Hello Everyone!
So I am still having issues with the picture thing.. Everyone can expect them in three weeks. That will be one of the first things I do. I am also going to make myself a hammock!! I think I am going to use the Madras print (which is the national print) to make a sweet hammock for my porch. How is the weather back in the U.S.? I am jealous that the weather is starting to get cold. I feel like I have exciting things to tell everyone but I can't think of them right now....
Last weekend it rained for three days straight and our water turned brown. I was still able to shower but we avoided drinking it. (yet we still cooked with it). I guess we were lucky though because a lot of the communities around us had their water shut off! People living as close as 10 minutes away did not have any water for a few days! Yikes! One of the volunteers' families actually showered (i.e. naked with soap) outside on the back steps. Just thought that was funny!
Ok, I realized recently when talking to my family on the phone, that I haven't really explained the basics of St. Lucia. Before I arrived here I knew nothing about this Country except that many people come here on honeymoons. I was under the impression I would be living in a grass hut.... I WAS VERY WRONG!! We have all of the amenities of houses in the United States. I should preface this statement by saying that my host family is very wealthy compared to the community. But we have almost everything the same as the United States. .. computers, internet, clothes washer, car, toilets, sinks, showers.....We don't have a clothes dryer or dish washer, but they definitely aren't necessary. We live a very nice life. I should also note that there are people who live in extreme poverty. In Choiseul at least 30% of the community is living under the poverty line. But where I am moving I will have running water, a clothes washer, an over, a refrigerator, but I will not have warm water or a dryer.. Oh yeah, and I will also have a madras hammock!!! :) Just throwing that out there! Anyway, sorry this wasn't very interesting but I wanted everyone to know that I am living very similar to the United States.
Love!!!
Kelli
Friday, September 26, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
September 15th, 2008
Hello Everyone,
I seem to remember saying that I would update the blog in a few weeks, but so much is happening that I am going to update again in order to avoid one huge long entry Because I know from experience that no one will read. (Cough,my long e-mails from Prague,cough) So anyway, everything in Saint Lucia has been going really great. Just a note, there are definitely times when I feel homesick, and I miss friends and family, but it would be selfish of my to tell everyone of those sad times, when there are so many happy ones to go along with the bad ones! By the way, another reason to update the blog...I told myself I would work-out today and this seems the best method to avoid actually working out. I should also be doing my laundry but I donÕt think that will be happening anytime soon either.. So you see, nothing has really changed!!!
Over the past week I have had some amazing experiences. I started my internship at the Secondary School. I am shadowing a very nice teacher, who has been teaching for a long time and she is really good with her students. I go to the school every Tuesday and attend all of her classes which are English and Literature. The first day she just introduced me to her class and I observed which is what I will be doing next week as well. Then, the third week I will help to run a lesson or co-facilitate. We haven't talked to much about it yet because when I met her she wasn't aware that I was interning with her. Ooops! Oh well, she handled it well and was very welcoming and nice to me. I have still been going to Castries three weeks. When I am feeling especially ambitious I read on the bus rides back and forth. Last week I read The Nanny Diaries in three days! I am currently reading Crick Crack Monkey for one of the classes I observed. Yep, my homework from the first day is to read an entire book!! It will help me follow along better in class though.
On Friday night my host family and I went to a going away party for a volunteer who has served his 2 years and is leaving Monday (which will be today once this is published). He has given me some great advice and been very helpful over the last two weeks. Saturday, I went with some of the other volunteers to the Sulphur Springs in Soufriere. It was a lot of the fun. The sulphur bath is free!!! We decided not to pay for the tour of the volcano because it is $12.50 EC or $5.00 US and frankly all we are getting paid right now is money to travel to and from Castries. Basically, we live in strange place where we are all very poor but because we look like white tourists, everyone thinks we are rich. But there are also privileges to being white (cough, like in the United States, cough). Although occasionally we might be charged a little extra at the market, or the bus driver might try to cheat us out an E.C. on our fare, overall there is a system of white privilege in place here. I am still doing some research (i.e. having casual conversations with my host sister and others around town) but I think it has to do with supporting tourism, and the belief that white people who visit can support the economy, but I think it also goes back to the slavery experienced by St. Lucian people. Anyway, I could write about this forever so before I bore all of my non-ethnic studies relatives and friends I will switch topics.
