HEADING HOME!

We return reluctantly to the Great White North after a captivating ten-week sojourn to warmer climes.  After eight wonderful days with the family in Orlando, Elva and I set out on March 22 on a seven-day Holland America cruise from Fort Lauderdale.  The price was right and we wanted to be pampered one last time before heading home.  After the frenetic pace we’d kept up, it was nice to just relax.  And we weren’t alone.  It soon became apparent that the Caribbean cruise clientele is very different from what we’d seen in the Mediterranean: much more laid back.

Our first full day was spent at sea.  We made our way around the MS Westerdam, finding it even nicer than the MS Rotterdam we’d sailed on last fall in the Mediterranean.  I decided that my personal themes were to start getting back in shape and to learn more about the mysterious Windows 8 software that came with my latest laptop.

Our first port of call was Grand Turk, capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British possession located in the Eastern Caribbean.  The ship docked on Monday morning, barely 100 metres from a beautiful white sand beach.  We picked up a map at the tourist information kiosk and headed into the main town, Cockburn Town, on foot, a 6-kilometre walk.  By 10:00 am, the temperature was already in the high 20s.  Cockburn Town turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, so we took a taxi back to the ship, grabbed a bite to eat, and walked along the pier to the beach, where we spent a couple of hours before boarding.  As one gentleman said to me back onboard ship: “There’s nothing much to Grand Turk.”  I agree.

Checking my emails that morning, I came across one from my son, Jacques.  He was asking my advice on the content of a note he wanted to send to Elva’s brother.  Father Albin serves three parishes on Prince Edward Island: Saint John the Baptist in Miscouche, Saint Patrick’s in Grand River, and my home parish of Immaculate Conception in Wellington. 

Since arriving in the area several years ago, Father Albin has championed the refurbishment of the first two churches mentioned above.  Both were major projects, needed to save these beautiful churches from irreversible damage of the type that condemned nearby Saint-Philippe-et-Saint-Jacques to the wrecker’s ball a few short years ago.  Immaculate Conception Church urgently needs cosmetic attention and some structural repairs.

This is what Jacques and Isabelle wrote:

“Félicitations Père Albin!

Ça nous fait plaisir d’offrir notre support envers les rénovations de l’Église Immaculée-Conception.  On est fier que tu continues ton travail de renouvellement de ce patrimoine spirituel et communautaire. 

En tant que bouddhistes et pratiquants de la Soka Gakkai Internationale (SGI), on fait plusieurs efforts pour établir et maintenir des relations interreligieuses dans notre communauté.  On essaie de souligner les valeurs universelles qui sont communes à nos diverses religions pour qu’on puisse adresser ensemble les problèmes globaux qui affectent l’humanité.  À Edmonton, on construit présentement notre premier centre bouddhiste de la SGI-Canada où l’on pourra se rassembler pour pratiquer notre religion, étudier nos croyances et déveloper notre foi ensemble dans notre propre edifice.  On est content de pouvoir contribuer au maintien d’un tel lieu de rencontre spirituel à Wellington, spécialement celui de mon enfance et de plusieurs membres de ma famille.

Meme et Pépé sont parmi nos modèles d’intégration de la foi et de la communauté au sein de nos vies.  C’est donc en cet esprit qu’on veut démontrer notre support envers l’œuvre de régénération spirituelle et patrimoniale que tu continues d’effectuer.

Jacques, Isabelle et Lucie”

For those of you who don’t read French, Jacques and Isabelle are practising Buddhists who, despite their modest means, recognize the importance of contributing financially to the maintenance of church buildings as places of community gathering and worship. 

I hope members of my family and other readers of this blog who have a connection to or an interest in Wellington will open their hearts and wallets to support this worthwhile effort as Jacques’ family has chosen to do.  Elva and I are very proud of them!

As I’m sure you know, Wellington Parish, like many, faces the reality of dwindling attendance.  The support of former parishioners, what I like to refer to as the Parish’s “Community of Interest”, is therefore essential.  If you’re unsure as to how to make a contribution, I’d be happy to put you in contact with Father Albin.  Just send me an email at jean-paul_arsenault@hotmail.com.

