My life as a volunteer

Observations

2006-08-24T15:46:00.000-04:00

Hey All!
After hearing my sister's story about the difficulty she had at the post office when trying to send me a package...I realized not many people know about St. Kitts. So I thought I'd take a min to fill you in a bit.

Lets start with the scenery. Its a little island that you can travel around in about an hour. It is shaped kind of like a chicken leg. The bottom part(where your hand would be if you were eating the chicken leg properly) is the tourist area where there are the "good" beaches, the turtle reserve, and the triathlon course. The capital, Basseterre, is at the base of where the meat starts on the chicken leg. The villages are mostly on the coast, all pretty much off the main road. Yes, it really is called the main road. It is the road that goes around the country, sort of follows the coast. Now, you might think that as a main road its busy. Well, its a relative term. Some people drive, but most people just rely on busses.
Let me take a little break and tell you about the busses. All busses have their names on the front, so they are hard to miss. The bus drivers are (mostly)courteous and if you are a regular, will wait for you if you are a min late and will drop you off without you requesting a stop. Now, there are regular bus stops mostly you need to ask locals b/c they are not marked). There are busses that go up and down the west coast and busses that go up and down he east coast. There are a few, rare, busses that go all the way around. Which can be annoying when your friend lives 2 bus stops past where the busses turn around and you have to go all the way around to get there.
Back to the scenery. There are black sand beaches on the west coast and white sand beaches on he east coast. At the ends of the island you'll find beaches that have layers of both! To note: on Antigua there is a pink beach. The beach is covered in very fine pink shells! In the inside of the island there is a North West Range and a South East Range of mountains. In the North West there is Mt. Liamuiga (Mt. Misery) and Merchild's Mountain. You need a guide to go, but the view is supposed to be spectacular. There is also a lake into he middle of Mt. Liamuiga. Pretty cool. In the plains and the mountains (any fertile soil) there is sugar cane. It will be interesting to see what happens to the sugar cane. Last year the sugar cane industry was closed. So the sugar cane grew on its own. But now that it will not be chopped, I am curious to see what the plains will look like. I asked the locals, but, as they have never known the land without sugar cane, they are just as curious. Throughout the island there are many gorgeous plants. All different colors and styles of leaves and flowers. But not as many trees with fruit as in St. Lucia. We were told that there are hill farms. AKA The villagers have fruit trees up in the hills. Once upon a time the land was owned by plantation owners. They owned all the land, even the mountain where they did not grow sugar cane. So, when the villagers harvested their fruits, they had to give part to the estate/plantation owners. The trees still grow, and the villagers use the produce for food and for profit.
The people: The people are very nice. Everyone says hi and you have a much smaller chance of getting cat calls and hissing than you did in St. Lucia. By this I mean that when a male is interested in a female, he tries to talk to her. He does not just hiss (kind of synonymous with whistling at someone in the States) Interestingly, people get offended if you do not say hi. So in the morning you say, "good morning" to everyone. In the afternoon you say, "good day," in the evening you say, "good evening" and at night you say, "good night." TO EVERYONE. You even do it when you enter a store or anywhere that you see people.
New ways to speak:
We've heard some interesting phrases, here's a little sampling:
"want to have a sweat" do you want to play (a sport)
"liming" hang out
"are you ok?" how are you
"why you at?" where are you/what are you doing
"yeah yeah" uh huh...as in "it went in one ear and out the other."
"just now" they say it to mean in a minute, but it really means, you're going to be waiting for a while

The people here speak English, but they speak very fast and with accents. So it often sounds like a foreign language. There are no language classes to learn "rapid Caribbean" so we have to just practice. A big test is to try and have a conversation with someone on the bus. Tried, and had no idea what the woman said. All I caught was hello, good day, and bye. Guess I need to practice a bit more.

Phase 2 of Training

2006-08-22T12:46:00.000-04:00

Hi All!
Yesterday started phase 2 of training. For this phase we do some training all together and some training in our community, pretty much on our own. Yesterday we were all together in Basseterre. We went on a medical scavenger hunt and found all the necessary/possibly necessary medical resources. Also went to the hospital. Interestingly, you had to be buzzed into the Emergency room, but the rest of the hospital was open air. After a few lectures we met our host families. I have a host mom, Diane, for a week and then I'm getting an new family. This week I live in Newton Ground. It is a small village on the northwest coast of the island. It is msotly residental, with jsut a day care and school. For all other services you have to go to either St. Paul or Sandy Point, the two closest villages. St. Paul is about 3 miles continuing north and Sandy Point is about 3 miles going south. Next week I will be in Sandy Point. Sandy Point is the second largest town in the country. It was the center of tobacco trade in the 1600s still has a big tobacco warehouse from that time!

Did a community walk of Sandy Point today to map out the important buidings in my future home. Met a lot of people, mostly teachers, police, and nurses. There is a temporary hospital because the old hospital has to be rebuilt. But, as with anything in the Caribbean, there is no time frame on the plans and I might be a grandma before that happens. So, really, if you have a problem you go to the temporary hospital or the health center. If it is bad you get shipped off to the hospital in Basseterre. There is a very nice day care for babies birth to 3. Then there is a government preschool for 3-5 year old children, a primary school that runs k-6, and a secondary school that goes until 12th grade. Most graduate at 16 or 17.

This afternoon we are off to a funeral for a well known doctor. Should be interesting to see. Apparently is a full country event.

St Kitts!

2006-08-22T12:15:00.000-04:00

Hi All!
Made it to St. Kitts!
Man, the PC seems to love to have us leave the country in the middle of the night! Yes..for thsi flight we had to get up at 3am!!! Well, by 5 we were on the way to the airport. Actually, it was a beautiful drive though the country. We saw the sun rise over the water, over the plains, and over the mountains. Very cool. Also cool is the fact that at the airport the check in and the waiting room are outisde! We didn't have to go in to the building until we were called for boarding. You go in and go to customs (all flights are to another country) and then security, and then you go to the gate and board the plane. Just a bit different than from home! We flew to Antigua and had a bit of delay. well, there was only one restaurant in the airport- and since it was now noon and we'd been up since 3, we were hungry...Had a processed sandwich woithout bread...and hot sauce as a condiment. Note to all of you: while it supposedly has gorgeous resorts with all the ebst of everything, don't eat at the airport...its not very inpressive. A few bottles of water alter, we board the plane for a 25 min flight to st. Kitts...on which I was told there was not enough time to get something to drink! Thank goodness Harvey packed water bottles in his checked baggage!

Well, let me tell you. While not as fertile as St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis are beautiful!!! So green! With only a few villages on the coast. Just for a bit of reference...The high school in Sandy Point serves 1/2 the island and it is pretty much the size of Wilson School (sorry for all you no Westfielders), in other words, it is quite small. When we got there we were met by some of the current Peace Corps Volunteers. Didn't get to talk much, but they seem pretty cool. We were then wisked off to th hostel we stayed at for the weekend.

It was quite nice to spend the weekend together. We met our trainers and then went on a tour of the capital, Basseterre (pronounced Baster). We went to Warner Park where we had a tour of the stadium where the 2007 Cricket World Cup will be held. It was very cool. We even got to stand on the main field!!!Then we walked down to the police station where we met with the detectives for some more safety and security talks. Don't worry, St. Kitts is very safe! After we walked past independence square and down to the waterfront. Here you can catch a boat to Nevis or a bus to anywhere in St. Kitts. After our tour our trainers left us to sleep...Yes, it was Sat night and we'd been up since Fri am!!!

On Sunday we went on a tour of the south part of the island. We saw the area of Frigate Bay...which is the tourism center as it has hotels and resorts and really pretty beaches. We then went down the tail where we passed a turtle reserve, some ship wrecks, and the Great Salt Pond (think salt with a little water. Yes, anyone could float in it, although no one goes in!) This area, the southeast peninsula, hosts a triathalon in October. The bike route is supposedly one of the best in the world. We traveled down to the tip and went to Cockelshell Bay (the part of St. Kitts closest to Nevis)and then onto Banana Bay. At Banana Bay there is the ruins of a resort. The shells of the buildings are there, and nothing else. The beach is public. There are no squatters, and apparently no plans to rebuild. It was very cool- kids were jumping off the roof of a cabana into the water. The water was beautiful! Crysital clear all the way to Nevis! The water got dark about 200 feet out, but not rocks or reefs, jsut sea plants. Which held lots of waterfoul. So glad we brought our goggles!

