2-3

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!!!!! The big 2-3 has arrived!

Im sad that i cant be home celebrating my birthday with my friends and family, but dont fret because i WILL be celebrating here with some of the bestest new friends i have made. Thank you all for the support of the last 4 months, it has meant the world to me!!!

Side note: I need to make an amazing shout out to Ashley Parsons and her family for sending a box full of school supplies, games and treats. I can NEVER repay you guys for the two boxes and i know the children of Grenada will benefit so much from this stuff. Again...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

Baking: Mack Style

I walked into the grocery store this afternoon and BAM, a beautiful wall of vegetables and fruits. Availability of these items are sporadic and never guaranteed, so when i walked in the store today to a wall filled with veggies i was so excited. I was honestly only there for carrots and green peppers but walked out with string beans, lettuce, cabbage and CHERRIES! yes cherries, my favorite fruit. I wasn't sure what i was going to do with them, but i knew if all else fails i will just eat them like they are, as i know my baking abilities are nowhere near Rachel Ray.

I reached home and cooked a wonderful veggie quesadilla and felt a need to bake. Now this sentence might only be funny to my mother and sister, but Mackenzie and baking should never be put in the same sentence. I can cook like no other, Paula Dean has nothing on my cooking abilities. But when it comes to baking, Betty Crocker and I never really got along. I think its because with baking you have to do all this prep work and then wait....wait....wait....Im not so good with the waiting. I move on to my next task and COMPLETELY forget about the things in the oven. Then WHAM, i have charcoal cookies. I can rarely remember to set a timer, so that's not an alternative either.

So tonight i set my mind that i was going to make cherry muffins. I follow alot of cooking/baking blogs in hope that i can train myself to bake just by reading good blogs. This was my first attempt with the theory. I'm mixing and mixing and mixing. Then i go to find a muffin pan....DAMN! Now one would of thought you would look for the pan BEFORE baking...not me. I had a cookie sheet and a pan, I decided to make due. I figured i could just plop the muffin mix on the cookie sheet like cookies and they will turn out fine. My first failure...



So after those failed miserably in the oven i decided just putting the remainder of the mix in a pan and baking it like a cake was my only option. Thankfully they turned out alright and they actually taste just like muffins, they just aren't round. haha. Who ever made up the rule that muffins had to be round anyways? I'm breaking stereotypes people! Hope you got a good laugh out of this but until then i will stick with cooking.

Moments of Gratitude

I look so forward to 5-6 pm every night when i get to see one of my most favorite parts of Grenada...The sunset. The colors are so beautiful and i find such solitude when i look up and see the ocean in the distance.

I have had alot of time to myself the past week. Often down time brings thoughts of homesickness, loneliness and frustration. But when i begin to feel these emotions i know the one place i need to be is on my veranda enjoying the view and beauty of the tropics. My neighbors sometimes ask if i ever leave that seat because every time they see me I'm there in dream land. I find myself looking to the sky remembering all the people that are up there looking down on me and probably creating that beautiful sunset. My great grandma Doherty who was such inspiration, my hard nosed Grandfather who told me to follow my dreams and my dear friend Janet whose life ended to soon. Its moments like these you realize how short life can be, but also how fulfilling and wonderful the memories can become. I hope one day when I'm up in those beautiful clouds someone remembers me as the person that never was to quick to appreciate the small things, did everything she could for her country, lived life as a hardworking humanitarian and was never to busy to laugh.

Carnival Launch Party!

Hello all! I haven't had much to update on so i apologize for the lack of blog posts recently. BUT, i have something very interesting to update you on today. Yesterday i went with about 4 other volunteers to the SpiceMas 2010 Carnival Launch Party held at the old National Stadium. Carnival is the largest celebration of Caribbean culture and travels throughout the islands over the course of a year. Here in Grenada, Carnival is held August 9-10. The Caribbean's Carnivals all have several common themes all originating from Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, based on folklore, culture, religion,and tradition, not on amusement rides. Carnival tradition is based on a number of disciplines including: "Playing Mas"/Masquerade; Calypso Music and crowning a Calypso King or Monarch; Panorama (Steel Band Competition); Jouvert morning. In anticipation of the upcoming Carnival celebrations the island held a launch party to get people excited and officially open up the Carnival season. I'm very excited to see such an integral cultural experience for the first time in Grenada and i hope it is a blast!

