Sorry I’ve been a putz about posting stuff these past few weeks. Internet access has been sparse, but now that everyone is settled into their own places, I should be able to mooch off a friend not too far away who has access in her house. Anyway, here’s a little info about my pad, the community, and other fun stuff.
Settling In
So after living with 3 host families in different communities, I’ve finally just this week moved into my permanent residence in Fond St. Jacques, a 2 bedroom house (enough room for visitors!). It’s cozy, but definitely has more than enough space for me. Having never lived alone before, I’m excited for this new experience and hopefully won’t die of malnutrition because of my lack of ability to cook much of anything besides cookies and German chocolate cake. J Side note – I wrote this part of my post a few days back and have since successfully cooked curried chicken with rice, pizza, cornbread, and of course, cookies. Yay for the Peace Corps cookbook.
The Community
I couldn’t have asked for a better environment to live in for the next two years. My community is very close to a protected rainforest, so it’s lush and green because of the abundant rainfall. It’s set in a valley with small mountains surrounding it, so there are plenty of gorgeous places to hike. There are a few waterfalls nearby, a couple of which allow for a bit of swimming. Soufriere, a city right on the coast, is about 3 miles away and has a nice beach as well as grocery stores, etc. I won’t have to make too many trips to the store for fruit and vegetables, however, because between my place and my neighbors there are oranges, grapefruits, limes, sugar cane, avocadoes, cocoa beans, dasheen (kind of like a potato), and plantains. To top things off, on the backside of one of the mountains behind my house is an active volcano; if that thing blows, I’d face a fate similar to that of a chicken walking into Bojangles (who wanted extra crispy?). Speaking of natural disasters, in the middle of the night last week we apparently had an earthquake registering just around a 5. It didn’t cause any damage, but shook things up a bit…not too much though, because I didn’t even wake up (darn!)
Who’s the White Guy?
I’ve really enjoyed getting to know people in the community. At first some people looked at me strangely and asked if I needed directions, but after telling them who I was staying with (everyone knows everyone…literally), people were very friendly and curious about where I’m from, what I’ll be doing in the community, etc. Meeting so many people and having the same conversation over and over again was tiring though. I think that when I’m placed in new situations where I’m not completely comfortable I tend to be naturally introverted, so forcing myself to be extroverted and sociable day in and day out was draining. Now that I’ve gotten settled down and don’t have to explain quite as much to people since most of them know who I am even if I’ve never met them (news travels fast), I’m not as tired. My neighbors are very friendly and are nearly all related. My landlord’s mother had 19 children, and is currently alive and kickin’ at the age of 105.
A Honking Culture
I think I mentioned the public transportation bus system in a previous post, but I don’t think I mentioned the element of honking. Unlike in the States, where it seems that honking is utilized almost exclusively in a negative context, here the horn has many purposes. Yes, it’s still used in the “get the heck out of my way” context, but people also honk in quite a few other situations. If a bus speeds by another vehicle it honks, just to let the other vehicle know it’s there and is passing it. A lot of drivers know each other and some buses even have clever names written on them (i.e. Rush Hour), so they’ll also honk as they drive past one another. The roads here are oftentimes narrow and windy, especially on the west coast where I’m at, so oftentimes buses just honk around turns to let cars they could potentially run into know they’re coming. And lastly, people sometimes honk at people they know or their friends’ or families’ houses as they speed by just to say hello (they don’t stop though). My most recent host mom is especially cautious driving on the particularly windy road from our community down to Soufriere. Most drivers just give a little beep beep around turns, but she lays it on hard around every turn. So, between all the windy turns and people she knows in the community, she’s pretty much laying on the horn the majority of the drive. I think she might have replaced the rooster as Fond St. Jacques’ official wake-up call every Saturday morning on her way down to the market.
Church
The majority of people who are religious here are Catholic. Despite not being Catholic, I’ve been going to mass with my host family the past few weeks. Although it’s kind of awkward not knowing the prayers or participating in communion since I’m not confirmed, I have enjoyed the messages and the worship. The worship is plugged in with electric guitars, keyboard, etc. and incorporates the Caribbean reggae flavor into traditional hymns, which is really cool. I plan to keep attending the services while I’m here and hopefully might be able to eventually play my violin with the worship team.
Country Western Music
While on the topic of music, I forgot to mention in the music section of my last post that in addition to the reggae, calypso, folk, and hip hop, country western music is extremely popular. Who would’ve thought? Now it’s important to note that I’m not referring to modern country music like Garth Brooks or Kenny Chesney, popular artists in the States. We’re talking old school twangy country from decades ago. I honestly don’t understand how it could have infiltrated this wonderful country, but nevertheless it’s here, and in full force.