We had a bbq on the beach which was really fun. We also went for a walk and got some pretty conch shells- they are everywhere! To give an idea of how hot the sun is: we gfot there at about 11:30 and the water was warm, but refreshing. After our bbq we all went back in and honestly, it felt like bath water. You had to swim "half way to Nevis" before the water was a comfortable temperature! After our trip to the beach we thought it would be fun to go out to dinner b/c there are some nice restaurants in Basseterre. But! Everything closes on Sundays! Literally, nothing but the grocery store was open. And even that closed at 7!

Camp and the beach

2006-08-17T18:47:00.000-04:00

Hi All!
So for the last two days we volunteers have been running a summer camp for the children of Micoud. There were supposed to be only 60 kids, but we picked up more as the day went on. So by the end of each day we had about 80-100 children aged 3ish-13. It was a lot of fun but a lot of work. We thought we had planned well, but we underestimated the kids! They know nothing other than the heat, so it doesn't tire them like it does us. Also, we were prepared for American children. Who knew the children here react and respond to things very differently. For example, we thought everyone would want to play futbol b/c it is so popular here. But no, the majority of girls at camp and a few boys did not want to play! Also, many came dressed nicely. As if to make a good impression. Others came in flip flops; clothing not conducive to field games. But! They are resilient! They were not fazed by the footware or dress obstacles. They just kicked off their shoes and played soccer and kickball in their bare feet!. Also, when hit by a ball, literally, the kids just shook it off. We were expecting the tantrums you would see in the US...yes, we were very happy that was not the case! Another interesting thing was how clearly you could tell the difference bwteween the children who were brought up with rules and discipline and those who were not. For some children it appeared "no" had no meaning. Others addressed you as Miss or Mister and would stop in their tracks with just a look. As Ryan said in debriefing, this was the best hands on experience of our training.

After each day of running around in the sun we ran over to the beach! So nice to have a beach in walking distance. Let me tell you how wonderful the water is. First of all, for all you Jersye Shore-ians... this is not your Atlantic! Think aqua blue water with just the right combination of rolling waves and ones for body surfing. And it was good bodysurfing- 3-5 foot waves! woo hoo! And there is no sharp drop off. Just walk on in until you're in as far as you want to go. And its soft sand! There is also an outcropping of rocks about 1/4 mile out. We were up to the challenge and swam out there today. Wow! It was awesome! We were able to fish from the top and catch 6-12 inch tuna. There were two people up there when we arrived and they showed us hopw. No need for fishing gear. They causght 1/2 a dozen with fishing wire rapped around an off can. They used the seasnails that were on the rock as bait. It is very humbling to realize how little you need to survive. Was a nice reality check.

Off to the last social outing as a group! Group potluck dinner and karaoke!

Weekend fun

2006-08-17T08:02:00.000-04:00

Hi All!
Sorry the blogs have been out of order lately. I've been typing when I have the chance. But this last week has been very busy, plus we are all trying to hang out as much as possible since it is our last week all together!

So back to this weekend.
FRIDAY NIGHT: We went over to the village of Mon Repos and went crab hunting with the PC Volunteers there. It was really fun. At about 7pm we went down to Praslin beach. We took our flashlights and bug spray (the sandflies are nasty!) and headed towards the holes in the ground. See, we were hunting sand crabs. Now, in the US sand crabs (at least the ones I've seen) are tiny. Here, they are the size of king crabs. They come out at night to go to the water to "wash," as a local told me. The crabs can feel the vibrations in the sand so it is best to walk individually or in small groups, very quietly. So we silently (or as silently as 15 eager people out on an adventure could be) walked down the beach waving our flashlights over the sand. It is best to catch the crab when it is far from its hole, because they scurry quite quickly and you have a better chance of catching them if they are far from their holes. If you are lucky enough to see one on the beach, the catch is relatively easy. You run faster than the crab and step on it. Just a little b/c you don't want to squish it. But you need to step on it so that you are able to grab it in the back (away from the pinchers). Then we threw them in a bag. Often, you would see a crab pop its head out of its hole. Then you knew it was inside. In these situations you had to stick your hand (and usually your arm b/c the holes are quite long) in and grab it. This is pretty tricky as 1) the holes are quite long 2) the holes often connect 3) you can be bitten! There were a few sacrificed fingers (just pinches, no lost fingers) but the night was definitly a success. We caught maybe 5-6 dozen. We then built a fire on the beach and cooked them up.

SATURDAY: On Saturday I did not have to go to the 7 Day Adventist all day church services. Instead I hung out with my friends!!!! First we went to "Keif's" farm. "Kief," really his anme is Keith but he's missing teeth so he introduces himself as Kief, hence the nickname. He is my friend James' host uncle. He has an amazing farm on the side of the river. I say it is amazing because he grows a huge array of frutis and he literally uses everything he grows. He gave us a tour and we saw mangos, bananas, cocoa, avocado, and coconuts. Two interesting things- did you know the banana bunch starts out as a deep purple flowery thing? Pretty cool. Also, the banana tree only gives off one bunch!

After the farm we went to the river. It was very fun and refreshing on a hot day. We drove across the river to a clearing where we made camp. We started a fire (palm leaves are great fire starters) to roast our chestnuts and breadfruit. Its kind of funny, I don't like nuts at home, but I like them here. I like the ones straight off the tree and into the fire. Obviously they are very fresh! I don't know if I've told you about breadfruit. Its a fruit that looks a bit like a lime greenish dodgeball. Well, it is pretty bland if it is boiled. But! if you roast it in the fire its very moist and yummy! So we roasted it. Very easy. You just stick the whole thing in the fire for like 15 min. then yout ake ot out and scrape off the now charred peel. Hard work! But ti seasier if you do it under running water (aka in the river). But it def tastes good. Kind of like a baked potato soaked in butter.

After we ate lunch we hiked to the waterfall. There are parts of the river where there is white water and waterfalls. We hiked up about a mile to the part where the rocks make a little cove, where multiple people can sit. Also, there is an area of rapids where, if youg et in the right position, the water will push you through about 200 feet of rapids. It is like a natural waterslide! So we spent the afternoon playing in the water.

SUNDAY: Sunday started early. We were on the bus headed to the Gros Piton (the big one) at 6:15. After about 45 minutes of rolling hills and bumps, we all groggily got off the bus and headed to check in. We were at the base of the 2461 foot peak. If you remember, there are two Pitons. We (PC volunteers) are alowed to hike the Gros Piton. There is a well maintained trail and there are guides. We are not allowed to climb the Petit Piton. Although it is the smaller of the two, it si steeper and more tretcherous. so we were ont he Gros Piton. There were 15 of us (another adventure where Nick and I joined volunteers from another village, this time Ti Rocher) and three guides. It took about 2 hours to get up and about 3 hours to get down. It took longer to get down because you had to be more caerful of your footing. It is easier to fall going down. Well, I have to tell you, we defintily saw all levels of vegetation. Really, it was the only way we could tell we were getting higher. We were surrounded by trees so we couldn't look out to see where we were. The hike started off pretty flat and then got to where you weren't sure if it would be easier to just climb a ladder up. But it was def worth it. we got to the top and it was breathtaking. Honestly, you could see pretty much the whole island. It was amazing. AND! For the first time in since arriving in the caribbean, we were a bit chilly! Yes! It was cold at the top!

After the climb we came home and went to a national soccer game. Almost got called off by the rain. Glad it didn't. Our team played a team from Englnd. Yes, we won!

Big news

2006-08-15T07:40:00.000-04:00

Hi All!
Yesterday was the big day! We got our assignments! On Saturday I'll be leaving St. Lucia and traveling north to St. Kitts. I wll be going there with 12 other people. There will be 10 on my island, and 3 on Nevis. (The island nation is made up of St. Kitts and Nevis.)St. Kits is an hour away from Puerto Rico. there are many connecting flights one can get from pats of th US to Puerto Rico and then to St. Kitts. also, there are some direct flights from the major US hubs.

Here's a little info on the country. St. Kitts, short for St. Christopher, is 23 miles long and 6.5 miles wide. It has a population of 35,500 people. Most are of African decent. The language is English. St. Kitts economy used to be dominated by sugarcane production. Sugarcane is still a big export for the Kititians, but tourism is also pretty big.

