"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

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The Realities of Life

The concept of life is one of such unknown amounts. How much does one life really mean? Do we really know how much one person impacts the world? Is everyone just a puzzle piece in the life puzzle? Or are we just creatures that exist on the same planet and will be forgotten once we leave this place and generations continue?

The definition of life and its importance is really weighing heavy on my mind today. I cant possibly put a value on someones life or even begin to justify if one is more valuable then the other. I'm a firm believer that every person has their specific role in this world, whether it be deemed less valuable then the next. Whether you are fulfilling that role or not cant be determined though. Is it really my role to be in a 3rd world country helping less fortunate people? Or am i being selfish and doing what I want to do? Who determines these things? Whether you believe in a higher power or not, i think its an important thing to really sit down and think about. Are you fulfilling your role in this world?



Now the reason life is weighing hard on my mind today is because of an event that happened over the weekend here in Grenada. Now let me attach a disclaimer: Crime rates here in Grenada are VERY low, much lower then even the community i live in back home. Petty thefts are about the only real crimes here. But over the weekend one of the most brutal crimes happened in the north part of the island. A man went crazy (no other way to put it) and decapitated two of his friends with a machete. Now i wish the story ended here but it didn't, as he decided to place the heads of these two men in a bucket and drive down to the police station to turn them in. Whats the point of turning them in you ask? No answer, but it caused havoc in the small village as the news spread that they actually had to board up the police station.

Today its constant conversation about the motive of this man who cruelly beheaded his friends for no apparent reason. And what makes this story even more personal is one of the men who was beheaded actually assisted in one of our training sessions during Pre-Service Training. We were learning about community calendars and how to better plan events around certain times of the year, and Clyde was asked to come speak on behalf of the lives of farmers and how they plan their years. He was so insightful and helpful with our learning process. Many of the other volunteers had never been around real farms (damn town folks), so what Clyde had to say was absorbed into our brains in the "important" files. He had actually invited us to his farm to explore the operation of a small farm. We were so excited about the offer and were organizing when we could all go. I was familiar with Clyde because he sold his produce in the market on Fridays and Saturdays. He would always yell "Hey Peace Corps!" as i walked by, no need to know my name. haha. He had the greatest smile every Friday and seemed to be so passionate about his farm.

Though I only knew Clyde for a short time, i loved his spirit and the passion he brought when talking about farming. Here is to you Clyde...RIP.

Here is the link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36946838/

Monday, May 3, 2010

Sick Day




I thought i had escaped the seasonal allergy sickness when i moved to a more stable environment, but i guess i was wrong. I woke up Saturday morning sneezing my brains out, and i just knew what was coming. After a day of runny nose symptoms and constant sneezing i scavenged through our handy Peace Corps medical kit and took just about everything i could. Sunday I woke up and was even more sick, as it had moved down into my chest, which isn't good for an asthmatic. I was determined to go to work today but as i woke up this morning with a temperature of 100, i knew i wasn't going to make it. I peeled myself out of bed this morning long enough to go to the pharmacy in town and get some over the counter medicine, so hopefully it will help a bit.

Until then i thought i would update everyone on my adventures of this weekend. As not many know, this weekend was Grenada's Labor Day, so festivities were in full force. Friday we had a little lime at our favorite place called the Creole Shack. They have a great patio that overlooks the port where the cruise ships come in and the perfect place to watch the sunset. We lost track of time in our story telling adventures and didn't realize we had missed the bus back to our village. THANKFULLY we caught the very last bus headed that way and jumped into a cramped van. Ive never seen a public transit bus pull over for a potty break, but that night it happened.

Saturday a group of volunteers and some local friends of ours headed up to Grand Etang lake. Its way up in the mountains and the temperature drops about 15 degrees once you are up there. We met other people that were part of the Bus Association and they were so welcoming to us. They even showed us step by step how to make the national dish of Grenada, Oildown. It was quite the process to watch and we were all excited to be a part of it. They also had fish soup and mannish waters. If you don't know what mannish waters is, look it up, you will be surprised. haha. Hint: Every part of the animal that Americans wouldn't eat, including testicles, is in this soup.

It was an all day event at Grand Etang lake even when it started to down pour, but i think i speak for the group in saying we had a great time and met some awesome guys who were so open to us being there. Upon leaving we headed to Sauters up in the north part of the island for a teachers union party. When the boys told us we were headed to a teachers party i giggled at the thought, but it turned out to be so much fun. Now spare the judgements, but the party was at a primary school. They simply moved the desks out in the yard, opened up the chalkboard partitions and set up a DJ booth. I got my first real insight into Grenadian dancing. Its gonna take some getting used to for sure. We left the party around midnight and ventured back in the dump truck to my village where i was so ready for bed.

It was a successful weekend filled with good laughs, great people and a not so good cold. Hopefully i can kick this thing so i can get back to work.