Independence Fun/Chaos & Parents' Visit

When I first got to St. Lucia and was not yet aware that I would be staying here for the entirety of my service, I purchased a hat from a tourist shop that has the words “live slow” written on the front of it. Coming from fast paced America (and college life nonetheless) where people oftentimes can’t find time to remember to breathe, I couldn’t have been more excited about embracing a culture that values relaxing and doesn’t pay so much attention to time. Little did I know how difficult aspects of adapting to this mindset would be, especially given that successfully completing the amount of work that I’ve been involved with this past month isn’t easily done with a laid back attitude.


My good friend Vincent and I planned a Health and Fitness walk for February 17th as well as traditional St. Lucian activities for Independence Day (22nd). We tried to get more young guys in the Youth and Sports organization involved in the planning of the activities, but unfortunately it ended up being the two of us arranging everything. It was no small task as we had to make the budget, solicit funds from businesses, order and print t-shirts, sign people up, advertise, buy prizes, etc. Needless to say, we needed to be on top of our game to get everything accomplished. Through much of it I found myself feeling that it was essential to get some of the tasks done ahead of time (as I’m used to in the States), but because of the cultural norms here related to time, as well as simple lack of manpower, certain tasks got pushed back until last minute. For the health and fitness walk we ended up peeling grapefruits until 1 in the morning, waking up at 4 to make juice and slice carrots, and we finally had everything ready by 6:15 for the start at 6:30. On Independence Day we had to wake up just before 5am to retrieve a cut and stripped tree from the rainforest (which took about 6 hours due to last minute falling through of transport), grease and erect the pole, collect a pig from town to grease, and so on.

Trying to stay relaxed and not worry about the clock ticking during all the last minute arranging was beyond my capabilities. It was comparable to starting a research paper on the history of the world the morning it’s due and trying to maintain one’s composure. Not happening for this guy. Anyway, I’ve since modified the slogan on the hat from “live slow” to “live slow but keep moving.” In the end, thanks to nothing but the miraculous grace of God everything ended up coming together for both activities. People really enjoyed the fitness walk and fortunately we’ve been able to continue it early every Sunday morning to encourage exercise and healthy living in the community, which is essential given that it has been speculated that the Caribbean has the highest prevalence of diabetes in the world.

So you might be wondering what the heck we were doing with a pole, a pig, and a bunch of oil and grease for Independence Day. Two of the most traditional Independence Day activities in St. Lucia are “greasy pole” and “greasy pig.” For greasy pole, a stripped tree entirely covered in oil and grease is erected with a bottle tied at the top. The first person who can successful reach the top and untie the bottle (no ladder, etc.) gets $100 and a bottle of rum (a big motivator). Needless to say, it’s pretty funny to watch and in the end people are forced to form a pyramid to reach the top. Greasy pig involves covering a pig with oil and grease, slapping it on the butt, and allowing the first person to successfully catch the slippery pig to keep it. Between helping oil and grease the pig and the pole, I ended up looking pretty dirty. People started saying, “hey, you’ve turned black today!” Little did they know how many levels that comment was operating on. Not only had my skin turned a different shade, but having been essentially initiated into the last minute chaos that characterizes the planning of many projects here, I couldn’t help but feel Lucian in a completely different respect. Other activities we had were sack races, three legged races, a fitness contest, a water balloon toss, and tug of war.

I really enjoyed having my parents come to pay me a visit, as it provided them with the opportunity to see firsthand what I’ve been describing in emails, on the phone, etc. as well as the chance to meet friends and newfound family. Unless they were lying to me, I can say that they thoroughly enjoyed their trip. Although they of course liked the beach, bathing in sulfur water from the volcano, seeing the rainforest/waterfalls, and zip-lining, etc. I think what they really took away from the trip was a much better understanding of St. Lucian culture through meeting my friends, experiencing Independence Day, coming to the school, and living at my house instead of in an isolated hotel removed from local community life. It was great to enjoy spending a relaxed time with them after a hectic month. We had some good conversations that helped me further reflect on my experience so far as well as express some things that blog entries and emails can’t quite convey. One of the most classic moments from the trip came after I introduced my parents to a local shop owner. After a couple minutes, my mom asked me, “are you able to understand what they’re saying in Creole?” I smile and respond, “that’s English mom.” 