Reflections from the Retreat September 2025

Last month my daughter, Hayley, was able to come and stay for a whole month - long Summer holidays are one of the perks of being a teacher! We were then joined by her partner, Moses for the last two weeks of her stay. It was very special to have quality time with both Hayley and Moses and to get to know him better and to enjoy the island together.

I will hand over this blog to them so that they can share their reflections, both of which made me tearful with gratitude for their fond memories and love for Grenada - they understand why it is such a special place and why it is a perfect place for a retreat house.

Hayley writes -

What can I say about Grenada? There's so much to tell! After being there for a month I could write a whole book about everything I've experienced.

All I will say is that I walked away feeling totally reenergised, which I needed after having an intense exam period at work. There were some days in the UK, when the only thing keeping me going was the thought that I would soon be in the Caribbean, coconut in hand without a care in the world. On my first day, I did exactly that. We walked down to Bathway Beach and whilst sitting by the sea, a friend of Mum's offered us a coconut and it felt like everything had aligned! We walked back to the house and checked the garden and there were more fruits than we could carry. It was as if the motherland herself had prepared a gift to welcome me back home.

Similarly my mum had been busy preparing the house for my arrival. She had worked so hard along with others and it was beautiful to see the progress that she had made in the house, since being there 2 years ago.

When I first stepped into the ‘Liming and Dining’ room I was moved by seeing a combination of furniture from our family home, pieces we had chosen together online and bits and bobs my dad had saved, collected and hidden. Now finally settled in a place that they belonged; and to see my mum standing there amongst it all, teary eyed, beaming with pride in the house that she had made home. It was a special moment I’ll never forget.

The first two weeks was a time to catch up with Mum. We ran errands and worked on a few odd jobs that needed to be done. While still adjusting to the time and temperature difference, we managed to catch up with friends that I'd not seen in a while and I just felt at home instantly.

I also celebrated my birthday there with a day pass at True Blue resort. I chatted to some lovely people there including the owner, who I just assumed was another guest.

After the first two weeks had gone by, and the euphoria started to settle, I was so excited to welcome Moses for what felt like part two of the holiday.

We found a good balance between rest and days out with tourist, authentic local experiences. I found a fresh level of excitement being able to witness Grenada through his eyes for the first time. For example we went snorkelling in the sea, spotting fish swimming by our feet, we had walks along waterfalls and enjoyed Oil Down, the national dish, for a moonlight dinner on the beach. We even took a trip to Sandy Island where we were the only ones there, when we got dropped off.

One of the things that I didn’t realise was that some Grenadian people actually choose to live off grid, which seems like a novelty in the UK. Some only use collected rain water or get water from a mountain spring and some use solar panels instead of mains electricity. It made me question if the people of Grenada truly realise how blessed they are.

It reminds me of a story where there was a fish who was swimming in the sea and he asked another fish. "Hey, I'm trying to find the ocean." and the other fish said, "You're swimming in it, and he was like, "No, this is water. What I'm looking for is the ocean."

Sometimes when you're living amongst something, it's easy to be blind to that thing. I hope the people of Grenada forever appreciate the paradise which is their everyday reality. It is hard not to dispute some of the disadvantages of living in paradise although that may be hard to believe for some, but I think it's easy to say that the grass is greener and for some to look to the West and to miss what they have. They might not realise how the UK definitely has its share of challenges.

It seems like everyone in the UK is wishing they were in the Caribbean and then you hear about people in the Caribbean dreaming of going to the UK. So I think it's really just about appreciating what you have where you are.

Grenada is such a rich land and it just felt incredibly abundant, such as having so much fruit while we were there. We visited Grenada during mango season which just seems like the best time ever to be there. It was also carnival time and yet we managed to still find peace and downtime amongst the busy, lively carnival season. I felt very proud to be from Grenada and to be able to share this celebration amongst local people.

Grenada is like no other place I've ever been to. The people are so friendly and hospitable and welcoming - for example when we landed in Carriacou on our day trip, we were literally greeted at the airport with a hug from an airport staff member, saying 'welcome home.' It really did bring a tear to my eye because I don't think there's anywhere else in the world that does that, or I'm yet to experience that. Another example was when my mum gave a lady a lift home, when she was struggling with some heavy shopping. When we dropped her off she told us to wait while she rushed to her garden. She came back with a huge, juicy fresh water melon as a thank you. It just showed me again how communal life is in Grenada and how generous people are there.

After having such a busy time at work and then being able to move into 'island time' and island living, I really appreciated the stillness and time to just be. To live without an agenda or a time pressure. It gave me time to just live and to live in a way that felt innate. To live amongst nature, to live amongst community, to live outside with fresh air, to live in fellowship with people and the land as one.

