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.

Grrrr

Cockle doodle doo my butt!
SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP YOU STUPID BIRDS
And I was JUST saying how much I like living in the country.

Elections & more

It's election time here on the island. We barely made it out of the Carnival season of un-productivity only to be launched into another one. Which might be good since you just get it all out the way together. But basically the new excuse to not work now is elections and political rallies until January 25th. Apparently the 26th is an 'official' holiday and we shouldn't expect anything to be open. The political campaigning has been going on since I've been here (and since the last group of volunteers got here too, so we can't wait for it to be over finally). But we don't know if things are going to change because of a possible change in political parties, so people don't really know how to go about things. And if they don't know, how am I expected to? Although I suppose that's part of why I'm here.

As I'm sure everyone knows, Haiti was hit with an insanely horrible earthquake. People that haven't thought about me for ages remember that I am in the Caribbean and have decided to check up on me now. I'm fine. We didn't even feel the quake over here thankfully. But I won't lie, being near so many natural disasters, ranging from volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and hurricanes is a little disconcerting sometimes. A local Rasta man predicts a tsunami here before 2012. He's predicted all the volcanic eruptions so far. But I think I'm going to choose to believe he's wrong.  

Some things that I've learnt are purely Kittitian:

• You say "Me Am/Me Arm!" when surprised 
• A van is called a bus 
• You say "Meaino" when you don't know something 
• All cereal is corn flakes 
• Instead of saying "I thought I saw you" you say "Ah tek a man fuh you" 
• You don't go anywhere or do anything if it's raining 
• You go to the bay, not the beach 
• You say "Alright alright" or "I cool I cool" when someone asks how you are 
• If someone honks at you, its a greeting not asking you to get out of the way
• A ghost is a 'jumbie'
• Instead of asking for a ride you "beg a lif" 
• 'Liming' is hanging out 
• You suck your teeth when you disapprove of something (aka- stroopsing)
  

How integrated do I want to become? The main thing they stressed in Peace Corps training was integration. It is an essential part of the Peace Corps experience; but it's equally tricky. I have set aside personal barriers and nuances in the effort to better integrate myself. I let sweaty smelly people press tightly against me on the buses and hold my breath while the drivers accelerate at breakneck speed. I don't stare at women openly breastfeeding. I hold back tears when I see mother's slap their children along the streets. I pretend it doesn't hurt my feelings when I'm told I've gotten fat because it's a compliment here. I walk slower and talk faster. But where do I draw the line? In the name of integration, should I allow men to disrespect me? Should I hate gay people? Discriminate against people with medical conditions? The Peace Corps talks so much about how we're supposed to be like the locals. But what part of me do I keep?  

Never go to bed angry

I think I’m developing a fear of dogs. Ever since being chased by those neighborhood dogs, I start walking faster whenever I see them. While on my walk through the neighborhood today there were wild cows in one direction, and some neighborhood dogs in the other. I actually chose to go towards the cows. In all seriousness, every night I go to sleep hearing the dogs barking ferociously at each other, and I swear sometimes it sounds like they are in horrible dog fights and one of them is dying.

For the first time in my life I am a lower class citizen. Sure, growing up we weren’t always as comfortable as we have been blessed to be in more recent times. But we never felt like we had less than anyone else. I never really felt like I couldn’t afford something. I've never felt true need. You come into the Peace Corps with the intention of learning how to live off of minimum wage, and how to modestly conduct yourself for the next two years, always thinking about what you DON’T have- anymore. When in reality, this isn’t just about learning how to live without things; it’s about realizing and appreciating how much we DO have. So I might have to deal with inefficient utility companies for the next two years, but I will go home to electronic billing from the comfort of my own home. But the people here will still be sitting and waiting at the electricity company until one of the clerks decides to have time for them.