My Community Involvement
So you might be wondering what I’m doing now that I’m done with training and am in my community. Well, during the first 3 months we’re supposed to focus on integrating, so they discourage us from jumping off the deep end and starting major projects right off the bat. The Fond St. Jacques Development Committee requested a PCV, so they’re my base from which to start. I’ve met quite a few “stakeholders” in the community…principal of the school, leaders of groups, etc. and have been gathering information about assets, areas for improvement, etc. The Development Committee is hoping that I can develop some programs for youth (ages 15-35). The concept of youth is obviously different here. Young adults don’t simply move out when they’re 18, as in the States, but rather live with their families much longer. It’s more convenient and oftentimes they don’t have the financial means to move elsewhere. I think that because people aren’t individually established until a later age, youth therefore encompasses a larger age range. Anyway, so I might be working on developing more activities to engage the youth of the community, as football (soccer) is the only main activity, and isn’t extremely organized. I’ll also very likely teach some violin lessons, which I’m obviously excited about. An Irish guy donated 4 violins to the secondary school some time ago, but they haven’t really been used much. The violin is part of traditional folk music, but it seems to be a dying art and very few people know how to play it. In addition to giving lessons to a few students from the school as well as a teacher, I hope to also write out a music book of traditional folk songs.
Working at the School
Starting this next week I’ll be helping out in the primary school for a few hours each day in different classes so I can get to know the staff and students. All of the little kids I see always say “hi Mr. Ben,” but I swear I haven’t met ¾ of them…so I’m hoping that will change. I’ll be working primarily with the kindergarten class, as there are 35 students under 1 lucky teacher. I’ll also be helping out the 3rd grade teacher with teaching some basic Math. I won’t be working as extensively in the school for the entire 2 years as I will be for this first few months, but I thought it would be a great avenue to get to know the kids in the community (outside of attempting to play football), and the teachers are more than happy to have the help.
Are You Married?
So after talking with people for a minute or two they oftentimes ask whether I’m married and have kids in the States. At first I thought it was kind of funny and odd that they wouldn’t think it a bit strange for me to leave a wife and kids in the States for a couple of years and jet off to the Caribbean, but then it started to make sense, because many people here have family members who are in England, the US, or Canada for work.
American Culture in the Caribbean
So I’ve noticed that people here, especially kids, are fascinated by American culture and think acting American is really cool. One night I told my host mom I was going to make a grilled cheese. She wasn’t familiar with the popular American dish and so I explained how it works. I then realized that we only had round rolls and were lacking any sort of flat bread, so it wouldn’t work. After establishing the fact that grilled cheese wasn’t meant to be that night and conveying that to my host mother, I decided to cook some eggs. A little while later, I noticed that my host brother had heavily buttered the inside of several rolls, had put cheese in them, and had smashed the rolls in the George Foreman grille. Needless to say, it didn’t work out so well. We got some sliced bread the next day though and got things squared away.
I hope to post some pictures soon of the area so you can get a better idea of what the environemtn actually looks like. Peace!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Address and Cell Phone
Alrighty, so I finally have a permanent address and a cell phone, which I'm still trying to figure out how to use. :) My address is:
Ben Wiechman
Fond St. Jacques Post Office
Soufriere
St. Lucia
West Indies
My cell phone number is 758-285-6813.
I don't have time to write now because about 10 people are in line to use the computer, but things are generally going well so far. I find myself exhausted at the end of the day, but the place is beautiful and people have been very friendly. Peace!
Ben Wiechman
Fond St. Jacques Post Office
Soufriere
St. Lucia
West Indies
My cell phone number is 758-285-6813.
