January 30th, 2009

Although it has been less than a month since my last entry I have some sad news. On Friday, January 9th my little pup decided to escape from my porch and play around in the street. He was struck by a car and what I saw from the aftermath leads me to assume that he died on impact so he did not suffer very much pain. My friends and family were there for support and I am amazed at how much I loved the little guy after only knowing him for a month and a half. Since it has been a few weeks, I am doing much better but I still miss him all the time. He was so cute and such a ball of energy. I do not think he can ever be replaced. St. Lucian's have an interesting view of dogs as nothing more than pets. Once the kids in my neighborhood found out about PJ they all asked when I was going to get another one. They think I should just replace him with a new puppy and get over it. For the next year at least I will not be getting another puppy. I will re-revaluate in a year or so but I do not think I can handle another one right now, and I don't want to try to replace little PJ. Anyway, on the happier topics.

I am trying to get into work now. While spending a lot of time in the Education Office I also spend my time doing crafts at a beautiful estate named Balenbouche. It was an old plantation, maintained for a few hundred years, it is breathtaking. I go every Tuesday to do crafts with a group of people who are from the National Council of/for Persons with Disabilities. I am also working with a nearby volunteer, Jessica, assisting with an after school program that she set up. She was able to secure a $10,000 grant to run the program!! I feel honored to help out with her project, not to mention, the children in the program are adorable. They are in 4th and 5th grade and even though they are loud and rowdy, they are all good, sweet kids. I say that because I work with them twice a week but if I was their teacher everyday I might be singing a different tune!! On Friday afternoons I assist with football training for the boys near my house. Then during the weekdays I attend meetings and I am involved with the Education Office. I do not have any concrete activities yet but hopefully soon I will start some of my own. I am hoping to begin working with the Primary Schools to start some after school programs such as Environmental Club, Health and Wellness Club, and Sports Clubs. The Girl Guides/Boy Scouts movement is beginning but it is a very slow process so hopefully by this time next year I can say that all of the school have these groups.

There have been fun activities off and on. Currently I am excited for a party tonight at my office for a few birthdays. I will spend all of tomorrow cleaning my house because on Sunday I am hosting a Super Bowl Party. We are getting ribs!!! This is a huge deal since I have not had meat (besides chicken) for about 5 months. So I am very excited! Anyway, I have a things to get done at work so I will write soon, hopefully with happy news. I hope everyone is doing well. I miss and love you all!!!

Kelli

Some Holiday Photos

Happy 2009!!

AAAAHHHH!!! I cannot believe that it is already 2009. That means that in a year I will be coming home! (actually I return home in October 2010 but if one was only looking at the year then it would seem much faster) The holiday season has come and passed. Thankfully I survived, although there was a lot of homesickness in December I survived, thanks largely in part to my friends on the island and to my adorable pup, PJ. His fully name is PJ Sparkles and he is the love of my life! It was very difficult to raise him at first but things are slowly getting better. I spend more time at home in order to be with him and I can not spend nights away from home. Did I mention how adorable he is?? I do not really notice his growth since I am with him all the time but after looking at pictures from when I first got him I have realized the he is getting huge! Although he is difficult to train he is very smart. (I know everyone says that about their pets, and their children, but it is true) I have finally taught him to quit biting my toes but he still tries to chew on my fingers. He has taught me that dogs, like children, are best tog et when they are babies because they are soo cute you cannot get mad at them. Then, by the time they are old, you are already so in love with them that you put up with their craziness. That is just a little theory I have been working on but I definitely think it rings true. Anyway, he is a HUGE responsibility but I love him and I am very happy I made the decision to become a dog owner. 

   So the holidays in St. Lucia...Thanksgiving was delicious!! My favorite part was eating the fudge that Margo's sister brought. Margo is the Peace Corps director for the Eastern Caribbean. The food was amazing and it was shared with great company. The month of December was slow because it was more of a family style month in Choiseul. There was not much work to be done so I spent my time hanging out with friends and playing with PJ. On December 23rd we were all invited to a lunch at the house of the Peace Corps Warden, Bill Jackson. I am still unclear what a "Peace Corps Warden" does but he and his wife were incredibly nice to host us for a Christmas meal. The food was amazing!!! I ate 3 plates full or turkey, ham, stuffing and other scrumptious side dishes. Then on Christmas eve I went to midnight mass. It was supposed to begin at 11 PM. I arrived at 11:20 and mass finally began at 11:45. The service was nice but because of the heavy rain it was pretty empty. I still felt like I fulfilled my Catholic obligations by attending and it was a nice way to end 2008. On Christmas Day I spoke with my family over the internet and visited with a few of my friends from Choiseul. It was very laid back and I really missed home but surviving Christmas has made me stronger. 

