Life in Grenada: first impressions of my new home

Greetings from Grenada! I’ve arrived on the island, where I’ll be living for the next 1.5 years. Here are my first impressions of life in Grenada from my first week.

The people are friendly

We’ve had a great experience interacting with everyone. From our taxi driver, to the bank tellers, to the bus drivers, to anyone we’ve asked for help on the street. Everyone has been very friendly and helpful.

And perhaps the most unexpected and pleasant surprise – no one has stared us down or made us feel like we’re foreigners. It’s a very comfortable environment. Perhaps the Grenadians have become accustomed to the students over all these years. Or maybe that’s just a part of who they are. Whatever the cause, everyone carries on with their own business but if you need help they’re ready to help out.

And the vibe here is very laid back and relaxed. Even getting fast food here is not fast lol. It’s very different from the sense of urgency with which we seem to do everything back home. I expect this time here will help me learn to slow down.

Life in Grenada is very hot

It’s very, very hot here and because of the rainy season, it’s also very humid. August is the hottest time of year. (Although, I’ve heard this week has been pretty bad in Toronto as well. Just imagine that weather but a little hotter…every day.)

When there’s a breeze, the heat is more bearable. If not, expect to sweat and sweat… and sweat. Yesterday was particularly brutal. I was at the bus stop for barely 5 minutes and I was sweating buckets.

Fortunately, my apartment, the campus and most stores have AC. Some of the smaller stores not so much, or it’s not that strong. So the tough part is when you’re walking around or taking the bus.

Life in Grenada is very expensive

I knew from peers that everything is more expensive in Grenada. But I had no idea how expensive! Definitely didn’t foresee this challenge of living on an island. I thought the costs of grocery shopping in Canada were bad, especially over the last several months. But they seem reasonable now.

Most food items I’ve seen here cost easily twice as much as compared to Toronto. And I’ve tried a range of stores. I visited about 4 grocery stores on just my first day. 1 main store where most students go, 1 place where the locals shop (per our taxi driver), 1 store for bulk shopping, and an Indian store. Nothing is cheap anywhere. A few of the larger places offer a small discount to students. But it’s still very expensive. And don’t even get me started on household items…items that you can normally find at the Dollar Store in Canada are easily 10X here.

There’s also a limited selection of fruits and vegetables. I’m not sure if it’s because I was trying to shop on a Friday before a long weekend. Or if this is the case year-round. But I’ve heard that local vendors setup market every Saturday morning. So hopefully, I will be checking that out this weekend.

The driving is a little scary

The driving is different here and requires some getting used to. Starting with the basics – the driver sits on the right side and the cars drive on the left side of the road.

Next up, the road conditions are different. We haven’t noticed any markings on the road to indicate separate lanes. Or any traffic lights in our area yet. Although, there are yield signs at the roundabouts which are fairly common here.

And finally, the driving is very aggressive. The cars seem to come from everywhere.

Also, honking is very common here. And there are different levels/uses. From what I’ve observed, honking is used:

1. To say thank you if someone gives you the right of way
2. As a heads up to let another driver know that you’re about to overtake them
3. To let pedestrians know you’re about to turn into a place
4. And more traditionally, of course, to tell off another driver with a long beep. (Although, it’s certainly more friendly and mannered than the honking I’ve seen in Toronto. I haven’t seen any road rage here yet.)

The island is beautiful

As soon as we exited the airport we could see stunning views all around. Beautiful hills with homes built at stunning angles. Greenery all around. And of course the water.

In all my hustle and bustle trying to get settled in before classes, I realized that I didn’t even appreciate that there are palm trees right next to my apartment building. Palm trees that I would see in Google images when trying to find a beautiful beach to set as a screen saver. Now I’m seeing actual palm trees with coconuts that are just steps away from me. And no, I have not tried to knock down a coconut… yet.

The campus is equally as beautiful. It’s at one tip of the island and surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. Needless to say, it’s absolutely stunning. Here’s one such view.

There are also open but covered study spaces right next to the beach with a beautiful breeze.

I’m not sure if the novelty will wear off and I’ll become immune to the views. Or if the beauty of campus will be a source of calm and comfort to help me de-stress in the hectic weeks ahead. I hope it’s the latter.

So those are some of my first impressions of life in Grenada.

Have you visited a new place recently? Did anything surprise you?

-M

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