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!!!

EC 79 Going Away Party

Hello All! Sorry for the long delay in blog updates. I have been procrastinating on this post because I'm still trying to accept the fact that 2 of my close friends completed their service and are back living the American dream. Katherine and Nicole both departed Grenada last week, completing their 27 months of service successfully. Followed close behind them are Lizzie (next week), Alyssa (July) and Karla (July), the three other members that make up the 79th class of Peace Corps Volunteers here in Grenada.

left to right: Karla, Katherine, Lizzie, Alyssa, and Nicole

This group have been great mentors to our class of volunteers, guiding us through the first days of being here, continued support with work issues and always a good group to drink a few beers with. To conclude their amazing service we decided to throw them a going away party, camping style. After weeks of planning (its not always easy to get 25 opinionated volunteers to agree) we decided to camp at the most beautiful Mt. Rodney beach in St. Patricks. Mt. Rodney is about an hour bus ride up the gorgeous west coast from the capital of St. George's.

Slicing onions with a butter knife and swiss army knife.

Teamwork!

We pitched our tents and everyone dove in to help slice, dice and assembly the national dish of oildown. My favorite part of oildown is the teamwork it takes to prepare the dish, as it has to be layered correctly, then cooked for 2-3 hours over an open fire. Thankfully, we have boys in the 83 group that were eager to use their newly bought cutlass' and create a boyscout approved fire.

The Camp

Oildown before cooking it. Notice the layers.

Matt and some men working on the bonfire.

After starting to prepare the oildown around 2 p.m., we FINALLY ate around 9 p.m., which gives you an indication of just how much work goes into this dish. But it was totalllllly worth it in the end, as we devoured the entire pot by the end of the night.

To EC 79, thank you for your awesomeness in the last year of knowing you guys. Your constant support and guidance has made this journey a bit easier. You never fall short of lending valuable advice in whatever areas we need them. Good luck in America and I hope to see you all again soon!!!

Mural Update!

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

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!

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!!!!

Walk a Day in My Shoes

What a day. Do you ever look back on your day and just think "I did all of that in those hours?" Maybe that's just me. haha. Either way, days like today remind me why I'm here.



7:45am: Jump a bus to the Peace Corps office to retrieve the mural drawing.

8:00am-8:30am: Wait for bus outside office. This time of morning every bus is full and I'm not one to sit on the conductors lap. I've seen it happen.

9:00am- Arrive at school to see students running rampant (schools starts at 8:30) and no teachers in sight.

9:05am: Locate teachers in staff room huddled around a cake.

10:00-12:00: Young Authors assembly. The students have been preparing stories to present at the exhibition for weeks. Getting 1st graders to write more than "My pet's name is Blackie" is hard to do. So 5 minutes before exhibition, I am quickly filling in the gaps in children's handwriting. Hey...don't judge, it worked! After hearing 25 students read their stories in front of the entire school, I was glad it was over.

12:00-1:00: Students chaotically leave the assembly hall with chairs on head (as pictured), eager to eat lunch, as am I. Thankfully I managed to inhale some trail mix before students started hanging on me. I love this part of the day, but man was I hungry. I got to watch some students play dodgeball and cricket until a hear a student wailing in pain. I go to investigate and find one of my students finger had been smashed in the door. It was missing the top knuckle, not something my First Aid training could handle. Off she went to the hospital with three teachers.

1:15: Realize my counterpart teacher had left with Raziel to the hospital and I now have 20 students to myself. Uh oh. Here we go...

1:30: Manage to get 20 students teeth brushed with their new kits. This is their favorite part of the day, so I couldn't say no. Watching little kids brush their teeth is HILARIOUS. I successfully had all their pearly whites clean with only one student eating toothpaste. SUCCESS!

1:45: No lesson plan in tow you ask? Of course not. Plan B? COLOR!!!! Thanks to the bestest friend Tressa, we had new Mickey Mouse coloring books to tear in to. The way to a 1st graders heart...coloring, cutting and gluing. By the end of coloring session we had successfully broken two pair of scissors, one student had green crayon on her white uniform shirt, two students were fighting over glue which ended up on the floor, an attempted hair cutting and FINALLY new book covers, Mickey Mouse style!

2:30pm: "Please ring the bell, Please ring the bell, Please ring the bell!" RING RING RING RING RING! Thank sweet baby Jesus the bell rang. After a quick prayer they were out the door with new colored pictures and smiles on their faces. Now my day could start...

3:00pm: Run the last students off and begin painting our school mural with the help of Brice, another volunteer, (whose blog is here: www.briceandspice.blogspot.com) but not without watchful eyes through the windows.

3:00-5:15pm: Paint the coolest shipwreck and shark you have ever seen! Bam!

5:45pm: Walk in the door and collapse in bed. But not for long, I have food to make for the new volunteers official swearing in ceremony tomorrow. Twice baked potatoes in the oven and I finally realize "I have only had a handful of trail mix today." I shall settle for cheese and tomatoes, I'm to tired to cook.

9:00pm: FINALLY laying in bed, thinking to myself "I wouldn't want to be anywhere but here." And its only Tuesday.

I love my life!!!!!