Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.

1 am, 21 Sept 09

Eyes are bugging out, very tired. So much to do and so little time.

I've posted info on Myspace and Facebook already, but I should post here as well. The hammer has fallen on the whole medical situation with the Peace Corps. I got off lucky with the surgery in Panama. I was given the option to go home to the Chicago area or return to post on SVG. The return to post option was based on my monthly check-ups with the local ENT. I was informed that when it came time for a second operation, I would be separated from service. Gut feeling is leading me to believe this time will be about 6-8 months or so from now. I met with our Peace Corps Medical Officer (PCMO) on last week Friday and she agreed with me on that estimated guess. It is a pity that I probably was not going to make it to the full close of service with everyone else.

Seems as if I a bit premature to think I'd make it even that far. Turns out that the ENT doctor here, while rather good at what he does and very knowledgeable, does not have the equipment required to see deep enough inside the throat to check the problematic areas in completion. That judgment call was determined by PC Office of Medical Services (OMS) in Washington D.C. My PCMO called me just this past Wednesday to inform me of the OMS decision and that I had 7 days to wrap things up on SVG because I was being sent home on a medical separation.

It was kinda like getting hit rather hard in the stomach and I was at a loss for words. I told people here that the med sep day was like a dark rain cloud hanging in the distance. I told them it was as if that rain cloud was blowing in my direction and it would be here eventually--just seems that storm couldn't wait to arrive. Now I'm in the process of trying to reverse myself back into the American world and rediscover how/where to live back home. I spent the last 2 months or so before service getting all my i's dotted and t's crossed so I wouldn't have to worry about anything while I was away. 2 months...and now the PC says I have 7 days to flip back and 'normalize'. I suppose that in of self is better than many med sep. Those who are on medevac don't even get to return to post first to say their goodbyes and gather their personal things. (Those would be boxed and mailed back by PC staff members) At least this way I can get a sense of closure.

That closure hasn't been easy and I'm coming to realize just how many things I've managed to do over the past year and what it has meant for some of the people here. I had a rather tough assignment here when things fell apart with my host organization rather early into the assignment. Since then I dug deep into Spring Village and found niches here to fill. The people of my village have really taken to me come out to show support in my leaving. Many have even asked if they could file petitions and send letters to keep me here--although some of them still think I'm just hoarse and that silly about being sent home for hoarseness.

So I tossed together at the last minute a photo slideshow with music to honor the thngs I've witnessed and embraced over the past year. This tribute is just to my Vincy people that I've shared so much with over the past year. I wanted to have it ready for a going away party that I had on Saturday which much success. I might make one with the wonderful volunteers I've served with if time permits soon.


<< Just discovered that Youtube pulled the sound from the video for copyright issues on the 2nd one, don't know if they will eventually pull sound on the first. So I uploaded the video to Vimeo and have reposted it in one full video clip here for ya!>>>

Spring Village Goodbye from Shawn Rujedi on Vimeo.

One hell of a year. Thank you Spring Village and those who reside therein and the surrounding areas.

And on that note, I'm set to come home back to the Chicago area this coming Wednesday. Life will close this chapter and begin another. I still have a desire to pursue law/grad school in the fall of 2010 and now I just need to figure out the best way to fill the gaps till then.

Stay safe and happy,
ciao tutti,
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn

Culture.....some things you like and some things you don't

Heya readers!

A bit of a rant to kick this off.....so the Ocean Conservancy has been sponsoring the international beach clean-up and St Vincent was supposed to have a nation wide effort all over the island 2 weekends ago. Due to rain storms, many of the St Vincent locations got rescheduled for this past weekend. Nobody officially canceled our site clean-up, so I spent some time by myself picking up the trash. So the local environmental group chose (and very supportively) to relaunch our clean-up efforts for this past Sunday 9am. There was supposed to be a decent sized group, a beach cook, music, and generally good time. What happened? I sat on the beach for an hour by myself wondering what happened to the enthusiasm and commitment I had heard only 3-4 days prior. Just today I found out that the person responsible for the food wasn't able to fulfill that portion for whatever reason. That single factor got the others to decide they didn't want to do it without the food. It was only expected to be a couple hours of work!
--There is a Vincy dialect saying, "All skin teeth, nar lauf". Some of you might understand it's meaning--just because you smile doesn't mean that you are also happy. That's what I did when I was told why nobody showed. Now I was pre-warned by one of our training instructors that most Vincy's are motivated by their stomachs; be sure to have food at anything we do. I now see just how right he was. This is just one aspect of culture. I'm not looking to change it or fight it......just something to live and learn by while I'm here. Better to realize it sooner with an outside project than one that I put lots of time into.

