You Inspire Me

• Little girl, whose just 4 years old, young and innocent. You inspire me everyday when I see you standing by the road waving down a bus all by yourself. 

• Although you are always drunk, hanging by the rum shop trying to sell produce to feed your habit, you inspire me sir. 
• Young mother, your 5 children are beautiful. You always look so sad as you walk through my village holding one on each hip with no father in sight. You are doing the best you can. You inspire me.
• Market woman, who sits in the sun all day to only get a few sales, you inspire me to continue pushing through adversity. 

• Young man, who has taken the common entrance exam 3 times, failing each time, your continued dedication to passing this round inspires me. I believe in you. 
• Abused, used and homeless, I see your pain. Keep fighting with everything you have. You inspire me. 
• Exiled from society for your lifestyle, you continue to break the barriers for equality through determination and passion. Keep fighting young man, someday this world will understand. You inspire me. 

• Mental illness has a grip on you ma'am, but you never fail to put a smile on everyone's face as you barge into our office daily. You inspire me with your humor. 
• Sunset, if it weren't for you I wouldn't know what peace is. I look forward to seeing you nightly, and when you appear I know this is exactly where I should be. 
• Miss, your passion to make our school successful inspires me to continue this journey. There is never a day when you lose sight of the ultimate goal...success for children. You inspire me. 

• Gentlemen, educated and ready to work, I understand your frustration with the government and economy. Maintain your willingness to work, and you will succeed. You inspire me. 
• Dedicated to fighting for women's rights, never married with no kids, you remind me of the goal ahead and the path we've already been down. Keep fighting, you inspire me. 
• Local friends, with no sense of time and no worries in the world, you remind me to slow down and enjoy the moment. Thank you for inspiring me. 
• Politics is your passion, willing to live and die for it. But I see through your public face, you just want an end to poverty. You inspire me. 
• HIV is ravaging your body, yet you find the will power to come to work everyday, dedicated to the cause. You inspire me. 
• Family, separated by time zones, never by love. You inspire me.

10 Things To Keep Me From Going Crazy!

I have had the last 4 days off from work and I'm about to go stir crazy. Not to mention the kids have been out of school for 2 full weeks, making for two empty days during the week. To say the least....I have found some interesting ways to pass the time. I know what you are thinking, "aren't there children to save, mouths to feed or progress to be made?". Truth is, there is alot of down time in the life of Peace Corps Volunteer. Its not always about making progress, but the time you take to relax and build relationships along the way.

So with that said, I have compiled a list of the top ten things I do while stuck in my village for 4 days with no transport. Enjoy!

1. Cook. I can usually search online for new recipes I haven't tried before and take a little time to experiment in the kitchen. Note to self: Stay AWAY from baking! I'm so terrible.
2. Read. In the last 3 days I have completed 3 books, all of which are non fiction. I don't read fiction, so my books usually consist of drug binges, polygamist sects and memoirs. 
3. Clean. Yes, I know its hard to believe, but I have forced myself to clean my room and kitchen, both of which were lagging quite a bit. I once again have countertops and a full size bed. Yippie!
4. Blare country music. I actually found my landlords son singing alot to some Dolly Parton today. SCORE!
5. Read every news source except Fox news. I'm slightly obsessed with the news, so reading my local newspaper and MSNBC is my daily routine, but when bored I'm willing to expand to Democracy Now, CNN, NPR and TruthOut. 
6. Research my next journey. What will that be? No idea, but the ideas are all over the place. Cross country road trip? Join a cult? Become a gypsy? hmmm...the possibilities are endless. :)
7. Facebook stalk. This has become increasingly alarming as I find myself looking at tagged pictures of my friends in albums of people I don't even know. oops.
8. Paint. I never knew painting was such a therapy for me, but since starting my school mural project, I have found myself sitting down at the table and just setting free. I love it, and it creates some awesome stuff to decorate my apartment.
9. Beg the landlords to feed me. Ok, I don't really have to beg, as they LOVE to feed me, claiming I won't leave Grenada a pound less than I came. Hmmm...
10. SLEEP! Yes, if you know me well, you understand this is top priority for me. Friday I slept til 2 in the afternoon. HA! If it wasn't for the weedeater, goats and dogs I could possibly sleep all day. Don't dare me. 

So there it is folks, the list of things to keep me from going crazy on this island. I hope everyone had a blessed and stomach filling Easter Sunday. Love you all!!!