My time in Grenada was so energising and now that I am back in the UK, I still find moments of peace in the busyness. Perhaps having a month of stillness helped me to create a more intentional, calmer way of being. They say it takes 30 days to create a new habit so perhaps a month in the Caribbean enabled me to practice taking time to pause.

I was incredibly grateful for the quality time that mum and Moses got to spend together, getting to know one another more. It was also an opportunity for me to share my culture with him, because a lot of our friends are African rather than Caribbean. I was really proud to show off our culture and our people to Moses.

I still have a coconut seed on my bedside table and although it doesn't look as fresh and green as it was when I first picked it up on Sandy island, it's a humble reminder that somewhere across the Atlantic is paradise. Even though it was hard to say goodbye, I know that Grenada is waiting for me and I have faith that in this time I am away, my motherland is preparing a new gift for me for my next arrival. I hope that I too will return with more to offer and be able to give back to an island that is so giving.

When Hayley and I enjoyed our day pass at True Blue we were aware that a number of the hotel guests were Nigerian. We later discovered that they were here for an ''AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum' hosted by Grenada. Interestingly, there is a recently formed Nigerian-Grenadian Association of Nigerian professors, businesspeople and professionals who are working together to help Grenada develop its economy. So it felt a time of synchronicity for Moses to be visiting Grenada, at a time when his fellow countrymen were also visiting. These are his reflections of his visit to Grenada -

The very first thing that hit me when I landed in Grenada wasn’t the passport check or the bustle of the airport. It was the heat. That August air slapped me across the face the moment I stepped off the plane. After hours of breathing in recycled AC, it felt like opening the oven mid-bake. Judging by the smirks from other passengers, it was obvious this was my first time.

And then came the noise. Not the bad kind, but the good kind, the chatter, the laughter, people speaking freely with none of that British whisper-politeness. For a moment, I felt like I was back in Nigeria. It was warm, familiar, alive. Honestly, refreshing.

Even the late-night drive from the airport gave me a taste of what life here was about. People were just outside. Sitting, laughing, catching up. At first it felt unusual, but then it clicked. This is how life should be! Lived in the open, together.

One of my favourite first memories was walking up to Mum’s apartment and stepping onto the balcony. The view stretched out over to Sandy Island, waves rolling in slow and steady. I remember standing completely still, just breathing it in. Calm, relaxed, in awe.

Now, back in gloomy England, I sometimes shut my eyes and imagine I’m back there, sitting on that balcony with a cold iced tea in my hand. I became obsessed with iced tea out there, I’m convinced I drank my body weight.

Then came Carnival. I didn’t know what to expect, other than the fact I was not volunteering to get smeared in oil at the Jab Jab festival. We were told three different start times, which of course meant one thing: island time.

By the time it properly kicked off, I’d already clocked 25,000 steps. But the moment we reached the parade, I forgot about my aching feet. The kids in their costumes, the colours, the energy it was special. We even outsmarted the crowds by walking against the parade, so all the floats came right towards us. Best decision ever. And in the middle of the chaos, we bumped into Hayley’s teacher friend, which was comforting. Nothing like seeing a familiar face when you’re surrounded by feathers, sequins and very loud music.

The most meaningful part of the trip was visiting Carriacou, where Dad grew up. Walking the same paths he did as a boy, standing where the family house once stood, it made me understand him in a way I never had before.

For the first time, I truly grasped what it meant for Dad to leave the island he called home and his understanding of the world. Then, going to build a whole new life in England. Carriacou had been hit hard by hurricanes, and seeing the destruction up close was surreal. But what struck me even more was the resilience of the people. Strong, unshaken, grounded. That’s when it clicked. Dad’s can-do attitude, the way he just got on with things, it’s straight from here.

There are so many moments I’ll never forget. I swam in the ocean for the first time. Showered under a waterfall. Ate oil down (and shockingly, loved it). Watched sunsets that looked like the sky was being hand painted right in front of me. Flew on a tiny plane where I conveniently got the seat right next to the emergency exit. Ate food grown and cooked on the very same farm. And yes, I climbed what I swear was the steepest mountain known to man. Don’t try to tell me otherwise.

In my last few days, I found myself reflecting a lot. Two weeks had left me feeling connected to everything- the island, nature, people, even myself. Grenada reminded me of Nigeria in so many ways. The street food vendors, the busy marketplaces, even the roads, all of it gave me flashbacks of childhood moments I hadn’t thought about in years. I realised how much I’d forgotten about being in that kind of environment. Grenada reminded me. And when I left, I carried two things with me. A desire to finally go back to Nigeria after 18 years. And a quiet promise to myself that I’ll be back in Grenada.

Because some places you just visit. But others you feel. And Grenada, you feel.

So if you’ve ever thought about visiting, stop thinking and just go. Trust me it’s more than a holiday. It’s an experience you’ll carry with you long after the flight home.