I’ve been thinking a lot about the many ways technology helps people stay connected from a distance. I connect with people and places via music, so while living abroad, I’ll often stream The Current out of the Twin Cites or WXPR’s Northwoods Cafe out of Wisconsin’s northwoods. These are great ways for me to connect with the Midwest, a place I will always call home. I’m connecting to Grenada too, through music. Two great trends I’ve enjoyed about the music here: 1) popular songs that have been caribbeanized (think Simon & Garfunkel with steel drums), and 2) 80s/90s soft rock and R&B. There is a radio station here that I swear plays Luther Vandross at least 50% of the time. If you’d like to tune into Grenadian radio, I’m a big fan of Radio Garden (also an app), which allows you to stream radio stations from all over the world. You can explore the globe through an interface similar to that of Google Earth, each green dot representing a different radio station. This is how I discovered Interferencia IMER (Instituto Mexicano de la Radio), broadcasting out of Mexico City. I highly recommend it. They play a wonderfully eclectic mix of tunes. It was through Interferencia that I first learned about Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers being traded to the New York Jets. At the time I thought, “How appropriate is it for a Spanish teacher from Wisconsin to get big-time Wisconsin news from a Mexican radio station?”
I also wrote about the moon and how it connects us to one another across great distances.
Earlier this month we visited the House of Chocolate, a small museum in St. George’s that specializes in, you guessed it, chocolate. Grenada is a big producer of chocolate, and the folks at the museum offer a nice little demonstration of chocolate production on the island, from the cacao tree all the way to the wide array of chocolate delicacies available for purchase at the museum’s store.
So far we’ve seen and tasted Jouvay Chocolate (you can also visit their factory which I look forward to doing) and The Grenada Chocolate Company. Both offer a variety of dark chocolates (70% or higher raw chocolate content with the other 30% being additional ingredients like milk, sugar, etc.). My favorite “other” ingredients are nibs, or crushed pieces of cacao beans. I was also interested to learn that the higher the raw chocolate content, the less the chocolate melts in the hot Caribbean weather. And it tastes better!
If you’re not one to appreciate the complexity and depth of bitter flavors, not to worry. The museum highlights some other reasons why you should eat dark chocolate. Here are some of my favorites:
Sun protection – London researchers recently tested chocolate flavanols’ sun-protecting prowess. After 3 months eating chocolate with high levels of flavanols, their study subjects’ skin took twice as long to develop that reddening effect that indicates the beginning of a burn.
Contains anti-depressant agents – Eating a delicious piece of dark chocolate can reduce stress levels. It works by stimulating the production of endorphins that may give rise to a happy feeling. Dark chocolate also contains stimulants such as theobromine and caffeine.
Increases your IQ – Next time you’re under pressure on a work project, don’t feel so guilty about grabbing a dark chocolate bar from the vending machine. Not only will it help your body ward off the effects of stress but will boost your brain power when you really need it. A University of Nottingham researcher found that drinking cocoa rich in flavanols boosts blood flow to key parts of the brain for 2 to 3 hours which could improve performance and alertness in the short term.
Pucker power – Research has shown that allowing chocolate to melt in your mouth produces brain and heart rate activity that was similar to, and even stronger than, that produced with passionate kissing.
What other reasons for eating dark chocolate can you see?
I am not one for astrology, but sometimes the movement of energy around us surprises me. In my life I value humility above all else. It’s a quality I strive for because of how positively it shapes your ability to learn, and the way you interact with the people and the world around you. Humility leads me to believe in a higher power. Whether you call this higher power “God” or “The Universe” or “Mother Nature,” there are times its movement can inspire a deep sense of awe in you. And I believe, as imperfect humans, we are meant to be in awe. There are things in this world that we do not know or understand, and being in awe is an appropriate response, even as we put forth great efforts to understand them.
Last night, Angie and I took a much needed break and went to the local brewery to play cribbage.
Our cribbage board as we approach the finish. I wonder who won?
I enjoy life now as I take steps to realize my new tomorrow.
Having stepped out of my professional career this past summer so I could be a support to my wife as she starts medical school in Grenada, this seemed like an affirmation I needed to hear. I have struggled with finding my purpose in this beautiful, yet oftentimes challenging place. The word “benefactor” also immediately resonated with me, I think because I’m stepping into a more supportive role toward Angie, and in many ways, I’m a benefactor of her being a student here at SGU.
The Benefactor
For each card, there is a corresponding section in the guidebook that contains two parts: The Art of the Matter, which describes the image on the card, and The Heart of the Matter, which gets into its meaning for you. After considering my card and its affirmation, Angie had me look up “The Benefactor” in the guidebook and read what it said out loud.
The Art of the Matter
There is a lot going on in the card’s image, but the following parts are the ones that really spoke to me in my current state of transitioning to something new. The following is a summary of what I read.
The winged Egyptian figure in the center is an angelic messenger to tell you that:
you are on the right path and will have the opportunity to attain the goal you desire sooner, perhaps, than you thought you could.
The strange form of the angel is to remind you that opportunities also come in many forms. You need to:
allow your higher self to use its infinite creativity to bring you your goal in its own way and time.
The angel is carrying jewels in her basket. Just like jewels take time to form within the earth, so:
the goal you seek requires patience over time.
The scarab beetles in the border represent Khepera, the Egyptian Sun god:
who was so powerful that he rolled the ball of the Sun across the sky the way beetles rolled balls of dirt across the ground.
At the top of the card there is a bridge that is connecting the two moons, representing the passage of time within a month. They two symbols under the bridge are known as the Eye of Horus:
They are a strong reminder to do good deeds, for the quality of your reward will depend on the energy you put out now.