New Years Eve was much different than Christmas. My friends Hallie and Jason, fellow Peace Corps volunteers, came to my house so we could celebrate together. Hallie did not feel well so Jason adn I went to the village to celebrate. We participated in a St. Lucian tradition known as a Jou ouve` (which is the Patois name for dawn or daybreak). Basically, you stay up until the sun rises. Jason and I had our fair share of Pitons (the beer brewed in St. Lucia) and we had a great time among my friends from Choiseul. It was surprising how many people I knew and it was nice to feel surrounded by friends to welcome in the New Year. Today is my first day back at work. I am excited to get back to work and I cannot wait to see what 2009 has in store! A few other highlights from break.... Visiting a few secluded beaches with the other volunteers. A hike across the rainforest from one side of the island to the other and back again. And attending an event at the field near my house called, "Square." On the last week of school in December I also went with a group of teachers from my school to climb Gros Piton which is a huge mountain in St. Lucia. The aforementioned beer is named after this mountain and Petit Piton the other in the mountain range. I have been keeping busy but still enjoying myself. I hope that everyone had a great holiday season and they are optimistic for 2009. I love and miss you all!!!

Kelli

a few pics to be followed by a Christmas Post!!

The First sweaty picture is of me on top of Gros Piton. The second picture is before the hike when we went to see how cocoa sticks are made. It took all of my strength to crank the cocoa grinder, I could not imagine doing that everyday! The third picture is of the cookout we had on my porch. I inherited the Peace Corps Grill along with my house so the girls cooked us some delicious chicken. My new puppy, PJ Sparkles. He was named after a doll that Heather and I had when we were little. So far he has been a challenge but also a joy to have in my life. The last picture is of some Peace Corps ladies before we went out to a concert. It was entitled, Lovefest, and although I did not fall in love I had a great time.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

November 25th, 2008

   How is the weather in the US? Here it is about 80 degrees and sunny. Not my typical Thanksgiving week weather. Sorry for the sporadic nature of my posts, I am never sure when I wrote the last one so whenever I have free time I like to knock out another one. I am sure everyone is wondering, and yes, I will be having turkey this year! All of the Peace Corps volunteers are having a Thanksgiving feast. Imagine a Thanksgiving potluck with about 25 people and 3 Turkeys!!! I am really exited but my stomach is already hurting in anticipation of all of the food I will stuff into my mouth. Yummmm!!!! We are also having an American Football match between the volunteers. I will be sporting my Denver Broncos jersey so hopefully I represent for my team. Basically from here until next year my work is slowing down significantly. The schools are all in exams and they let out on December 13th. Then they return January 5th. The holidays are a time of celebration where work is much less important than spending time with ones' family. In other words, I do not have much to do these days. The football skills training I am doing is still going well and it will continue into break so I will have something to do no y Tuesday and Friday afternoons. i would also like everyone to know that I have a new addition to my family. NO I am not pregnant!!! I am getting a puppy :) ! On Thanksgiving he will be 6 weeks so he is ready to come home with me. Currently his name is Cupid because he is white with 2 brown spots shaped like hearts. I am going to change his name but I am not sure exactly what I will call hi. Once I spend more time with him i will decide on a name that fits his personality. I am sure that everyone is thinking, what breed? We do not have the luxury of breeds unless you want to shell out a ton of money. He is a mongrel but he will grow to the size of a golden retriever. I am very excited to add him to my family and since the Holiday season is so slow I will spend the time training hi. Do not worry, I realize that a dog is a HUGE responsibility but I have weighed the pros and cons and I am very excited to add a loving member to my family. 

   I go to the office a few days a week to occupy myself. Everyone in the office is very friendly and they love to joke around and have a good time. I am finding it more and more fun to go to the office. I feel lucky to have such great colleagues to work with. I can't wait until school starts again next semester so that I can start doing some real work. Right now the plan is for me to start after school programs at the primary schools such as: Environmental club, Health and Wellness Club, and Girl Guides (also known as Girl Scouts). I am also trying to start a female football(soccer) team at the secondary school. It will take a lot of time to put all of these programs into place but I am excited to have concrete ideas to work on. I am starting to make more friends in my community. Sometimes I joke that all of my friends are either under 1 years old or over 40 years old but I am starting to meet a wide variety of people. It is just a matter of walking around in the Village and being as friendly as possible. My face gets sore from the constant smile on my face but it is worth it when someone says hello back to me. It is even better when they remember my name, it makes me feel welcome, like I am starting to fit in. Another method to fit in and get to know people is to work on my proficiency with the language (patois). My colleagues in the office are always speaking Patois so I am going to make a serious effort to learn it over the next few months. I have been slacking on my Patois  studying since I left Peace Corps Training so I need to take it upon myself to learn the language. I will update everyone on how that goes in a few months...Maybe I could save it for my  New Years Resolution...? We shall see. I am currently waiting to act as secretary for the Committee to plan activities for Independence Day. The meeting was supposed to begin at 10:00 AM and it is 10:45 and there are only 4 of us for the meeting. It is a great example of life in St. Lucia. Most activities do no start on time. We are definitely on "Island Time." It is quite the adjustment in mindset. I always get to meetings on time and it is usually just me and the meeting chair for awhile until everyone else arrives. Oh well, I would rather be early and have to wait, than to make everyone else wait on me.

