It's better to have something to remember than nothing to regret.

Thai food, driving, coffee shops, friends and family, sheesha nights, climate control, laker games, roomy cars, the gym, strawberries, bookstores,  mosquito-free evenings, good water pressure, organic grocery stores, dryers with fabric softener sheets, convection ovens, target, high speed internet, water from the fridge filter, ti-vo, sidewalks, yogurtland, haircuts, carpeting, customer service, electronic billing.

Before leaving for service, I contemplated the friends' weddings I'd miss, babies I’d meet after they were toddlers, holidays I’d spend away from family and milestones I’d miss out on while living in a foreign land. There were the jobs I couldn’t have. The money I couldn’t save. It was all a little overwhelming. Was the Peace Corps worth all that I’d be giving up?

Now I know. Yes. But I didn’t realize why until a fellow EC80er was sent back to the states. She wasn’t ready to go. There was regret and frustration, anger and I’m sure some tears. There was more to be done. And we're all going to leave feeling like we haven’t done enough. But I've realized our work here is lasting, and regardless of how much we manage to change, we can without a doubt, measure the things we’ve changed in ourselves. One of the most important things we’ve gained, is the true understanding of the value of time.

A year is more than dollars and cents. Than the number of stories written, weddings attended, minor accomplishments or pounds gained and lost. It’s about being touched by the kindness of strangers. About family and old friends who keep relationships strong even from an ocean away. And about new friends who understand almost exactly what I’m facing. It’s about seeing places I never thought I’d go and living a life I never imagined I’d have. It’s about overcoming obstacles. About learning to work within a mixed-up system, instead of always trying to fight it. It’s about hitchhiking and streupsing. About fitting in. Gaining patience and killing time. About having friendships here that are as real and as important as the ones I left at home. It’s about measuring my own successes in the faces and deeds of those around me. It’s about finding a second home in a place I never imagined I’d fit in.

But mostly it’s about valuing life more because I’m living better. About realizing that, even with the smallest pay check of my life, I’m able to live more richly than I ever have before. Maybe we are losing a whole two years. But what we’re gaining is so much more. A new understanding. A wider perspective. And a greater appreciation for the true value of those 2 years. In a funny way, nothing makes you feel more like a native of your own country than to live where nearly everyone is not.

Rain rain, don't go away. It's so hot, we need you to stay

I just went running in my neighborhood, and for the first time I had perfect timing. Just as I walked back into my house it started pouring outside. And for once, I'm loving how much its been raining the past couple of days. There was a slight drought earlier and the rain cools everything down so that its livable =)

Random, but you know you're a PCV when you know what animals are nearby without having to look down at the poop you just stepped into.

Peace Corps Day

Monday was the much anticipated Peace Corps Day, and I must say, it was a 'great success' =) We had three different booths, dedicated to each of our goals as an organization:

1. To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women (Alisa & Tiffany)
2. To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served (Kelsey & Will)
3. To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans (George & Anne)

 

  

Kids answering some of the trivia questions at goal one after reading some of Alisa's poster boards

 

Chris attempting to teach kids the difference between cricket and baseball

 

Me with all the technology while simultaneously watching over everyone's valuables

While there was a lot of room for improvement, for our first time coordinating an event like this we did pretty darn good. I made sure to make notes throughout the day for next year, so hopefully the 50th anniversary will be even more awesome. I'm already excited and planning! 

http://www.winnfm.com/news2.asp?NewsID=4264

 

As part of goal two, I taught the Women of Purpose to bake some good old American dessert, which they got to sell as part of their fund raising efforts. Practically all of Sunday was spent rolling out dough and mixing batter with the ladies. They learned to make apple pie, brownies and snicker doodles. It was absolutely adorable hearing Mavis try to say: snuckerdiddles, snugarduddles, snuggledoddles? 

 

 

The Friday before PC day we celebrated William Murray's birthday with a beach camp out at Banana Bay. Everyone brought some food (I brought cookies and cake of course). Will had requested strawberry rhubarb pie (the MOST unrealistic request for this island) but we had to make do with what I could manage from frozen strawberries =( Geoff and Kim have a portable grill so we had us some hamburgers.

 

  

Julie Ann and Royston trying to make a fire for s'mores 

Unfortunately, at the end of the beach trip my face looks like I walked through a bee hive because of all the bug bites I got. I think a different beach might be a better idea next time...

