to be your girlfriend." Alvin wouldn’t let up, though, and kept dropping by and asking her to be his girlfriend. That went on back and forth for about 3 or 4 weeks.

So this past weekend we were back at Shamrocks. Alvin came over a number of times to check us. All night he had a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and he was teasing Deb about something. He wouldn’t let up, so Deb showed him her middle finger. Then Alvin got really vexed and said they weren’t friends anymore. Still he kept coming over to visit our table.

A while later some other guys came over to talk to us. (They were Venezuelan, so I got to use my Spanish major for a change!) When we danced with them, Alvin got really annoyed, despite the fact that he flirts and dances with every single girl in the place. When we left, Alvin still had his shorts in a bunch.

The other day, he showed up at Deb’s again. She had actually been a little relieved and hopeful that now Alvin might be off her hands. The whole time he was there, he played little third grade games. He sat there but wouldn’t talk to her as she tried to apologize for giving him the finger and explain that he did not own her and she could dance with whomever she wants. Finally he left in a huff.

Unfortunately, Deb ran into Alvin again later when she went out for a drink. He had really turned up the heat on the third grade games, if it’s even possible. He did things like send his friends to talk and flirt with her, flirt with her friends, and then he told her that really he has a fiancée. Deb is quick on her feet and pointed out to him that if this was truly the case, he has problems on a number of levels. The first and most likely is that he’s lying. But in the case that he does actually have a fiancée, he’s not being a very good boyfriend, trying to pick up other girls, or being fair to Deb by chasing her all over.

So this whole situation is pretty troublesome. For one, it underlines a problem that PC pointed out to us, that it’s very difficult to have just a friendship with a member of the opposite sex here. Also, it points out the disgusting and seemingly insurmountable double standard. It was totally cool for Alvin to mack on Deb while macking half the other girls in a place, and then for him to get vexed when she talks to another guy. All the time while Deb attempts to get Alvin to chill out on her.

I myself am thinking of implementing a new strategy of straight-up honesty with would-be suitors. One of my Rasta-acquaintances from the beach was mad with me yesterday because I said I was busy when he invited me to his house. Then he saw me at the beach and knew I wasn’t busy. Beating around the bush gets me into kind of sticky situations, and can make me uncomfortable. But at the same time I don’t want to be mean. I worked it out with the Ras guy, but I think next time I’ll just say "I’m sure your house is lovely, but I’d rather see you here than there." The next challenge for this tactic will be my landlord’s lecherous cousin.

…….

Just had a funny experience on the way over to the PC office.

I was on a full bus, and after we had all been riding along for about 5 minutes, one guy in the back says, "Driver, I don’t have money, can someone else pay for me?" Everyone pretty much laughed at the guy because no one was going to pay for him. A ways up the road, he asked for the driver to stop so he could get off. The driver said, "If you have no money, I’m going to really take you for a ride. You’ll have to walk far! This is Boxing Day!"

Everyone laughed at the guy.