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

Change. It happens everywhere.

14 Sept 2009, somewhere around 1:30pm

Avocados (also known here as zabuca or pear) are in full swing. It has been a very tasty past couple of weeks and the guacamole is wonderful. Still haven't gotten too many into guacamole in my village. My host dad refers to it as pickney tootoo...pickney is dialect for kids, so I am sure you can guess the tootoo part. Still too much of any good thing isn't good for you and it is a comical reminder everytime the avocados come raining from the trees and I gobble them up after missing them for so long...and a couple hours later remember why it isn't good to eat too much avocado. Still, it is too yummy to pass up. ^_^ What a wonderful food avocado is.



The yellow face has tasty avocado...the blue faces have none. ^_^

The political situation in SVG is rather interesting for the outsider right about now. They are in the final leg of an attempt for a constitutional referendum. The government has spent the past 6 or so years pulling in the opinions and other inputs from all walks of Vincentians--here and abroad. The government parties were at one time together on this venture, but for a myriad of reasons have since taken different stances. The government (majority party) has been pushing a YES vote and the opposition (minority party) has been pushing a NO vote. There are many Vincentians here that believe neither party should be pushing any sort of YES or NO vote and should only be engaging in educating the people on the new constitution's contents and empowering them to place their own individual votes that remain unswayed by any particular political influence.

I have heard and seen a great deal of political tribalism during my first year here, but this seems to be taking things to a whole new level. If I was to ever pursue political science as a PhD field of study, I think I would return here for a dissertation as I have never seen such levels of political tribalism before and also seen the public and government so close together and readily accessible--a given considering SVG is a small nation.

I will refrain from discussing the bits and pieces of the constitution or my own personal thoughts on it. However, I certainly raised an eyebrow at the words of the Prime Minister in this week's newspapers. He is an incredibly smart and strategically savy individual who does a great deal of planning in much of what he says and does, which is why I will only guess at his selection of published material.

As published in all of this week's major newspapers, the final paragraphy of his "The Dynamic of Constitutional Reform":
PERVERSE TO VOTE "NO"
It is a perversity based o petty politics or a debilitating, personal vanity to vote "NO" in the "referendum election". A "NO" vote has no credible intellectual basis or national interest consideration on which to ground it. A "NO" vote would make our nation the laughing stock of the region and diaspora. The young people and generations unborn would damn us if we are ever so foolish as to vote "NO".

Interesting way to choice to motivate the public Honorable Prime Minister...


As I try to keep up with the barrage of news in the media back home, I wonder why our country is in the process of devouring itself on this Health Care reform. It seems as if our nation is acting very much along the political tribalism lines I see here on SVG. The whole heath care reform that President Obama's administration has been pushing, or many of the addressed aspects of it, should have not been any massive surprise to anyone. At the very least we should have become rather acquainted with his view and ideological goals for this reform during his campaign run for Presidential office. He won the Presidency by a rather healty margin, which should give credence to his plans for the office term. With respect to the other major contenders for the presidency--Senator McCain and Secretary of State Clinton, they both acknowledged the need for this reform and I honestly feel that if Clinton was voted into office that she would have been pursuing much of the same path as President Obama on this issue.

Health Care reform is something that we truly need in our country. I won't say what is currently in the policy cauldron, bubbling away, is a perfect and ideal solution but it is certainly a step in the right direction. As with any significant issue in our nation's political climate, I strongly suggest people to do more individual investigation on these details and form your own opinion. Look into the health care systems of other nations, especially those with strong democratic governments that have a somewhat/greater socialized health care systems in place that is well supported by their public. Continue listening to pundits and political groups if you wish, but seek your own opinions and listen with an open mind to the on-going debates. Our debate should not be at all focused on if we reform or not, but rather on how we do it.



Enough of my ranting....more on what's up with me.

Went to a wedding this past Saturday. One of the volunteers here just finished up his Close of Service after fulfilling his 26 months this past Thursday followed that by marrying his Vincentian finace! How very cool. I was asked to be a groomsman, so I was all gussied up in a black suit and tie--of course it was Caribbean hot, ug. The wedding started a bit late...nearly an hour, probably on time after including for Caribbean time flow. The whole ceremony was great, but there was just one part that struck me as a bit odd. There came a moment when the pastor was having them agree to their respective duties as husband and wife. The wife was asked to submit to her husband, obey him, and recognize him as superior and the head of the household. The husband was asked to respect and love his wife. There was a bit more to both, but they each held the general outlook that was very clearly spoken to dominance and control of the husband.

I found this interesting given the steps forward to bring men and women closer together in terms of fundamental gender equality. I was certainly not expecting this and from what I understand--one of our female volunteers in attendance let her jaw drop after hearing such things. Of course we had our jokes about it later on, but it does give credence and shed light on how many things can/are interpreted here in the social and family structure.

For those wondering about the vocal dilemma--yes, I'm still hoarse. Currently taking some decongestants and that seems to be helping a little bit, but I'm far from being considered at a normal operative level. As for expected full recovery timelines, there are not any. Just go at it one day at a time.