These images were powerful to me because they helped me to clearly visualize some of the negative emotions and mental blocks I’ve been feeling since coming to Grenada, and they also revealed a path for overcoming them. They helped confirm for me the need to put in daily effort to reach my goals, which are valid. These goals will come to fruition over time if I remain dedicated and patient—and I have time here to see them through, time I didn’t have in the past.
A very bright moon in Grenada—a constant reminder of the movement of time
The Heart of the Matter
This section sums up some ideas to reflect on moving forward. The following is a summary of what I read for my card:
Sometimes everything is going just as it should be, even if it doesn’t appear that way on the surface and some of the problems you may be experiencing are really there for your own good. (…) Your greatest challenge now is to maintain a positive attitude when things do not appear to be going the way you want them to. All you must do is follow your heart, taking small steps forward on your path, and do what you know is right. Allow your intuition to work unfettered by the false belief that it is realistic to doubt yourself and your right to live a life of quality and meaning as you define it.
Again, there’s struggling for a positive attitude and the patience to see a thing through. By the time I had finished reading, I was weeping. Just full on weeping at a brewery in front of a cribbage board and my wife, as if I had just lost the game, which I had. In the whole stack of 52 cards, I don’t think I could have picked a card that better spoke to my current emotional state than “The Benefactor” card. I realized that I had been holding onto so many built-up insecurities and doubts inside of me. It was a cathartic moment and I’m humbly grateful to the higher power that brought it to me.
Taking risks in life is hard. You have to cross the threshold between what is known, well-documented, and comfortable; and step into territory that’s foreign, obscure, and uneasy. Whenever I have started afresh in a new place, I tend to initially latch onto those things that make me feel comfortable, before fully stepping across that threshold. Music is a big help for me in this way and so is, it would seem, Harry Potter. When I studied abroad in Spain, I read the first Harry Potter book in Spanish before immersing myself in my new Spanish community. In anticipation of moving to Grenada, I bought a Kindle Paperwhite, which included a 3-month free subscription to Kindle Unlimited. The last book in the Harry Potter series was available to download so I’ve been enjoying the comforts of reading a beloved story every night before going to bed. It’s the perfect anecdote to the daily struggles that inevitably come with adjusting to life in a new place. I was reminded of several scenes that are missing from the movie version of the book, which prompted me to stumble upon this video that looks at two such deleted scenes.
It continues:
Both feature a character crossing a threshold, physically and symbolically, to meet another character where they are at. To take a risk and enter an unfamiliar space in an attempt to bridge differences and create a mutual understanding. I think it’s a great visual for reflecting on what thresholds we might cross, be they cultural, political, relational, or something else all together. Taking risks like these do not have to be enormous and completely life-altering. They can be small and achievable by anyone, anywhere. This makes them no less profound. I love this 72kilos post which provides another great visual for crossing thresholds.
Translation: I think completely different than you, but that doesn’t prevent me from drawing near to you. Image by 72kilos.
Stepping out of a life that has become your normal is always a jolting experience. You almost instantly realize all the basic routines and rituals of day-to-day living that you’ve taken for granted. On a deeper level, you physically leave your people, your support network and the relationships that bring you meaning and significance.
One of Angie’s routines in Wausau was teaching yoga on Sunday mornings. So this past Sunday morning we did some yoga poolside, Angie instructing as the pair of us moved and found breath. Angie prompted to think of a word to serve as a mantra that would set the tone for the week. As I gazed out on the gorgeous Grenadian landscape before me, with its mountainous peaks and valleys, all I could think of was the song, “Lonesome Valley,” from the movie, O Brother, Where are Thou?. In low and rolling voices, The Fairfield Four sing:
You got to go to the lonesome valley You got to go there by yourself Nobody else can go for you You got to go there by yourself
This, of course, is a song about death. “Death”—maybe not the best choice for a mantra. But as we continued to do yoga the song’s refrain played out over and over again in my head: you got to go there by yourself. To be clear, I know that I’m not here by myself. I am married after all and I live with Angie in this new place. But the demands of medical school are intense, and the reality is that the past few weeks I’ve spent much of my time alone while Angie is in class or studying. And Grenada is, in fact, and island, the perfect symbol of how I’ve been feeling: isolated and alone.
But I embrace my solitude for the time its mine to bear.I think that being alone is especially beneficial during times like this when you need to adapt to an unfamiliar environment and new community of people. To be alone heightens your senses, allowing you to more acutely observe all that’s going on around you and inside of you. There’s less conversation filling your thoughts and fewer distractions vying for your attention. Solitude affords you the space you need to grow and acclimate. As an introvert, I benefit from my seasons of solitude and even look forward to them.
Music is a great friend to me when solitude loses its luster and fades to loneliness. I like how Jeff Tweedy describes this impact of music in his book, World Within a Song:
Almost all songs function in a way that consoles the listener with a brief but vital companionship. In essence taking the place of another human in the room—another consciousness filling the void of isolation. It’s a tender relationship regardless of a song’s musical nature. From the bleakest black metal to the sweetest pop confection. The power to embrace the lonely is always at the heart of the bargain.
Adjusting to a new life requires patience. Patience and faith that Angie and I will find our people here, and also meaningful moments with one another. Life gets so much more messy and beautiful when you occupy space with others in an intentional way. Real meaning, I believe, is created in community, when the barriers come down and you see people for who they are and they see you. At some point you need to take the risks and get in the game. Engage with life. As Lucy puts it, you need involvement.
Being alone and being in community both inspire growth in their own way. I know that next week is a new week and one that will bring a new mantra.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eric Wenninger is an educator and writer. He teaches language and culture and writes about his thoughts and experiences here.
