I learned the hard way...

If you dont know me already then let me fill you in on a quick something. I learn by trying, im a kinetic learner and have always been hands on. So for me to be told dont do this, well...it doesnt work for me.

So when it comes to the sun i dont follow directions such as put on sunscreen. Its just not something that i think about. I always say "oh it will be fine, i just tan." Well i learned the hard way today what all the locals have been telling me since i stepped foot on island. The Caribbean sun is MUCH hotter then the Missouri sun.

Lesson learned...

Good Friday in Grenada

One of the biggest excitements i had about joining the Peace Corps was the chance to experience different holiday traditions. In the States i can remember being so thrilled to just see how other families celebrated differently then i did. Some don't celebrate at all while others go all out. The ways that Americans celebrate holidays cant be defined under one large heading, but in Grenada that's a fair assumption.

My first sign that Easter in Grenada was going to be different was when i was told the children have TWO weeks out of school. Its not like in the States where the district says "well we cant give them this day, cuz then we are short on days here and we have to meet this amount"...YADA YADA YADA! Here...if there is something important to be out of school for whether religious, political, a funeral or celebration then they are going to cancel school. And i have found that i really like it this way, it makes the community seem more tight nit.

So today i woke up around 8 am because my APCD (associate Peace Corps director) was picking me and a few other up to show us our apartments we are moving into next Saturday. After seeing my new place i returned home and was quickly put to work in the kitchen. I asked my mom what the day had in store and feel like she said "we are gonna do this, then this, and then this, and finally this." But really once i listened to her i learned that Grenadians pretty much have a ritual on Good Friday. Here is what i got from it:

First: CHURCH! Some churches have one service in the morning, and then others have morning and evening services. This morning there were literally NO cars on the road which gave me the indication everyone was at church.

Second: Prepare lunch. The same dish is ate in just about every family in Grenada on Good Friday. Herron fish with tomatoes, peppers, onions and olive oil. Also some breadfruit and yams. I'm not a big fan of fish, especially the real fishy tasting ones here, but i ate it, as i knew it was respectful to the holiday.

Third: BEACH! yes...i said it. We went to the beach around 2:30 and found the shores packed with families picnicking and swimming. The mood in the air seemed so refreshing and joyish. I was glad to be there.

Fourth: Fly kites! This is a HUGE Easter ritual in Grenada. The largest kite flying day of the break is Easter Sunday, but in order to ensure your kite is prepared for Sunday you must trial run on Good Friday. I found myself just staring into the sky admiring the hundreds of kites that filled the air. Homemade kites are far better then store bought and i cant wait til a Grenadian kid can teach me how to make them.

Overall today was a huge success and gave me some great insight into the traditions of the Grenadian people. It didn't seem as if you were questioning what other families were doing, because everyone was doing the same thing, like one big family. I cant wait to see how Easter day is celebrated. Stay tuned...

Homemade kites

Main dish

Another lesson in culture.

I think sometimes Americans fight so hard for equal rights that we forget the rights we already have that others don't. Things like the freedom of self expression. This one relates closely to the culture "experience" i was met with today...

Disclaimer: The views of the blog are strictly mine, not anyone else. I have the freedom to say exactly what i want. So hear me out before you go along on your judegemental ways people.

I'm in the kitchen with my host mom making some lovely canned salmon and potatoes for supper. I'm telling her about the beach today and how we met the same dog that was there when i went with her the other day. This dog was the cutest mutt on island and seemed to really be interested in our group. One of the volunteers approached him and started petting him. Before we knew it he was lying ON Katie and drooling as he slept. Cutest thing EVER. We thought he was a stray dog til we noticed he had his toe nails painted pink, yes pink. Now i knew Americans cruelly punished their dogs this way but had no idea it had traveled to Grenada too. Anyways, back to the story.

So I'm telling my host mom that the dog was laying on us and yada yada yada, and that his finger nails were painted pink. Before i could even finish the word pink she subconsciously says, "that dog is a damn faggot!" Well WAM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM! Thank goodness her back was turned to me as she said it because i couldn't let her see my chin to the floor and my eyes wide open in utter amazement. Now many other times when she is referring to not so manly men she says "he is just feminine," but tonight she unloaded with the F bomb!

It made me sit back and think a bit at just all of the rights and privileges we take for granted in the States. Many times people are so busy fighting for equal rights and human rights in general we forget just how advanced we are compared to other parts of the world. The culture here on gay issues is years and years behind America, so much so that its even ILLEGAL here. The minor assumption that you could even possibly be gay ends with a prison sentence of up to 7 years. My host mom cant really be punished or thought of as a lesser person for her comment. She merely spoke out of simple ignorance. Its not her fault that her country hasn't yet been exposed to people of different lifestyles, or that there is a stigma attached to such acts of "moral impurity."

So as i reflect on the comment that i heard tonight, i cant help but be disappointed that Grenada is so far behind. But yet again i find myself reflecting on all of the human rights i took for granted in the States. Things of self expression and social rebellion are unheard of here. Hopefully by the end of my stay here we will see some change in the mindsets of people, but until then i must learn to desensitize myself to the big F bomb.

Your life story is still unwritten

I have been struggling lately with the bias i bring from America life. Things that are embedded into our culture, such as assuming that someone with no shoes/shirt on is poor and someone with a suit/tie on are typically from a middle-class family. Its just assumed that people in higher positions are the wealthiest of Americans, and the dirty jobs are left for the lower class. Call me shady, but if you really sit down and evaluate your own bias and opinions i think you would agree with me.

Today in our Youth Development class the trainer put so much into prospective concerning Grenada work culture. He said, "Grenadians are well dressed, well driven, poor people." It sounds so bizarre but incorporates just exactly the culture here. Women going to jobs at a grocery store, a bank, convenience store and the Ministry all wear the same outfits. Typically dressed in the full polyester suit from head to toe. I know it sounds crazy with the temperatures reaching near 100 degrees everyday, but its part of the culture. People think nothing of men wearing ties and suits to every job also.

But what is hidden as our trainer said, is the poverty that lies behind those suits, ties and dresses. Poverty is VERY well hidden here, but the statistics cant lie, saying over 30% percent of Grenadians are below the poverty line. Often times those are the execs going to work during the day, and home to a house with no running water and no food on the table.

So as i embark on my continued mission in Grenada, I'm learning to not take things at face value and certainly not judge a book by its cover. Some of the greatest leaders of Grenada have also been some of the poorest. I challenge all of you to take a deep look at the bias you have had in your own life. Next time you look at that person on the street remember each of them has a story, one that cant be judged by the cover.

I love Sundays in the Carribean

Im learning to adjust to doing nothing on the weekends here, and im beginning to LOVE it. I've been engulfed in Eric Schlosser's Reefer Madness book today. Hope you all are having a great weekend!