As some of you may know (if you follow me on Instagram), I recently took a trip to Grenada. Now, what you probably don’t know is that this was my first solo trip outside the country…AHHHHHHH! I still can’t believe I actually did it, so today I’m going to tell you about my experience.

THE BEGINNING

This trip was initially supposed to be my birthday vacation. I started planning back in September because I knew I wanted to travel somewhere for my birthday. I didn’t know exactly where I wanted to go, but I knew I wanted the place to be warm and have a beach. After watching a couple of YouTube videos, I narrowed down my choices to Anguilla, St. Lucia, Barbados, or Grenada. God made a way, and Grenada just so happened to work out perfectly, especially around my birthday.

HOW I LIKE TO CELEBRATE MY BIRTHDAY

Before I continue, I want to talk a little bit about how I like to celebrate my birthday. If your read my 24th birthday post, you know that I enjoy having a lowkey birthday… although it isn’t really lowkey, it’s just what I feel comfortable doing. I don’t like hosting large birthday dinners because planning high-key stresses me out. I also don’t really like large birthday parties, so lowkey birthday it is lol.

For the past few years, I’ve enjoyed spending my birthday with a few close loved ones. This year though, I wanted to travel outside the country. The initial plan was to go to Grenada with my family since my birthday is around Thanksgiving. That didn’t work out because my sisters were very busy. I also thought about inviting friends, but as I mentioned earlier, my birthday is around Thanksgiving, so I figured that most people would be busy spending time with their families.

Luckily, my mom had time to go with me, so we decided to travel together. Our flights were booked for November 24th AKA Thanksgiving day. Now, I know what you thinking…. “you left your family on Thanksgiving???” Yes & no lol. Because I was traveling on turkey day, my family and I decided to celebrate Thanksgiving and my birthday the day before (November 23rd). We had the typical Nigerian- American Thanksgiving and topped it off with a birthday celebration.

MY FLIGHT WAS DELAYED AND CANCELED

Now, because I don’t want this part of the blog to be too long, I’m going to give you the short version.

After we arrived at the airport, went through TSA, and sat at our gate, we were informed that our flight was delayed. One hour later we got another update that it had been delayed again. Then we got another update and then another one. At this point, we had been at the airport for about 6 hours.

After talking to the airline’s customer service, I knew that we would not be traveling that day. For one, our delayed flight caused us to miss our connecting flight. Secondly, flights to the island are very rare. What I mean by this is that planes do not fly in at all hours of the day. For example, flights to Grenada only fly out in the morning to land in Grenada by the afternoon. So if you miss your morning flight, you have to wait until the next day and that’s only if a flight is available.

With it being the holiday season, the next flight the airline could get us was on Friday (aka My birthday) with a 17-hour layover. The whole situation was a MESS, so we just ended up going home.

BIRTHDAY (November 25th)

On the day of my birthday, I didn’t do much. I literally woke up, spent time with the Lord, and stayed in bed all day. Towards the evening I had a movie night with my sisters which was actually a lot of fun. I’m not going to lie though, I was super bummed about the situation because I was supposed to be on an island, not in rainy/cold Georgia. Not to mention, I couldn’t really meet up with anyone last minute because everyone was either busy, out of town, or working.

FLIGHT RESCHEDULED

By God’s Grace, my trip to Grenada was rebooked for December 8th. I was super excited, but also nervous because my mom wasn’t going to be able to travel with me anymore. I almost decided not to go, but I then thought to myself “Joyce, you are 26. You’re getting older. Your life is going to change soon. You’ll never get this time back again, so just DO IT!”

Well, I DID IT!!! I flew American Airlines from Atlanta to Miami and then from Miami to the beautiful island of Grenada.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF GRENADA

Grenada is so beautiful. The water is beautiful. The people are beautiful, and even the architecture is beautiful. I learned a lot about Grenada and Grenadians throughout my 4-day stay. The majority of Grenadians originate from West Arica which is probably why it reminds me of home (Nigeria). Grenada was also colonized by the British, and Grenadians primarily speak English, although many locals speak patois as well. Furthermore, there are only about 110,000 people who live on the island, and Grenada is known to be a friendly island that strives off of tourism.

