St. Lucia Vol. 6.1 - Return of the Photographer

Sunday was the whole reason I came down to St. Lucia. No, not the mango fest, but HD's grandmother's 80th birthday. It was held at the Lucian-owned and operated Bay Gardens Resort (best hotel on the island!!) and I was the photographer. This had many benefits. I didn't have to dance and people were very insistent that I get food or would get it for me. The day started off at an open-air church in...St. Lucia. I truly believe open-air is the way to go, and having gone to so many churches in my life (4) I'm definitely an expert on this. It was very peaceful, at the top of a hill, and the breeze was able to flow through, as were the sounds of nature and the sun. Many things happened that I didn't understand, an altar boy waved the incense holder back and forth and once again, I was denied Communion. The more I'm told no, the more I want it!

The birthday party itself was a tremendous hit and a great time was had by all. I learned there's definitely a sense of humor translation in the Caribbean, and it's more than not just being able to speak patois. How did I learn this? Because not everyone I met immediately agreed I was the funniest person they knew. I'm very scientific.

This was also the first day I really felt like I was back in St. Lucia, surrounded by people I met and adored from the first trip 3 years ago. HD and I had gotten it wrong. It wasn't the things we did in St. Lucia the first time, but the people I met and the love I felt when they took us in. It was the culture and the people and the food, not the resorts and the beaches, that made me love the island.

Now, even though not much had changed in my life, it felt like I'd entered a time warp. Three years was just a drop to me, but it seemed to have aged the entire island. It hurt my soul to hear people who were so generous to me, invited me into their homes, were struggling. Despite fresh tropical fruit falling into your hands as you walk, island life isn't as easy as we tend to romanticize it.