Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The Highlights of My LONG Break in Updates!
It has been so long since my last update that I have to look through my pictures to see what I have not told you!! I'll try to hit the high points; there have been a lot of high points in the last few months!
The number one high point is a change in work site! After one year at the Red Cross, things were just not as successful as one would hope. So Peace Corps transferred me to two primary schools: my first school attachment and a new school attachment. This change was so exciting and I love it so much. I work primarily on their libraries. I am helping to create a catalog and check-out system to encourage the use of the books and reading among the kids. I will also be helping out with the chess programs at both schools when I can. Life skills lessons continue at my first school. At my new school we hope to start a reading club soon. It is so enjoyable and I feel more in my element, which is a huge relief. It gives me a lot to look forward to in this second year.
Another great highlight is my grandparents' visit! My Nana and Papa booked a cruise around the Eastern Caribbean islands and one stop was St. Lucia! We spent one whole day together and I got to show them around. First I took them to my primary school attachment. Earlier in the year my grandparents donated chess materials to the school and I wanted them to meet the chess club. The whole school came out to express thanks. They presented Nana and Papa with a wonderful photo of the kids playing on their new chess sets and they sang some songs. It was exciting and really fun for them to see the meaningfulness of their donation. Next I took them to my apartment to show them where I live. Then we went to a resort, The Windjammer, for lunch on the beachfront. Another volunteer joined us and we spent the afternoon catching up and playing games. After that they were pretty tired so I took them back to the cruise ship and waved goodbye. It was so good to see them and so great to be able to show them a bit of my life here. It is special to share this experience with the ones I love so much!
Now that I have free weekends I have been more active with the hiking group. In one of our recent trips we went to the Canaries Waterfall, which was a gorgeous and wonderfully cool place to swim… and feed fish. I got to climb around and be outdoorsy river girl for a day! J After the waterfall we went down to a beach called Anse Koshon. We snorkeled and played games in the water. My face was sore from laughing and smiling, which is always a good sign! The weekend after that I went camping with the group. We stayed near that same beach, Anse Koshon. We hiked to a "cave" that was actually just a big hole under a rock. We did some more snorkeling and hung out by the beach a lot. We also introduced the Lucians to s'mores! We were missing graham crackers so we used ordinary crackers, but they were delicious and the Lucians loved it. I think that is the first time I've been camping in over a year and a half. It was nice… and buggy. We were all sleeping around mango trees so we kept periodically hearing mangos fall and roll down the hill. Some hit our tarp. When I packed up my stuff at the end of the camp I realized I'd been sleeping on a squished mango. They were everywhere. The other volunteers and I also got to experience making Calabash bowls. Calabash is the national fruit (though you can't eat it). It has a hard shell and you can clean it out to make bowls and carve designs in the outside. We did this while snacking on coconut. J
Last week was MST (Mid-Service Training). The other volunteers from Granada and Dominica got to fly in and we all stayed in a hotel for 4 days (3 nights). We THOROUGHLY enjoyed the air conditioning and comfy beds… and the pool. During the training sessions we reflected on the past year and realized how far we have come. It's so easy to feel like we aren't getting anywhere, but when we look back and think about the little things we really have done so much. We also got to hear what other volunteers are doing and pull ideas from each other, which will be really useful in our future projects. There were a few other business sessions, but most of all we came away feeling heard, encouraged, and re-energized. It was good to see everyone, have some time to hang out, and take a break from our routines.
After MST, a few of us took a ride on the Unicorn, a ship that was used in the filming of the Pirates of the Caribbean. We scored a good deal for a 2-hour sunset cruise so we splurged and went. It included drinks and snacks and you can bet us PCVs devoured those snacks. It was cloudy so the sunset wasn't brilliant orange, but it was beautiful nonetheless. The cruise itself was relaxing and fun.
And now it's back to real life again! I'm back at work. We have just over a month left in the school year. My parents and brother are coming in just about 30 days! I need to get scuba certified! I'm having fun and loving life, which is a lot to say and a relief to feel. I have so much to look forward to. And I hope I can do a better job of keeping you all posted!
Much love! As always, I love to hear from you!
Monday, March 15, 2010
I've Got the Hang of This
Expo
Last weekend we held an expo to show what Peace Corps is all about. Although Peace Corps has been in St. Lucia for almost 50 years, many St. Lucians do not have a good understanding of the role of Volunteers in the community. The goal of our expo was to give St. Lucians an idea of what kinds of things we do and how we work with host country nationals. Within the first 5 minutes it was apparent that the schedule could be thrown out the window, as usual in the Caribbean. The media showed up and took up the first hour of events. Being experienced Peace Corps Volunteers we adjusted well. We managed to fit almost everything in throughout the day.
Our displays included volunteer and staff bios, a map of the world and where Peace Corps serves, a US map showing where all our volunteers are from, a table of American "stuff," HIV/AIDS information, pamphlets on how to request a volunteer, an interactive timeline, etc. etc. We also had various events going on throughout the day such as: American and Peace Corps trivia, healthy lifestyles trivia, chess games, disability awareness activities, life skills crafts, and dancing (the chicken dance). We also served hotdogs, chips, and soda. The visitors really seemed to enjoy the day. I was in charge of the trivia and I also did the HIV/AIDS display. The trivia went over really well. It was enjoyed by adults and kids alike.
The whole event was a big success. We got a lot of media coverage and attendance was great. The food was especially a hit. Some of my Red Cross kids even showed up and stayed for almost half the day. It was great to see community participation and support.
Visitor!