Our next port of call was San Juan, Puerto Rico, the oldest city in US territory, founded by the Spanish in 1521.  We opted to walk the old city rather than take one of the overpriced excursions to places that did not interest us.  Across the street from the impressive Legislature stands a row of life-size bronze statues of American Presidents, beginning with Theodore Roosevelt and ending with Barack Obama.  But it’s more interesting to see who’s not there: Nixon, Carter, Reagan, the Bushes, and Clinton.

Old San Juan is a charming place of cobblestoned streets and stuccoed pastel-coloured historic buildings.  There are fine examples of art-deco architecture to be found as well.  Two forts, both of them UNESCO World Heritage Sites, are featured.  Despite the blistering heat, we had a lovely stroll around the city before the ship left port in the evening.

We docked at Philipsburg, capital and main port of Dutch Sint Maarten around 8:30 and had only five hours to discover the “smallest land mass in the world divided between two governments”.  The island, shared between the Dutch and the French, is a major tourist haven.  The Dutch, never ones to pass up an opportunity to profit, established Philipsburg as a duty-free port, and have managed to capture most of the tourist trade as well with shops featuring high-priced items like gold and jewelry.

 

 

Five cruise ships were in port the day we were there, including the massive Oasis of the Seas, meaning that the Island’s population had swelled by 12,000 to 15,000 people!  After obtaining directions, we found a public bus (at $4 round-trip each!) to take us to Marigot, the capital city of the French Saint-Martin.  Although it’s not more than 10 kilometres from Philipsburg, the journey took 30 minutes or so because of the heavy traffic, some of it local, most of it tourists.  Our short visit to Marigot was worth it though.  It looks, feels and sounds very French.

As we wandered the main street of Philipsburg before walking back to the ship, I couldn’t help but ponder the reality of the common people on the islands we’d visited: Grand Turk, Puerto Rico, and Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin. Judging by the houses and apartments they live in and the work they do, I wonder why all the money spent by visitors hasn’t trickled down to them in larger measure.  In the case of these three places, overseen by the British, the Americans, the Dutch, and the French, we can’t blame totalitarian regimes for the poor distribution of wealth, as we might in Central America.  So, what’s the problem?  Good question!

Thursday was a sea day as the Westerdam sailed from Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin to Half Moon Cay, Bahamas.  It was a rough trip, as the seas were whipped up by 65 km/hr winds, making us more than a little queasy throughout.  The highlight of the day was a musical review by an ensemble called the B.B. King Blues Club. 

 

We spent our last day on Half Moon Cay, a private island owned by Holland America.  Although excursions were offered to visit the small island, we opted to stroll around on foot and just relax on the beautiful beach one last time, knowing it would be our final opportunity to do so until July back home.  The island is promoted as a paradise although I can't imagine I'd like to spend the rest of my days there!

The bikes are just not up to my high standard!

We saw three very good movies while on board: Gravity, Last Vegas and Philomena. Philomena is the true story of a young, pregnant and unmarried Irish woman who had to give up her baby.  Dame Judi Dench gives her usual flawless performance in the role of the older mother seeking her adopted son.  It’s a powerful story about the cruelty of nuns who ran an adoption service and exploited unwed mothers.  Definitely a ‘must-see’.  Although Gravity won more Oscars, Philomena is the far better movie in my view.

Our cruise ended on Saturday morning in Fort Lauderdale and we drove from there to Greensboro, NC, a distance of 1,250 km.  It was a long day in the saddle.  Along the way, we passed dozens of Québécois, many of them driving impressive RVs.  I can only assume they were heading home to vote in the April 7 provincial election.  Here’s hoping they vote the right way – for Canada, I mean!

On Sunday, we attended the NASCAR race in Martinsville; another one off my bucket list!  It was 5 degrees Celsius when we left for the track and we saw a few snowflakes along the way there.  We hoped for at least a dry day even though the wind was cold, and we got lucky. 

The race started and finished without any delays other than yellow flags.  My driver, Jeff Gordon, did not have a great day, although he managed to finish 12^th.  Kurt Busch won the race after passing Jimmie Johnson with just a few laps remaining.  I can’t think of a better place to see a NASCAR race and we intend to return someday.

Tomorrow, we hit the road for home, with an overnight stop in Saint John along the way.