Hey everyone out there in Never Never Land.
Plenty of stuff since T-day and plenty coming up.
This past weekend, a few of the us in the village rescued and reclaimed some of the old steel pan drums that have been left to rot in a dilapidated shed. Perhaps 9+ years ago, there was a steel pan group--Pan Vibes--in the village. For reasons I am still researching, they broke apart. I am trying to reform some of the pan activity and fortunately there are other revival efforts going on within SVG. If I can prove there is sufficient community interest, we may be able to tap into deeper resources and expand our efforts. So far, all we have are 7 rusty and out-of-tune steel pan drums. Tomorrow afternoon, several of the kids, myself, and any adults (they seem to be the harder ones to motivate for now) will start sanding off the rust and trying to oil up the drums. Tuning will be a much harder issue and we'll need some technical help for that.
I've met with a member of a nearby Catholic Church parish; they own an old library/church building in the village that has been abandoned for quite awhile. The structure needs lots of work and I'm negotiating an opportunity to use the site as an annex extension for the pan music and other hands-on craft works and activities.
Wednesday night after some of my other meetings, I went down to our beachfront with a few of the guy--to one of the local bars set for tourists. There I met a few new faces and listened to some really cool jams by a few steel pan players, who happened to be catering tunes for tourists from 3 anchored yachts. I stayed up there for a couple hours and had a good time...they even had me play a cow bell. I'm no musician by any means, but they seemed excited just to have me playing along with them. Too bad I didn't have my camera with me, however they are a usual group down there and I'm sure to go back in the future.
Meeting Meeting Meetings seem key this week. I met with one of our former trainers for tea and got a bit of a history lesson of my area. Turns out he used to live here for many many years--1 of which was the principal of our primary school.
Further planning for the tutoring/homework club is underway. I'm trying to get some of the local teachers together so I can get their input and advice--but it has been like pulling teeth. Seems the closer to Christmas we get....the harder it is to get willing attention. Either way, the homework club is starting up with their next term--January 5th. I also want to see about some sort of study camp over the break--just to keep them fresh and have something to do instead of wander the streets
The tourism group I'm a part of is still doing their usual thing and we don't cover much ground. However, we were reassured that our beachfront area of Cumberland Bay will should begin construction of the new tourism and recreation facilities in early January. Our community is very divided on certain aspects of the project. As of the moment, there is a large community square that is used for concerts and festivals. The project will be getting rid of the square and combining its use the sports field into a 'rec' field. There are many here that don't like that idea--myself included.
Recently joined an adolescence group that meets at our local nurse's clinic. Yeah, I know I'm not a youngster anymore...but I hope to get in well with them, since the youth of the village are the real fuel for my efforts of volunteerism and NGO activity for the future. Apathy is deadly.
Went to a sports association meeting...we're almost done with our football (soccer) competition here on the North Leeward side. The finals are this upcoming Sunday and there is expected to be a rather large social bash afterwards. ^_^
I've spent quite a bit of time in Kingstown today and yesterday on my latest little side project. It stems from kids approaching me with homework--this time around with civics questions. I knew the answers, but wanted to show them where they could find their own solutions. We went to the Spring library to help them with questions such as identifying the names of current politicians and positions within the parliament. I was appalled to find there was absolutely no information on St Vincent and the Grenadines. Sure, we have a very small and limited library, but I figured the easiest thing and most logical thing would be to have information regarding one's home nation. Therefore most of my past 2 days has had me running all over to find several of the ministries and departments and attempt to collect print information that would serve nicely in a Vincentian reference section of our library. Many pounds of paperwork and ping-pong attempts to locate the right offices has lead to a somewhat successful venture. Some of the offices I talked to are still putting together info packages to pick up at a later day.
On a completely different tangent--some of the people here say I'm looking a bit thin. Now, I am getting lots of walking down and sweat more than I did back home. I would like to say that I don't eat as much processed foods as I did back home--but that's arguable since I tried to eat rather well then too. However, I weighed 183 lbs when I first got to the Caribbean and 173 when I finished our 7 weeks of training. I visited my medical officer today to get weighed and measure out at 166 now--another 7 pounds for a total of 17 since coming here just over 3 months ago. Yes, I had a talk with her to make sure that I'm ok and I don't want anyone to fret about it.
More banana farming early Sunday morning, yeah!
Somebody just gave me a bag of 5-finger fruit (starfruit) earlier today. There certainly are advantages to living in a more rural community with lots of fruit trees. ^_^
Oh yeah, just about EVERYBODY is gearing up for Christmas. They have a festival called 9 mornings that involves all sorts of activities and I haven't met person here yet that isn't psyched up for it. Can't say too much about it yet--since this will be my first. Read from the links to find out more--of course I'll add my own thoughts as I experience 9 mornings for myself.
http://www.gov.vc/govt/News/TopNews.asp?a=5834
http://itsninemornings.com/video/?q=node/27
But holiday fever has gripped the radio networks and I can almost guarantee that there is at least one, if not more, station at any given time that is playing various Christmas music. I don't recall radio stations doing that back home....not nearly this much.
I see now that my post is very....'all over the place'. Oh well--lots to cover and I'm tired.
G'night all.