I don't have time to write now because about 10 people are in line to use the computer, but things are generally going well so far. I find myself exhausted at the end of the day, but the place is beautiful and people have been very friendly. Peace!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Fond St. Jacques
In two days I'll be moving to Fond St. Jacques, a small rural community of about 1,000 people (150,000 on the whole island) in the rainforest of St. Lucia. Yesterday I had the chance to meet with a member of the developmental organization that I'll be partnered with. He was very friendly and has had experience working w
ith Peace Corps volunteers in the past. After many weeks of uncertainty about what our future work will look like, the opportunity to talk with someone from our future communities put many of the PCTs' minds, including my own, a little more at ease. I found the picture on the left from google images of Fond St. Jacques, so it'll probably look something like that. I was excited to find out that there are some opportunities for hiking in the area and that there are a couple of famous waterfalls nearby. Even more thrilling, however, is the fact that Fond St. Jacques can get a little bit cooler than other places on the island, given that it's in the mountains. My community partner said that sometimes he feels the need for a light blanket at night...maybe that means I'll sleep with the fan a whole foot away from my bed instead of directly on my head. :)
ith Peace Corps volunteers in the past. After many weeks of uncertainty about what our future work will look like, the opportunity to talk with someone from our future communities put many of the PCTs' minds, including my own, a little more at ease. I found the picture on the left from google images of Fond St. Jacques, so it'll probably look something like that. I was excited to find out that there are some opportunities for hiking in the area and that there are a couple of famous waterfalls nearby. Even more thrilling, however, is the fact that Fond St. Jacques can get a little bit cooler than other places on the island, given that it's in the mountains. My community partner said that sometimes he feels the need for a light blanket at night...maybe that means I'll sleep with the fan a whole foot away from my bed instead of directly on my head. :) I'm writing this partly because I most likely will not have internet access in my community. I originally thought that I would have internet, as most PCVs do, but Fond St. Jacques is enough inland that landlines aren't even readily available. Wireless internet might be a possibility, but I don't know how feasible that is. One of my good friends lives about three miles away though in a larger city, so hopefully I'll be able to visit her on occasion and use her internet. I will have a cell phone starting here in a few weeks though. I find this particularly ironic, given that I didn't actually ever have one in the States. Join the Peace Corps, finally get a cell phone. check. Many people opt not to get a landline though, so everyone has cell phones, even my 13 year old host brother. It's kind of weird because in some respects St. Lucia is very developed (i.e. everyone has cell phones), but at the same time other areas lag far behind (i.e. access to water...sometimes it's randomly turned off, and apparently during the dry season sometimes for several days at a time).
St. Lucia, and the Eastern Caribbean in general, has it's own unique sense of time (or lack thereof). If a meeting is "scheduled" for 7, nobody will show up til at least 7:30...probably 8. It's just the way it is. The phrase "just now" is very popular and means "wait." I've found though that the "now" part of "just now" really translates to anywhere from 5 minutes from now to never. Even though at times this can be a little frustrating, it's kind of nice to break free from the routinistic schedule that is so prevalent in the U.S. It's especially strange having just graduated from college, where it seemed like nearly every single moment of every day was planned out. In college you would even have to plan time around your hectic schedule to hang out with friends. Here you just hang out when you want to.
I can't wait to see my community here in a couple of days, and hopefully next time will have some more information about my community, as well as a few pictures. Peace!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Hurricane Dean, Hiking, History, and More!
Hurricane Dean
So, just in case you were wondering, I'm not somwhere in the middle of the Caribbean Sea floating on the dessimated remains of my previous host family's house. Even though Hurricane Dean pretty much went right through Saint Lucia, it fortunately was only a category 2 storm when it reached us (instead of a 4 or 5, which it became soon afterwards). It was still pretty intense though, with 100 mph+ winds and certainly no shortage of rain. The Northern part of the island was hit the hardest, with power lines down, trees strewn across roads, and flooding, while my community had minimal flooding and only had to deal with a short couple of days without water. Now that's out of the way, there's much more news to share.
Grand Piton Hiking Trip
I mentioned a trip to the Pitons in my last post. To expand a bit, some fellow Peace Corps Train
ees (PCTs) and myself traveled to Grand Piton, one of the tallest mountains on the island, for a hiking trip a few weekends back. The hike was great with very scenic views of the island. Even though it was only a couple of hours up, it was an intense hike and incredibly steep
towards the top. I don't think I've sweat so much in my entire life! Let's just say you know it's hot when you spot a dog indefinitely lying (but not dead) in the middle of a creek to cool off. We went to the beach in Soufriere afterwards which was very refreshing, and some local kids showed us a nice spot for some cliff jumping.
Sulfur Springs
Ok, so I've got to mention just one more touristy thing I did with my host family before getting back to business with how PC training has been going. My host dad took my host sister PCT Kit and I to the Caribbean's only drive-in volcano (not inactive, but it's not blowing it's top off tomorrow). Near the volcano are a bunch of Sulfur Springs that serve as a public bath. It's supposed to be really good for the skin, kind of like the water in the Dead Sea. We all covered
ourselves in mud and bathed in the ridiculously hot water. You're supposed to go around 6am when the water isn't scorching hot, but 1pm works too... :)
Training
Ok, so back to PC stuff. We've just moved into phase 2 of training. 13 of the 70 PCTs were assigned to stay on Saint Lucia, and we've all moved into a new community with new host families. The training has been tiring, but I've really enjoyed learning more about the culture and some Creole. I accidentally told the language instructor to "Give me shit" instead of "Give me a dog" today though, so I'm obviously far from mastery. We're really just learning the basics right now though, which is important in establishing ourselves as not simply being tourists.