The weather is nice, warm and only about 70% humidity. It is one of the more arid islands. Geographically we have a big volcano and lots of rainforesty areas. There are also nice, white sand beaches, althouhg they are apparently not the best in the caribbean. There is alos an area at the bottom tip that is a bit deserty, so we have it all. The water is fine to drink and crime is quite low.

I will be working for the Ministry of Education, Youth, Community Development & Gender Affairs. I will also be doing speech pathology at a nearby hospital. There are currently 2 volunteers in my town and 2 volunteers in towns that are within walking distance. I am very excited. We will find out more specifics today. But feel free to look up the islands and please, think about coming to visit!

Culture Day

2006-08-15T07:21:00.000-04:00

On Friday we had a special guest at training- Dr. Honeychrch. He is a Caribbean hisotrian from Dominica. Every year at training he comes to give the cultural history of St. Lucia and the other islands. Usually he does it in a big lecture hall. This year we took a cultural field trip around the island..in air conditioned busses!!!! Another fun fact about Dr. Honeychurch is that he is an extra in Pirates of the Caribbean 3.

We started our field trip it Latille Gardens & Falls. This is a Heritage Tourism site quite close to Micoud. Here we saw many beautiful fruit trees, a gorgeous waterfall, and lots of oher flora and fauna. There are 6 levels of vegetation on the island. It starts with the mangroves at sea level and goes all the way up to the rainforests/elphin at the hihest peaks. The waterfall appeared to be surrounded by rainforest-esque vegetation (shows how beautiful the country is) but no- we were actually at midlevel. This is the level of the banana farms. In St. Lucian terms this area is the dryer part of the land. Fun fact: in St. Lucia this level of vegetation is found on the east coast. On most other islands it is found on the west coast. Interestingly, bamboo, sugarcane, and calabash are the only native plants. Most vegetation- mangos, bananas, papayas, flowers- were inroduced after colonization or became beached on the islands after flooding in South America.

The farmer who owns the area spoke to us about sustainable agriculture. Pre 1970's the idea was that bananas were "green gold." On the islands bananas made a lot of money and the thought was that the more land they could use to grow bananas, the more money they could make. It was the idea of land exploitation/materialism. In the 1907's there was a big environmental movement (tied to th rastafarian movement). There was a push for a "back to the land" outlook on the environment. This trend has continued to today. Currently, 20% of all imports is in energy. So the people are looking for/starting to use sustainable energy sources. For example, the farmer pumps water from the waterfall to irrigate his plants. In the village many hot water heaters are solar powered.

Back on the bus. Had a suprisingly tasty treat. My friend Jenni gave me a piece of tablet. It is coconut, cut into thin strips. It is then topped with sugar and roasted. Tastes a bit like peanut brittle.

Next stop was the southern-most point on the island. I'd been there before on the way to Soufriere. Its called Moule A Chique. There is a lighthouse with a light you can see for 50 miles. There is lighthouse in Barbados that also has a light that can be seen for 50 miles. So the whole 100 mile trip from here to there is lit! While we were up here Dr. Honeychurch told us about the formation of the islands. Most of the islands in the island chain are volcanic. They lie on the edge of the Caribbean and the Atlantic tectonic plates. The old part of St. Lucia-the east coast- is 50 million years old. The west coast is only 25 million years old. I say its only 25 million years old b/c the surface that we see was formed by a volcanic eruption 25 million years ago- and left a line of volcanic cones across the horizon. The valleys in the middle of the island, where the banana farms are, are volcanic cones that collapsed. B/c the west coast is newer the beaches are still black sand beaches (volcanic ash/rock). The east coast has white sand beaches due to the coral. Interestingly, Barbados, 100 miles to the east, is not volcanic. It is all coral; made from the debris of the other islands.

Next we went to Il Pirata. It is a gorgeous, secluded beach outside of Vieux Fort. Ate lunch and saw the coast guard. Pop Quiz: The sand was white. Which side of the island were we on?

After lunch we went to a seaside village called Chousil. About village/city names- in St. Lucia the vllages/cities are named after famous frenchmen. The rest of the islands in the chain were colonized by the British, so the villages/cities are all named after Catholic saints.

Chousil was labeled by Dr. Honeychurch as a "typical costal village." It is made up of farmers who have farms in the hills and fishermen. As the plantations took over more and more of the inside of the country the Caribs (native Caribbean people) moved to the rugged coasts. In St. Lucia and Dominica Roman Catholicism is the reigning religion. For years life in the villages was tied to the church (and to some extent it still is). So the church and the church square are at the center of the village. In chousil there are lots of crafts. Pottery, basket weaving, and knowledge of medicinal properties of plants are prevalent becuase the Carib culture is still very much alive. This area of the country is the craft center. In a typical village, like Chousil, there are lots of wooden houses with windows with slats to let in the breeze and keep out the sun. Sadly though, this also lets the bugs in! There are also lots of shops on the first floor/front room of the houses. If a shop sells alcohol the shopkeepers have to go to the magistrate every year to get a permit. Interestingly, while rum shops are center of socialization for men, there are absolutely no environments/forums (except for church groups) for women to interact with each other!

Onto the fishing! The basic operation is that men get into the open boats in the am and come back in the evening with their catch. They fish by net, hook and line, and fish pots. Fish pots are wooden frames with chicken wire. They are attached to ropes and boueys on the surface of the water. They are kept in the water for 1-2 days. Most ports have sheds where fishermen store their equipment. There are two types of boats; fiberglass boats and "gomiers." Gomiers are based on the Carib canoe, made from the gomier tree. For these boats the base is dug out and ribs are added to the inside. They still use the same plan as the original Caribs! hey, if it works, it works! Another interesting fact is that any modifications in the villages- schools, fisheries- are created by/with foreign aid. Giver perspective as to how much the EC countries rely on foreign countries -not only for $ but also for direction in how to improve. Hence the PC is needed to help make the countries self sufficient.

Next stop was the Fond Deux Nature Plantation Resort. This is a working plantation outside of Soufrieres. Any town/village/city whose name starts with 'Soufrie' has to do with sulfur. (Soufrieres has sulfur springs...which makes the ground fertile). Back to the nature plantation. First we went on a tour of the grounds. They grow a lot of beautiful plants and flowers on the plantation. So what follows are soem fun facts about the flora we saw.
-Bamboo grows 1 inch a day
-The wax rose is a beautiful, sensative pink flower. It will die if you touch it b/c the oils on your hands are poison!
-Nutmeg. Ok, this is not liek the nutmeg you have in the little bottle on the spice rack. On the tree it is a plum sized light brown nut. You crack it and inside is a dark brown grape sized nut that is covered in a bright red, smooth, web of fiber. This part is used as a perfume and in beverages. The scent is strong, kind of like apple pie spice with marichino cherry sweetbness. Inside the nut is the nutmeg we know. Another use for it: if you aheva headache, grind it up and put it on your head.
-Hibiscus leaves can beused as shampoo. Put the leaves in water. When a paste forms, put it on your head.
-The morktel tree is called the flame of the forest b/c of the bright yellow flowwers on it from February to April.
-Coconut husks are good for decoration and fertilizer. It is very common for gardens to be lined with coconuts because they are so plentiful here.

Next we saw the cocoa production. At the plantation the working part is the cocoa. My camera batteries died at this point, so go to Jordan's link to see the pics! 95% of the cocoa produced goes to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania. 5% stays in country for prduction of chocolate ice cream.

Next we went to the Sulfur Springs in Soufrieres. Did the same tour as my first trip, minus the dip in the hot springs! Oh well, it was late and time for our snack. We went to a "scenic outlook" where we were able to look out from the side of the mountain and see the Pitons behind us and the town of Soufrieres in front of us. Magnnificent way to end a fun day!

Rainy Day

2006-08-09T16:09:00.000-04:00

Hi All.
So this is the rainy season! We've been pretty lucky with the weather- lots of Caribbean sun. Today we had a taste of rain. Here's how the rain works here. If its going to be a short storm you'll see like one grey cloud. It will be sunny, then as the cloud gets closer it will drizzle. When the cloud is overhead it will poor. As the cloud moves away it will drizzle, then back to the sun. It takes about 3-5 minutes. And, all the areas not under the cloud stay sunny and dry. But if its going to be a long storm (we had both today) The wind will really pick up...think the tornado in The Wizard of Oz. Then the whole sky will fill with grey clouds, and it will rain for a min and then poor. Could be for 1/2 an hour, could be for hours. And when it stops it takes a while for the sun to come back out. But either way its beautiful. And all the tropical plants and flowers love it! This weather is also very good for growing rice. In case you wanted to come to the Caribbean and have a rice farm...only in the rainy season though.