Stay well and be happy,
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
05 December 2008
30 October 2008
Gettin' Busy Time
Ok I know that I've posted plenty of stuff on beaches and fun times, but I wanted to get the idea out that the 'beach corps' isn't our usual thing. Things are starting to pick up....lots of meetings and little stuff to do. ^_^
Yesterday I went to the Spring Village Primary School, were I did a bit of teacher/classroom shadowning, and talked to the principal and teachers about starting a tutoring program after school. I got over a page of names...a few of them represented almost an entire grade level! All of them needed assistance with literacy, numeracy, or both. The tenative plans will be to run tutoring times Monday and Wednesday 4-5 and 5-6 for the primary kids and Tuesday and Thurdsay 5-6 and 6-7 for the secondary school kids. I have to be very careful with this, because the students really need the extra time and help. However--my major assignment here is not to be a tutor, but to help organizations develop and assist in skills training for all age groups. I will be quickly tying down most of my evenings--which are needed to attend organization meetings and hold workshops. I'll be able to do a limited number of those during the day--but many adults work then.
After talking with the teachers, I went to a nearby town of Chateau--where I helped another volunteer assmble some audio equipment for the primary school there and fixed the principals computer (bad RAM). More computer work came, when I walked to the next village and helped yet another principal's computer because it was running super slow. Hey--what do you expect when you're trying to run bulky WinXP with a host of programs on a 733MHz with 128RAM? That took me all the way till 4pm--grabbed a quick bite at home and came down to the Sping Village Community Center (my main worksite). At 4:30, I sat in on the intro session for an activity sponsored by the National Adult Education Unit (the do skills training around the island). This time around, they were getting ready to start a cake bakig and decorating course--morning and evening classes, 3 days a week for 6 weeks in the community center kitchen. Later on, I worked with the finance sub-committee for the Cumberland Valley Tourism and Environment Group (CVTEG for short. wow, that's a mouthful! Spring Village is in the middle of the Cumberland Valley). We did all sorts of pre-planning and financial guesses for the upcoming tourism renovations for our local beach during the upcoming year. We were there till after 9-930...made long day.
Today, I've been cleaning out a room in the community center that will be for the CBOs and workshops. Scrubbing and mopping away--actually I'm writing this now as I wait for the floors to dry. ^_^ Afterwards, I'll be moving things around in there and trying to make it presentable. It was a dirty storage area beforehand. There isn't any electricity service in that area of the building, although it is already fulled wired with lights and outlets. So I have to meet with the community center committee on Monday at 7pm to discuss getting service in there and maintaining general supplies for the building. I had to pay my own small amount of $ to get wasp spray (EC$7) because of the nests all over the place in the various parts of the center and use my own bleach from home to wash the floors. Mur. >.< Tonight, I'll be tore between my host orgnanization--SUDO--meeting tonight (7?)at the center which will be discussing the upcoming Christmas festivities and the 6:30 meeting at the center with the research and documentation sub-committee for CVTEG.
The fun keeps on coming! I haven't even started any of my own projects yet. ^_^
Need to stay flexible....that's my new mantra.
If anyone wants to suggest good software to create and manage events in a calendar format, let me know. I know that you can do it with MS Outlook--but I dont' like how it looks in the monthly format. We need to create a community calendar and the idea is to be able to print them out and post. We might just end up using the electronic version to track and manage activities and make the posted one by hand.
Floors should be dry now.
Stay safe and well,
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
Yesterday I went to the Spring Village Primary School, were I did a bit of teacher/classroom shadowning, and talked to the principal and teachers about starting a tutoring program after school. I got over a page of names...a few of them represented almost an entire grade level! All of them needed assistance with literacy, numeracy, or both. The tenative plans will be to run tutoring times Monday and Wednesday 4-5 and 5-6 for the primary kids and Tuesday and Thurdsay 5-6 and 6-7 for the secondary school kids. I have to be very careful with this, because the students really need the extra time and help. However--my major assignment here is not to be a tutor, but to help organizations develop and assist in skills training for all age groups. I will be quickly tying down most of my evenings--which are needed to attend organization meetings and hold workshops. I'll be able to do a limited number of those during the day--but many adults work then.
After talking with the teachers, I went to a nearby town of Chateau--where I helped another volunteer assmble some audio equipment for the primary school there and fixed the principals computer (bad RAM). More computer work came, when I walked to the next village and helped yet another principal's computer because it was running super slow. Hey--what do you expect when you're trying to run bulky WinXP with a host of programs on a 733MHz with 128RAM? That took me all the way till 4pm--grabbed a quick bite at home and came down to the Sping Village Community Center (my main worksite). At 4:30, I sat in on the intro session for an activity sponsored by the National Adult Education Unit (the do skills training around the island). This time around, they were getting ready to start a cake bakig and decorating course--morning and evening classes, 3 days a week for 6 weeks in the community center kitchen. Later on, I worked with the finance sub-committee for the Cumberland Valley Tourism and Environment Group (CVTEG for short. wow, that's a mouthful! Spring Village is in the middle of the Cumberland Valley). We did all sorts of pre-planning and financial guesses for the upcoming tourism renovations for our local beach during the upcoming year. We were there till after 9-930...made long day.
