Culture Spin

Hey everyone!
Hope things are rocking well back home and around the world. ^_^
Today will be a strange post. I like strange. It's a good mix up from the regularity.

First--I sleep on a bed right now. Full size I think; rather nice too and the frame puts the mattress up to my waist. For those that know me, I like to sleep close to the floor and used to have my mattress on the floor without the frame or boxspring. Sleeping up a bit higher and with more bounce simply feels a bit off....if you gather what I'm saying. It is a really nice setup my host family has provided, but I think I'm going back floor bound when I move out in a week.

Second--a shout out to one of the volunteers, Noah, who has suggested read a book called Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Apparently, for those who know philosophy books then you will most likely know the title. He found it at the little library the volunteers keep that our office and gave it to me. I'm about 80 pages (of 380ish?) in and really enjoying it. You don't have to be into philosophy or know anything about it and no, it isn't about Zen or actual motorcycle maintenance either. I totally thought of Greg back home when I got to chapter 3 because the main character is trying to argue a point to his friends about why ghosts don't exist in reality and compares it to gravity. He started to say that gravity doesn't exist.....well, it really wacky and good. Give it a shot if you get the time.

Third--I have a strange confession and fear to admit. I think I am slowly losing my voice over the years and wonder if it will completely go away. My voice used to be quite loud and I could do all sorts of noises, voices, and sound effects. Gradually, it has become weaker and weaker. I can't really project it at all to an audience. I was in a quiet training class here and the instructor at the other end of the tables couldn't even hear me. Actually, I am often asked to repeat things not because I don't speak slowly or clearly but because I am not loud enough. My throat gets sore from time to time, but doesn't worsen my speech when it is like that. I never really gave it any thought back home but now that I am more conscious of the loudness of my environment--depending where I am here--it has been problematic.

Lastly--have you ever been in a position where you thought you are solidly affiliated with a particular social label and then wondered just how accurate that labeling might be? Ok, maybe I didn't make sense.... I'd say that I'm certainly on the left wing of most values making me quite liberal. However, when I see how some of the locals talk, dress, act, etc.......my brain keeps screaming stop it, put something else on, don't say that, etc. The very things that race through my mind are what would normally have been seen as conservative value statements. It seems quite strange to catch myself thinking about where on fence I sit. I know I am still a green, eco-dork liberal--but I still wonder about where I am and how that actually fits. Don't get me wrong, the people here are wonderful, simply a different culture.

Back to more normal stuff--
So what's up with the McCain campaign lately? If the people at his rallies keep getting worked up like they do; I wouldn't be surprised if there were riots and other public disturbances soon.

I performed a professional assessment of the NGO I am working with here in Spring Village. It was part of my final training projects and I haven't gotten my feedback yet. I plan to review it with the organization later-but they are not going to like what I have to say. At least it gives us starting ground for things to work on. I will certainly have my hands full.....

Went to an agricultural and agro-business expo yesterday. It has been raining quite a bit so the fields that had the booths was super wet/muddy. I got totally dirty, but it was lots of fun. I met several interesting organizations and made a few contacts. There is a vested interest here to bring in biogas production from the masses of bananas that end of rotting because they didn't meet export quality standards. Lots of different products were showcased from farmer co-ops on the other islands (Grenada, St Lucia, and Dominica). Got to taste a few awesome treats too. ^_^ good times.

oh....gotta go. the laptop battery has hit near crit power and I don't want to lose this. >.<
stay safe and happy
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn

Good stuff--Star Wars and Peanut Butter and Obama ^_^

Hey readers,
For those that know me--they know I am a total Star Wars geek. I must admit, that I am much more spoiled here than I ever thought I would be in the Peace Corps. While I don't know if I will be able to afford tv services, my host family has 'basic cable' which includes not only CNN, but Cartoon Network as well. Last night was the start of the new Star Wars Clone Wars cartoon. Not too bad. I don't particularly like the new kid feel--I'd rather have some new films for episodes 7,8, and 9 done in cartoon format. Yet, I understand that the cartoons will nurture a whole new generation of Star Wars geeks (yeah! ^_^) and if I had to judge the new show on the basis of a kids cartoon--it was rather decent. No complaints overall.