Back to the host family. As with my 1st host family, I'm having a great time with this one. They're really friendly and we've had some engaging conversations. After implying about the roosters I spotted around the house, I soon found out that my host dad raises them for cock fights. I told him that my only exposure to cock fights comes from an episode of the TV show Seinfeld, in which Kramer raises "Little Jerry Seinfeld" to fight in the big leagues. He was familiar with the show and thought that was pretty funny. I soon learned that even though it's illegal, it's very popoular (especially ironically enough among police officers). My host dad even showed me a little demonstration cock fight when we visited his friends up in a small rural community. I must say that I'm not pro cock fights, but I did find it fascinating to learn about the subculture, how they train their roosters, etc. I never realized how popular it was and how seriously people take it as a sport. Let's just say that they take their cock fighting nearly as seriously as I take my blueberries. Enough said...
Jam Session with the Locals
So I officially lived up the the name of my blog - "Benjammin' in the Caribbean" - with my first jam session with the locals. My host grandfather coincidentally is the only person in this district who knows how to play the violin. He has his own CD, is very well known, and oftentimes plays at dances and festivals around the island. I actually brought my violin down, so my host mom took me to meet him and he taught me how to play a traditional St. Lucian song. Afterwards, he strung his banjo (using fishing line) and also brought out a hand drum and one of the shaker things. We all played the song that he had just taught me, which actually sounded pretty cool. It was so much fun and I hope to play with him again and learn more of the local music. After people found out that I could play, they were asking me to play all these random songs (mainly hip-hop music). Yeah, I don't think that was really covered very thoroughly in Suzuki. I did manage to figure out how to play the chorus to "Beautiful Girl" though, which is probably the most popular song down here at the moment. Besides the influence of American hip-hop on the music scene, they also have some reggae and calypso music too, which is big.
My Permanent Community Assignment
After waiting in eager anticipation to find out which community in St. Lucia I'll be permanently stationed in, I finally found out that I'll be staying in Fond St. Jacques, a small rural community high in the mountains near the west coast. Even though it would be nice to be really close to the water, I'm so glad that I'm deep in the rainforest and up high. Soufriere, a larger coastal town, is fairly close by (within 10 minutes by bus), and only of my good friends will live there. I won't know exactly what I'll be doing until I move there, get integrated into the community, and see where I best fit in, but it sounds like there has been some expressed need to develop programs for at-risk youth. If I've learned one thing so far from my training, however, it's to be flexible and patient, so we'll wait and see what actually happens.
Brief History of St. Lucia
St. Lucia, the Sunshine Isle, has a rich history and has been referenced as the Helen of the West Indies. After it was discovered by Columbus, it was constantly fought for because of its strategic position relative to the sugar islands of Martinique and Barbados. It traded hands 14 times between Britain and France before the British eventually gained long term control. The British then brought over many African people as slaves to work the land. Taking cue from those who were involved in the French Revolution, a group of St. Lucians called the Brigons began to revolt against slavery, although they evenutally had to surrender. After slavery was abolished in the early to mid 19th century, the British then started bringing over poeple from Asia under indentured-servant contracts. It's therefore a culturally rich place because of people having been brought over from a wide range of places, and because of the major British and French influence.
Economy
For awhile now St. Lucia has been operating as a single cash crop society with bananas as their chief export. With liberalization of the market, however, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has changed its policies, ending its preferential treatment of smaller nations like St. Lucia, essentially leaving them high and dry without a way to compete on the world market. And, while the diversification of agricultural products is needed, it sounds like famers largely stick to what they know, even though it's not paying off anymore.
Alrighty, I'm hoping to send out an email for pictures soon. Hope all is well with you guys!
So, just in case you were wondering, I'm not somwhere in the middle of the Caribbean Sea floating on the dessimated remains of my previous host family's house. Even though Hurricane Dean pretty much went right through Saint Lucia, it fortunately was only a category 2 storm when it reached us (instead of a 4 or 5, which it became soon afterwards). It was still pretty intense though, with 100 mph+ winds and certainly no shortage of rain. The Northern part of the island was hit the hardest, with power lines down, trees strewn across roads, and flooding, while my community had minimal flooding and only had to deal with a short couple of days without water. Now that's out of the way, there's much more news to share.
Grand Piton Hiking Trip
I mentioned a trip to the Pitons in my last post. To expand a bit, some fellow Peace Corps Train
ees (PCTs) and myself traveled to Grand Piton, one of the tallest mountains on the island, for a hiking trip a few weekends back. The hike was great with very scenic views of the island. Even though it was only a couple of hours up, it was an intense hike and incredibly steep
towards the top. I don't think I've sweat so much in my entire life! Let's just say you know it's hot when you spot a dog indefinitely lying (but not dead) in the middle of a creek to cool off. We went to the beach in Soufriere afterwards which was very refreshing, and some local kids showed us a nice spot for some cliff jumping.Sulfur Springs
Ok, so I've got to mention just one more touristy thing I did with my host family before getting back to business with how PC training has been going. My host dad took my host sister PCT Kit and I to the Caribbean's only drive-in volcano (not inactive, but it's not blowing it's top off tomorrow). Near the volcano are a bunch of Sulfur Springs that serve as a public bath. It's supposed to be really good for the skin, kind of like the water in the Dead Sea. We all covered
ourselves in mud and bathed in the ridiculously hot water. You're supposed to go around 6am when the water isn't scorching hot, but 1pm works too... :)Training
Ok, so back to PC stuff. We've just moved into phase 2 of training. 13 of the 70 PCTs were assigned to stay on Saint Lucia, and we've all moved into a new community with new host families. The training has been tiring, but I've really enjoyed learning more about the culture and some Creole. I accidentally told the language instructor to "Give me shit" instead of "Give me a dog" today though, so I'm obviously far from mastery. We're really just learning the basics right now though, which is important in establishing ourselves as not simply being tourists.
Back to the host family. As with my 1st host family, I'm having a great time with this one. They're really friendly and we've had some engaging conversations. After implying about the roosters I spotted around the house, I soon found out that my host dad raises them for cock fights. I told him that my only exposure to cock fights comes from an episode of the TV show Seinfeld, in which Kramer raises "Little Jerry Seinfeld" to fight in the big leagues. He was familiar with the show and thought that was pretty funny. I soon learned that even though it's illegal, it's very popoular (especially ironically enough among police officers). My host dad even showed me a little demonstration cock fight when we visited his friends up in a small rural community. I must say that I'm not pro cock fights, but I did find it fascinating to learn about the subculture, how they train their roosters, etc. I never realized how popular it was and how seriously people take it as a sport. Let's just say that they take their cock fighting nearly as seriously as I take my blueberries. Enough said...
Jam Session with the Locals
So I officially lived up the the name of my blog - "Benjammin' in the Caribbean" - with my first jam session with the locals. My host grandfather coincidentally is the only person in this district who knows how to play the violin. He has his own CD, is very well known, and oftentimes plays at dances and festivals around the island. I actually brought my violin down, so my host mom took me to meet him and he taught me how to play a traditional St. Lucian song. Afterwards, he strung his banjo (using fishing line) and also brought out a hand drum and one of the shaker things. We all played the song that he had just taught me, which actually sounded pretty cool. It was so much fun and I hope to play with him again and learn more of the local music. After people found out that I could play, they were asking me to play all these random songs (mainly hip-hop music). Yeah, I don't think that was really covered very thoroughly in Suzuki. I did manage to figure out how to play the chorus to "Beautiful Girl" though, which is probably the most popular song down here at the moment. Besides the influence of American hip-hop on the music scene, they also have some reggae and calypso music too, which is big.
My Permanent Community Assignment
After waiting in eager anticipation to find out which community in St. Lucia I'll be permanently stationed in, I finally found out that I'll be staying in Fond St. Jacques, a small rural community high in the mountains near the west coast. Even though it would be nice to be really close to the water, I'm so glad that I'm deep in the rainforest and up high. Soufriere, a larger coastal town, is fairly close by (within 10 minutes by bus), and only of my good friends will live there. I won't know exactly what I'll be doing until I move there, get integrated into the community, and see where I best fit in, but it sounds like there has been some expressed need to develop programs for at-risk youth. If I've learned one thing so far from my training, however, it's to be flexible and patient, so we'll wait and see what actually happens.
Brief History of St. Lucia
St. Lucia, the Sunshine Isle, has a rich history and has been referenced as the Helen of the West Indies. After it was discovered by Columbus, it was constantly fought for because of its strategic position relative to the sugar islands of Martinique and Barbados. It traded hands 14 times between Britain and France before the British eventually gained long term control. The British then brought over many African people as slaves to work the land. Taking cue from those who were involved in the French Revolution, a group of St. Lucians called the Brigons began to revolt against slavery, although they evenutally had to surrender. After slavery was abolished in the early to mid 19th century, the British then started bringing over poeple from Asia under indentured-servant contracts. It's therefore a culturally rich place because of people having been brought over from a wide range of places, and because of the major British and French influence.
Economy
For awhile now St. Lucia has been operating as a single cash crop society with bananas as their chief export. With liberalization of the market, however, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has changed its policies, ending its preferential treatment of smaller nations like St. Lucia, essentially leaving them high and dry without a way to compete on the world market. And, while the diversification of agricultural products is needed, it sounds like famers largely stick to what they know, even though it's not paying off anymore.
Alrighty, I'm hoping to send out an email for pictures soon. Hope all is well with you guys!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Permanent Assignment and Early Experiences
So, I've been in training for a little over a week and just found out a few days ago that I'll be permanently stationed in St. Lucia for my Peace Corps service! Even though it would have been great to travel to another island in the Eastern Caribbean, I feel comfortable here on St. Lucia and am excited to try and learn a new language (Creole), explore the many hiking trails and beaches, and most importantly get settled and integrated into a community.
So the St. Lucian people I've met so far are probably the most hospitable, welcoming, and friendly people I've ever met. I've really enjoyed my host family, especially my 6 year old, energetic host-brother Gus, who's really going on 27. Even though my host family only consists of my mom, dad, two brothers, and grandparents, people I don't even know are constantly in and out of our house...neighbors, cousins, aunts, etc; it seems like everyone is related (and in many cases, they are). As we ride in the back of the truck, my host mom calls out to people's houses as we drive by, and they respond from inside with a hello.
On the other hand, here are some slightly unpleasant things about my experience so far...
-40 plus mosquito bites on my ankles and arms (fresh blood!)
-crazy intense humidity and heat...gotta love sleeping in your own sweat. Where are the sub zero temperatures of Vermont when you need them?!? :)
Some things I've come to appreciate...
-really cold showers; it's seriously probably the highlight of every day
-saying hi to everyone you pass on the street
-fresh fruits (especially mangos)
-dental floss ( to get the stringingess of the mangos out of your teeth)
Some things I never expected to be doing...
-watching WWE wrestling and kung fu with my host grandmother...she gets really into it
-whistling along to American pop ballads (e.g., Celine Dion) as my host mom sings along
-watching geckos crawl across the ceiling (so cool! they eat the mosquitos!)
-waking up to the sound of roosters each morning around 5:30 or 6...something that mysteriously never happened in Kansas...
-watching cartoon network with my host brother as hip-hop music plays in the background
My Peace Corps training has been going pretty well so far...some days are pretty tiring, but all in all it has been good. We've been learning quite a bit about the asset-based approach to community development, which basically relies on strengths and resources from within the community to bring about sustainable change. It also focuses heavily on developing projects that stem from needs expressed by the community, ultimately promoting ownership (and thus sustainability). I think that when I'm put in my community that I will most likely be essentially left to my own devices when it comes to assessing where I see a need, but I'm becoming more comfortable with that idea as training progresses.
Well, I'm here in an internet cafe and have to run now, but I'll write more about the country of St. Lucia, what's going on here economically, and a hiking trip I took to the Grand Pitons (hopefully with a few pictures) when I get the chance. Peace!
So the St. Lucian people I've met so far are probably the most hospitable, welcoming, and friendly people I've ever met. I've really enjoyed my host family, especially my 6 year old, energetic host-brother Gus, who's really going on 27. Even though my host family only consists of my mom, dad, two brothers, and grandparents, people I don't even know are constantly in and out of our house...neighbors, cousins, aunts, etc; it seems like everyone is related (and in many cases, they are). As we ride in the back of the truck, my host mom calls out to people's houses as we drive by, and they respond from inside with a hello.
On the other hand, here are some slightly unpleasant things about my experience so far...
-40 plus mosquito bites on my ankles and arms (fresh blood!)
-crazy intense humidity and heat...gotta love sleeping in your own sweat. Where are the sub zero temperatures of Vermont when you need them?!? :)
Some things I've come to appreciate...
-really cold showers; it's seriously probably the highlight of every day
-saying hi to everyone you pass on the street
-fresh fruits (especially mangos)
-dental floss ( to get the stringingess of the mangos out of your teeth)
Some things I never expected to be doing...
-watching WWE wrestling and kung fu with my host grandmother...she gets really into it
-whistling along to American pop ballads (e.g., Celine Dion) as my host mom sings along
-watching geckos crawl across the ceiling (so cool! they eat the mosquitos!)
-waking up to the sound of roosters each morning around 5:30 or 6...something that mysteriously never happened in Kansas...
-watching cartoon network with my host brother as hip-hop music plays in the background
My Peace Corps training has been going pretty well so far...some days are pretty tiring, but all in all it has been good. We've been learning quite a bit about the asset-based approach to community development, which basically relies on strengths and resources from within the community to bring about sustainable change. It also focuses heavily on developing projects that stem from needs expressed by the community, ultimately promoting ownership (and thus sustainability). I think that when I'm put in my community that I will most likely be essentially left to my own devices when it comes to assessing where I see a need, but I'm becoming more comfortable with that idea as training progresses.
Well, I'm here in an internet cafe and have to run now, but I'll write more about the country of St. Lucia, what's going on here economically, and a hiking trip I took to the Grand Pitons (hopefully with a few pictures) when I get the chance. Peace!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Arrival in St. Lucia!
So after two days of training in Miami I’ve finally arrived here in the gorgeous island of St. Lucia. It has been great to meet so many other people who are just as eager, nervous, excited, and clueless as I am. Orientation was jam-packed with lots of information, but ultimately I think it was helpful in preparing us for this initial phase of training. One of the highlights from Orientation was a poem/rap that some volunteers and I wrote for a performance on becoming integrated into a community. Just imagine the white kid from KS (bojangles!), a 65 year old woman, and some other atypical rapsters bustin' out the following...
July 26th, an auspicious date
For we must learn to integrate
Into this Caribbean state
But first…contemplate
Integrate, integrate, it’ll be great to integrate
Just take it day by day
‘Cause you know, persistence will pay
Culture shock will go away
And 6 G’s, they’re sure to pay
Integrate, integrate, it’ll be great to integrate
We must remember to stay cool
Learn their ways, don’t act a fool
All work towards the golden rule
To exemplify and maintain the stool.
Pretty cheesy I know, but a lot of fun to come up with in 15 minutes. Oh, and the “stool” reference is an inside joke (a labeled picture of a stool was used to describe what processes are involved in integration…)
This evening those of us who weren't extremely tired (or just too giddy to notice it) walked to the local beach. Walking barefoot in the sand of the warm, blue sea and seeing the lush, green mountains of the island definitely made the 4:30am wake-up time this morning well worth it. Later on there was a big welcome dinner with lots of different types of Caribbean food. I’m happy to say that I loved everything, from the fish to the rice (with some really good seasonings) to the guava/papaya juice.
I’m really excited that tomorrow I’ll meet my homestay family for the next three weeks. On Thursday (sooner than I expected), I’ll find out which island I’ll be stationed on for the next 2 years. Needless to say, I’m anxious to find out.
All in all I’m doing well…kind of physically tired and emotionally drained after all the travel, excitement, and crazy sleeping schedule, but at the same time mysteriously energized. Well, I don’t have time to write much more now, but I wanted to post something while I'm here in the hotel and have internet access. I’ll hopefully write more and post some pictures sometime soon!
July 26th, an auspicious date
For we must learn to integrate
Into this Caribbean state
But first…contemplate
Integrate, integrate, it’ll be great to integrate
Just take it day by day
‘Cause you know, persistence will pay
Culture shock will go away
And 6 G’s, they’re sure to pay
Integrate, integrate, it’ll be great to integrate
We must remember to stay cool
Learn their ways, don’t act a fool
All work towards the golden rule
To exemplify and maintain the stool.
Pretty cheesy I know, but a lot of fun to come up with in 15 minutes. Oh, and the “stool” reference is an inside joke (a labeled picture of a stool was used to describe what processes are involved in integration…)
This evening those of us who weren't extremely tired (or just too giddy to notice it) walked to the local beach. Walking barefoot in the sand of the warm, blue sea and seeing the lush, green mountains of the island definitely made the 4:30am wake-up time this morning well worth it. Later on there was a big welcome dinner with lots of different types of Caribbean food. I’m happy to say that I loved everything, from the fish to the rice (with some really good seasonings) to the guava/papaya juice.
I’m really excited that tomorrow I’ll meet my homestay family for the next three weeks. On Thursday (sooner than I expected), I’ll find out which island I’ll be stationed on for the next 2 years. Needless to say, I’m anxious to find out.
All in all I’m doing well…kind of physically tired and emotionally drained after all the travel, excitement, and crazy sleeping schedule, but at the same time mysteriously energized. Well, I don’t have time to write much more now, but I wanted to post something while I'm here in the hotel and have internet access. I’ll hopefully write more and post some pictures sometime soon!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Counting Down...
Well, in just over a week I’ll be moving from probably the most land-locked state in the nation to a tiny island in the middle of the Eastern Caribbean. Nervous? Yes. Excited? Heck yeah.