This past week I received a visitor!! My cousin came to spend her spring break with me. She brought with her a few special items for me: nutella and olive oil—the essentials—as well as a collection of 10 chess sets and a chess teaching board (donated by my grandmother). We visited a few beaches of course, but the real highlight of the week for me was when we took the chess materials to my school attachment. I arranged for a special chess game in which one of our volunteers played 10 games at once. There were two kids to each board, plus a few backups hanging around behind. The kids put up a real strong fight, but the volunteer beat all of them. It was really neat to see the kids work together and think through the games. Some of them were really entertaining. The principal and chess teacher were very excited to receive the materials and to see how the kids performed in the event. It was exciting for me to see what started as a suggestion and one chessboard turn into a full-fledged program with 40 kids really excited about chess. I don't know all that much about chess, but I know a think or two about pulling a program together. I'm thankful as a development worker to be able to see even a little bit of the impact I have made, however small it may be.
My cousin and I also visited Pigeon Island in the north to explore the old bunkers and canons… and the beach. On Friday to wrap it up we traveled south to see the famous Pitons and visit the sulfur springs and a waterfall. It felt good to be able to share my life here with someone close to me. I feel as if someone else gets it now, at least in a more personal way. Updates can only do so much J. We had a great time together and I miss her already!
Truly Integrated
I am sure my readers remember some of the awkward and almost painful social integration experiences I have described in the past. It is with great pride and excitement that I present to you the following story:
Before: Almost a year ago when I got Internet I had to describe to the company how to find my apartment. St. Lucia has no road names or house numbers. I did my best to explain, and I even drew a map, figuring this was the fail-safe way to give directions. When the day finally came, the truck drove by my road multiple times. The company called me 3 times to connect me with the driver of the truck so that he could find me. I finally walked out to the road and said, "I'm the only white lady standing on the side of the road. You can't miss me." I then led the truck by foot to my gate.
After: This weekend I had to call a taxi to my place to pickup my cousin and I to go to the airport for her flight. When he asked for directions I gave him a few short sentences in my best Lucian terminology and hoped for the best. Saturday morning, 5:45, the taxi rolls straight up to my road and stops on a dime. The driver steps out and says, "those were really good directions!"
And this my friends is what one year will do…
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Christmas Fluff
Just over a month ago I was able to visit home for Christmas! I was so excited to see family that I could barely sit still through the five-hour flight and then I had to stand through customs!! Finally, though, I made it to the Atlanta airport baggage claim where I got 4 long awaited bear hugs from Mom, Dad, Tom and Tim. J There were many more bear hugs throughout the week as I met with tons of friends at a few different "homecoming" parties. I also managed to go skiing and get a much-welcomed day of SNOW!! For those of you who are cursing the cold weather… well, some of us miss it.
This Christmas, for me, was one of the most meaningful Christmas's I have ever had. When you are young you are more concerned about that latest toys or clothes, and sure, you love to give gifts to your family, but it is different. This Christmas all of our gifts had such meaning and thought behind them. And I was overwhelmed with stuff that has been incredibly useful to me back here in St. Lucia… such as new sheets that don't feel like sand paper… and books that will challenge me spiritually and intellectually. I felt so loved and so much like I belonged. I felt home and I was absolutely soaking up what family means to me. This was the first Christmas our little family of five has had together in South Carolina (we are usually in Michigan). It was also the first time our family had been to church as a family in… well we never could remember how long it had been. We had a lot of fun; the kind of fun that goes deep and touches your heart and that goes down in the memory files for years to come.
So, about 10 pounds heavier from casseroles, Christmas cookies, and some much missed Mexican and Waffle House, I returned to St. Lucia rejuvenated, filled with love and encouragement. I am just 24 days short of 1 full year here and I feel happy and things are going well!
Just 2 weeks ago I was assigned to help lead one of the Red Cross youth groups in a secondary school. We have been doing team-building activities and planning fund raisers and events for the next few terms. The group shows real potential and I am excited to see where it goes. I have also been doing presentations on preventing and caring for basic sports injuries and sudden illnesses at the same school. It has sparked more kids to get involved with Red Cross, so I hope the group grows. J
The work I am helping with at the primary school is where I really feel like things are moving. This week we started the 'decision-making' chapter of our life skills curriculum. The kids are very enthusiastic about life skills and couldn't wait to get started again. They really seem to get a lot out of the sessions. The youth and sports teacher at the school has also started a chess club. I helped get him a chess set from the National Community Foundation through another Peace Corps Volunteer. He already has 40 kids involved! Almost all of them attended some Chess workshops this past week. I created some makeshift chessboards out of my cereal boxes to help out, but they are going to need a lot more than that for 40 kids! I also spoke with the principal this week about the children's access to books. She said the need is great and we are talking about plans to get books into their library/resource center to encourage reading. Pleasure reading is almost unheard of here (literacy is very low as well)… it's actually almost discouraged, it's the boring thing to do. Often when I tell people I'm not much of a partier they retort with a "what do you like to do, read?" So, I've researched some ways of getting books here and I may be contacting some of you for help soon!
Since returning it seems I've gotten a creative bug. I managed to build two tables on my own. So now I have a desk and a table for the porch! My landlord was skeptical of my sawing skills when he handed me his saw. He peeked around the corner as I cut the first leg and then remarked, "I thought I was gonna have to do that for you." Eight cuts and many bent nails later I had two relatively sturdy tables (made from scrap wood and pallets). Add some cheap fabric and they look perty nice if I do say so myself. I also made a full set of Mexican dominoes out of cereal boxes and as I said earlier, 5 chess sets. I even made edible and tasty potato soup last week. I am really enjoying the creative juices especially with my limited resources. J
I am really excited for what this next year may bring. I can't believe almost a whole year has passed already. Time really flies.
Blessings on you all this year. As always I love to hear from you! I would also like to say thank you to all of you that I got to see while I was home. Each meeting meant so much to me, however short it was.
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