My first day off. I was looking forward to a sleep-in, but after struggling against the habitual morning noises and the rising heat and sun, I finally could keep my eyes closed no longer. It was 7:18am. 3 minutes after I usually wake up for work. Crap.
The rest of the day was a little more enjoyable... I managed to stay in bed a couple more hours, then have a leisurely breakfast before bearing the already steaming sun for another failed attempt at finding a store that sells SIM cards. Seems most shops don't open on weekends, which is GREAT considering I have the weekend off to get all the things done I'd not gotten done during the week. Welcome to Caribbean life.
I did manage to find a cafe with free wifi, which I utilized for a couple of hours, watching the traffic pass ever so slowly on the road. God, that must be frustrating. Speaking of God, and frustration, I have encountered a few times the in-your-face religiousness of some of the people here. Handing out flyers on God outside the supermarket, brandishing their SUVs with "PSALM 3:16" et al, asking me to church in the same first sentence as meeting me. Nothing like shoving a religion down my throat to turn me off it.
Had $80 in my wallet, all of which I managed to spend today on various things so that now if I do go out I have $5 to my name. Awesome.
Hopped on a bus (a minivan not unlike the "buses" of Bolivia etc which stop whenever they see someone or someone needs to get off), battled some traffic and headed to Philipsburg, the town centre of the Dutch side. There were shops galore there, mostly hideous American fashion shops and jewelers, but I did find one place that sold SIM cards. I managed to get one for $20 with $10 credit, better than the deal I would have gotten had I bought the card off the young girl I asked for directions. Trust those instincts.
Now I'm back at my work, using their internet and waiting for the latest tropical downpour to ease so I can walk back without ruining my laptop. Just watched a beautiful sunset, partially obscured by clouds, as a floating suburb cruised by. I swear I could hear the click of the passengers' cameras as they caught one of the most amazing moments nature would deliver them in their life.
I took photo after photo, in an ill-fated attempt to capture what my eyes saw through the shitty lens. And as I sat there watching the sun disappear, I wished upon all wishes that I wasn't alone watching it. That I wouldn't have to go home tonight and sleep in an empty bed. Yes, it's incredible I miss him this much.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment