Visitor(s)

I have a confession: My friends are crazy. No, like realllllllllllly crazy. I was expecting my best friend Tressa to arrive on June 15th for a week of debauchery. Instead, I received a Skype message from my other friend Ali that stated, "Need to get out of Kansas, see you in the morning". Ummmm, excuse me? You live 2,000 miles away and you are going to be here in the morning? CRAZY! Told you...

Fort George with the beautiful view of the Carenage in the background.

I was pleasantly surprised by two of my best friends that day, something that I so greatly needed after a month of madness around Grenada. Tressa has been planning her trip since March, eager to see my new life here in the Spice Isle, while if you remember reading here, Ali visited last September. Apparently she couldn't get enough of the Spice and had to return. Or maybe it was because she missed me? I'm going to go with that.


The first day we walked around St. George's where I exposed them to the heckling from market ladies, sexual remarks from liming men and some delicious food. We ventured up to Fort George, seeing the beautiful Carenage and capital from a birds eye view. That trip never gets old.

Waiting under the mango tree for a bus.

I think I can safely say the highlight of their trip was getting to see my students at St. Paul's Government School. As we walked up the hill Ali asks "They will let us take their picture right?" ha! Two seconds later we had a swarm of children running down the hill yelling "MISS MISS, you brought friends from America!!!" It didn't take long until the kids had the hearts of Ali and Tressa and were busy taking photos, posing and chatting. It was amazing to see my kids embrace diversity, as I am the first white person many of these children have ever met.

Expert painters.

Tressa and Ali also got the opportunity to help with the school mural project I have been working on. They jumped right in and were excited to leave their mark on the project. I have to say, they were pretty good painters, I might hire them to finish it.

Some of my students from last year.

They LOVED Ali. I think the feeling is mutual.

Rum and friends, all you need for a good birthday.

The official reason they came to Grenada (besides to bring me American food) was to celebrate my birthday that was June 18th. We organized a beach lime/burritos on the beach party which was a huge success. I invited some of my local friends and of course the other volunteers were there. The weather was beautiful and I had a great time with my friends. It was a memorable 24th birthday, one I will never forget.

I asked where the girls were and my friends pointed out there. They had found the tubing man. ha!

Ali left on Monday and it was just Tressa and I until Wednesday, so we did a little hiking up to Concord Waterfall, one of my favorite on the island. The 45 minute walk up the mountain wasn't as fun as getting to bathe in the beautiful waterfall. I even convinced Tressa to jump off the cliffs near the falls. I will post a video later on that. The first 15 seconds consist of her saying "oh shit, oh shit, oh shit". HA! Good times.

Finally! We made it!

Concord Waterfall

The walk down the mountain was much easier.

Overall, having Tressa and Ali here was a great time. I enjoyed having friends from home here so I could still feel connected to back home. Since the tornado hit, that was the one thing that was missing, my sense of closeness to the ones back home, and I received that with the arrival of my friends. I can't wait til my mom and sister visit, but until then....I must return to saving the world!

AMERICAN FOOD!!!!!!!!!

Visitor to the Spice Isle

I have been needing a break from the routines of life here in Grenada, so when I got news back in March that my best friend Tressa was visiting, I got excited. Real excited. Like jumping around my house alone excited. I couldn't help it. She will be here Wednesday night, all the way from Kansas City, Kansas.

Tressa is the true definition of a best friend. Her willingness to go above and beyond for anyone she cares about really inspires me to be a good person. We met at a softball tournament my sister was playing in almost 5 years ago. My sister's team had combined teams with another local team for a tournament and so I got to meet some new faces. For there on out, we have been the tag team of best friends. She is such a best friend that I haven't gone a single month without a care package full of the necessities: cold brew ice tea, oreo cakesters and cheez its. She makes sure to slip some fun things in there for the kids like silly bands and play dough too. I am forever grateful for her little pieces of home and can't wait to show her my temporary home.

What I love about visitors is the chance to share my experience with them, a chance to give a different perspective on our inherited American ideologies. When the immediate culture shock wears off I can see true compassion and appreciation in their eyes. They want to take pictures of the beach, the adorable children and the market women. When explaining the realities of those three things, they get it and appreciate it. Personally, I think cross cultural understanding is one of the best character traits you can have as a person and if I have the ability to help a friend see that, I'm all for it.

So, while Tressa is here, if there is one thing I hope to give her its the ability to appreciate American life, understand the beauty in diversity, and walk away from Grenada with a sense of compassion and understanding of the Caribbean.Oh, and hopefully a sun tan!

Because Kids Are Cute!

There isn't much to update the blogland on here in Grenada, so I figured I couldn't go wrong with a picture post of the kids that hold my heart in their hands. They are so wonderful!!!

They are cute, even when they are mad at me.

A student took this picture.

I mean, Life is a party!

I'm sending this one to Scholastic.

They are so adorable when they learn.

And even when they are avoiding learning.

Those eyes say it all.

Where Would You Go???

Dominica, The Nature Isle

With my mind boggled down with thoughts of devastation back home, I have forgotten to write about my mini vacation after Mid-Service Training last week. Forgive me, as its a story worth telling and hopefully a nice break for my readers who obsessively scan every news source all day for anything related to the tornado (or is that just me?).

Mid-Service training came to completion on Friday, May 20th in St. Lucia. Myself and three other volunteers decided months ago to continue our time away from Grenada by traveling on to Dominica, where some of our best volunteer friends live. Thankfully they live a few islands away because we would never get any work done if we were all on the same island, use your imagination if necessary.