A good friend of mine and his brother back home were recently in a really bad car accident. He is doing OK thankfully, but his brother is in pretty bad condition. We really have no idea what to expect on a daily basis. Absolutely anything could happen to anyone of us, not to be morbid or dramatic. And it just makes you think about how you should live your life to the fullest every day. Make sure all your loved ones know how you feel; never ever go to bed angry. It's just another example of how we don't appreciate what we have, and always look at what's missing. When instead, we should be thankful for all that we do have instead of waiting for when it's gone to realize what we had. Please pray for my friend and his brother.

New Years and other Carnival Fun

There were a bunch of different events part of carnival this year. I didn't go to everything, but here are some of the highlights of the major events:

Friday, December 18:  Carnival Grand Opening  
Saturday, December 26: J'ouvert 
Monday, December 28: National Carnival Queen Pageant
Tuesday, December 29: Calypso Monarch Finals
Thursday, December 31: Children's Carnival Parade   
Friday, January 01: Grand New Year's Parade 
Saturday, January 02: Carnival Last Lap 

This isn't all of the carnival events, but I did get to partake in more than my fair share of carnival activities. The National Carnival Queen Pageant was interesting. Having been to the Miss America Pageant that my roommate competed in (Kate Grinold- Miss DC of 2009, I'm still super proud of her!), it was really interesting to compare how different the two were. The crowd was so unresponsive, I would never be able to compete in anything similar over here. And they were just as harsh in their judgement as they are unresponsive. The slightest stammer and the entire audience burst into laughter.

There were five different components to the competition: 1) swimsuit 2) talent 3) costume (they had to wear a costume that represented Kittitian culture and history) 4) evening gown 5) interview. Thankfully the last component held the most value in points. The most entertaining part was when one of the contestants was asked about her platform regarding breast cancer and she said that people suffering from it "shouldn't worry about what the doctor's say, they are not going to die and should continue living their lives".

The Grand New Year's Parade was pretty fun. Per Geoff and Kim's suggestion, we decided to watch from Central Street instead of waiting for it to show up in the circus. Which ended up being a good thing cuz it was pretty darn lively from where we saw it. Whereas things started winding down by the time they got to the circus and the square.

The moko-jumbies dancing on 6-8 foot stilts!

The Bull originated from an incident which occurred on Belmont estate around 1917, surrounding an estate manager and his prize bull. The story goes that the bull fell ill, and it is the scene of its revival that is acted out in graphic detail causing humour and havoc as the bull runs wild among spectators.

For New Year's Eve itself, a group of us went to the 'strip'. The strip is basically a strip of beach on the southern peninsula with the Atlantic on one side and the Caribbean on the other. There's a bunch of beach bars and restaurants lining the strip and on weekends that is normally where all the locals hang out till crazy hours. New Year's isn't really celebrated here though, added to the fact that it was raining and only a Thursday and things were kind of dead. But our little group had enough fun making noise on our own =)

Last Lap was basically a culmination and repeat of all the stuff that has been going on throughout carnival, with all the same cultural performances and troupes and parading through town until really late until fights broke out. Anti gang units and police were all over town and streets were closed off.

And that was the end of Carnival =(

On Sunday, the Prime Minister held a New Year's Extravaganza/Concert. It basically ended up being a political rally (which we aren't supposed to be involved in) but by the time we realized it was too late. There were some awesome fireworks, some of the best I've ever seen actually. And some pretty good performances. I think Caribbean music is really starting to grow on me.

Tiff, Maggie and I at the concert. There were fireworks above us a minute before the picture. 

A good beginning to an even better year

Today was an awesome day. The sun being out makes the world smile. Even though everywhere I went smelled of poop. Even though there was a horrible car accident on the island main road and all the buses were diverted and I didn't know where to go. Even though I got the jerk of a bus driver who tried jipping me and made me walk all the way up the hill with my laptop and groceries in the dark. Even though it was my third day of sitting and waiting at the electricity company for hours and I still didnt get to pay my bill. Even then it was a wonderful day.

