"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, April 16, 2011

Mural Update!

The kids are on Easter break, so it was perfect time to crank out some serious painting. Check out the updated pictures!





Tuesday, April 12, 2011

13 months down, 12 more to go!!!

"The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made. And the activity of making them changes both the maker and their destination." -- John Schaar

If anyone has seen the last 13 months, please let me know. I seem to of lost them. It seems like just yesterday I was stepping off that plane in St. Lucia, then finally Grenada. The warm breeze, the humid feeling, the beauty. I had just come from the cold, so everything looked so green and colorful, new to the eye. The feeling of unrest cant easily be described in a blog post. I can only suggest you uproot your cozy life and move to a new country to absolutely understand what that feeling is like. Its been the scariest and most amazing 13 months of my life.

EC 81-Our first week in the Eastern Caribbean

I'm not quite sure why I hold on to milestones and dates so much through this journey. I was excited to tell my mom today that it was our 1 year mark to Closing of Service (COS). She replied "That is kind of sad. I dont want you thinking about coming home the whole next year." It isn't that I'm counting down the days to being stateside (or at Taco Bell), but rather a sense of being back to my hometown around the "normal" I have known for 22 years. I appreciate everyday here in Grenada and am learning things I could never imagine learning back home. I guess I get overwhelmed with the possibilities of my future that I forget to slow down. I need to work on that I suppose.


Official Swearing In- April 2010

I think its a great accomplishment that my group has stayed together these last 13 months with no one ending their service. As we get ready to say goodbye to the EC 79 group (tear) ahead of us, I have come to realize just how short this journey truly is. They are packing away the last of their items, giving away all they can and closing accounts. Im going to miss them more then I can probably realize right now. Their group welcomed us at the airport, mentored us through training and supported us through finding our roles here. Its the cycle of the Peace Corps that we have come to know so well. Always bringing in new faces keeps things fresh and ideas new. But it doesn't make the goodbyes easier. I appreciate you EC 79 and can't wait to see where your next journey takes you!


EC 79, Going to miss these guys!

So as I reflect on my last 13 months and the upcoming 12, I continue to be grateful for the experience I've had and the people I've met. The stories would take me years to tell. I have never been this happy in my life and the friendships I've made that break across cultural barriers are some I hold dear to my heart for eternity.

To the next 12 months....YOU ARE MINE!


Sunday, April 10, 2011

EC 83 Swear In for Service

On Wednesday last week, ten new volunteers took the oath of any U.S. government official and became Peace Corps Volunteers. For the last 8 weeks they have been in intense training, which included sitting in a classroom all day being lectured at, man I don't miss those days!

This group of trainees turned volunteers is a unique group to the island. For the last two groups (EC 79 and 81), we have had one male volunteer. In this new group, there are SIX male volunteers. Nothing like mixing up the dynamics right? It has been a really good learning experience for all of us though and I think they are going to be a great asset to not only the Peace Corps, but to Grenada.



People in attendance at the ceremony included a feature address by the Hon. Minister of Education Franka Bernardine, words on behalf of the government of Grenada by Hon. Prime Minister Tillman Thomas, a motivating speech by the newly appointed Peace Corps Country Director Kevin Carley, and the official oath given by Charge de Affairs Mr. Bernard Link. Also at the ceremony were the current host families of the new volunteers, who so graciously rented out their families for 8 weeks, counterparts of current and new volunteers and community members.



After the ceremony, we headed to Jon and Steph's house in St. Paul's for the traditional celebration of good food, cold drinks and a peace cake! We have a few rituals (which I cant disclose, no hazing though) that we introduced to the new group in hopes they will pass it down through the next groups as well.


The Newbies with their traditional peace cake. Special group of people, haha!

Overall, it was a good time for everyone involved. It really put into perspective the limited time we have here as volunteers and just how quickly it goes by. I remember like it was yesterday being in their shoes, sitting on the stage and taking that oath to "defend our country from all foreign and domestic enemies". Wow has time flown or what? From this month exactly, our group of EC 81 has just one year of service left to Grenada and the Peace Corps. I'm proud of myself and my fellow group members for making it this far, and I can see the next year going super fast as we really get our projects going.


My host momma, who was also a host momma for one of the new volunteers.

To the new group....Thanks for being awesome and welcome to the family!!!!