   Since it is the week of Thanksgiving I would just like to thank everyone for supporting me through this interesting experience. This blog is e-mailed to all of my close friends and family and I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season. I have always the luxury of being home for Thanksgiving but since I am gone this year I finally have an appreciation for family gatherings in the spirit of giving and love. I miss everyone very much.

Sending my Love from the Islands,

Kelli

A few pics!!

1.Some of the girls who live near me. Wenda, Josanni, Dowanika, and Tricia.

2. The Peace Corps Volunteers at the Halloween party.

3. Rihanna after I gave her my Madras sash for Creole day.

4.  A few of the boys from Piaye and me at Creole Day.

5. Drinking the coconut water at the Host family celebration at Pigeon Point.

6. The sunset from my porch. 

7. Hallie, Haley, and I having a photo shoot at the Gros Iset Street Fair.

8. A view of Choiseul Village from the huge hill I have to walk up and down everyday! 

I graduated!!!

It is official, I have graduated Peace Corps training! This is almost as exciting as graduating college, except that we were only in training for 7 weeks and unless you really mess up, everyone graduates. It is exciting though that I don't have to go to Castries anymore. I am in my community for good! This Thursday I have a meeting with my point person (my boss in the community) to discuss my 3 month work plan. This will give me more direction with my service because for the time being I just kind of float around and do whatever I can. For example, this week I am going to the school (which is where I am typing right now) on Tuesday. Then Tuesday afternoon I am going to the "Centre of Excellence" which is a training facility for young athletes. I volunteered to help coach the football players in skills training and today is my first day! I don't want to take on too much responsibility because I know that the program meets twice a week after school, and since I will be working with 13 schools in my district developing after-school programs I should keep my time after school open. Alright, so I have been learning Patois for 7 weeks now and though I am far from fluent, I think that incorporating a new language into my vocabulary has hurt my English. So I apologize from here on out for any grammar, punctuation, spelling or poor word usage for the next 2 years....

I DIGRESS... Tomorrow, (Wednesday) I am attending a meeting to plan events for Independence Day on February 22nd. Then I need to go to Vieux Fort to get money out of the ATM. (Side Note: I have to travel 3o minutes by bus in order to get to an ATM, so I need to keep an emergency $4 stash around near the end of the month. ) I need to get money because I have been out of propane since Saturday morning. Since my stove runs off of a propane tank I have been with my over for a little while too long. It did teach me some alternative cooking methods though. I have had tuna salad sandwiches for a few days and I realized that I can use my coffee maker to heat up water for noodles. Needless to say, I am currently starving and getting money for another gas tank tomorrow is a necessity! On Thursday I am meeting with Mr. Mathurin (my Point person) and after I set up my 3 month work plan I will have more direction for the next few weeks. Friday I am planning on going to Soufriere to hang out with some of the other volunteers. Unless my point person has other plans for me. The Peace Corps has taught me to be flexible and more laid back. Otherwise I would have had about 7 nervous breakdowns already. Luckily, I came in with an open mind and that has helped me a lot!! I am trying to think of a few cute stories to share but right now my mind is blank... Last weekend was "Jounen Kweyol" or Creole Day. It is the national holiday celebrated in St. Lucia and Dominica and it is a celebration of the Creole Culture. Many people dress up in traditional outfits made with Madras fabric. It is a plaid with red, yellow, and green. Most of the Creole outfits involve the fabric. The day was celebrated at the school on Friday and then on the field for the entire community of Sunday. We had a good time, drank a few too many Pitons (that is the local beer), and learned a lot about St. Lucia culture. I can't think of any good stories right now, I am still waiting for internet to be installed at my house so once it goes in I will be able to write exciting stories and hopefully post some pictures. Until then, I have a lot of photos up on facebook. I hope everything is going well in the United States. We are having a Peace Corps Halloween party on Friday and then an election party on Tuesday hopefully to celebrate my candidate's big win!! We will see... I love and miss everyone and hope that you are having a Happy Halloween!!!

Love,
Kelli