So yesterday we had a session on economics. 15 nations of the Caribbean joined together to form CARICOM. It is an organization kind of like the European Union, in that it speaks with one voice in the global market. CARICOM is a single market economy (CSME). This means that there is one currency (the EC dollar; conversion 1 US=2.7EC). There are also no tariffs between CARICOM countries. There is a free movement of labor, the right to have companies in any CARICOM country, and common external tariff on all gooods entering and CARICOM countries. It means that what one country has, all the others have. There are positives and negatives to this, but the goal is better leverage in the international market. Because the countries of the Caribbean are so small, by banding together they are better able to compete with the world powers.

Also had a medical session. The highlights are that we get the bird flu medicine in our first aid kits...to be taken only when told. We also can be sent home if we refuse to get any shots. And if you are gong to Grenada you must get the Rabies vaccine. Ouch! Currently there are no known incidences of rabies in Grenada, but there were a few cases in the past, and therefore we must be cautious.

We also had our interviews yesterday. Placement interviews, so it was big. Lots of regular interview q's. Although I don't know why...we've filled out so much paperwork, it seems they already have every bit of info on us! They also asked PC specific q's like, what's your ideal placement? Are you ok with living in a rural village? How well do you speak Patua? How are you dealing with the heat? Are you ok with walking to work? Mine took a little over 1/2 an hour and no, I have no idea where I'm going. We find out Monday.

After our riveting day of training we went to go play soccer with the Women's Futbol(Soccer) team, the Amazons. Well, as I said, it was a rainy day. So, even though it stopped they did not come. As one local said, "we Lucians...when it rains we run for cover until the grass is dry." Must have a few village members not from St. Lucia, b/c we stayed and played. At first it was just us. I don't know...maybe someone saw us and let it slip that the Americans were playing futbol, but after about 10 min guys just came out of the woodwork and we had a good game of 9 on 9 going for like 1.5 hours!One of the players is the Women's Futbol coach. He was giving me pointers and told me to come back to play today and he'd work with me on my skills. He said I have potential. We'll see if he was just being polite! But it was really fun. We all got super muddy and had some laughs over the antics that associate playing sports in the mud.

After futbol the PC Volunteers (all 71 of us) put on a Cultural Night/ talent show for our host families and friends. There were some performances by local groups (dancers and a STEEL DRUM BAND!) and performances by the Volunteers. Tops of the night were original songs written and sung by volunteers, the steel drum band, and a girl who danced with lit poi balls. (Think Olympic gymnast dancers.) Basically she got on stage with lit balls at the the end of ropes, one in each hand. She danced and swung them around her in a professional grade dance. The whole room was sitting slack jawed. Really, she was fantastic.

Today was not as exciting. Had a bunch of sessions on disaster preparedness AKA in case of an emergency...) a lot was common sense or stuff we had gone over before. But safety and health are the two biggest priorities of the PC. We also had a session on safety- how to protect yourself from an assailant. Actually got more new information than I had anticipated. Learned a new term, "scratchy palms." This is something that a possible assailant might do. The action is that a person goes to shake your hand. During the handshake the person scratches your palm with 2 fingers. It means, "I want to sleep with you." Very good to know.

Played soccer again. Now that I'm learning a few skills (and believe me its slow learning) I'm rally starting to enjoy the game! Who knows, maybe I'll come back a soccer pro! Tomorrow I'm learning how to take shots on goal.

Tonight we had our presentation/ meeting with the soccer team. We had a good turn out and the meeting went well. We had to present to them a session on their areas of concern. Ours was easy b/c they laid it out for us on Monday. Hope they take something from it.

Banana Days

2006-08-07T22:03:00.000-04:00

Hi All!

Why don't you plan a community meeting on Monday or Tuesday? Because Mondays and Tuesdays are banana days and the men of the village are out on the banana farms.

Yesterday we went on a field trip. 1/2 of the group went to Laborie and 1/2 the group went to Praslin to see a Community Development project in the works, to find out the process, and to learn from those involved. I went to Praslin. We hopped in our AIR CONDITIONED busses and headed south. When we got there no one wanted to disembark, but the Community Developers were waiting, so we got out and went to the community center. Inside we were met by three Community Leaders/Developers. All represented different areas of interest/concern for the village. There was one man who spoke to us about the economic impacts, one man who spoke about the environmental impacts, and a woman who spoke about the human impacts. Praslin is a village of fishermen and banana farmers...so sadly, we did not get to hear the opinions/perspectives of the villagers. But the presentations were interesting and thought provoking none the less.

By the way- realize I never mentioned the project. Here's the short story. The majority of the land in the village is privately owned. A big corporation bought the land to make a resort (Praslin is on the water). The community learned about the project right before groundbreaking b/c the government would not approve the permit unless the corporation did social and environmental surveys. So that's how the community found out. Now these leaders are working with the corporation to make sure that the community, its people, its lifestyle and livelihoods, etc are not destroyed by the introduction of the resort and all that that means to the community. Also, they are working so that the community benefits from the resort being there. Very interesting and I hope the community is not steamrolled by the corporation.

It was a great learning exercise to think outside the western world frame of mind and try to think like the villagers. There process is much slower and does not follow the same protocol as ours. While you might have just read the story and thought, hire a lawyer to protect your rights!, The community believes that if you give your word, it is the same as a contract. Very different. But, as volunteers trying to help the process we can't just say...hmmm..I see this problem and this is how to fix it! We're working for sustainability. So our role is to facilitate. We also have to be culturally sensitive. So we are learning how to put aside our ideas as to what development should look like...to merger them with the ideas of the community so hopefully some progress may be made.

We also got to visit the site of the resort to see what they re doing and the plans for what it will look like when it is finished. Well...all I can say is this: in 2008 book a room...cottage...whatever at this place b/c regardless of what the rooms are like (although looking at the plans they look pretty fantastic), the natural landscape is beautiful. It is Paradise Resort in St. Lucia if you want to google it.

Yesterday our second adventure in community development as that we all had to attend meetings with local organizations. The goal was to get to know the group, their goals and priorities, and to identify (us and them together) areas they want to improve/change. I was part of the group that met with the Women's Soccer Team. While soccer is a national pastime, it does not have the organization, funding, or support it has in the US. It was very interesting to hear about their program, esp. The areas where it differed from what we are used to at home. Here are a few examples:
1. There is no reserving fields. You go early and stake a claim and hope no one comes along and pushes you off.
2. While there is a National Board that organizes 2 national championships a year, the majority of the games are organized by the teams (only 9 in the country)...kind of like impromptu scrimmages every now and then.
3. In our village, and most others, there is no board of directors or anything to regulate/organize, so games, transport, discipline, funding, etc. All done by the team. Plus they have no manager and only one coach!

The team was very vocal about their goals and things they'd like tow ork on. This made today's session on planning for our meeting with them on Thursday quite easy. Yes, on Thursday we have to present information to them on the areas they want to work on. Other groups had a harder time today based on their meetings last night. Seems a minimal (3) people attended both the Catholic Youth Group's meeting and the Mother and Father's Club meeting. Three members is not really a good contingency to give feedback and to get to know the whole group by...but again it was a learning experience. It is quite possible that the same thing will happen in our villages.

So today we discussed strategies to ensure/try to ensure that our target audience will show up. We also discussed ways to get them excited about development. One thing we learned is that it is easier to get them re-excited about projects in the works than it is to get them excited about new projects. Going back to planning for Thursday's meeting...we already know our group is excited about soccer and they told us what they want to work on- teambuilding and conflict management. The challenge in planning way to figure out ways to present the information in a way so they don't feel we're telling them what to do. We are really supposed to use what they said and make suggestions. The PC is about working together. We are not experts, just people with different viewpoints and a desire to help. Which is quite contrary to the "I=know-a-solution-this-is-what-needs-to-be-done-lets-do-it" attitude most of us are accustomed to. Definitely learning a lot.