The sun was out. I had a fun interview on the radio. Did some unintentional networking at the coffee shop and made some great contacts for the Diabetes Association. Ran into some friends while trying to figure out the buses at the accident site. Talked to random people and made good conversation while waiting at the electricity company. Had some awesome johnny bakes. Walked a bunch and worked up a sweat. Got a lead on a location for the diabetes center. Made a new friend on the ride with the yucky bus driver. Felt productive. I felt like there is a reason I'm here =)

J'ouvert

J'ouvert (pronounced 'juuvay'), is a large street party during Carnival in the eastern Caribbean region (celebrated the day after Christmas in St. Kitts). It involves calypso/soca bands and their followers dancing through the streets. The festival starts well before dawn and peaks a few hours after sunrise. Another part of the tradition involves throwing colored powders, water, smearing paint, mud, or oil on the participants. (In St. Kitts, we use body paint)  

J'ouvert is derived from the French jour ouvert, or day open (morning).The origins of street parties associated with J'ouvert coincide with the emancipation from slavery in 1838. Emancipation provided Africans with the opportunity to not only participate in Carnival, but to embrace it as an expression of their new found freedom. Some theorize that some J'ouvert traditions are carried forward in remembrance of civil disturbances in Port of Spain, Trinidad, when the people smeared themselves with oil or paint to avoid being recognized.
 

Some of our EC78ers, who I am beginning to love =) 

The point is to have a bunch of 'troupes' that provide food, drinks, t-shirts and music to compete. This year there were about 7 troupes, but ours was honestly the only one I even noticed. A bunch of the PCV's (and their respective visitors) joined the mother of all J'ouvert troupes: the LIME Xtreme J'ouvert Jungle; the winning troupe for the past ten years. We paid a registration fee to join the troupe which included our costume (a t-shirt), whistle, bandana, sports bottle (we didn't get ours), body paint, food (goat water & cook-up), and drinks throughout the route. And a party starting at midnight (we didn't show up till past 2.30 am) at the TDC staff complex.

 Part of the big crowd we were a part of

 

I think Geoff and I were trying to make ugly faces

 

I unfortunately did not realize that the paint does not wash off and have ruined some of my clothes. Oh well, they will be used again for J'ouvert next year!

 

We arrived at the staff complex (basically a big field) at about 2.30/3:00 a.m. to find around a couple hundred people already drinking and partying. After getting brushed up against by a few sticky people and realizing they had wet paint on them, I decided I wanted some of my own and convinced Will, Julie Ann and Cynthia to join me. So we found the people walking around with buckets of different colored paints and let ourselves be covered.

The drink van that was chugging along behind us. You had to jog along beside it as you ordered anything. 

At around 4:30 a.m. the music truck finally pulled out of the parking lot and we hit the streets and began to follow/dance behind it. We danced from the parking lot to Bay Road to downtown and then performed several 'laps' around the circus and downtown, at snail speed I might add. The total distance covered was probably no more than a couple of miles after we arrived in town, but it took forever to dance your way behind the crazy crowd. I think J'ouvert is just one of those things that simply can't be explained, it has to be experienced. West Indians are crazy dancers. Add the fact that I can't dance in the first place and all I can say is that I'm just glad that everyone was probably too drunk to care about the fact that I looked like a fool.

The sun rising with people showing up to watch the troupes parade around town

 

 

We didn't finish all the laps with everyone. Although I had intended on not falling asleep, after taking the LONGEST shower ever to get the paint out of my hair and everywhere else (I don't know how it ended up in some places), we passed out.

Some people got tired and sat on the sides to take breaks 

Michele said I was the last person she expected to join J'ouvert from our group because I'm 'too shy and quiet'. She also didn't expect me to give the swearing speech in either, so I guess I'm proving her wrong. I can't wait for J'ouvert again next year. Thankfully there's still some more of carnival to come...