Today I went on a Heritage Tour with a select group of students and hosted by the Ministry of Youth--as part of the greater effort to kick off Youth Month here. We went to several places including the Vermont Nature Tour info area, the Wallabou plant propagation center where a large varieties of pre-sprouted plants can be bought by farmers at subsidized gov't prices, the Layou Petroglyph site (yeah, rock carvings have been found here and are still being studied), and a place called Dark View Falls. This last place is my new favorite site. It is on the far Northern side not too far from a place called Richmond. Here, there is a a waterfall called Dark View Falls due to the canopys that shade the place and darken the lighting. All around the falls and river is feeds are protected bamboo groves. This place is so quite and tranquil. The bamboo groves reminded me of my time in Japan and I really enjoyed the Kyoto bamboo forest as well. This place is a bit far for the tourist thing, but I highly recommend it.

Saturday, I went to a place called Richmond Beach. That beach isn't super special on my list of places (although a nearby rock outcropping is), but I took a pic that I'm really happy with of the incoming waves on the sand. It is currently my desktop image. If you like it too, feel free to copy it from the site below. I hope that the size and quality were preserved for you.

Here's a link for a few general pics--trying out Google's picasa web. For a free 1GB of space, why not.
http://picasaweb.google.com/friendsofshawn/MyAdventures#

Stay well and happy,
ciao tutti,
~your wannabe jedi
~Shawn

Let the rain begin. ^_^

Of course, it is the rainy season here....and all week I have carried my awesome smiley face umbrella with me expecting rain. None really, until Saturday when Murphy's law kicked in...the day I didn't bring it. That's ok--a few of us had a good time running for shelter and waiting it out in Kingstown. ^_^ It has rained on and off steadily since then, a nice warm rain.

Village update--
--I was expecting to find old computers in dire need of rehab and I walked in to find 4 new dells, sweet.
--Took some pics I can post.....you'll find them posted below. ^_^


Vans, our wonderful mode of transportation.
--Not sure if I mentioned this already, but all of our vans have these quaint little differences. Most of them have names on the front and body using car decals. Again--I'd post some, but I am going to check for approval first. (this is getting on my nerves, but better safe than sorry)
--They also usually have something wrong with them, typically harmless, but the Friday night my ride home had the headlights cutting in and out. On a dark and very winding mountain road that makes for quite the ride. >.< I'm not taking that one in the dark again.

Schools.............
--I have yet to see them in action firsthand, but I am scheduled to start visiting them this week. Others have already been inside a few and we are learning about the educational system here on St Vincent.
--Based on a British model, the kids here study for 2 major exams. The 1st (CEE) takes them from a primary school into secondary with the exam scores allowing parents to choose which secondary schools they would like their children to attend. The 2nd exam (CXC) is near the end of secondary school and is a major factor in the child's chances to get certain jobs, go on to college, or find a particular trade school. In fact, we learned that their actual diploma is not worth nearly as much as those exam grades.
--The schools education and resource allocation is determined completely by the government.

Cost of living
--Having a few more times to explore the capital, I'm seeing that many things here cost an equivalent to the same items in the U.S. after guesstimating for exchange rates. USD $1.00 = ECD $2.7. KFC offers their 2-piece meal combo for about EC $16......and no I did not eat the chicken. A .5 gallon bottle of juice at the supermarket was around EC $18-19.....so given how much juice I like to drink.....time to get started on that garden. >.<

More adventurous stuff:
--Got to meet some of the other volunteers on the St Vincent. They are cool people and seem excited to have us around. Finally, they are not the newbies. ^_^ They have just finished their 1yr marker.
--Helped my host dad feed his goats and also fed a baby goat from a bottle. Pics have been taken....may post later.
--Have been waking up around 5:30 and starting to get used to it. Bucket baths are becoming normal for me and I really don't mind them.
--Saturday morning/afternoon, hung out with 2 other volunteers and played ball with some kids on the beach. It was fun. Got to see one of the other volunteer's homes--it was awesome and she has a great view! Perhaps mine will be so sweet once I move in....well not as sweet since I've already seen the outside, but I'm looking forward to stepping in. Look for that in late October.
--Spent Saturday evening chillin' and watching another game of dominoes with my host dad. He says perhaps next time I will be ready to jump in--lesson time over.
--Met my first guy who REALLY didn't like my being in the village. Nothing personal to me, but he didn't like the Peace Corps being here. He got very vocal and used some colorful words. I was also a bit wary of the cutlass (machete) he was slapping against his thigh. I left him quickly and now know at least one person to avoid. Later, I learned he is a few cards short of a deck--according to others in the village. Even more reason to take care around him.
--Took tons of pics of my village today during some early morning rain. Sorry, I can't post nearly any of them....but here is a triple treat that turned out really nice!









This last one is an old government installed clothes and bathing station pulling water. Although most people have indoor plumbing, these are still in use by many people.

Holy breadfruit batman! I just saw the time and it is LATE for me. Time to log out and get a couple hours of sleep.....
Until next time, stay happy and well.
ciao tutti,
~your wannabe jedi
~Shawn

Live from SVG!

Hey all you out there that are not here! ^_^
So I here I am, blogging away from St Vincent. I am tucked away here in a little village--but not allowed to say where exactly. Shortly after arrival on the island--I met up with my host family where I'll be staying for a few weeks. They are helping me learn to get around and shop here, as well as help immerse me in the local dialect. Yeah, English is spoken here, but the dialect is tough to the foreign ear. They are good people and are taking great care of me. They have a couple grandkids that live with them--10 and 5yrs old. So for those that know me, this is going to be interesting. They even went out of their way to get me "vegetarian chunks"--which are some sort of dried soy pieces that rehydrate into tasty morsels. : ) After a few weeks, I get to have my own place--we'll see what sort of new adventures that will bring.

Until then, what have I been up to?

• Watched my host dad play dominoes with his friends--people here REALLY enjoy that game
• Watched a football (soccer) game
• Danced at a make-shift party....mostly reggae music
• Gone through a day of Peace Corps Training--another tomorrow
• Began a mapping project of my village....it is going to be a hard project--wish I could say more on that one.
• Opened a local bank account and wandered the downtown Kingstown area--it isn't very big
• SWEAT PLENTY!!! It's been hot and humid for sure.
• Learned to hand wash my clothes and hang dry.....this is going to be interesting. ^_^
• Went to a local church. No I'm not converting--but it is a good chance to meet the locals.
• Taught the kids I live with how to make paper airplanes and paper 'face' puppets.
• Taken some pics, but will need time to get any uploaded. Probably not until I am on my own (7 weeks?) and can take the time to do it.
• Gotten to see many different foods in the capital market. Saturday is the big outdoor vegetable market--that is going to be awesome! (if I get to go....)
• Rode local buses (more like mini-vans) and they are hella packed! For those that have heard of the jam-packed trains of Toyko at rush hour....imagine that but much hotter. >.<
• Eaten something at my host home called breadfruit. Apparently it is a staple food here--originally brought over by the European rulers in order to feed the slaves. It looks like a giant, green, round sphere that grows on trees. It can be made many ways--cut and roasted then fried it tastes like french fries.
  

Well, I'm sure that I have done more....but I am can't recall at the moment. More will come later for sure. : )

St. Vincent (Vincys) people are really warm and friendly. Also, the Peace Corps is really well known on the island--having been here for many years. In fact, I learned that head staff guy here--really loves his job, partially because he had "interventions" and learned from Peace Corps members twice in his schools while growing up. To his knowledge--those volunteers didn't know what became of our current head of staff, but it shows how time can yield great results from the seeds of assistance that we are planting. There is an American medical school here on the island and tourists come and go....so at times we are mistaken for people with $ ...lol. But once people learn that we are with the Peace Corps, they usually become extra friendly. --Not to say that we will be getting extra breaks, but at least we would be charged local prices.

On transportation.....the roads here would seem treacherous to most people back home. They are close winding roads that wrap around the mountain curves and create a somewhat circular pattern around most of the island. From around the 100k population, perhaps 20k have cars or buses or taxis. People typically drive very fast but stop quick and pass on the roads often. To avoid accidents, they honk all the time to get walking people off the road or to warn others of driving around corners. Catching a bus can be VERY difficult if you are not at the right place at the right time--usually when it leaves its main terminal. Buses also usually run 6-7ish and not on Sundays....so let's hope I don't get stuck out somewhere late. Even official taxis can be REALLY expensive. Oh yeah--they drive on the left.

I have not gone to the beach here yet, but many of them have black sand from the volcano. Yes, it is an active volcano--supposedly the 2nd most studied next to Mount St Helens. Its last eruption was in 1979, so let's not hope for the next Pompeii.

One of the volunteers told us in our gossip time at training about being offered (and accepting) to eat a sea turtle's egg in a Guinness beer. This really threw me off and I put that up there on the things I would not do....like eat monkey (even if not a veg-head)--which happens on St Kitts. I later learned that there are legal times and locations to collect sea turtle eggs. This is just one example of my having to adjust to the local culture and not approach with a bias. Just some things will be harder than others.....much harder.

So look for more later....hope everyone is well. ^_^ Drop a comment to keep me posted on what is going on in your half of the world.

ciao tutti
~your wannabe jedi
~Shawn