Today, I've been cleaning out a room in the community center that will be for the CBOs and workshops. Scrubbing and mopping away--actually I'm writing this now as I wait for the floors to dry. ^_^ Afterwards, I'll be moving things around in there and trying to make it presentable. It was a dirty storage area beforehand. There isn't any electricity service in that area of the building, although it is already fulled wired with lights and outlets. So I have to meet with the community center committee on Monday at 7pm to discuss getting service in there and maintaining general supplies for the building. I had to pay my own small amount of $ to get wasp spray (EC$7) because of the nests all over the place in the various parts of the center and use my own bleach from home to wash the floors. Mur. >.< Tonight, I'll be tore between my host orgnanization--SUDO--meeting tonight (7?)at the center which will be discussing the upcoming Christmas festivities and the 6:30 meeting at the center with the research and documentation sub-committee for CVTEG.
The fun keeps on coming! I haven't even started any of my own projects yet. ^_^
Need to stay flexible....that's my new mantra.
If anyone wants to suggest good software to create and manage events in a calendar format, let me know. I know that you can do it with MS Outlook--but I dont' like how it looks in the monthly format. We need to create a community calendar and the idea is to be able to print them out and post. We might just end up using the electronic version to track and manage activities and make the posted one by hand.
Floors should be dry now.
Stay safe and well,
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
28 October 2008
Happy Independence Day SVG!
Hey readers!
It's been a crazy week, that's for sure. Plenty of things going on—both here and at home.
--CONGRATS!
Not sure if I should be doing this, but I want to shout out the Congrats to a particular couple of homies back home that popped the question and said yes. Who? Find out yourself. Haha, that’s my way of trying to cover myself incase they didn’t want it announced. Oh well, cat’s out of the bag. ^_^
--SHOES!
So, anybody who knows me should know that I am not the world’s biggest connoisseur on shoes. In fact, they would also know that I am certainly not a fan of ‘open’ shoes. I like ‘em able to complete cover with grip—like sneakers. Well, I have 2 new types of shoes that go on both ends of the footwear spectrum. A few weeks ago, I got what everybody else would call galoshes; here they are called water boots. They are almost up to my knees and green; got them from the banana association, so I know they are good stuff. It took a bit of saving from my training money (EC$35), but it makes working in the fields here SOOOO much better and more enjoyable. Cleaning muddy sneakers sucks. >.< During training, I would work sometimes with my hostdad in the ‘backyard’ farm and nobody really saw me in them. Lol…there were some crazy looks from the locals when they saw me walking down the main street in my water boots and ‘bush’ clothes. It was a good thing that they get to see me in such a way that I can say—I am one of you. Well, I’m not yet but after 2 years I’ll probably be a bit closer. Hopefully if I budget right, I’ll be able to afford heavy rubber gloves (EC$20) and a cutlass with a sharpening file (EC$20-10). The cutlass is pretty much a machete with a blade partway down the back edge and a pointy tip. I love my water boots and they are great! I was supposed to go up to the mountain farms to work with the banana farmers this morning, but I never got picked up. : ( Talked to them again and I should get another chance soon.
The other pair of shoes will be more of a shock to the friends and family…but where what I called a necessary evil purchase. I got a pair of flip-flops. I hate them, but they are surely useful. I hate the floppy on the foot slap sound and how they kick back mud, sand, and other small bits. I don’t like how the foot is uncovered and how easily I’ve already stubbed and cut up my toes, not to mention how easily filthy my feet get. Mur. However, they are great to quickly slip on if it starts to rain and I have clothes on the line—found out rained on clothes get smelly when they dry. They are also very good for the beach, as I was getting very tired of having sandy sneakers. So I reserve them for certain occasions and still love my sneakers 100-fold.
--Happy Independence SVG!
Monday was the actual 29th Independence Day of St. Vincent & the Grenadines although the event was celebrated across the weekend. People here proudly displayed their colors of yellow, green, and blue. Patriotism is shown on different levels, much like our displays back home. Soca music, the Caribbean flavor, was played more than usual on the radios. I saw a few people making ‘bamboo cannons’ and heard a few go off, but didn’t see any when they actually fired. That is the local sort of firework, which involves putting oil into a piece of bamboo. I didn’t really see any fireworks like we’d know them from home. Something to note from what I’ve learned so far…and sometimes I wonder if this is a reflection in the general attitudes of the younger Vincentians when it comes to national pride. Whereas the people of the U.S.A. had fought a war over their independence, the people of SVG peaceful negotiated and earned independence from Britain—transitioning from a colonial state to a member of its commonwealth.
--Mustique!
As part of the Independence Day celebrations, a few of the US and Canadian volunteers got on a ferry for a special holiday celebration trip to the Grenadine island of Mustique. Some may know this place to be vacation home to the rich and famous. I’m told that Mic Jagger and Shania Twain, as well as several celebs, have massive homes there. No, I didn’t get to go on any little tours and I didn’t see anybody famous. In fact, in terms of the people around—it seemed rather drab. Granted, the locals were great and they reassured us that the tourist season is just starting and the fact that it is a private island does limit who comes and goes. Visually, the island is stunning. It is the first of my Grenadine experiences and the overall look of the place could have gone on any stereotypical brochure for the tropical Caribbean. White sandy beaches, rolling blue waves, and lush greenery were abundant. I was surprised, but I saw lots of cacti not far from the beachfront. Apparently they grow in this climate nicely. The sand was so fine that it stuck to everything and plenty of it came back home in the crevasse of my trunks. I still get nervous when I swim out in the open waters, but I went out a decent distance with a couple others. I can swim, but I need to become a stronger swimmer and practice more. Of course, I ended up with fairly mean sunburn between the shoulder blades—but I’m building a rather solid tan already from being outside so much. We didn’t have much time on the island, so nearly all of it was spent at a place called Macaroni beach—I have no clue why it is called so, but took lots of pics—and another place, the famous Basil’s Bar & Restaurant. I didn’t have any drinks or eats at Basil’s—it was out of my budget, but the look and layout was cool. Every year they have a large blues festival, maybe I’ll get to go someday.