Learned some AIDS/HIV education training today. The PC looks at these areas in terms of BSS, Behavior Change Communication. The goal is to increase awareness to decrease the incidence. AIDS education is pretty different here. The topic is taboo and people only really talk about it in joking ways. But the truth is (mom don't read this) the Easter Caribbean has the second highest incidences, second to subsaharan Africa. The people at risk are the same as the people at risk in the US, but HIV and AIDS are on the rise the most in young girls. They are something like 16 time more likely to get it than all other groups... but don;'t quite me on that one. There are many reasons for this (ask me if you want to know). Plus, homosexuality is illegal in the EC, which opens another can of worms. So we have to tread lightly when presenting information. As one of the staff members put it, The US is over 200. We are 25. We are not where you are. So, another lesson in changing/taking on another perspective. So much to think about.

On a less school-y note, we had a big pizza party tonight! It was lots of fun and we got to plan our summer camp! Next week we are giving the kids of the village summer camp. Sports, arts and crafts and music and dance! For two days! Who's excited!

Beach Day

2006-08-06T22:54:00.000-04:00

Hi All!

Today was a lot of fun! I learned how to make goldenapple juice this morning. Goldenapples are not like apples here. They are small, oval fruits that are a bit tart. I cut up the fruit, threw it in the blender with water and blended it to a pulp. Then I strained the juice from the pulp. Added brown sugar (they don't use white sugar here)to taste. Violla, juice! And that's the process for most juices here. Tomorrow I hope to make guava or passionfruit, they are my favorites.

After the juice lesson we left for the Peace Corps beach party. This was an event for Peace Corps Volunteers in all of the villages to get together with their families and with the Peace Corps staff for the Eastern Caribbean. It was at a private beach in Laborie, which is in the south west of the country, on the Caribbean Sea. The beach itself was lovely and the water even nicer. We were at Rudy John Beach. This is a secluded beach, lined with palm trees, and complete with coral reefs. To get there you have to go down a VERY steep hill.

Thank goodness I brought my goggles! There was so much to see under the water. Someone did get stung by a sea egg while norkeling, but the PCMOs were there and the situation was ok. We went snorkeling, played soccer, cricket, and frisbee. We also ate some yummy EC foodand drank some delicious juices. My new food of the day was fig salad. There are no figs in the salad, just a fig banana, which is very similar to a potato in texture and taste, but it looks like a banana. Tastes pretty good, reminded me a bit of hash browns. It did rain a few times and we saw a rainbow! There were also two current PC Volunteers in attendance. It was nice to be able to pick their brains and hear their stories. At the end of the afternoon we also had the added amusement/fascinating site of cars, trucks, and busses (it is common to hire a bus if you have a big party going somewhere and no transports/cars) trying to get up the hill!

Learned about cocoa farming today. A freind's "uncle" has cocoa plants on his farm. He explained the whole farming process and we are going to go see it/ help out with it some time this week. Cocoa grows on trees. The cocoa "fruit" looks a bit like a mango- same oval shape and same colors-green when unripe, yellow when ripe. The stem of the "fruit" attaches right to the bark of the plant. You take the ripe fruit down off the tree and cut the top off. Then you take out this membrane-like sac. Inside are the big cocoa beans. You rip the beans out of the sac and lay them out to dry. In St. Lucia they make cocoa sticks and sell them in the markets. You shave pieces off the stick to add to drinks or food. Or to just make chocolate milk. To make the cocoa stick you then roast the dry beans so that the smaller cocoa bean comes out. Then you grind up this smaller bean (the flavorfull part) and add wter. You let it sit until it makes a paste. Some people add sugar at this point, but you don't have to. Then you roll the pastey stuff into a stick and let it dry. At least this is what I was told. Can't wait to go to the farm and see for myself!

Capital city!

2006-08-05T18:49:00.000-04:00

Hi All!
Today I went to the capital of St. Lucia, Castries. It is in the northwest part of the island. We went so that we could learn to navigate the market, learn how to use public transport, and of course, see some sights.

Something like 90% of all PC deaths are from auto accidents. Today I learned why. We were flying over hill and dale, with our faces flapping in the wind. Then you would see a hairpin turn and think, he's going to slow down. And he wouldn't. Then you'd see a line of cars, A LINE OF CARS, and think, he's going to slow down, and he would press on the gas and pass THEM ALL. Regardless of whether it was on a straight part where you could see if there would be any oncoming traffic, or if it was up a hill or around a curve where you couldn't. Made it there and back and am alive!

Well, when we got there we browsed through some stores. Did you know that all students, be it infant, primary, or secondary student, has to buy text books? We went to a book store to look for books by St. Lucians/ about St. Lucia and couldn't even squeeze in b/c of everyone buying text books.

Funny how after being in the country for just a week, you see a crowd and you freak out!

We also went to some clothes stores. Finally found some real light weight skirts! And the prices! Very cheap. Dare I say it, regular stores had better prices than Target! We were told St. Lucia is the best of all the islands for shopping b/c of its variety and low prices.

Next we went to the market. Like a street market but in a big warehourse and all around the warehouse. Saw more frutis, vegetables, spices, and meats than I've ever seen! And everything was fresh! Yes, you could buy the side of a cow if you wanted. Right next to your watermelon and thyme! Very cool.

We saw the important buildings of the city. Saw the government offices, the governor general's house, the national library (a Carnegie librbary, mom), the cathedral, and the square named after Derek Walcott, a Nobel Prize winner from St. Lucia. We also saw the port where goods are shipped in and out and where you can get a boat to another country. Both Martinique and St. Vincent are short boat rides away!

Also saw the oil refinery. Interestingly, oil is brought in from Central America, refined, and then shipped off, mostly to North America. St. Lucia itself does not produce oil.

Interesting things about the capital: there are street signs and there are garbage cans. Two things that don't exist in the villages. We also saw something that I've never seen happen anywhere. Apparently camouflage is illegal in St. Lucia. It is an offense for anyone outside the police force to dress in camouflage clothes or to carry items made of camouflage material. So we saw the police stop a man on the street who was wearing camo pants. The police made him strip to his boxers and took his pants! Could not believe it. But I guess it is nice to see the police enforcing laws.

From the capital we went up to Pigeon Island National Ladmark. It is actually a peninsula almost at the top of the country. It was a main military base for the British in the 1800s. Now it is recreational park with restored remains of military buildings, a gorgeous view from an old lookout point, and gorgeous beaches. From the lookout point you can see Martinique. It is so close that we could see some buildings. We were told that at night you can see the lights from cars on the road!We did the whole tour of the ruins and went to the museum. Did you know the British and the French fought over St. Lucia for centuries! Each succeeded in controlling the country 7 times! Now of course, St. Lucia controls itself.

Then we went to the beach. Yes, we were right next to the Sandal's resort in Rodney Bay if you want to go online and see pictures. The water is gorgeous, with pockets of aquagreen and blue. We swam and watched the snorkelers. A few boys caught fish and one caught an octopus! We also saw some men "catch" conch shells and extract the meat. The water, while crystal-clear, is some of the saltiest water I've ever been in.

Tonight we went to the Seafood Festival in Dennery. It was pretty cool. There were all these booths lined up on the beach. They sold all sorts of seafood. Thank goodness so many PC people came, together we tried it all. There were 2 types of lobster, dolphin steak, black fish, conch, calamari, a few fish stews, muscles, clams, and some other fish whose names I didn't hear. They were all delicious. They also had tons of alcohol...even the spiced rum we were all suppposed to avoid. Must say I did have a sip. Tastes like the juice from spiced apples, if anyone's ever had them (J Fo!). But it is very strong. I had a sip and that's all I ws going to have and all I think I could have had. They also had dominos (big game in the island) and ring toss...over alcohol bottles. There was a DJ and a lot of dancing on the beach. Lots of people came. But, since it was in another village, some people thought we were tourists. So we had to deal with some of the negative aspects of being a foreigner. But it just made me thankful for how protective the people in Micoud are of their volunteers. The PC trainers sid that we wont get bothered once we are in our permanent villages and are settled in. Which is nice to know. Also nice to get our first taste of the negative side when we were all together, rather than one person on the street.

Anyway, it was a really fun and interesting/enlightening day.

Fun Friday

2006-08-04T23:24:00.000-04:00

Hi All!
So I have officially been in St. Lucia for one week. Seems like way more than that with all that I've done, seen, and learned!