:)

After the lovely TERRIBLE service from LIAT airlines, we finally made it to our destination a mere 4 hours late. Dominica is much larger and mountainous than Grenada, so we were in for a treat while taking a bus from the airport to the capital. By this time in the day we were tired, starving and delusional, so our ride consisted of Samieh and Amirh singing Rhianna in the back row, Alex and Crystal sleeping in the second row and Errin and I trying to sight see in the pitch black night. Adventure people!

View from Ft. Young

The first night we rented a hotel room at Fort Young in the capital city of Roseau, which is much more developed than Grenada's capital of St. George's. Coincidentally, the hotel had a happy hour/dj dance hour(s) which we took advantage of quickly. Karaoke and Dominican beer made for an interesting evening.

Thunderstorm by the pool...beautiful.

The next couple days we spent hopping from village to village, crashing at volunteers houses along the way. The second day we ventured to Amirh's house in the southern part of the island, a village named Soufriere. We dropped our stuff and took a quick hike up to Scottshead, a beautiful little point that is separated by the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. So interesting to see the waves crashing on shore from the Atlantic side while the Caribbean Sea relaxes in beauty. While hiking the point we came up with the great idea to have an Amazing Race adventure. It was partially because my fat ass didn't want to hike the massive mountain that was planned for the group, but that's beside the point. Three of us were required to hitch to Alex's village while the other three had to hike over the mountain and meet us. Many competitions along the way made the challenge hilarious, but our hitching group came our victorious.

Scottshead overlooking the Atlantic (right) and Caribbean (left)

:)

Party Foul!!!!

We also made it to Alex's apartment in Grand Bay, where I was crushed by the news from home about the tornado. I wish I remembered more from that night, but my mind was shattered with thoughts of destruction back home. The next day we traveled/hitched to Samieh's village of Dublanc where we ate some AMAZING pizza and drank pitchers of TAP beer. Tap beer is unheard of on the islands, so this was a rare opportunity that lead to many many pitchers.

Soufriere

The following day included hitching with 50 pounds of luggage each to Rashawna's village of Marigot, where we climbed a wicked hill called Monkey Hill, ate delicious veggie burgers, drank Red Stripe beer and played hours of catch phrase. Life is good in Dominica!

Classic hitching picture. Amazing Race Champs!!!

Pit stop during Amazing Race.

I can't wait to host the Dominicans in Grenada during August Carnival time. They are in for a real treat in the Isle of Spice. Dominca is now checked off the bucket list successfully!

Simple Moments

I walked in to my Grade 1 classroom at St. Paul's Govt Primary yesterday for the first time in what seems like years. I had been in St. Lucia and Dominica since the last time I saw them and needed their laughter. Their sweet moments of innocence, their hugs, their smiles. I had just been on the news the night before talking about my hometown being leveled by a tornado. I'm sure they had all seen it, so I was prepared for an emotional day. But what I really needed was to see their happiness, simply going on with their day with no care in the world.

What I was welcomed by was something I couldn't prepare for, letters. After a mauling of hugs by adorable short people they were eager to show me their letters, letters they had written to their friends in Joplin, Missouri. I have done countless lessons with them on where I am from, why my skin is white, what America is, how I came to Grenada, etc. But on this day I wasn't prepared to see genuine concern from 6 year olds, just wanting to hug me and tell me its going to be ok. "Miss, was your home hurt?", "Miss, we missed you so much!", "Miss, can you tell your friends we love them?"

Their letters brought tears to my eyes, so much that I needed to step out of the room. "Miss, its ok to cry, we know you love America". First graders, with hearts of gold who just want people to be happy, who want people who let them be children whenever they want to be. But then, out of the blue, they surprise us with moments of adulthood that even adults can't seem to muster. And on this day, I simply learned its ok to miss home, its ok to cry when you are sad, and its true when they say something we just need to listen to children.

One of my students letter to her friend in Joplin:

Dear Joplin,

My teacher told me a tornado hit your village. What is a tornado? We have hurricanes in Grenada. Do you know what a hurricane is? Is your mommy and daddy ok? I don't know where Missouri is, but I am thinking of you. I am from Grenada, not Missouri. I hope God bless your town and help your people pick up the mess. Is it mess there? Ms. Garst said tornado make things break. Are your toys break? I will send you some if your toys break. God Bless!

Your Friend,

Shamika

Last Week and This Week

Last week I was worried about which mountain we were gonna hike.


This week I'm worried if my hometown will ever recover from this F-5 tornado.

Last week I couldn't decide which outfit to wear to a party.

This week I'm telling my mom to send all my clothes to the emergency shelter.

Last week I was annoyed that my sister was getting to spend time at home.


This week my heart aches that I can't be home with my family and friends.

Last week I was worried I couldn't afford to grocery shop.

This week I am worried about the hundreds of people now left homeless. 

Last week I was arguing with a friend about the importance of service.

This week I see her out volunteering day and night. 

Last week I thought Webb City was the best place to live.

This week I proudly call Joplin my hometown.

Last week I was frustrated at my friends not keeping in touch.

This week I scrambled to find their phone numbers to ensure their safety. 

Last week I watched as neighboring communities slander each others towns.

This week I watched thousands of neighbors pull together in times of need. 

Last week I decided to take a break from Facebook.

This week I frantically search every newsfeed post for updates on the recovery.

Last week I complained about Peace Corps medical checks.


This week I see pictures of our town without a main hospital.

Last week I was enjoying a vacation in Dominica.

This week I feel guilty I can't be home.

Last week I worried about tomorrow.

This week I'm thankful for today.