I thought it would be interesting to discuss riding the bus. I have had the pleasure of talking to a few of you back home and everyone asks, how is St. Lucia different than home? There are many similarities and differences. The bus system is a great example of differences. The buses, also called mini-buses, are actually large vans. Depending on the van they fit between 13 and 16 passengers. You wait at designated 'bus stops' and when you see one coming you stick out your arm and wave it up and down one or twice. DO NOT WAVE TO THE BUS DRIVER!! He will wave back and keep on driving. (Luckily I was educated on the system early enough that I haven't experienced that one!) If you succeed in pulling him over (1. I have yet to see a female driver so the 'he' is appropriate. 2. He will not pull over if he is full. This causes some volunteers trouble, but most of the buses headed out of Choiseul have a few seats open) you hop in. One interesting aspect of the culture is that upon entering the bus, it is polite to greet everyone with a "Good morning," "Good afternoon." or "Good Night." (NOTE: Good Night means the same thing as Good Evening, but the first few times I heard it I was very confused) These greeting are also used with everyone you walk by on the street. I walk by some Elementary age children on my way to stop and everytime I say "Good morning" they return the "Good morning." It is one of the charming aspects of my village because in Castries, it is less friendly.... I digress...Once you get on the bus, you hold on for dear life while the driver drives around the hills, twists and turns. Dramamine is not supplied but it would be nice before bus rides. Once you reach your individual destination you use one of a few commands to make the bus stop. My choice phrase is "Stopping Please," other options include "Stopping Driver," and "Bus stop." Then you jump out on the side of the road. (The cars drive on the left side, they call it the "Good side" here since so visitors call it the wrong side of the road) You pay the driver through the passenger side window and continue on your way. At first it was stressful to learn which stops to go to and to focus enough to get to your own stop, but by this point isn't too bad.
Ok, this is getting dangerously long so I am going to end it now. Again, I miss everyone and send my love! I hope everything is well at home and I will talk to you all again soon!!
Love,
Kelli
I seem to remember saying that I would update the blog in a few weeks, but so much is happening that I am going to update again in order to avoid one huge long entry Because I know from experience that no one will read. (Cough,my long e-mails from Prague,cough) So anyway, everything in Saint Lucia has been going really great. Just a note, there are definitely times when I feel homesick, and I miss friends and family, but it would be selfish of my to tell everyone of those sad times, when there are so many happy ones to go along with the bad ones! By the way, another reason to update the blog...I told myself I would work-out today and this seems the best method to avoid actually working out. I should also be doing my laundry but I donÕt think that will be happening anytime soon either.. So you see, nothing has really changed!!!
Over the past week I have had some amazing experiences. I started my internship at the Secondary School. I am shadowing a very nice teacher, who has been teaching for a long time and she is really good with her students. I go to the school every Tuesday and attend all of her classes which are English and Literature. The first day she just introduced me to her class and I observed which is what I will be doing next week as well. Then, the third week I will help to run a lesson or co-facilitate. We haven't talked to much about it yet because when I met her she wasn't aware that I was interning with her. Ooops! Oh well, she handled it well and was very welcoming and nice to me. I have still been going to Castries three weeks. When I am feeling especially ambitious I read on the bus rides back and forth. Last week I read The Nanny Diaries in three days! I am currently reading Crick Crack Monkey for one of the classes I observed. Yep, my homework from the first day is to read an entire book!! It will help me follow along better in class though.
On Friday night my host family and I went to a going away party for a volunteer who has served his 2 years and is leaving Monday (which will be today once this is published). He has given me some great advice and been very helpful over the last two weeks. Saturday, I went with some of the other volunteers to the Sulphur Springs in Soufriere. It was a lot of the fun. The sulphur bath is free!!! We decided not to pay for the tour of the volcano because it is $12.50 EC or $5.00 US and frankly all we are getting paid right now is money to travel to and from Castries. Basically, we live in strange place where we are all very poor but because we look like white tourists, everyone thinks we are rich. But there are also privileges to being white (cough, like in the United States, cough). Although occasionally we might be charged a little extra at the market, or the bus driver might try to cheat us out an E.C. on our fare, overall there is a system of white privilege in place here. I am still doing some research (i.e. having casual conversations with my host sister and others around town) but I think it has to do with supporting tourism, and the belief that white people who visit can support the economy, but I think it also goes back to the slavery experienced by St. Lucian people. Anyway, I could write about this forever so before I bore all of my non-ethnic studies relatives and friends I will switch topics.
I thought it would be interesting to discuss riding the bus. I have had the pleasure of talking to a few of you back home and everyone asks, how is St. Lucia different than home? There are many similarities and differences. The bus system is a great example of differences. The buses, also called mini-buses, are actually large vans. Depending on the van they fit between 13 and 16 passengers. You wait at designated 'bus stops' and when you see one coming you stick out your arm and wave it up and down one or twice. DO NOT WAVE TO THE BUS DRIVER!! He will wave back and keep on driving. (Luckily I was educated on the system early enough that I haven't experienced that one!) If you succeed in pulling him over (1. I have yet to see a female driver so the 'he' is appropriate. 2. He will not pull over if he is full. This causes some volunteers trouble, but most of the buses headed out of Choiseul have a few seats open) you hop in. One interesting aspect of the culture is that upon entering the bus, it is polite to greet everyone with a "Good morning," "Good afternoon." or "Good Night." (NOTE: Good Night means the same thing as Good Evening, but the first few times I heard it I was very confused) These greeting are also used with everyone you walk by on the street. I walk by some Elementary age children on my way to stop and everytime I say "Good morning" they return the "Good morning." It is one of the charming aspects of my village because in Castries, it is less friendly.... I digress...Once you get on the bus, you hold on for dear life while the driver drives around the hills, twists and turns. Dramamine is not supplied but it would be nice before bus rides. Once you reach your individual destination you use one of a few commands to make the bus stop. My choice phrase is "Stopping Please," other options include "Stopping Driver," and "Bus stop." Then you jump out on the side of the road. (The cars drive on the left side, they call it the "Good side" here since so visitors call it the wrong side of the road) You pay the driver through the passenger side window and continue on your way. At first it was stressful to learn which stops to go to and to focus enough to get to your own stop, but by this point isn't too bad.
Ok, this is getting dangerously long so I am going to end it now. Again, I miss everyone and send my love! I hope everything is well at home and I will talk to you all again soon!!
Love,
Kelli
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
I made it to my homestay!!
Bonjour, Sock-a-fet (that means whatÕs up? it is the phoentic spelling for Patois. I just invented it but Patois has only been a written language for a few years so it could be close...Language class starts Friday so I will let you know!) anyway....
Hello Everyone!!
So although it has only been a week since I last wrote, it feels as if a lifetime has passed. I am currently living in St. Lucia with my amazing host family but I will back up a little to catch everyone up..... On Wednesday afternoon we arrived in St. Lucia. As soon as we exited the plane it was hot and humid. It was raining a little so the humidity was extreme. None of us really noticed though because we were so excited to be there. Thirty-nine of us flew to St. Lucia and at this point we have been dispersed to St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and St. Lucia. My group in St. Lucia consists of 13 trainees although there are already about 20 or 30 volunteers on the island who have been living here for awhile. Once we arrived we were taken to the area for our training. It was a nice place, a Catholic retreat place and we had an amazing view! Hopefully I can attach some pictures. The only problem was that the building that my group slept in was up a ton of stairs!! By the time we reached the stop everyone was breathing heavy and sweating a ton (but I am pretty sure the sweating part can be applied to my Peace Corps service for the next 2 years.) We spend 4 days at the retreat place going to class everyday to learn about policies and procedures. It was long and boring but I am sure that it is necessary. My only other complaint is that I was attacked!!! by the mosquitoes, or some sort of insect. I am hoping to attach the picture of my legs but they were covered in itchy bites. Some people said it looked like bed bugs, others said mosquitoes, I am not sure, I just want them to go away. They are slowly starting to fade but they still look nasty. The mosquitoes are much better at my house now because I have screens on my window! and a fan at night that keeps them away. Anyway, after the mosquitoes feasted on my body I was happy to be meeting my host family on Saturday. (Seriously though, I had atleast 60 bites on my arms and legs, it looked like a skin eating disease...)
We said bye to the other volunteers who went to the airport and we were driven to the Peace Corps office in Castries. My family got me around 11. Clara is my host-mother and Keam is my host-brother. He does not live with us though because he has his own place closer to Castries. Later in the day I met my host-sister, Jen. She is 24 and she lives at home so we have been getting along very well. (DonÕt worry Heath, you wonÕt be replaced, but she is very sweet and we have A LOT in common! so it is nice to have her around) My host-mom is also really great. She has had at least 3 other Peace Corps volunteers stay at her house so she knows the routine. She wants me to be very comfortable at home so she does everything she can to help me out. She even bought me Honey-nut Cheerios!!! On my first day of training I had to take the bus to get to the office in Castries by 9:00. Just so everyone knows, I am living in a town named, Choiseul. (The Peace Corps has a policy about giving away to much information about oneself so that might be removed later). It is the farthest town from Castries. To be there by 9:00 I have to leave my house at 6:30. I ride 3 different buses for a total of around 2 hours with about 20 or 30 minutes walking and I finally arrive at the office. There are a few people who live at my first stop though so I can ride with them and it makes things a little more exciting. On my first day though, Clara drove me to the first stop and talked to the driver of my second bus to make sure that I got to the right stop. Then, once I made it to the office I had to call her to let her know I arrived safely.
I went to Catholic Church with Clara on Sunday morning. She goes to the 6:30 service!!! Yikes! It was early, but also just early enough to still be slightly cool. She told me she is usually late for church and I wasnÕt sure what she meant until we arrived at 6:50 to a 6:30 service. But it turns out that we had the preacher who talks a lot so the service lasted until 8:30 and we were there for more than half of it. After church she took me to visit a girl who is a volunteer in the next town over. She has been here for a year so it was great to talk to her and get her perspective. Saturday night I was really extremely homesick and Clara felt bad for me so she made me meet Jessica to have some to talk to who I could relate with. Hanging out with Jessica was great because she answered all of my questions and made me feel better about a lot of things I had doubts about, and now I have a friend close by who I can hang out with for the next year! She does work with a lot of the kids in her community so they all came over to hang out! Even though there were some wild and crazy kids, for the most part they were adorable! It was a great reminded of why I wanted to join Peace Corps. Not just to help out the people of my community, but mainly to help the kids and hopefully give them the tools to achieve things they never thought they could... Okay, that is sort of a corny rant but the kids made everything easier. We took them to the beach and played and hung-out. Anyway, I havenÕt done much so far except for successfully making it into Castries yesterday, and going to church. Tomorrow (which is more like ÒtodayÓ because it will be Wednesday when I have internet at the office so I can post this blog) I am picking my players for fantasy football because apparently some of the volunteers have a league and they invited me to join! That is all of the excitement now. I am very happy, and very excited to begin this incredibly long journey. I think I am going to a play on Friday with my host mom and sister. They said it is in Patois but they will translate for me, it should be interesting. Then next Saturday my sister and I have plans to have a day in Canaries of shopping, going to see a movie and eating dominoes pizza!!! That is definitely something to look forward to! I hope everything is going well in the states, sorry I can't make my e-mails more individual but when I move into my own place I should have internet so I can send everyone messages... Until then it will have to be one general message.
Love, (I learned how to say it in Patois but I already forgot!),
Kelli
P.S. I met a current volunteer, Tameron in Choiseul. He gave me the GRAND TOUR (which involves about a 5-10 minute walk from one side to the other). It is a great little community and I am hoping to be a useful tool in youth development. I also got a preview of his house and it is amazing!! It has 3 extra beds and a place on the porch to hang a hammock...and the most AMAZING VIEW!!! I am really going to try to live in his place. He moves out on the 15th so I am going to talk to my supervisor today and try to secure a place there when he moves out. I just realized that I can't get my picture posted yet so it will have to be in 7 weeks when I can hook up my computer to the internet! Ok, everyone needs the computer so I will talk to you later! I love everyone and miss you all!!!
Hello Everyone!!
So although it has only been a week since I last wrote, it feels as if a lifetime has passed. I am currently living in St. Lucia with my amazing host family but I will back up a little to catch everyone up..... On Wednesday afternoon we arrived in St. Lucia. As soon as we exited the plane it was hot and humid. It was raining a little so the humidity was extreme. None of us really noticed though because we were so excited to be there. Thirty-nine of us flew to St. Lucia and at this point we have been dispersed to St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and St. Lucia. My group in St. Lucia consists of 13 trainees although there are already about 20 or 30 volunteers on the island who have been living here for awhile. Once we arrived we were taken to the area for our training. It was a nice place, a Catholic retreat place and we had an amazing view! Hopefully I can attach some pictures. The only problem was that the building that my group slept in was up a ton of stairs!! By the time we reached the stop everyone was breathing heavy and sweating a ton (but I am pretty sure the sweating part can be applied to my Peace Corps service for the next 2 years.) We spend 4 days at the retreat place going to class everyday to learn about policies and procedures. It was long and boring but I am sure that it is necessary. My only other complaint is that I was attacked!!! by the mosquitoes, or some sort of insect. I am hoping to attach the picture of my legs but they were covered in itchy bites. Some people said it looked like bed bugs, others said mosquitoes, I am not sure, I just want them to go away. They are slowly starting to fade but they still look nasty. The mosquitoes are much better at my house now because I have screens on my window! and a fan at night that keeps them away. Anyway, after the mosquitoes feasted on my body I was happy to be meeting my host family on Saturday. (Seriously though, I had atleast 60 bites on my arms and legs, it looked like a skin eating disease...)
