Big Stupid Adventure: Clipper Round the World

Adventure is improved only by competition. 

Q: What could be more awesome than sailing around the world?
A: Racing nine other boats around world!

Clipper Round the World is a 40,000 mile ocean race that takes 11 months to complete. Ten identical boats with novice crews compete in 15 individual races to see who can circumnavigate the globe the quickest.

"It's the only race in the world where taxi drivers rub shoulders with chief executives, vicars mix with housewives, students work alongside bankers, nurses work with vets and doctors team up with rugby players. It's an experience that will change people's lives and while the crew members may be amateur, no one has told the ocean that. The sea does not distinguish between Olympians or novices and if the Southern Ocean, the Pacific or the South Atlantic decides to throw down its gauntlet, the Clipper crews need to be ready to face exactly the same challenges as those experienced by the professional racer."

I want to do this SO MUCH! I'd love to do the whole thing but 11 months is a big chunk of your life to set aside. On the up-side, you can sign up to do just one leg of the race which takes just about a month. Recruitment for the 2012/13 race is now on and I seriously looked into doing it. On the down-side, the cheapest possible option was about £10k. That's a lot of money that I simply do not have. One day. It has been bucket-listed. One day I will go on this Big Stupid Adventure!

But hey, maybe you have ten grand lying around? If you're keen to sign up for this amazing race you can get more information on their website. OR just click here to see their very cool promotional video that they won't let me post on my blog. Silly copyright!

Caribbean Christmas

This is the first year that I will not be going home to my little island in the sun for Christmas. This year will be new and different and exciting all the same. But there are a few things that I'm certainly going to miss from home. Most of them are food... surprise, surprise. These are the things that define Christmas at home for me.

Ponche Crema

Mmm... Ponche Crema! This is a little bit like American Eggnog, but very very alcoholic and infinitely more delicious. It is rich and creamy, and with a perfect sprinkling of nutmeg it just tastes like Christmas! You can find a recipe here. I must stress that it wont be any good unless you use a proper West Indian dark rum, preferably Cockspur. Don't even try to use Bacardi! Throw that shit down the drain!

Pastelles

Mmm... Pastelles! So this is a Trini/Venezuelan dish. There is a similar Bajan version called Conkie that you can read about here. Really I prefer the Trini version (and this is the only time you will ever see me admit to anything from Trinidad being better than Barbados). The filling is a mix of meats, heavily spiced and finely minced. It's then covered in a cornmeal casing and wrapped in a Banana leaf. From mid-December to mid-January my family eats these for breakfast at least twice a week. Pastelles really make me feel Christmassy!

Parang Music

So I really love traditional Christmas songs- Jingle Bells and Let it Snow and all the usuals. But these songs don't really tend to be party songs. No one ever jumped up to the dance floor for Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. At home we need something to dance to! We always need party music and Parang fills this space for the Christmas season. Most Parang songs, just like Calypso, are filled with suggestion and innuendo. Parang is funny, fun, festive... oh I just love it! 

Breakfast

Ok, so Cadbury biscuits obviously are not West Indian. Or even very Christmassy for that matter. But this very tin of biscuits means Christmas to me. You see, my family is a bit obsessive about presents. We're all pretty much grown, but still are up before 7 on Christmas morning to see what's under the tree. This means that there is no time at all to make or eat breakfast. Instead, a nice big tin of Cadbury Biscuits gets opened and we all gorge ourselves on chocolate while wrapping paper and ribbon gets torn to shreds!  

Christmas Ham

Mmm... Ham! Turkey is not the holiday meal of choice at home. It's ham. A nice big pig leg, honey glazed, covered in cloves... my mouth is watering just thinking of it. My Dad has one of these electric carving knives that whirs and buzzes as he carves our ham. The noise of the knife plus the smell of the ham is like a magnetic pull to the kitchen. We often eat it faster than he can carve!

 

SORREL!

Of all the things that mean Christmas to me, of all the delicious things that I love, none compares to my absolute obsession with sorrel. I LOVE sorrel! This beautifully red, fragrant juice is the most wonderful thing that December has to offer. A glass of sorrel with my pastelle in the morning, a vodka-sorrel to match my party dress in the evenings, sorrel-tinis getting mixed up on Christmas Eve... oh my oh my oh my. Many of you know what I'm talking about, but for those of you who have never had the pleasure of this beautiful drink, I cannot even describe to you how nice it is! It's like nothing else I've ever tasted. And if anyone reading this can tell me where I can get sorrel in London you will be my new best friend! Seriously, I'll bake you something delicious. 

If you're looking for more delicious Caribbean eats, head over to Skip to Malou* today for some more perennial dishes!

I'd Trade All My Tomorrows

In a few days I will be leaving Sheffield. The thing is, I’m rubbish at goodbyes. I’ve watched some really amazing people leave and I haven’t said anything more sentimental than “see you later”. It’s just really difficult to sum up the meaning someone had in your life as they are walking out the door. I’m rubbish at goodbyes. But more than that, goodbyes are just rubbish. This post is my attempt to make up for all the rubbish goodbyes so far and hopefully avoid future rubbishness. All the people that were in my life this year meant something really special to me. You made this one of the greatest years of my life. I’ll miss you all more than you really know.

Here are some reminders of what the post-grad year was all about:

Making Friends

  

Falling Out

Eating Healthy

Plenty of Exercise

Being Cool

Being Cold

Celebrating

Occasionally we did a little bit of work

Just for you, Ailin.

And everyone needed a little rest every now and then...

Don't be sad if you aren't in my photos. It's not because I don't love you.. it's because I don't have any photos of you. And to be fair, by the quality of these photos, you probably don't want to be in any! 

I love you all, and I'll miss you all! Goodbye to Sheffield! Amazing city, amazing friends, amazing year :)