"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 27, 2010

Fish Friday

Part of our cross-cultural training is going to cultural events around the islands. We are usually escorted by our hilarious trainer named Michael, who enjoys singing the Grenada national anthem, wearing little kids yellow hats, and making terrible analogies. He decided that in order to become Grenadian, you must attend Fish Friday. This is a weekly food fest held in the small fishing village of Gouyave, pronounce Guh-wah-v, approximatly 30 minutes north of the capital. We ventured in Michaels scooby doo looking van (picture attached) up there around 7pm, which was a big deal to us, because we havent been out after dark anywhere yet. Its not governed as "safe" to be out after dark, so of course we felt like big kids.

They close off about 3 blocks of streets for Fish Friday, where vendors from all over the island set up their tents and serve up DELICIOUS food. Anything from fried fish, shimp, fish cakes, bread fruit sticks, and nutmeg ice cream. There is also a reggae drum band there making some good dancing music and plenty of Clark's Court Rum to go around. After a great plate of shrimp lo mein noodles, some nutmeg ice cream and a quick shot of rum, we were tired and ready to go home. Us old volunteers arent used to staying up past 9pm, so when 10 came around we were dragging.

Overall i thought i was a great chance to see the local culture on the island. Though the entire island is only 20 miles tall and 12 miles wide, there are distinct differences in the villages. Gouyave is coined as the town that never sleeps and from what i saw last night, i can only imagine.


Our APCD (associate Peace Corps director)

Reggae band

Vendors lined up selling delicious food

Scooby Doo mobile

Amanda and I

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Cause of death today: Inhaler!

Ive decided that if im going to die, its going to be in a beautiful country, so why not Grenada?!?! Now, this is a total joke, so everyone RELAX! But really, after the King iguana incident yesterday i figured that was my one scare for the week, but man was i wrong...

I get up this morning with intentions of walking to work today. The other volunteers sometimes tease me about the fact i have to talk myself into walking long distances, but then again, they are all teeny boppin things with no real Midwest meat on them. But none the less, the walk to work is about 3 miles and not quite on the flatest land of all time. So as im getting dressed im thinking of the correct outfit to wear today, thinking of what to eat for lunch (thats practical right?) and what i need to get accomplished today. As i finish getting ready i remember that i should take a puff of my inhaler before i leave, to ensure that i dont pass out on the side of the road, only to be the butt of every Grenadian joke for the next century. "Dude some white girl passed out on the side of the road today." Yea...not the headline im looking for here.

So i am searching frantically for this dumb inhaler and finally find it farrrrr down in the bottom of some random bag. Of course i wouldnt keep a life saving device in close range, its just how i work. I go to take two puffs, in a hurry, and literally INHALED a balled up gum wrapper. Now if you have never used an inhaler then you cant quite understand how serious this was. I could of died! haha. I inhaled the darn thing, causing me to choke while gasping for air. I thought i had swallowed a rock and was thinking of how ridiculous this would be for a cause of death, but low and behold, i coughed it back up.

After two days of near death experiences (call me dramatic), ive decided my life is just one big drama, with each day being a new episode. So i hope you guys are in for a great show that will probably win a Grammy, no biggie.


This is what an inhaler SHOULD look like...

This is how i almost died...

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

King Iguana tried to kill me!

Some say im dramatic, but this is real! I was heading out to the verandah with wet clothes to hang them to dry. I stepped out and BAM! This MASSIVE green creature looked up at me like "i wanna eat you!" I might or might not of screamed bloody murder and ran inside. So here is the pictures, for my lovely followers so you understand just how big this creature was. But im alive, my Peace Corps service goes on!


He just looks mean!

"GRRR i wanna eat you!!!"

Sunday, March 21, 2010

First attempt at hitching a ride...

CULTURE LESSON #1: When a Grenadian says "just now", that means 2 minutes or 2 hours. So if i say "i am going to pick you up just now", that really means i could pick you up in ten minutes or ten hours. Now to a woman who is VERY punctual about time and really respects time, this causes some serious anxiety.

Another volunteer came to visit me at my new home stay today and we decided to walk down to the playing field to see some football (American soccer). My friend Crystal, another volunteer lives very close to here, so we found it a good place to meet up. My fellow volunteer called our friend Ryon,as he was heading our way and figured we could hitch a ride. He said of course, and that he would be there "just now." So we are waiting, waiting, waiting and then BOOM, Ryon comes around the corner....ON A HORSE. Now, let me convey just how funny this is to me. First off, i haven't seen a horse on this island since I've been here. Second, the roads are NO PLACE for a horse, as they are one car wide. Third, he promised us a ride, on a horse. hahaha. Oh Grenada how i love thy.

So today i went to the beach with my host mom for a Sunday swim. Now I'm not sure if people realize this, but Grenada is a HUGE tourist destination for cruise ships. Before i came here i had no idea that cruise ships ventured to Grenada, i thought it was just to the cayman islands, Jamaica, Aruba, St. Lucia, etc. But when we are talking massive cruise ships from everywhere but America, this place is a hot spot. After Hurricane Ivan in 2004 destroyed much of the beaches, resorts and hotels, the tourist industry has been slowly rebuilding. They recently dug two new spots for cruise ships to dock, and the resorts are slowly beginning to pop up on Grand Anse beach.

The last couple of times we have been to the beach has been pretty quiet, with locals being in the majority. But today i was completely shocked at the amounts of people on the 3 miles of beaches, known as Grand Anse. There were three cruise ships in today, our maximum capacity. Britain, Swiss and French. Now i have never been to any of those places, but i must add that it was interesting to watch these people vacation. Maybe its because i am striving constantly to live as Grenadians for an extended amount of time but these people had no shame in their game. Children running around naked, men in speedos and women changing their suits in the open. I decided to take a step back and observe (from the water of course), and noticed how Grenadians reacted to these foreigners. I found myself hysterically laughing as they stared these people down like "what foreign place do you come from." I got a huge kick out of it and managed to laugh so hard i got salt water in my nose.