Today at training we had two guest speakers. The first one was Adrian Augier. He is a former speech writer for the prime minister. He is a poet. He also writes books and screenplays. He is a political activist, an economist and also runs the World Music Festival. Yes, he is as impressive as he sounds. He came to speak to us about "Development Challenges." In quotes b/c that was the title the PC gave to his presentation. Really he gave us a historical background for St. Lucia and the other Eastern Caribbean islands. Made some very interesting points and definitely made everyone think. His speech definitely motivated everyone to do our jobs well. Would go into it all, but I'm not sure if I can do it justice. He read poems from his book, Bridge Maker. I recommend you check it out if you want to learn the historical/political/social history of St. Lucia, right up until present day.

Second guest speaker as Keith Hippolyte. He is a literature teacher and a drama coach. He is also a Rasta Man. Now I want to describe what a true Rasta Man is b/c I'm sure a lot of you are thinking along the lines of a pot smoking hippie. Well, we have those here too. But. A Rasta Man is someone who lives by the guidelines of the Rasta culture. This man, in his dread locks and bare feet, came in and taught us history of song and dance in the islands, Taught us to sing some songs and dance come dances, and then taught us a few folk tales. Very articulate, educated man. You know that song, "Deo?" "Deo! Me say deo! Daylight come and me want to go home." Well this was one of the songs we learned. Before the bananas were carried onto the export boats by conveyer belt, women did it. They would take the bananas, on their heads, from the trucks and then carry then to the "tally man." Every time they passed the tally man, he gave them a chip that could be exchanged for money. Then they carried the bananas up the gang plank onto the boat. This could take hours, all day and night even. Hense the part, "Daylight come and me want ta' go home."

Got home today and there is now hot water at my house! Who is excited! Although, the cold isn't as cold as our cold, and in this heat it feels good. But I'm excited to have hot water so I can avoid the initial loss of breath when steppping into the shower.

Tonight I went to a sort of street fair. Unlike anything you're imagining or would see at home. Literally, we walked down this road- more tire tracks than a road, and turned onto an alley way. Then we popped out in the middle of an intersdection- one road turns and intersects with another road and a little cannal. At the intersection there's this bar. Now, when I say bar what I mean is a little hut almost, with a porch, and squares cut out of walls instead of windows. No doors (just the door frame) lots of beer posters and lots of alcohol behind the counter. Then there's a porch- aka a fenced in area with a roof. Out there they have the big grills that look like cut up pipes, rosting meat. Smells delicious and the smoke is kind of like cheap smoke at the clubs. Now back to the porch. We're in an area where all the houses look rundown, this one included (b/c housing ordinances are not enforced and b/c they've all been damaged by storms and not everyone has the money to fix). And on the porch there is a huge flat screen hi def tv. On that tv are scrolling words to old school (Roy Rogers, Loretta Lynn, etc) country music. And you see this african/ caribbean man with a near perfect country twang singing his heart out. And on the streets and in the yard people of all ages are just standing there (or dancing) having a great time. Its unreal. Then you look down the streets and there's more people just grilling and selling drinks out of coolers. Something you have to see to believe. So normal to them. It was very chill and relaxing. Def not all commercial like street fairs in the US.

That was my day and night. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

A glimpse at what I'm here to do

2006-08-03T23:18:00.000-04:00

Hi all!
Exciting day today. For training we went out into the field to see two projects to see what we could be helping with during our/for our PC service.

First we went to a self sustaining farm in Mabouya Valley. It was very interesting. It is a cooperative farm of Rasta Men (yes, that's their title and it is culturally acceptable to call them Rasta). They grow mostly rice and soy beans. Rice in the rainy season b/c then they don't have to worry about pumping water from the river b/c the water's already there. They also grow fruit (hard not to when the trees were already on the property). They take what they need to feed themselves and their families and then sell the excess. The guide, Manjob, said that they export the rice and soy to other countries, like France, Britain, and Canada. They keep their fruit in country b/c it sells all year long. They also have an exchange program with Martinique where people from there will come to St. Lucia and vice versa to learn different ways of farming and different crops. It was really interesting. Never saw a rice plant before. Also got to taste baby guava, aki, and soursop- we don't have them at home. The baby guava is the color and consistency of a pear, but is a little sour. Aki you suck, tastes like a grape (with a huge pit you CANT eat) and a funky texture I can't really describe- kind of soft like cotton candy if it didn't dissolve.

Most interesting part of the time though, the Rasta Man himself. He was telling us about the Rasta lifestyle...apparently b/c they are all natural, no salt, no sugar, no meat, they live really long lives. Also. We're out in the middle of nowhere in a field miles from anything and this Rasta Man has a cell phone attached to his wrist.

Also learned about banana farming. The banana trees are really cool. You plant a piece of the tree in rows, with trenches for irrigation on the sides of each row. You don;'t have to water them (at least not in St. Lucia) and they just grow into trees. The bananas hang in bunches and you often have to support the tree b/c the weight of the bananas makes the tree start to fall over. While the bananas are growing they are covered with blue bags to keep the insects off them. When they are almost ripe (not sure how they decide when that is) they cut the bunches with machetes. Then they take the bunches to these little huts spread throughout the fields. There they wash the bananas with a solution of soap,,water, and garlic b/c the banana trees "bleed." This means that the sap that is emitted where the bunch was cut off, stains. So they wash the bananas so they don't stain anymore. Then they put them in plastic bags and then in boxes and then on a truck to be shipped (mostly to England). But we did learn that the preferential treatment England gives St. Lucia and its bananas is stopping b/c of the whole Free Trade initiative. And, while the bananas from the Caribbean are sweeter than the ones from South America, the ones from South America have fewer blemishes. So "housewives" prefer the pretty looking bananas. This impacts the St. Lucian economy. so hey re now trying to focus on tourism, which is a much less stable form of income. But the PC is here to help them figure out how to diversify!

Next we went to Dennery to the Primary School to see the summer camp. It is one of 5 camps funded/supported by the Cultural Development Foundation (CDF). The goals of the camp are to keep kids off the streets in the summer and to teach them about their culture so that the traditions can be passed on. While it is funded by the CDF it is run by the community. The PC always gets involved in things with a community focus. We saw a demonstration of traditional dance. The St. Lucians have a certain type of dance they call whining, that can really only be described as hip hop and vibrating all put together in a structured way. You kind of just have to see it. Was interesting.

When we got home I went to another Volunteer's house and had the most delicious meal I've had since I've been here. We sat on his porch and ate with his family. He lives on the side of a big hill overlooking a part of the village I can't see from my house. It was beautiful. And then his mom taught me how to make fresh pineapple juice. Did you know you that you make the juice from the peel? I was a bit leary, but its delicious.

After we went to another volunteer's house. His uncle brought him a horse. So we went to check it out. Also learned how to play dominoes (a national pastime). Who knew there were actual rules? I didn't. Managed to win one game. Then the volunteer's mom taught me how to make bakes. Bakes are little fried biscuits. They sell them on the street but are really easy to make. People eat them with cheese. Try this: grated soft white cheese (not sure the kind), mayo, mustard, and butter. I didn't try it, but I was told it tastes like a deviled egg. St. Lucian's like to eat it on their bakes.

And that was my day. Did a lot of fun stuff, met a lot of interesting people...practiced "liming" which is hanging out in St. Lucian. Feel more and more part of the culture every day.

First day in the field

2006-08-02T20:48:00.000-04:00

Hi All!
So one word to describe the day...HOT! But not as hot here as there....Sorry. at least you all have AC!

So we had training in the field today. We had to do a community walk to identify assets of the community. We broke into three groups to cover the non-residential parts of the village (aka the locations with businesses). Then we came back, drenched in sweat and a little light headed, and made maps so we could share. Now everyone should know how to get around town. If only they all got up in the am to run with me, then we could have skipped the activity. Today's' focus was on identifying assets that you will be able to use when you are out in your own community.

After training I learned how to wash by hand.. Yes, I did a whole laundry basket by hand! My host mother showed me and laughed, my host father stood and laughed. Apparently it was funny. Yeah...I love laundry. I think if I'm sent to an island without washers and dryers I'll pay someone to wash my clothes. Couldn't get the feeling of soap off my hands for hours!

After laundry time a few of us went to play Frisbee. Well, we didn't actually play b/c the soccer teams were practicing on the fields. But it wasn't a wasted trip. We were hanging out, and all of a sudden this guy rode down the hill on a horse! Yes, BAREBACK ON A HORSE!!! Then, if that wasn't cool enough, he let us ride. Quick hop a plane b/c he's going to let us ride more on Sunday!!!