Ups and downs

My week was pretty full and exhausting, which I didn't realize until I sat down at dinner Friday night and one of my friends asked me what I had done. When I started going through the weeks activities, and her eyes slowly widened as I didn't stop talking for a while, I realized how much I had been up to. Regardless, the weekend was an extremely nice wind down.

Patty had a couple of friends visiting for a couple of days. They decided to rent a car so that they could get around easily, and since my place is on the way and way back from the city they were generous enough to pick me up and drop me off where ever we went. Friday night we went out to a nice dinner at Sprat-Net (I got some yummy Mahi-Mahi) and we got coffee at Rituals (I really wish it was closer and more accessible to me!) On Saturday we went to Brimstone Hill, had lunch at a random hole in the wall in Sandy Point, limed at Rawlins Plantation Inn, stopped by Anne's place to watch the sunset and then checked out Eddie's band and had dinner at Fisherman's Wharf. 

 

 Me and Patty at the top of the fortress

  

 I had to take this picture, very appropriate =) 

  

 One of the beautiful cottages complete with spiral staircase at Rawlins Plantation

  

 On Sunday we spent the day at Reggae Beach. This is Wilbur the famous 500 lb boar. I wasn't too keen on posing and sitting on him.

 

A gorgeous view of the southern peninsula

This coming Monday, March 1st is the official 49th anniversary of the day JFK started the Peace Corps. So for Peace Corps day we are having an event in Independence Square. Our hopes are to share the history of the Peace Corps as a volunteer organization both in the Eastern Caribbean and the world with the people of the federation. We are gearing the event around the three goals of the Peace Corps with informational booths, games, music and more.

One of my tasks for the day (including other things that have come packed full of frustrations), is setting up a live stream for the day. So hopefully (keep your fingers crossed!) on March 1st between 10.00 am and 5.00 pm you will be able to log on to the url below and see what we are up to right there and then =)

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/peace-corps-day-2010--st-kitts-nevis


On a side note, I feel like the bugs are having fun playing tic tac toe on my body because there are bug bites everywhere. I've also learned that I have no qualms about squishing bugs with my bare hands anymore. I'm still scared of roaches, but the rest of the bugs I think I can handle. I randomly clap my hands and scream with joy and triumph from having smushed a mosquito.

Women of purpose

Yesterday I had my first session with the Women of Purpose. It is basically a women's group at Mavis's church, the Grace Gospel Church. Ingrid works with them as well (it is on the other side of the island in her community). A lot of these women aren't working. Mavis was really excited when she found out that I know how to make cinnamon buns, and went back to the Women of Purpose to find out if they would be just as interested in learning how to bake all the things that aren't available here. And boy are they. After I gave my little presentation on all the different types of baking, I showed them even more pictures of all the things I've baked. It was so nice to see their reactions, they wanted the recipes for absolutely everything. If even only one of these women actually uses the skills I teach them to start a business venture, how amazing would that be? I would leave here feeling like I made a difference in at least one woman's life =)

Another project I've decided to take up is cleaning up the volunteer room at the PC office. Geoff told me how the volunteer room in Dominica is so much nicer and full of resources, and it made me wonder why on earth that's the case when we have so many more volunteers here in St. Kitts? In addition, I think we could really benefit from a proper binder/database full of useful information to serve as a handbook, from how to get in touch with media to where to shop for what. So that is going to be one of my pet projects I think. I'm going to try and get some of the other volunteers to help me out with actually cleaning up the office though.

I met someone who is extremely involved in the children's home here in St. Kitts. She was talking about how they need organizational strengthening and capacity building (bells in my head, that's EXACTLY what I'm here for). And it's a group I would absolutely love to help out, which I told her. So even if some of my other projects fall through, I'd love to dedicate as much time as possible to this. Hopefully Natasha (the very sweet Canadian Egyptian living here for over 10 years) will get the position of administrator of the home and we can work together on it.