One of the highlights of the Launch Party last night was the Jab Jab. Jab Jab is a devilish carnival character of the Caribbean islands that is more mischievous than evil. Like many other masqueraders at carnival time, they smear themselves with black oil, and wear horns to play at being the “diable” (French for devil). They often carry around pieces of meat in their mouths, dead animal heads, chains and plenty of USED motor oil. Disgusting right? The minute they reached our area the smell of a mechanics shop filled the air. After the initial shock of bloody meat in their mouths and motor oil all over the place, me and the other volunteers started to ponder the cultural significance of the Jab Jab and after some research i found it fits right into the cultural history of Grenada.

I have attached some pictures of the day. If you have a weak stomach please scroll really fast. haha.

Licks...and not like a lollipop.

"Boy, if you don't behave ima send you up to get some licks"

This is a typical line used in the classroom of Grenadian schools. Its used more as a scare tactic then as a truthful line. Teachers use stern, condescending language to get the attention of children, but its taken as normal language by the students. Often times i cringe as i hear a teacher yell at students and have even found myself jump in fear. American students would wilt away in their chairs and start crying at the tone of Grenadian teachers voices, but its the culture here and something I'm learning to accept.

I've heard stories from the other volunteers of teachers and principals giving students licks, but had never seen it myself until today. Licks is the term used for swats or spankings in the school systems. I come from a school district in the States that still uses this form of punishment (though its not effective), but seeing it happen to a 1st grader today sent chills down my spine.

Shackim came to school this morning filled with energy as he always comes. This young boy is the class clown and filled with so much energy i can feel him running circles around me. He is such a bright little boy when he can sit still long enough. The teacher called his name this morning for lunch money and i saw the look of shame in his eyes.

"Shackim, where is your lunch money?"
"Miss i don't know"
"Yes you do son, show me your bus money and your lunch money"

Shackim knew his lunch money was long gone but he wasn't going to tell Ms. Mitchell that, so he kept his head down not saying a word. Until that is a fellow classmate jumped up and down saying "i know i know, Shackim spent it before he got to school on beef stew". Beef stew? I haven't had beef stew since i have been here, so i was a bit lost as to where he found beef stew, but apparently he found beef stew at the corner shop before school and spent his bus and lunch money. I found this particularly funny, but the teacher sure did not, and sent him right up the hallway to the principals office to get his "licks".

As we proceeded with class i knew i was in for a surprise today and sure enough i got it, in the form of shock. I could hear the principal yelling at Shackim and then WHACK WHACK WHACK, then some more yelling. Shackim belted out in tears but no student seemed to notice the noise,as this was nothing new to them. I watched the students proceed with their work like nothing had ever happened, and as Shackim came back in the class with his eyes full of tears no one looked at him, for they knew he got what he deserved.

It was an eye opening experience to see the students and teachers not second guessing the act of licks. This culture is centered around aggression which has caused many of the islands cultural problems. But how do you change something so deeply embedded into a society? You cant, or at least not in the two years i am here. So i must learn to accept something different and make the small impact that i can.

Day at the Beach

I havent been able to break away to the beach for some time now. Between scheduling events, doing activism work and trying to survive the heat, I havent got the slightest chance to go relax on the beach. My village is about 5 miles from the beach but its quite the lug to get there by two buses, which can take around 20-30 minutes. So today i figured i didnt have anything else to do for once so why not the beach? The sun makes me refreshed, lively and appreciative of the experience here on the island. I figured i would post some pictures.















AND my Momma called while i was on the beach. She was jealous!

Down Time

Im sitting here in my nice hard bed with my computer on my lap, pondering life. Im not sure if this is the typical Peace Corps Friday night, but its mine. There are no deadlines to meet, no dinner parties or events to attend. Im still getting used to this slow paced life after just four short months here in Grenada. I came here expecting to be going non-stop all of the time and i sometimes wish it were that way. But then after a long days work i enjoy the time i have to myself on my veranda as i watch the sunset. Its the best of both worlds most of time.

Then there are nights like tonight where i miss my family, my friends and my American lifestyle. As my friends go on with their lives and are making new friends im stuck sitting on my bed on a Friday night. I want so bad to be having a great time with my friends back home, but i committed to do a job here, and im determined to complete this mission. When my mind gets cloudy with thoughts of homesickness i try to remember why i decided to join the Peace Corps and what exactly it means to be part of this legacy. These kids here need me and want me here as long as possible. Its selfish of me to sit here and sulk when there is work to be done. Just yesterday as we were headed to the beach i hear "miss! miss! miss!" and it was one of my students from the primary school running up to say hello. She had the biggest smile on her face and was so excited to show her mom who i was. Those are the moments of solitude where you realize just the impact you are having here.

So for now im going to turn up my itunes and read a book. Its my little moment of realization that im doing this alone...for myself. Thats such a good feeling.