From there we went down to Philadelphia Row- the main "entertainment" street in town. We got ice cream and bbq. A double cone costs about 50 cents (US). We then traveled down the road and got bbq from the street corner. Yes, we went to a street vendor and got the most delicious chicken I can remember having.

Off to a birthday party in the next village.

Emancipation Day!

2006-08-01T21:26:00.000-04:00

Hi All!
Today was a national holiday, so we all had off! At 6am I got a phone call asking if I wanted to go with a bunch of Trainees (that's me and my fellow Volunteers) and some host moms to Soufriere (sounds like Soufray). I said yes!

At 7:45 we set off for our journey! We left Micoud and went south to Vieux Fort. We just passed through but one thing to note- there were horses grazing on the lawn at the national futbol (soccer) stadium!

From there we went up to the southernmost point of St. Lucia, Moule a Chique light house. We took some pictures of the view- incredible! You can see all the way to St. Vincent, which is only 24 miles away! Almost close enough to swim!

From there we went through some small villages (aka these towns were pretty much the size of a mall). But they did all seem to have a lot of fruit trees growing on the side of the road. We saw breadfruit trees, grenadine bushes, banana trees, mango trees, guava trees... we pretty much saw all the tropical fruits you can think of!

After many stops for photo ops we made it to Sulphur Springs. Yes, as the name indicates, this is an area natural sulfur springs. There were a bunch of hot springs, with the hottest at 300 degrees (F)! Smelled like rotten eggs, but the plus is that the bugs (mosquitoes esp) don't like the sulfur. We also learned that as long as the rocks are steaming you are ok. When the steam disappears that's trouble. It means that the gas is staying trapped inside and is a precursor to a volcanic eruption. There was one area of thermal activity where it was safe. We went in those hot springs and took a mineral bath. We covered ourselves in the black mud, and it really did soothe the bug bites! But then we had to go in the hot water and scrub off. Hot water on a hot day...

Interesting fact learned at the Sulfur Springs. Cashews. For every cashew flower there is a nut. The nuts are big and blackish. You have to roast the nut before you take the edible part out because along with the natural oils, there is also sionide inside. If you try to open the shell without roasting, it can kill you.

From there we traveled to Soufriere to see the Pitons and take a ride on a glass bottom boat. The Pitons are the tallest peaks in St. Lucia. There are 2, the Petit Piton and the Gros Piton. The Petit Piton is the smaller of the two, and the Gross is the larger of the two- it is tall and wide as opposed to the Petit, which is just tall. They were formed by molten lava that didn't come all the way out of the volcano. What happened is that inside each peak the lava rose, but did not come spilling over. Instead the lava just pushed the top of the volcanoes up, making them taller. They are in a big crater caused by the implosion of another volcano, so they look even bigger! They really are impressive. We did not hike up as planned, b/c we had other things on the agenda and it really would be an all day hike and you def needed a guide.

Soufriere lies at the base of the Petit Piton. The locals say it is a "tourist town" but to the eyes of An American (who saw 2 other non-native families) it is just a cute fishing village with boat charters. We saw a boat that was used in the Pirates of the Caribbean. It is a replica of an old fashioned boat. We got excited b/c we saw black clouds of smoke coming out the side, and we thought they might be cannons! No, the boat runs on an engine. Sorry to spoil the anticipation of seeing pics of a real old boat!

We did go on a pretty cool boat though. We went on a glass bottom boat so we could safely see the coral. It was pretty cool. We passes a bat cave (over 200 bats inside) and some snorkelers. We asked one to dive under the boat so we could see him. It was pretty cool. We saw a lot of pretty coral and some ultraviolet fish and interesting plant life. Also, on one side of the boat- the side close to the lad, the water looked green. On the other side the water looked blue. Maybe it was the way the sun was reflecting off the coral/bottom of the sea. Whatever the reason, it was quite pretty.

From there we went to the Pitons Waterfall. It was really cool. We walked up a path that was enshrouded with tropical plants and fruits. Tried a wax apple, which is pink and tastes a bit like a passion fruit but has more the texture of jicama. We were actually able to jump in the pool below the waterfall. It was really fun, and refreshing to really get the black mud off our bodies!

Now clean, we went to the beach. Yes, we decided we needed some salt water to add to our water-ific day! We went to Choiseul Bay. It is a little inlet n the West coast (meaning its on the Caribbean Sea side of the island). The water was quite salty, but calm and clear! We went out to where I had to kick down a bunch of feet (sorry I didn't bring my tape measurer so no exact count)to touch the bottom. And you could still see the bottom from the surface. As with everything today, it was very pretty. And then! The "sweets woman" came around. Apparently this is common all over the country, but it was my first time seeing it. The "sweets woman" is a woman who walks around selling home made sweets. She brings jams (boysenberry, tamarin, guava...all sorts that are delicious and native. She also brings things like browned coconut and "cheese." Fruit cheese is a sweet square of jellied fruit with sugar on the edges. Kind of like gumdrops but actually good and a little softer. One of the host moms said she would have us over one day to learn how to make the sweets. That way I can be a "sweet woman" when I get home :)

All in all it was a great day. Got to know more about a lot of the volunteers and got to bond with some of the women in the community. Def glad I went.

First day of training

2006-07-31T23:07:00.000-04:00

Hi all!
So today was our first official day of training! It was nice to see everyone after the weekend apart and to hear about their families. Training itself felt like a full day of school. Lots of lectures-necessary and informative, but lectures none the less.

Afterwards a few of us went on a hike around the village. It was awesome! We started at one side of the peninsula, on a beach. Then we hiked up the hill and went through pastures...or grasslands where goats were grazing. Its amazing how the animals just run free. But then again I guess they know not to jump off the cliffs. Then we went around to the port where the fishermen come in. We were right on time to see some bring in the daily catch. Watched a guy scale and prepare a fish for a buyer. It was really cool- something I'd never seen before. They had tuna, kingfish, and dolphins (not the friendly ones, I was assured). The guy cut up the fish with such precision and grace, it was like watching an artist. And he sharpened his knife on a rock! How cool! And, to let the people know they are home with fish, they blow on a conch shell.

After watching for a while we went on past the public bath and the slaughter house. apparently on sat and sun they slaughter the meat. But if its true they must be really clean, b/c we didn't see any blood or remnants or anything! Maybe we'll go one weekend to see.

Then we went up to the top of Chapel Hill (I think that's its name). In the words of Aaron, "this is where the money shots are." Yes, from there you have a panoramic view of the ocean and the village. We arrived right as the sun was going down and it was beautiful. Hope the pictures were able to catch it.
By this point it was close to dinner time so we hiked down the hill and up the road to the one and only pizza place. Well, I didn't have any, but everyone said it was delicious. A word of caution though, if you order sausage, you get pieces of hot dog!

So that was my day. Met a lot of cool people and I hope I remember their names!

Just another manic Sunday

2006-07-30T21:16:00.000-04:00

Hi all! I woke up this morning drenched in sweat and trapped in my mosquito net. After a short struggle, I managed to get out. Only to realize it was 4:30 am and while my "parents" were up praying, I could probably stay in bed for a while. At 8:05 I left for a run with the very kind soul who lives next door. Very glad he volunteered as I would not have been allowed to run had he not. He said tomorrow he's going to make an announcement looking for a slow runner and a fast runner so we can both have running partners. Besides difference in speed, we had a great run. Through a banana farm, through a mango farm, and through the rainforest to a waterfall and back. Quite fun.

Then "mom" and I took a trip to the nearby town of Vieux Fort. It is at the very bottom of the island. It is surrounded by beautiful beaches where you can wind surf and do all those other fun water sports. Hoping to have a chance. Vieux Fort is the second largest town in St. Lucia. Used to be either a US army or navy base. Now has the international airport (not the airport we flew in to)and lots of shops and tourists. As I said, its beautiful. More flat than MiCoud, although a good number of people live in the hills. We went to the grocery store b/c its actually a grocery store, not a corner shop. Not as good fruit as in our backyard, but they had yogurt. And milk!!! Although my host mom did not let me get milk, she said powdered is more economical. Ah, yes, I do remember the recruiter telling me I'd have to face hardships in the Peace Corps! Three interesting things about the grocery store: bleach and liquor are in the same aisle, the local brand of ice cream, Fernando's, has Guinness ice cream. Ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, stout. And if you don't want to buy meat from the store the butcher comes around on Sundays and sells meat out of the back of his pick up truck. I wonder if you wait until the end of the day if you have to pay extra for the meat as it would be cooked by then!