We said bye to the other volunteers who went to the airport and we were driven to the Peace Corps office in Castries. My family got me around 11. Clara is my host-mother and Keam is my host-brother. He does not live with us though because he has his own place closer to Castries. Later in the day I met my host-sister, Jen. She is 24 and she lives at home so we have been getting along very well. (DonÕt worry Heath, you wonÕt be replaced, but she is very sweet and we have A LOT in common! so it is nice to have her around) My host-mom is also really great. She has had at least 3 other Peace Corps volunteers stay at her house so she knows the routine. She wants me to be very comfortable at home so she does everything she can to help me out. She even bought me Honey-nut Cheerios!!! On my first day of training I had to take the bus to get to the office in Castries by 9:00. Just so everyone knows, I am living in a town named, Choiseul. (The Peace Corps has a policy about giving away to much information about oneself so that might be removed later). It is the farthest town from Castries. To be there by 9:00 I have to leave my house at 6:30. I ride 3 different buses for a total of around 2 hours with about 20 or 30 minutes walking and I finally arrive at the office. There are a few people who live at my first stop though so I can ride with them and it makes things a little more exciting. On my first day though, Clara drove me to the first stop and talked to the driver of my second bus to make sure that I got to the right stop. Then, once I made it to the office I had to call her to let her know I arrived safely.
I went to Catholic Church with Clara on Sunday morning. She goes to the 6:30 service!!! Yikes! It was early, but also just early enough to still be slightly cool. She told me she is usually late for church and I wasnÕt sure what she meant until we arrived at 6:50 to a 6:30 service. But it turns out that we had the preacher who talks a lot so the service lasted until 8:30 and we were there for more than half of it. After church she took me to visit a girl who is a volunteer in the next town over. She has been here for a year so it was great to talk to her and get her perspective. Saturday night I was really extremely homesick and Clara felt bad for me so she made me meet Jessica to have some to talk to who I could relate with. Hanging out with Jessica was great because she answered all of my questions and made me feel better about a lot of things I had doubts about, and now I have a friend close by who I can hang out with for the next year! She does work with a lot of the kids in her community so they all came over to hang out! Even though there were some wild and crazy kids, for the most part they were adorable! It was a great reminded of why I wanted to join Peace Corps. Not just to help out the people of my community, but mainly to help the kids and hopefully give them the tools to achieve things they never thought they could... Okay, that is sort of a corny rant but the kids made everything easier. We took them to the beach and played and hung-out. Anyway, I havenÕt done much so far except for successfully making it into Castries yesterday, and going to church. Tomorrow (which is more like ÒtodayÓ because it will be Wednesday when I have internet at the office so I can post this blog) I am picking my players for fantasy football because apparently some of the volunteers have a league and they invited me to join! That is all of the excitement now. I am very happy, and very excited to begin this incredibly long journey. I think I am going to a play on Friday with my host mom and sister. They said it is in Patois but they will translate for me, it should be interesting. Then next Saturday my sister and I have plans to have a day in Canaries of shopping, going to see a movie and eating dominoes pizza!!! That is definitely something to look forward to! I hope everything is going well in the states, sorry I can't make my e-mails more individual but when I move into my own place I should have internet so I can send everyone messages... Until then it will have to be one general message.
Love, (I learned how to say it in Patois but I already forgot!),
Kelli
P.S. I met a current volunteer, Tameron in Choiseul. He gave me the GRAND TOUR (which involves about a 5-10 minute walk from one side to the other). It is a great little community and I am hoping to be a useful tool in youth development. I also got a preview of his house and it is amazing!! It has 3 extra beds and a place on the porch to hang a hammock...and the most AMAZING VIEW!!! I am really going to try to live in his place. He moves out on the 15th so I am going to talk to my supervisor today and try to secure a place there when he moves out. I just realized that I can't get my picture posted yet so it will have to be in 7 weeks when I can hook up my computer to the internet! Ok, everyone needs the computer so I will talk to you later! I love everyone and miss you all!!!
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