Since I’ve been home in good ole Kansas and have told people who’ve asked about my life’s direction (ahh!) that I’ll be joining the Peace Corps, most everyone responds with a “wow, that’s really great” or some other answer of approval. The next question they ask is inevitably “where are you headed?” After telling people the Eastern Caribbean, I most oftentimes get a “whoa, that’ll be a nice vacation!,” or “Beach Corps…sweet!” (I really like that one…:)). Even though I’m thrilled about the opportunity to play Gilligan for two years living in a tropical paradise, I know that my time in the Peace Corps will be no vacation. From what I’ve heard from people who have served in the Eastern Caribbean and elsewhere, the Peace Corps certainly comes with its fair share of challenges: loneliness, feeling worthless at times, culture shock, etc. So, while I am really excited about having the chance to experience probably one of the most beautiful places in the world (all those cruise ships don’t go there for nothing), I must admit I’m also a bit ambivalent about what lies ahead.
I think this ambivalence is rooted in the fact that I still don’t really have a clear idea of what I’ll be doing while I’m down there. Based on the information I was given, I could be helping an established organization better meet the needs of the people, trying to improve different social or health services, or a number of other things. I suppose they would be contradicting the very nature of “community development” if they got much more specific. I’ve been corresponding with a guy down on St. Vincent and the Grenadines and have asked him some questions about his experience so far. His response to whether or not after the training period he felt adequately prepared to do his job and had a clear idea of what that entailed was, “I pretty much got dropped off.” Although some people do get placed with organizations, he was essentially left to his own devices when it came to assessing how to help the community. His first couple of months were therefore really difficult as he wasn’t sure what to do or how to go about helping. Yeah sure, I kind of hoped for a slightly more pleasant answer, but I’m glad that he was honest about his challenges and doubts. I still hope to have at least a bit more of a framework from which to start though…
Even though the uncertainty of what awaits me makes me a bit nervous, I’m excited to be stretched and challenged. After all, I didn’t sign up thinking it would be a vacation and would be pretty disappointed if that’s merely what it turned out to be. I trust that I’m going there for a reason, that God will encourage and teach me through the challenging and lonely times, and that ultimately what I learn from my experiences will be invaluable.
In the meantime, it’s back to eating blueberries and hoping they’re in plentiful supply down there. :)
Since I’ve been home in good ole Kansas and have told people who’ve asked about my life’s direction (ahh!) that I’ll be joining the Peace Corps, most everyone responds with a “wow, that’s really great” or some other answer of approval. The next question they ask is inevitably “where are you headed?” After telling people the Eastern Caribbean, I most oftentimes get a “whoa, that’ll be a nice vacation!,” or “Beach Corps…sweet!” (I really like that one…:)). Even though I’m thrilled about the opportunity to play Gilligan for two years living in a tropical paradise, I know that my time in the Peace Corps will be no vacation. From what I’ve heard from people who have served in the Eastern Caribbean and elsewhere, the Peace Corps certainly comes with its fair share of challenges: loneliness, feeling worthless at times, culture shock, etc. So, while I am really excited about having the chance to experience probably one of the most beautiful places in the world (all those cruise ships don’t go there for nothing), I must admit I’m also a bit ambivalent about what lies ahead.
I think this ambivalence is rooted in the fact that I still don’t really have a clear idea of what I’ll be doing while I’m down there. Based on the information I was given, I could be helping an established organization better meet the needs of the people, trying to improve different social or health services, or a number of other things. I suppose they would be contradicting the very nature of “community development” if they got much more specific. I’ve been corresponding with a guy down on St. Vincent and the Grenadines and have asked him some questions about his experience so far. His response to whether or not after the training period he felt adequately prepared to do his job and had a clear idea of what that entailed was, “I pretty much got dropped off.” Although some people do get placed with organizations, he was essentially left to his own devices when it came to assessing how to help the community. His first couple of months were therefore really difficult as he wasn’t sure what to do or how to go about helping. Yeah sure, I kind of hoped for a slightly more pleasant answer, but I’m glad that he was honest about his challenges and doubts. I still hope to have at least a bit more of a framework from which to start though…
Even though the uncertainty of what awaits me makes me a bit nervous, I’m excited to be stretched and challenged. After all, I didn’t sign up thinking it would be a vacation and would be pretty disappointed if that’s merely what it turned out to be. I trust that I’m going there for a reason, that God will encourage and teach me through the challenging and lonely times, and that ultimately what I learn from my experiences will be invaluable.
In the meantime, it’s back to eating blueberries and hoping they’re in plentiful supply down there. :)
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