The other half of the trip was the ride itself. The ferry ride over was absolutely nuts! There was food, drink, and music pounding the whole way. I’ll go on record to say that the whole day I only had 3 beers and one shot (out of a passion-fruit rind), so I wasn’t a wild drunk. People were dancing and having a great time. I thought the ride over was fairly wild, but the return trip blew us away. That evening, all the new volunteers got broken in Vincy-style. Ok, now I’ve said that people here dance…..but for the most part there is only one style of dancing. It is called ‘winding’ almost identical to the ‘grinding’ seen in clubs back home, only that some winding makes most grinding look rated-PG. Now most of the volunteers don’t crazy when we wind and are certainly on the innocent & fun-loving side of the things, keeping it rated-PG. Yes, I was winding a bit—but honestly, I’d prefer a more ‘regular’ kind of dancing that is more interactive with the dance partner and doesn’t feel like I’m trying dry hump someone. Sadly, it is expected as a guy to be involved with this sort of thing and helps gain respect and even prestige among the male peers. Nearly all of the men in our little group had plenty of winding experiences. Sometimes we helped rescue our female companion volunteers—who were quite often sought out by the local men. Yeah, the girls winded a bit too…but I think most of them shared my desire for good dancing fun that didn’t feel so explicit. Unfortunately, if you want to dance and hit the dance floor…better stay with one partner and keep to yourselves. Otherwise, it’s considered fair game on the dance floor. Sure, people get plenty turned down—both men and women—but the offers from both sides will keep coming.
We got back into town much later than we expected and were super lucky to catch vans home. They don’t usually run on Sundays and I think part of our luck was due to people moving about for the holiday. After I got home, I couldn’t really sleep and went out to socialize a bit with my community members. There was a Jamaican artist—Ginjah?—headlining a show down at my local beachfront, so I checked it out. Well, turns out that I didn’t get in since I didn’t want to spend the EC$25, that I didn’t have anyways, on a ticket and I’m glad I didn’t. Found out, as I’ve heard is a bit common for shows like these, the artists tend to start really late—I got there after 11 and he hadn’t taken the stage yet. They also don’t use live bands typically and sing along with cd music. Now I’m not sure, but that is almost karaoke-like and I certainly wouldn’t want to pay for that kind of performance. I’ve heard some people love the shows and others, like me, would want more out of it. Either way, they tend to draw big crowds and most have a really good time. Only stayed about an hour, no drinking or dancing, and it got me some positive face time with some people in the area.
--Getting Involved
I think I’m finally getting a bit more ‘in’ with my community. Sure, I’m still in what many might call our ‘honeymoon’ faze, but I am feeling a bit more settled. I haven’t gotten out into our community as much as I’d like, but I am recognizing faces more often and remembering the names to them. People, not just the kids anymore, call out my name when I pass or when I say hello to them. The van driver will sometimes drop me off next to my home instead of just at the bus stop. I think part of this has been due to a good location of my new apartment and the fact that many people walk by it.
Unfortunately for some reasons still unknown to me, my landlady has decided that she does not wish to rent out the apartment further and my boss is searching for a new home in the village for me. There are a whole host of ups and downs to this—but I’ll remain positive and hope that my new place, wherever it may be, will be suitable and as good of a location as this one….although there are rather few places to rent in a smaller village.
Probably next week, I’ll be starting tutoring sessions. I had talks with the local primary school principal and will meet with primary school teachers in the morning. I’ll most likely be tutoring 4 days a week, 2 hours each day—each broken into 1 hour blocks. Monday/Wednesday will be for the primary levels and Tuesday/Thursday will be for secondary levels. Hopefully, I will identify people within the village who will assist in tutoring sessions so that we may reach more students. I’ll also be working more with the Ministry of Youth to revive the old 4-H club in village and hopefully create a big brother/sister type mentoring project. This will take quite a bit of time before that becomes a reality, but is something for the future. I hope to take more of a backseat role in these so I’ll have time to focus on my community organization development, but these things are sorely needed here as well.
Already, I am digging in with my primary group—SUDO—and building ties with another group, who will be responsible for managing/maintaining tourism project for the nearby Cumberland beach. I’m also peeking into an activity session organized by the government backed Adult Education Unit. As of tomorrow, they will be hosting cake baking and decorating training for enrolled participants. This program will hope to provide the technical skills that could aid a start-up business should the participants so desire. I’ve gotten the keys to the community center and will soon be working on cleaning up a large storage room and transforming it into a ‘community organization center’ room. Here CBOs, as they are known, will be able to come and gather—hold meetings and workshops as well as have space to keep documents and other project materials. It will also become my unofficial office I suppose. Good times. The next real trick will be to work on the community calendar project…to help everybody learn what’s going on where and when and so some spaces are double used. The community center is decently-sized, but within the past week has claimed to host 3 different meetings around the same time on the same day. Fortunately, these won’t need the same rooms, but none of them know about the other meetings….this could be problematic and this is exactly the sort of reason why we need this calendar up and running.