On the way home I learned something great! My family has a farm! Except that right now not much is growing as they are letting their friend's cattle graze on it. But my next door neighbors have a working farm and so we're going on Tuesday to see it and see the whole process of banana farming. AND, We can practice carrying the boxes/ bunches of bananas on our heads!!!!

After lunch I met up with some kids, one of whom promised to take me to the chapel on the hill. There is a chapel on the top of the highest hill in town. apparently the 12 stages of the cross end there. The chapel is hard to get to (no road, steep hill) but the view is suppose to be amazing! I'm not going to let him forget he offered.

Then we went to a soccer/futbol game. It was the finals for something(never found out what). But it was amazing. Never have I been to a professional game where 1. I didn't have to pay 2. You could stand on the edge of the field 3. As many bikes rode on and off the field. It was wild. I guess I should have known...We rode there going like 60mph standing on the back of a faltbead truck. Drove up and down hills to the sticks behind Mon Repos, to a field you could probably only find if you knew where to look. But the game was amazing. A lot of great plays, great saves, and a lot of luck. And in overtime our team won! Woo hoo!

Tomorrow is our first day of official training. Looking forward to starting work.

The crazy bus ride and Micoud

2006-07-29T21:01:00.000-04:00

Hi All!
I woke up this morning with no idea of my whereabouts. As soon as I saw the sun and the bright, cheery buildings I remembered. I made it! I almost had to pinch myself. Instead I ran. And believe me, if you're not awake when you start, you will be soon. The wonderful tropical climate and the big bright sun may be great for the beach, but wow. Not good for running.

After a delicious breakfast of tropical fruit we endured hours of training. Dehydration drink? 8oz H2O, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. sugar. Hold our nose and drink. Denugue? Avoid the striped mosquitoes. Coral? Look but don't touch. Urinate on it (in private) right after if you do...or else get pain killers. Same for sea eggs. Boil all water for 3 minutes. Say hi to everyone. Carry a walking stick...blah blah blah. Then the BIG part of the day- leaving the hotel and tourist section and going across the country from the capital of Castries in the north west to our villages in the south east.

Across the country...by bird it could take like 45 min. Over the mountains, more than three hours. In an airconditionless bus, crammed with 41 other people and our carry ons. We should have known from the beginning. The rain came down sideways as we boarded. Then the driver had to back up. First into a tree, then into a cement wall. While someone else was throwing a guitar through the front window. And we were off. On the left side of the road, which made us feel as if everyone was on the wrong side coming to hit us. Oh wait...someone did decide to drive on our side. Yes, a big dump truck pulled out in front of us going like 50 mph. So we skidded into a ditch. That rain I was talking about? Yeah mud. Imagine trying to get a loaded bus out of a muddy ditch in the side of a mountain. Well I guess we all were praying the same thing b/c we made it. Then we had to swerve to avoid the boulders that had fallen into the middle of the street. Then we stop because one of the luggage trucks started to overheat. Oh no you could hear everyone think, were going to have to try and squeeze all of our big bags in the bus!!!! Whew! No, we did not. I hope our bus driver's paid extra for being handy! We were off again. Now when I tell you we drove through some of the most beautiful countryside, I mean it. 1/3 of the country lives in the capital (62,000) the rest pretty much live elsewhere on the coast. So we drove through unspoiled greenery. Seriously, there were so many shades of green, Crayola would be jealous. Vibrant flowers and fruit trees lining the streets! Bananas, mangos, greatfruits, oranges, coconuts, fruits I'd ever seen. All there for the picking. We also drove though a rainforest!!! Def need to go back!!! Then we get to the coast. Picturesque cliffs and beautiful beaches. Every now and then we'd drive though a village. Yes, some are so small you can look left and right and you've seen it all.

Hours later we get to Mon Repos. We are here to drop off 1/2 our colleagues. We drop them off at the bottom of a trecherously steep hill and then, b/c we can't turn around, back up the hill! And exit town. On our way again and we pass another luggage bus (maybe the same one) on the side of the road. Well, is over heating. But! A little fiddling from our driver and the van is ok and we're off again. In the wrong direction! But of course! We're following the luggage van to its destination before we head to ours. Ok. Drop off luggage and van. Pick up the driver, and we're finally going to our village!!!!

Micoud. Pronounced ME KU. Its on a hill/mountain that forms a peninsula. So on one side you have a "rough seas" port for fishing boats and on the other you have a calmer beach for water sports, but no swimming b/c of...well we didn't learn why. But apparently there's gorgeous coral reefs that we are going to go see on Tues if the weather holds out (cross your fingers it does!!!)

So anyway, we get off the bus and I see a blue paper floating in the air with my name on it. Its attached to the hand of a one Mary Monrose. My host mom. I live at the top of the hill with her and my host dad John. We live across the street from the school and post office and down the hill fromt he village, and if you forget to mae a right at the bottom and go straight...the ocean. She is a nurse and he is a recently retired school principal. They have three daughters. One is in Connecticut, she's a Dr., and two are in England. Except that one (just got her masters in computer programming) will be home on Fri. I consider it a birthday present to me as I would love another young person, especially soemone who might be able to help me add cool links to my blog!!!!

So my host family is nice. Its funny, I was hoping for a family with a bunch of little kids but in the back of my mind was the thought, since you want that so much you'll probably end up with an old couple. Well, the little voice in my head was right. Not what I expected, but they're very nice. And have unlimited internet! Yeah!!! Three other volunteers live on my street. Together we have pretty much every type of family situation covered. So I'm sure it will be fun to hang out.

My host parents built their house when they got married, which is so cute and for their anniversary (tomorrow) they redid the kitchen. So the kitchen is absolutely amazing. But with one drawback. They had the pipes to the kitchen and baths redone and something got messed up...until next week there's no hot water. Fun shower time, but in this heat its really not that bad. My family doesn't eat meat, but they eat fish. You can get it straight off the boat! Oh and Karen, We don't grow corn but we do grow cherries, papayas, mangos, tomatoes, cucumber, cabbage, and some other fruit I've never seen or heard of before. But its yummy! and my "mom" makes her own tamarind and mango juices! Can't wait to learn that!!!

Took a walking tour of the village. Its very apparent why we are here. Like my own, there are some very nice homes. but the majority of the villagers live in small houses the size of your bedroom. The village is also dotted with houses that really can only be described as shacks. They are tiny and run down. The market contains more bars and rum shops than supermarkets. (Run\m shops are little stands where "sketch" people hang out where you can get alcohol so strong you are drunk after jsut smelling it...women are not allowed) Most people are friendly and "mom" is teaching me the streets and faces to avoid.Must also run with a buddy for a few days until I get to know the land and the people get to know me. Luckily I found a willing body next door.
Happy Saturday Night everyone!!!

Made it to the island!!!

2006-07-28T20:24:00.000-04:00

Hi all! After a few days of intense training and a very loooong day today (I've been up for like 30 hours) we are finally here in St. Lucia. It is unreal. We landed in paradise. Really. It is beautiful. The colors are so vibrant and the ground so fertile. We saw the largest bananas and papayas and palm trees I've ever seen. The people, both volunteers and nationals are really nice. I've met a lot of cool people and made some friends. I even found a running buddy! The weather is gorgreous, with a nice cool ocean breeze. Tomorrow starts our real training. It will be intense, but rewarding I'm sure. We are all excited, not only about finally being here, but about meeting our host families. There are 72 of us and we will be spread out between 4 villages. As I see it, this means we have tons of families to meet and areas to explore! This island is very rainforest-esque with mountains and apparenly great hiking and rainforest treks. Of course, lots of water sports. We were alos told the villagers like to play soccer and cricket, so I'm def going to try my hand at them...but that's jumping ahead a bit. Must get through training first. anyway, all is well. I'll send pictures once i get settled in.

Peace Corps here I come!

2006-06-19T15:18:00.000-04:00

Today I received my invitation to the Peace Corps and I accepted! I am very excited, a bit nervous, and fully dazed, as life will be changing in a mere 5 weeks. Yes, on July 26th I am off to Miami for a 2-day pre-service orientation. Then I'm off to St. Lucia for a few months of training. On September 10th I start my placement as a "community developer/special education worker" in an Eastern Caribbean country of the Peace Corps choice. I know it will be an amazing adventure. I wish you all could join me for the experience. So please, check out my blog, send e-mails, or stop by if you're in the Caribbean.