*BTW*–If you can not tell already, I love learning about the history of countries, states, towns, and cities I am visiting.

WHERE I STAYED

I stayed at the Radisson Beach Resort, which is located in the capital of Grenada. The resort itself is beautiful, but the rooms are ehhhh. I mean, I was lucky to have a partial view of the beach from my hotel room, but the rooms just aren’t all that, and the curtains had stains on them (I’m very picky). The exterior of the resort is beautiful though; definitely great for pictures. They also have exceptional customer service. When I arrived, they greeted me with drinks and had people carry my luggage to the room. They also have fruit trees planted throughout the resort. I had a mango tree literally outside my hotel room and was offered coconut water daily.

My accommodations also included breakfast every morning. This gave me the opportunity to try local Grenadian dishes. The saltfish souse and fried bakes were my favorite.

WHAT I DID

I did some tourist things during the day and relaxed by the beach in the afternoon/evening. I went to The Chocolate Factory, Annandale waterfalls, and Fort George. I also had a tour of some of the popular spices/plants in Grenada. My tour guide was really nice and very informative. As we were driving down/up the heels of Grenada, he occasionally stopped and gave a quick history of the buildings, schools, and homes. He was also very engaging and patient while I took 500 pictures lol. It was really nice and A LOT of fun!

Spending time at the beach was the best part of this whole trip. I went to the beach early in the morning or in the afternoon after my tours. The beach I went to is called Grand Anse Beach. This is Grenada’s most popular beach and probably one of the most beautiful. My hotel was right on the beach, so getting there every morning and evening was super easy.

I really enjoyed praying, reading my Bible, and taking pictures. The beach is so relaxing and therapeutic for me. I still can not believe MY GOD made this beautiful place. He made the beautiful ocean, the beautiful skies, and the clear sand. God is just sooo AMAZING & artistic!

HOW I TOOK MY PICTURES ALONE

99% of my pictures were taken by ME…shocker, right? I’ve been taking my own pictures for a while now, and if I’m being honest it’s super easy and convenient. Not to mention, taking my own pictures allows me to have more control and freedom over the content I am creating. It also allows me to take as many pictures as I want without bothering anyone. I do this by using a tripod with a small remote.

Now I will say, people do give you weird stares and it can feel awkward, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes. I also had a lot of people ask to take my pictures, but I opted out because for one, I did not know if they were going to run away with my phone or camera, and two, I have the capability to do it myself, so I just did it!

TURNING 26 REFLECTIONS

Before I end this post, I want to quickly reflect on year 25, and how year 26 has been thus far. Turning 26 was a little difficult because I really enjoyed being 25. I was blessed enough to accomplish so much in the past year, although it was challenging at times. 25 was my year of GRACE & Contentment, and I thank God for being with me through it all.

I also learned a lot about myself in year 25. I took time to really find myself and discover what I like and want out of life. I spent a lot of time praying, fasting, and crying out to the Lord, which I assure you were not in vain. I also learned how to say NO, and live my life with JESUS as my standard. Not to mention, I had a lot of fun with people I TRULY LOVE this year!

As for year 26, it doesn’t feel that much different from 25, although I do feel more like an adult. I have officially entered my late 20s and for some reason, I am supperrrrr excited about it. My early 20s were filled with so much anxiety and worry. I worried about my future, my career, and other people’s opinions of me, but throughout the years I have gained PEACE, and I am content knowing that my life is in God’s hands. Jesus loves ME, and I know without a doubt, he will take care of me.

I hope you enjoyed this long post, and if you stuck around till the end, leave a comment letting me know what you think. Have a blessed day family 🙂