Wow…this is lots to read huh? I suppose the rest will have to wait until later. Unfortunately, the dsl internet seems to go up and down lots here and I pre-typed this Tuesday evening around 7-8pm. The internet was down at the time of this posting and hopefully won’t take too long for me to come back to the community center where I use the internet and post this.
I cast my absentee vote into the mail…..do the right thing and go vote by Nov. 4th. It matters less to me who you vote for, but more importantly that you go and cast your vote.
Stay safe and well everyone.
Ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
It's been a crazy week, that's for sure. Plenty of things going on—both here and at home.
--CONGRATS!
Not sure if I should be doing this, but I want to shout out the Congrats to a particular couple of homies back home that popped the question and said yes. Who? Find out yourself. Haha, that’s my way of trying to cover myself incase they didn’t want it announced. Oh well, cat’s out of the bag. ^_^
--SHOES!
So, anybody who knows me should know that I am not the world’s biggest connoisseur on shoes. In fact, they would also know that I am certainly not a fan of ‘open’ shoes. I like ‘em able to complete cover with grip—like sneakers. Well, I have 2 new types of shoes that go on both ends of the footwear spectrum. A few weeks ago, I got what everybody else would call galoshes; here they are called water boots. They are almost up to my knees and green; got them from the banana association, so I know they are good stuff. It took a bit of saving from my training money (EC$35), but it makes working in the fields here SOOOO much better and more enjoyable. Cleaning muddy sneakers sucks. >.< During training, I would work sometimes with my hostdad in the ‘backyard’ farm and nobody really saw me in them. Lol…there were some crazy looks from the locals when they saw me walking down the main street in my water boots and ‘bush’ clothes. It was a good thing that they get to see me in such a way that I can say—I am one of you. Well, I’m not yet but after 2 years I’ll probably be a bit closer. Hopefully if I budget right, I’ll be able to afford heavy rubber gloves (EC$20) and a cutlass with a sharpening file (EC$20-10). The cutlass is pretty much a machete with a blade partway down the back edge and a pointy tip. I love my water boots and they are great! I was supposed to go up to the mountain farms to work with the banana farmers this morning, but I never got picked up. : ( Talked to them again and I should get another chance soon.
The other pair of shoes will be more of a shock to the friends and family…but where what I called a necessary evil purchase. I got a pair of flip-flops. I hate them, but they are surely useful. I hate the floppy on the foot slap sound and how they kick back mud, sand, and other small bits. I don’t like how the foot is uncovered and how easily I’ve already stubbed and cut up my toes, not to mention how easily filthy my feet get. Mur. However, they are great to quickly slip on if it starts to rain and I have clothes on the line—found out rained on clothes get smelly when they dry. They are also very good for the beach, as I was getting very tired of having sandy sneakers. So I reserve them for certain occasions and still love my sneakers 100-fold.
--Happy Independence SVG!
Monday was the actual 29th Independence Day of St. Vincent & the Grenadines although the event was celebrated across the weekend. People here proudly displayed their colors of yellow, green, and blue. Patriotism is shown on different levels, much like our displays back home. Soca music, the Caribbean flavor, was played more than usual on the radios. I saw a few people making ‘bamboo cannons’ and heard a few go off, but didn’t see any when they actually fired. That is the local sort of firework, which involves putting oil into a piece of bamboo. I didn’t really see any fireworks like we’d know them from home. Something to note from what I’ve learned so far…and sometimes I wonder if this is a reflection in the general attitudes of the younger Vincentians when it comes to national pride. Whereas the people of the U.S.A. had fought a war over their independence, the people of SVG peaceful negotiated and earned independence from Britain—transitioning from a colonial state to a member of its commonwealth.
--Mustique!
As part of the Independence Day celebrations, a few of the US and Canadian volunteers got on a ferry for a special holiday celebration trip to the Grenadine island of Mustique. Some may know this place to be vacation home to the rich and famous. I’m told that Mic Jagger and Shania Twain, as well as several celebs, have massive homes there. No, I didn’t get to go on any little tours and I didn’t see anybody famous. In fact, in terms of the people around—it seemed rather drab. Granted, the locals were great and they reassured us that the tourist season is just starting and the fact that it is a private island does limit who comes and goes. Visually, the island is stunning. It is the first of my Grenadine experiences and the overall look of the place could have gone on any stereotypical brochure for the tropical Caribbean. White sandy beaches, rolling blue waves, and lush greenery were abundant. I was surprised, but I saw lots of cacti not far from the beachfront. Apparently they grow in this climate nicely. The sand was so fine that it stuck to everything and plenty of it came back home in the crevasse of my trunks. I still get nervous when I swim out in the open waters, but I went out a decent distance with a couple others. I can swim, but I need to become a stronger swimmer and practice more. Of course, I ended up with fairly mean sunburn between the shoulder blades—but I’m building a rather solid tan already from being outside so much. We didn’t have much time on the island, so nearly all of it was spent at a place called Macaroni beach—I have no clue why it is called so, but took lots of pics—and another place, the famous Basil’s Bar & Restaurant. I didn’t have any drinks or eats at Basil’s—it was out of my budget, but the look and layout was cool. Every year they have a large blues festival, maybe I’ll get to go someday.
