"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." --Henry David Thoreau


"Service is the rent we pay for being, It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time."

--Marion Wright Edelman


"The fruit of love is SERVICE. The fruit of service is PEACE" --Mother Teresa

Saturday, March 6, 2010

International Food Festival

After a good morning of semi sleeping in my host family promised we could go to the International Food Fest in hopes that this American would find a cheeseburger and fries.

Small disclaimer...there are tons of different nationalities of people here in Grenada, which i wasn't expecting. There are LOTS of British people, who like to build large homes in retirement, and then end up dying a year later. I'm NOT kidding, this is the humor around the island. There are Irish, some Germans, lots of Italians and some Americans, but not many. Most of the Americans are here for the medical school called St.George University.

So i was eager to try some different foods at this festival. I was pleasantly surprised that there was food from Cuba, Britain, China, Guyana, Trinidad, Germany, and France. I wandered around the convention center checking out all the different types of food, and decided that food from Guyana was a good choice. I had some noodle thingy, borielles (dough ball things), and a mini salad with cucumbers and a nice vinaigrette. I wasn't going to jump in and start trying the pepper stew from Cuba, or the random animal foot from Trinidad, so i stuck with a semi neutral fest that had some different tastes to it. I was pleasantly surprised with my meal and enjoyed watching other people try the food. haha. baby steps people.

After seeing a few of my fellow volunteers and being disappointed by NO American food, we returned home and relaxed the rest of the evening. I'm glad we went today and i got to see the differences of islands food.




My host sister Iffy and I, left alone in the back seat. haha

Friday, March 5, 2010

Random thought...

"Dear Mr. President"
(feat. Indigo Girls)


Dear Mr. President,
Come take a walk with me.
Let's pretend we're just two people and
You're not better than me.
I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly.

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street?
Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep?
What do you feel when you look in the mirror?
Are you proud?

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry?
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?
How do you walk with your head held high?
Can you even look me in the eye
And tell me why?

Dear Mr. President,
Were you a lonely boy?
Are you a lonely boy?
Are you a lonely boy?
How can you say
No child is left behind?
We're not dumb and we're not blind.
They're all sitting in your cells
While you pave the road to hell.

What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away?
And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay?
I can only imagine what the first lady has to say
You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine.

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry?
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?
How do you walk with your head held high?
Can you even look me in the eye?

Let me tell you 'bout hard work
Minimum wage with a baby on the way
Let me tell you 'bout hard work
Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away
Let me tell you 'bout hard work
Building a bed out of a cardboard box
Let me tell you 'bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
You don't know nothing 'bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
Oh

How do you sleep at night?
How do you walk with your head held high?
Dear Mr. President,
You'd never take a walk with me.
Would you?

Thursday, March 4, 2010

George Strait and Dolly Parton....Thank you!

Today i have been doing some self-directed learning about organizations in Grenada and it sparked in my mind that i have no money. i know, that's not unusual for me, but i need money to ride the bus. So i descended into town. Now let me explain "town" to my American folk. This entire island is 21 miles tall, by 12 miles wide. People refer to "town" as St.George, the capital. And everywhere else on the island is considered country, which is not country at all, its just more green and not as jam packed.

So i started my daily mile or so walk to the bus stop, jumped a bus and headed for town. It takes me about 15 minutes of windy roads and frequent stops to make it to the terminal. The etiquette on the bus is dynamic. Often when people get on the bus you are expected to greet the people with "morning" and then take your seat in an overcrowded bus. You don't usually talk to anyone next to you, unless of course you are related to them, which is very common here. But what i find exceptionally humorous is that it is completely accepted to sing aloud to the radio, or if its the morning talk show yell at the radio in disagreement with political conversations. When you reach ur destination you simply knock on the ceiling of the bus which alerts the driver you are ready to get off. If you get a fancy bus, they usually have these fun little buzzers which i resist pushing constantly.

I finally made it to the bank about an hour later. The bank we use here is centrally located in town, so its pretty helpful for us car less Peace Corps volunteers. Banks here are only open 9am-2pm, and the lines are outrageous. So i strategically planned to be there when it was down time...man was i wrong. There is no such thing as down time at Grenada banks, so i waited close to an hour to see someone. BUT...i survived and was on my way back to the bus terminal.

At the terminal you wait til the bus is completely full before you can leave. And by full i mean every area of space is filled. These buses would fit 12 people in the states, but us Grenadians are on a mission, so we fit close to 18. So on the way home i was squished in between an elderly woman and a younger foreigner. Bus drivers here are also DJ's, and their music is a wide range of genres, but today i was completely caught off guard. First we started off with George Strait music from the 90's. I giggled under my breath as i could see the confusion on people's faces. Then song number two....Dolly Parton. This is where the fun started, as the elderly woman next to me began singing her little heart out like she was in the front row of the concert. I looked in the rear view mirror to see a bus full of people hysterically laughing and knew it was ok to join in. But just as soon as i joined in on the chuckling the lady says "you young people need to learn to appreciate this white lady, she is the woman of America." bahahahahaha.

Yet another reason i know i am in the right place right now. Amen to that elderly lady. And thank goodness my greatest integration tool has been my knowledge of George Strait and Dolly Parton.



Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Instructions for Life- Dali Lama

I look at this list every day in the volunteer lounge and find it bringing me back to reality in the realm of chaos.


INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIFE

~Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

~When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

~Follow the three res. Respect for self, Respect for others, and Responsibility for all your actions.

~Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

~Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

~Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

~When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

~Spend some time alone every day.

~Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

~Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

~Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.

~A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

~In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

~Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

~Be gentle with the earth.

~Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.

~Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

~Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

~Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

My first day on the job

Part of the Peace Corps experience involves being attached to a school in your community. This means you go once or twice (or whenever) a week and do needs assessment work. Needs assessment is a tricky subject here, considering we are Americans and haven't even yet integrated into the community. We are expected to find the need in the school and fill the gaps. This can be viewed one of two ways: a challenge or a nightmare. I chose the more positive route, and entered my first day of on the job work as a chance to explore the possibilities of my work here.

As i approached the school i noticed kids roaming the yard, the chatter of school students excited about the school day, and no adult to be found. What do you do? Your the strange white girl walking up to a new school as a million school kids stare at you as a foreign object. This is when your Peace Corps survival skills come in the picture (thanks Margo and Elizabeth). I quietly walked up to a group of girls, maybe 5 of them, who were whispering and giggling. I kindly said "where can i find the principal?" The girls burst out in laughter and took me to the "office." And by office i mean a closet with a fridge and a table.

There waited a lady, who i assumed was the principal of St.Paul's Government School. We introduced ourselves and had a short talk about expectations, interests, needs, etc. I was quickly thrown (softly) into a 1st grade classroom. In America we show great concern for the number of students in a classroom, but with limited resources and teachers, its not unusual to see up to 45 students in a class. Thankfully i was blessed with a class of only 40. hahaha. yes...40 first graders in one class, with one teacher a delusional Peace Corps Volunteer. I thought to myself, "this is gonna be a great day."

Schools in Grenada are based around religion. Yes folks, no separation of church and state here. We started off the day with a prayer, something of "God let my seed of knowledge grow through your guidance today," whereas my prayer in the back of the class was "God, why are you testing me like this? 40 first graders? Really? Thanks!" No I'm kidding, kinda. The morning went very smooth for the amount of children, and i give mad props to the teachers of these students who are faced with constant challenges. Not only are they teachers, they are second mothers, counselors, cooks, babysitters, pastors and clean up crew. As i observed today i noticed that the kids all had notebooks they wrote everything in, no hand outs. I asked later in the day why there were no handouts and the teacher laughed and said, "we don't have a copy machine, it broke a month ago." That's why the true test of teachers here in Grenada really makes me respect these women and men.

I cant wait to jump in and see where i can help this community. They opened their classrooms to me today and seemed so excited to have new ideas in the school. The school day ended with another prayer and me walking out saying to myself...I can do this!

Monday, March 1, 2010

The Hospitality and Kindness of Grenadians

I always thought that Americans were hospitable...until i came to Grenada. Us Midwest folk take pride in showing our way of life to others and taking care of people. We will give anyone a place to sleep, a warm meal and a hot shower when needed. But until i came to Grenada did i learn the correct meaning of hospitality, and thats its more then all those things.

The people of Grenada take great pride in their communities and the people that reside here. For example, its not unusual for families to prepare twice what their families eat at a meal, simply for the fact that people will just stop in from time to time, and its always polite to feed guests. The door to my host families house is always open and it is constantly being opened by neighbors, relatives and friends. The house is the center of the family here, and what Grenadians take the most pride in. They work many years so that one day they can buy their own land and build their own home to call theirs. Yes there are people that rent homes here, but just like Americans love their picket fences, Grenadians pride themselves in ownership of their homes.

Another observation of the my new culture that i love is that no one is a stranger. If you arent related to the person, you know where they work and who they are. When i meet new people i have been asking my host family if they know them, and i havent heard a single no response yet. This island is a family, and family looks out for each other. Im starting to feel part of this family. When i first arrived i was the the foreign white creature walking around like a lost puppy. But as my host family has slowly introduced me to people in the community i feel as if im becoming one of them. People refer to me as the Cherebins 5th child now. As i walk to and from the bus stop everyday its not unusual to have people come out on the porch and say "afternoon Mackenzie," which is the way you greet people here. In America a simple "how are you" statement is our greeting, with no real care for the response. But in Grenada you greet people with eye contact, a smile, and the greeting of "morning, afternoon, evening,etc." This is to practically every person you pass on the road, in the market or on the bus, and no response usually means you arent from here, or you are just rude.

I think this simple act of kindness is what makes me love the island of Grenada. The people are so personable. They truly care how you are doing, and they consider the children the life of the community. I was met with a stunning statistic today which said that 65% of Grenada is 30 yrs old and below. So by saying the young people are the heart of the community really speaks for itself.

So as i continue my service to the youth of Grenada, i find myself really enjoying the bonds people make with each other. The hospitality they show their people speaks wonders of the true heart of this culture, and im learning daily just how to really treat people. The quote that states something like "it takes two people to make a child, but a whole village to raise one" really says all this island is about.