The other night I made dinner for everyone here at the home stay (becoming a normal thing). Paige--my host niece? The 10 yr old--has expressed interest in helping in the kitchen, so I've made her my little apprentice....no not padawan, lol. We experimented and I came up with a 'homemade' peanut sauce that was really yummy when tossed with pasta and soy chicken and onions. If you feel like trying it-go with peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar (we used white vinegar), garlic and ginger (we used fresh grated and sauteed it a bit), and water to thin it out. Combine and stir---delicious! ^_^

Got my 1st piece of snail mail today....a letter from Amy. It was awesome receiving something tangible, despite the ease and use of email. It only took 2 weeks to arrive. That's better than the 3 weeks we were told to expect. Thanks Amy! ^_^

Today my host dad and I got into it about vegetarian diets. It was more funny that anything else. I think he enjoyed giving me what people back home would know as 'Brownie logic'--almost an arguement for arguement's sake. No worries, he was smiling almost the whole time. Being a part-time farmer with livestock, he eats them from time to time. But what I found funny about it--he doesn't kill them himself. Both he and my host mom need someone to do the job and butcher it up a bit. I suppose that's what happens when you raise some animal and get attached. Lessons of live I suppose.

ggrrr......why is it that Governor Palin make me so grumpy? If compentency was measured like a few tank--she's running on fumes. It is all to obvious that she was chosen to try and claim executive experience (um...what about her all too real corruption issues only a few months in the gov. chair already). Oh yeah....she's a woman. All too many women are swinging her direction for the empowerment it supposedly brings. I am all for equal rights and seeing a woman in the oval office one day--but she is definetly not the one to do it. If anyone thought it was rough under President Bush--just let her open her mouth just a bit longer than her cue cards primed her for and you will see just how scary a future with her leadership could become.

B-Rock the Vote!



keeping it local. ^_^ stay well.
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn

PHONE!!!

Hey out there in Never Never Land.
I got a cell phone today! Of course, if you want the phone #--you'll have to email me and ask for it. No way am I going to post that on the www. lol.
Here's a pic of it and if you click....you'll get a link to the specs.

It is a basic run of the mill phone, but that is GREAT! Shiny things attract unwanted attention....so it is good to have the ugliest, most unwanted looking phones we can get. Plus Nokias like these are very durable and have great battery life. ^_^ It does have one really cool feature that I've never had before.....a led flashlight on the top of it. It's very blinding bright!


Last night I made fake-beef chunks fried rice for my host family. It turned out really well and everyone enjoyed it. LOL.....sometimes they joke that I'm turning them vegetarian. It doesn't help that I am slowly cooking here more and more.

Went to an environmental group meeting for my local area the other night. It was good to meet green-minded folk, but the meeting lacked structure. It seems over the next year we will be transforming a local beach into a tourist attractive area with protective areas for the river that feeds the sea. I'll probably be able to help out on that--lots of good, sweaty work. ^_^ Many of the group members were happy to have me attend and poured their ideas at me. It will take a bit of time, but I think I need to let them know that I'm Peace Corps and not a miracle worker. I help empower, instruct, and assist--not wave my fairy wand and make their dreams come true.

YEAH!!! I'm totally looking forward to the presidential debate tonight. I suppose I'm glad to have access to CNN out here in the Caribbean. I certainly wasn't counting on having it.

Speaking of the Caribbean.....did you know that several parts of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy was filmed here at St. Vincent? There are 3 film sites I believe here around the island--a bit of an attraction. I haven't visited them yet....but I will! Arg!

I'll be meeting with my country director next week. I hope to get some solid info on what I can post in terms of pictures online. Perhaps I'll be able to put up lots more. ^_^
And if you're interested in not only the babble I post, but are interested in hearing from other Peace Corps volunteers I serve with....I will be posting links to their blogs on the side of the page.

Stay happy and well.
ciao tutti
~your local 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