The other half of the trip was the ride itself. The ferry ride over was absolutely nuts! There was food, drink, and music pounding the whole way. I’ll go on record to say that the whole day I only had 3 beers and one shot (out of a passion-fruit rind), so I wasn’t a wild drunk. People were dancing and having a great time. I thought the ride over was fairly wild, but the return trip blew us away. That evening, all the new volunteers got broken in Vincy-style. Ok, now I’ve said that people here dance…..but for the most part there is only one style of dancing. It is called ‘winding’ almost identical to the ‘grinding’ seen in clubs back home, only that some winding makes most grinding look rated-PG. Now most of the volunteers don’t crazy when we wind and are certainly on the innocent & fun-loving side of the things, keeping it rated-PG. Yes, I was winding a bit—but honestly, I’d prefer a more ‘regular’ kind of dancing that is more interactive with the dance partner and doesn’t feel like I’m trying dry hump someone. Sadly, it is expected as a guy to be involved with this sort of thing and helps gain respect and even prestige among the male peers. Nearly all of the men in our little group had plenty of winding experiences. Sometimes we helped rescue our female companion volunteers—who were quite often sought out by the local men. Yeah, the girls winded a bit too…but I think most of them shared my desire for good dancing fun that didn’t feel so explicit. Unfortunately, if you want to dance and hit the dance floor…better stay with one partner and keep to yourselves. Otherwise, it’s considered fair game on the dance floor. Sure, people get plenty turned down—both men and women—but the offers from both sides will keep coming.
We got back into town much later than we expected and were super lucky to catch vans home. They don’t usually run on Sundays and I think part of our luck was due to people moving about for the holiday. After I got home, I couldn’t really sleep and went out to socialize a bit with my community members. There was a Jamaican artist—Ginjah?—headlining a show down at my local beachfront, so I checked it out. Well, turns out that I didn’t get in since I didn’t want to spend the EC$25, that I didn’t have anyways, on a ticket and I’m glad I didn’t. Found out, as I’ve heard is a bit common for shows like these, the artists tend to start really late—I got there after 11 and he hadn’t taken the stage yet. They also don’t use live bands typically and sing along with cd music. Now I’m not sure, but that is almost karaoke-like and I certainly wouldn’t want to pay for that kind of performance. I’ve heard some people love the shows and others, like me, would want more out of it. Either way, they tend to draw big crowds and most have a really good time. Only stayed about an hour, no drinking or dancing, and it got me some positive face time with some people in the area.
--Getting Involved
I think I’m finally getting a bit more ‘in’ with my community. Sure, I’m still in what many might call our ‘honeymoon’ faze, but I am feeling a bit more settled. I haven’t gotten out into our community as much as I’d like, but I am recognizing faces more often and remembering the names to them. People, not just the kids anymore, call out my name when I pass or when I say hello to them. The van driver will sometimes drop me off next to my home instead of just at the bus stop. I think part of this has been due to a good location of my new apartment and the fact that many people walk by it.
Unfortunately for some reasons still unknown to me, my landlady has decided that she does not wish to rent out the apartment further and my boss is searching for a new home in the village for me. There are a whole host of ups and downs to this—but I’ll remain positive and hope that my new place, wherever it may be, will be suitable and as good of a location as this one….although there are rather few places to rent in a smaller village.
Probably next week, I’ll be starting tutoring sessions. I had talks with the local primary school principal and will meet with primary school teachers in the morning. I’ll most likely be tutoring 4 days a week, 2 hours each day—each broken into 1 hour blocks. Monday/Wednesday will be for the primary levels and Tuesday/Thursday will be for secondary levels. Hopefully, I will identify people within the village who will assist in tutoring sessions so that we may reach more students. I’ll also be working more with the Ministry of Youth to revive the old 4-H club in village and hopefully create a big brother/sister type mentoring project. This will take quite a bit of time before that becomes a reality, but is something for the future. I hope to take more of a backseat role in these so I’ll have time to focus on my community organization development, but these things are sorely needed here as well.
Already, I am digging in with my primary group—SUDO—and building ties with another group, who will be responsible for managing/maintaining tourism project for the nearby Cumberland beach. I’m also peeking into an activity session organized by the government backed Adult Education Unit. As of tomorrow, they will be hosting cake baking and decorating training for enrolled participants. This program will hope to provide the technical skills that could aid a start-up business should the participants so desire. I’ve gotten the keys to the community center and will soon be working on cleaning up a large storage room and transforming it into a ‘community organization center’ room. Here CBOs, as they are known, will be able to come and gather—hold meetings and workshops as well as have space to keep documents and other project materials. It will also become my unofficial office I suppose. Good times. The next real trick will be to work on the community calendar project…to help everybody learn what’s going on where and when and so some spaces are double used. The community center is decently-sized, but within the past week has claimed to host 3 different meetings around the same time on the same day. Fortunately, these won’t need the same rooms, but none of them know about the other meetings….this could be problematic and this is exactly the sort of reason why we need this calendar up and running.
Wow…this is lots to read huh? I suppose the rest will have to wait until later. Unfortunately, the dsl internet seems to go up and down lots here and I pre-typed this Tuesday evening around 7-8pm. The internet was down at the time of this posting and hopefully won’t take too long for me to come back to the community center where I use the internet and post this.
I cast my absentee vote into the mail…..do the right thing and go vote by Nov. 4th. It matters less to me who you vote for, but more importantly that you go and cast your vote.
Stay safe and well everyone.
Ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn
19 September 2008
Of rain showers and brain cramps
Hey readers!
Ok, so last time I was talking about the crazy 5th graders. I forgot to say that I had a very strange and pleasant experience too..... As the school bell rang to let the kids go for the day, I sat in the little computer lab (where I had been trying to work with the 5th graders) and just sat--cooling off the brain. A moment later, in come some of the 6th graders I had be observing (helping the teacher) the week before. They were interested in just hanging out with me for a few minutes and wanted to know what I was doing in there. So I showed them how to use a spreadsheet to help them with their math problems--of which they are all fairly deficient and need tutoring (which will be one of my projects). Not sure if they will remember my tips--but having piqued their curiosity was a good feeling.
But yesterday, I actually got my first hands-on attempt at helping with beginner-basic literacy. I was shadowing one of the other volunteers here--already here a year--and this person was helping at a local school. I never thought teaching the beginner basics could be so hard and by lunch my head was ready to explode. Much kudos and props to the volunteer I was working with and any others who have been dedicated and doing this for so long. I know literacy is a big problem here with people of all ages. You'd be surprised what passes for literacy as far as statistics are concerned.... But I'm really not sure I'll be able to handle teaching literacy, at least from a beginner level. Perhaps it will be different with a different age group. The kids we were working with were probably 3-5 grades. This will be a long road for everyone....
Otherwise it has been raining a ton here lately and I like it. Well, I don't like getting the shoes soaked--which has been frequent--and I haven't broken down into sandals yet. >.< But after playing with the area kids the other day and getting really dirty nasty, I was in desperate need of a shower. The rain came hard so I figured why not....and stood out in it. My host mom was on the porch and I joked with her about showering in the rain. What did she do? Got my soap from my room. Ended up taking my first rain 'shower' right in front of the house and it was GREAT! Nobody cared either--later finding out that while not too common, people do it here. Lol.....I took another one around 5 this morning. ^_^
Going on a little field trip with the training crew today. I wonder what will be in store.
Hope all are happy and well.
ciao tutti
~Your wannabe jedi
~Shawn
Ok, so last time I was talking about the crazy 5th graders. I forgot to say that I had a very strange and pleasant experience too..... As the school bell rang to let the kids go for the day, I sat in the little computer lab (where I had been trying to work with the 5th graders) and just sat--cooling off the brain. A moment later, in come some of the 6th graders I had be observing (helping the teacher) the week before. They were interested in just hanging out with me for a few minutes and wanted to know what I was doing in there. So I showed them how to use a spreadsheet to help them with their math problems--of which they are all fairly deficient and need tutoring (which will be one of my projects). Not sure if they will remember my tips--but having piqued their curiosity was a good feeling.
But yesterday, I actually got my first hands-on attempt at helping with beginner-basic literacy. I was shadowing one of the other volunteers here--already here a year--and this person was helping at a local school. I never thought teaching the beginner basics could be so hard and by lunch my head was ready to explode. Much kudos and props to the volunteer I was working with and any others who have been dedicated and doing this for so long. I know literacy is a big problem here with people of all ages. You'd be surprised what passes for literacy as far as statistics are concerned.... But I'm really not sure I'll be able to handle teaching literacy, at least from a beginner level. Perhaps it will be different with a different age group. The kids we were working with were probably 3-5 grades. This will be a long road for everyone....
Otherwise it has been raining a ton here lately and I like it. Well, I don't like getting the shoes soaked--which has been frequent--and I haven't broken down into sandals yet. >.< But after playing with the area kids the other day and getting really dirty nasty, I was in desperate need of a shower. The rain came hard so I figured why not....and stood out in it. My host mom was on the porch and I joked with her about showering in the rain. What did she do? Got my soap from my room. Ended up taking my first rain 'shower' right in front of the house and it was GREAT! Nobody cared either--later finding out that while not too common, people do it here. Lol.....I took another one around 5 this morning. ^_^
Going on a little field trip with the training crew today. I wonder what will be in store.
Hope all are happy and well.
ciao tutti
~Your wannabe jedi
~Shawn
16 September 2008
Ha-zah! A new look and pics to post.
Ok, I squeezed in a few minutes at my homestay and gave my blog a make-over. Also, here is a link to my recently created flickr account to check out some pics.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30305553@N02/
Oh yeah......ending 5th grade class coverage was hellish today. >.< And after all that, I ended up taking a few of the local kids to the beach and play area for more games. Kids are a major key to integrating into our communities. The kids will talk about us to the parents.....the parents get curious and talk to us.....and then their friends....eventually most adults. The teens and younger adults will be harder to reach. That usually comes through activities and social gatherings. --or so I think.
Wow....the rain is REALLY coming down right now. It is so loud it is nearly deafening. Kinda cool actually.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30305553@N02/
Oh yeah......ending 5th grade class coverage was hellish today. >.< And after all that, I ended up taking a few of the local kids to the beach and play area for more games. Kids are a major key to integrating into our communities. The kids will talk about us to the parents.....the parents get curious and talk to us.....and then their friends....eventually most adults. The teens and younger adults will be harder to reach. That usually comes through activities and social gatherings. --or so I think.