IST

IST came and went already. If you haven't already realized, the PC is all about acronyms. IST- In Service Training was a two day session for our EC-80 group. The first day we basically assessed our development and progress over the time we have spent in our volunteer capacity. We talked about our successes and challenges and engaged in dialogue trying to help each other out. Before IST we had to submit our first trimester reports and because of the software and computer requirements I ended up helping a lot of the volunteers with theirs. The combination of that and our discussions made me feel like our group has been very involved in a wide range of projects all over the islands. But it also made me feel the most helpless. As we were talking about our challenges, we all helped each other out. But when we came to mine, it was the least constructive, to the point where one of the volunteers even suggested letting go before I got too frustrated (basically telling me it might be better to quit with that particular project).

The second day of IST was a grant writing workshop facilitated by one of our PST trainers, the Permanent Secretary in Public Sector Reform- Douglas Wattley (aka Dougie who I also work with at SKNDA). We were all allowed to bring our local counterparts which was a great opportunity to give them first hand training in grant writing and improving proposal writing skills to access funding from donor organizations. It included training in the formulation of vision statements, situational analyses, risk assessments, stakeholder analyses and budgeting. It was helpful, but honestly just a bit of repetition from PST for us volunteers and I do still wish I had a lot more training and experience in the area. Hopefully by the time I return I will have written enough grants and submit enough proposals to have that experience. 

 

After IST it was George's birthday and we all had a little pizza party at Anne's house. IST and the party after wards reminded me of PST and when we all first got here. It was really nice to have everyone together, but also really weird because it made me think about how we've been here for almost 6 months already. Sure there's still a lot of time left here, but it really is flying by pretty fast. Which also makes me think, how the heck am I going to make a difference if I haven't done anything so far? 

Yesterday was another hash, and this one was by far my favorite so far. I think it was a combination of how insanely gorgeous the setting was (I constantly wanted to just stop and enjoy the view) and the fact that it was an insanely steep trail which meant that everyone went at a slow and steady pace and I didn't feel rushed to catch up to everyone. After wards while everyone was liming, Terry introduced me to some guys from Cayon. At first they thought I was real integrated because I said some stuff in dialect and we were joking around as I described where I lived and they admit to not having been up in Spooners in a while. Then they asked me what people and places I knew in the neighborhood so I told them. They stroopsed and said I only knew 'dem big people' and 'I ain't walk wid de little people'. They mentioned the names of some hang outs that I didn't know... they said I needed to walk out of Spooners. I maintain that I'm not home enough to be fully integrated here because I'm always working in the city. Then add in the fact that I'm a single younger girl who can't lime at the same places they do comfortably and freely.

Basically, with IST and yesterday, I'm feeling a little less than integrated and useful here. I was having a conversation with Julie Ann the other day, and she said that it wasn't about whether or not we got anything done and made a change but for our personal satisfaction of having at least tried. But isn't the reason we're here to make a difference, which means a change to some degree? But the reality is that change comes when the environment is ready. I guess if you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain first.

Let the games continue

Elections are finally over. Labour (the party that was in power before) won. There were some riots, gun shots and what not. But things have finally settled down and work is starting to pick up.

I have become a member of the St. Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network (SKSTMN). I have to take courses before starting night patrols in April with topics such as: Sea Turtle Biology and St. Kitts Species, Data Collection and Reporting, Regulations and Emergency Protocols, and Leatherback Ecotourism. Leatherback sea turtles are endangered, and their nesting season begins soon. The turtle project has official patrols and I will have a legal permit with an I.D. badge and everything after taking the courses and start patroling =) Scheduling is still in the works but I'll probably end up patrolling two nights a week during the season.

March 1st is the official Peace Corps Day. This is our 49th anniversary =) Which also means that next year is the big 50. In preparation for the bigger deal we want to make out of next year, we are having a trial run celebration event in Independence Square this year. And then another event in Nevis on the 26th. We have a committee made up of half EC-78ers and the other half EC-80ers shadowing them so that were prepared for next year. I am with working with Geoff on logistics and media. I have a lot of different ideas for both this year and next, but actual implementation is going to be an issue. As I've been learning slowly, getting things done here is always easier said than done.

My ghetto little fridge here has been a real nuisance. Whatever makes the door close and stick has a mind of its own and decides to work when and if it wants. Which means that I wake up to my fridge having been open all night. I thought I solved the problem by always taping it shut. But the tape decides to become unsticky when I least expect it. I change the tape every other day just to be safe, but I still woke up to an open fridge with ants crawling inside this morning =( I either need stronger tape, or something more permanent because it was not cute.