A small world indeed!

My wife and I are just returned from St. Lucia. If you sense my writing style has changed to reflect an English influence you might just be right. Ninety per cent of the people at our small resort were English which led to some interesting discussions. More on that in a moment but first some comments about the islanders. St. Lucian's are quite friendly for the most part which can't be said about some of the islands in the Caribbean we have visited previously. And the St. Lucian's I spoke with when they determined we were Canadian expressed their affection for our country. Indeed the head landscaper at our resort on our first day there approached us on the beach (we went to the beach every day rain or shine, and there was very little shine thanks for asking) and told us how he had lived in Toronto for five years, working and giving as much money and support as he could afford to his daughter who was attending George Brown college studying to be a nurse which she did successfully, returning to St. Lucia to work at the hospital in the capital city of Castries, dad returning with her, mission accomplished. Anthony loved Canada except for one thing, our winters. We agreed, naturally. When we went on excursions we usually ran into a Canadian couple from another resort and invariably they were from around Hamilton. There was the couple from Cambridge, another from Kitchener Waterloo and our topics of discussion would invariably end up revolving around RIM the NHL in Hamilton and what about those Maple Leafs. Invariably while chatting the Brits on the bus would tell us that as a nation we were very nice and get ready for it, they really liked the fact we weren't Americans. In fact several couples in tune with the daily news (we didn't have TV's at our resort, and I've got to tell you I didn't miss them one bit) suggested that one day and maybe soon we'd be bailing out their country. I was really struck more so on this trip than any other we have taken how much we are liked, admired and respected around the world. In Castries the kids of a certain primary school as a school uniform wear red and white. Why? The Canadian government made the school possible and for that act among others on the island we are it appears highly regarded. But back to that small world I mentioned in the title. One chap from greater London I was chatting with while we waited for the open tram car at the Rain Forest excursion (trust me the RAIN part of the excursion lived up to it's name) told me where he was born. Are you kidding was my rebuttal, you were born in the same town as my grandfather (who passed in Hamilton in 1949 so I never met him)? Yes this chap was born in Plaistow, now just a station on the London Subway system. While waiting for one of our restaurant dinners (we went all inclusive so you know how that works) we chatted briefly with a couple from Connecticut. But she was from Hamilton and did we know the Cohen's which brought my response "which ones" which made her laugh. You go all the way to St. Lucia to find someone from Hamilton who has a number of relatives living and working here and you meet someone else born in the same little village as your granddad? It is remarkable I think to know how inter related we are when we inter act with each other. Did I mention the rain? It didn't matter it was one of the most relaxing vacations Debbie and I have every taken but now it's time to formulate then complete the bucket list which at number one demands a visit to England to trace my ancestry. First stop, that little subway station in North East London, Plaistow. Or maybe a visit to White Hart Lane if the missus will let me. Cheers and viva St. Lucia.