Wow....the rain is REALLY coming down right now. It is so loud it is nearly deafening. Kinda cool actually.
Wow....am I doing this?
Hey readers! ^_^ Thanks for coming back again.
Lots has been happening in a short period of time. In fact, our 2nd week on island seemed to go by fairly quickly. Sadly, I had to wait until now to say anything--well, I can't always get online. >.<
Since the last post.....
I got to intern at a primary school....I worked with the 6th grade teacher and it confirmed for me that there really are needs in literacy and math skills. Today I am supposed to be observing again--but since there is no 5th grade teacher--yeah.... I got to step in. I have no clue what the heck I am doing and I think the kids know it. Ug....I am typing this during the lunch break and really don't want to go back...
Been playing dominoes! I've borrowed the host family's set and brought them to training. After playing a bit with the other trainees--my host dad let me play with him at his local hang out. Those guys are SHARKS! I totally got my butt kicked in. Oh well, practice practice practice.
There is an ocean/rivers clean up this Saturday all over the island--as part of a bigger initiative with the Ocean Conservancy. I hope to take part it. :P I've also found out about chances to help with the sea turtle conservation efforts. Those projects don't start till later in the year--but I am excited for the opportunity. Hunting/Eating sea turtle meat is illegal during most of the year and eggs illegal all year round.....but it happens. In fact, there are several threatened/endangered species on the islands--but people hunt them anyways. Grrr.....
Got to try something called 'doubles' the other day. It is kinda like a chick pea mush served on a type of tortilla bread and usually topped with various sauces--mango, cucumber, hot, and/or tamarind. It was delicious and only EC$3!!!
Had my first real meeting with my assigned community group on Saturday and got to learn some of their needs here in the village. It is still far too early to tell exactly what I'll be doing for sure. However, literacy numeracy, small business skills, financial accounting, and basic computer skills seem to be topping the list. They are also interested in restarting a local drama club....really excited to have me help with it....but I don't know the first thing about it. mur.
Sunday, I got my first sunburn while learning some plumbing skills. I got to help cut, fit, and run steel pipes to help get someone their first indoor plumbing. It was a good feeling.
It gets really dark here quick--pitch dark by 7ish. For some reason I get really tired early and have been getting up around 5am. I don't think I would have ever gotten up so early if I didn't have too...
I got a group of school kids out to play frisbee and run races last night. They loved it. Now, they are asking me all the time if I will be going out to the park area again. Many of them know my name. For those who know me....you know how awkward this is for me. Ug....one day at a time.
I want to upload some more pics, but I have to get back before the lunch break ends....so glad I am not assigned to a school. I will try to get more pics up next time.
ciao tutti
~Your wannabe jedi
~Shawn
Lots has been happening in a short period of time. In fact, our 2nd week on island seemed to go by fairly quickly. Sadly, I had to wait until now to say anything--well, I can't always get online. >.<
Since the last post.....
I got to intern at a primary school....I worked with the 6th grade teacher and it confirmed for me that there really are needs in literacy and math skills. Today I am supposed to be observing again--but since there is no 5th grade teacher--yeah.... I got to step in. I have no clue what the heck I am doing and I think the kids know it. Ug....I am typing this during the lunch break and really don't want to go back...
Been playing dominoes! I've borrowed the host family's set and brought them to training. After playing a bit with the other trainees--my host dad let me play with him at his local hang out. Those guys are SHARKS! I totally got my butt kicked in. Oh well, practice practice practice.
There is an ocean/rivers clean up this Saturday all over the island--as part of a bigger initiative with the Ocean Conservancy. I hope to take part it. :P I've also found out about chances to help with the sea turtle conservation efforts. Those projects don't start till later in the year--but I am excited for the opportunity. Hunting/Eating sea turtle meat is illegal during most of the year and eggs illegal all year round.....but it happens. In fact, there are several threatened/endangered species on the islands--but people hunt them anyways. Grrr.....
Got to try something called 'doubles' the other day. It is kinda like a chick pea mush served on a type of tortilla bread and usually topped with various sauces--mango, cucumber, hot, and/or tamarind. It was delicious and only EC$3!!!
Had my first real meeting with my assigned community group on Saturday and got to learn some of their needs here in the village. It is still far too early to tell exactly what I'll be doing for sure. However, literacy numeracy, small business skills, financial accounting, and basic computer skills seem to be topping the list. They are also interested in restarting a local drama club....really excited to have me help with it....but I don't know the first thing about it. mur.
Sunday, I got my first sunburn while learning some plumbing skills. I got to help cut, fit, and run steel pipes to help get someone their first indoor plumbing. It was a good feeling.
It gets really dark here quick--pitch dark by 7ish. For some reason I get really tired early and have been getting up around 5am. I don't think I would have ever gotten up so early if I didn't have too...
I got a group of school kids out to play frisbee and run races last night. They loved it. Now, they are asking me all the time if I will be going out to the park area again. Many of them know my name. For those who know me....you know how awkward this is for me. Ug....one day at a time.
I want to upload some more pics, but I have to get back before the lunch break ends....so glad I am not assigned to a school. I will try to get more pics up next time.
ciao tutti
~Your wannabe jedi
~Shawn
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