On a personal note, I was talking with another volunteer the other night and we found that we are both experiencing similar situations. It is a strange concept and I'm not sure what to do about it. There seems to be this cyclic sensation of where I'd rather be and what I'd rather be doing. When I am at home--most notably when I'm on the computer/internet--I find my mind drifting to things back home. What I would be doing if I was there right now or how family & friends are doing. Of course email, chat, and various other social connectivity options help keep in touch, but it doesn't stop the 'what-if' questions from coming and life back home certainly hasn't stopped or slowed just because I joined the Peace Corps. There are lots of things that play through the mind, but the overall sensation is one of wanting to be home.

However, the flipside of that situation is when I am not at home. Whether I am just sitting on the block with guys listening to them rant about the current situations here, helping farm bananas, teach computers, or try to help where I can...it makes me glad to be here. It is when I am out and about in my community that helps me keep myself anchored here. To say things are difficult to get done here is an understatement, but I like interacting with the people in my village.

The other volunteer I was talking to had expressed a rather similar experience and it just seems so strange--as if split between two worlds and desiring to be a part of both, but only when engaging in activities that involve one world or the other. It isn't that I'm fighting to get home or entrenching myself to stay here. I'm happy and comfortable here so don't misconstrue these thoughts as a form of homesickness. Just an observation in what's on the mind.



The only thing here right now that is rather unsettling is what I am 'supposed' to be doing. Most of the volunteers here work in the schools and with some secondary programs outside of the schools. There are also a couple that are attached to community groups and that seems to be keeping them rather busy. My groups are keeping me rather busy too...but something seems to be back-firing with them. When I work with one group, I seem to be experiencing some pressure from that organization's "parent group" to back off from what I do with that group. I think the "parent group" of this community organization would like nothing better than to have me disappear from the community efforts--a sense of turfism if you will.

The other group I'm working to support is extremely new and as a community umbrella group it is dependent on participation from other village groups to participate for support. There are a few key people that have expressed interest in supporting the group and I'm very thankful to be able to work alongside them. Yet the majority of village groups that should be participating to fill out the umbrella group simply not there. I've been the length and breadth of this village. I've talked to people here and spent a great deal of time listening--in shops, the street, and on porches. I've sat back and watched others--how they interact; where they go; and I feel as if I've gotten a decent hold on the village realities. When I communicate with them, there is a sense of interest and desire to see certain things happen to improve the quality of life in the village. So I go about learning what it takes to make those things happen and present findings to the umbrella group. Unfortunately, there has been less and less involvement at the umbrella group meetings and I seem to have been left hanging at the end of a stick.

All in all, it isn't bad to deal with and yet I find the missing component to the equation is the motivation to act on what a person says. I have seen mathematical problems and equations that make heads spin and look as if they were written in ancient languages. They seemed impossible, but there are indeed solutions if one knows how to interpret the symbols and approach the equation. The dilemma of how to motivate a person, group, village, or society is an equation that seems more daunting than the previous math problem. There are methods to decode the social symbols and ways to approach social mobility--but how... Ug. It is enough to cause a headache at this point. Going to lie down now and get up later to fix a few computers.



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

War against apathy

It's been awhile since I posted--completely on me. I'm online almost everyday, but finding the words to say just don't come out I suppose.



So a year on island has gone by now (a year as an official volunteer on 20 October). It was one thing to say that we've been here a year and perhaps it felt as such. Yet I think it really came to me when the current volunteers (both those at the 1-yr mark and those who are still here wrapping up their 2-year service) gathered at the air-port to greet the new, incoming volunteers. The airport here is small enough that we were able to assemble along the outer fence line and proceed to scream, hoot, and pound the fence as we saw them coming off their plane. Then we lined up like complete hooligans immediately outside the arrival exit doors waving a Vincy flag for people to walk through as we chanted various things like SVG, Peace Corps, and being wonderfully obnoxious. Thankfully, security must figure it's only once a year for a very short time--so we're forgiven. ^_^ Thanks airport security.

See the all the arrival shots here!

Here's the boss-man, Mr. Cool coming through.


The arrival welcoming crew


We ventured back to the office for a little meet and greet for a few hours. It was nice to see everyone face to face--even the current volunteers. Some of us here meet up from time to time for small events, but as a group we very rarely all get together in one place. This time we had every volunteer on island there and it was very cool. Scott and I stuck around until each host parent came to pick up there respective volunteer and take them to their new homes across SVG. It was akin to watching the box of puppies seeking adoption. ^_^ This arrival was very different from our group's landing last year. We didn't do a meet and greet, but we were met by a few volunteers at the arrival doors very briefly. Didn't have much chance to say hi, because the moment we got past our greeters our host parents were already at the airports to pick us up. Also, we arrived on a Saturday and didn't have anything specific to do until Monday when our training started. This gave us a couple days to figure out something to do as we settled into our village--no word from the staff or other volunteers. This time around, they landed on a Monday and started training the next day. Neither is better or worse, but interesting to compare.

President Obama welcomes you


The whole volunteer SVG crew is now assembled!


So while that was happy, joyful times--there is still plenty to do work to do.
The past couple of weeks has posed to be rather interesting in terms of 'passing the buck'. With my time and energy focusing on the two main groups I'm working with, I've rolled up my sleeves a bit for them.
--The tourism group, Cumberland Valley Eco-Tourism Organization, really needs to come together since their efforts are going to be launched as a small business group responsible for two tourist sites. I'm trying to fill in the training gaps from the larger development projecct, rather large gaps.
--The Spring Village Action Council has been having a hard time gathering its supposed members and putting our long talked about village enhancement project to paper. Seeing that project through is my driving goal while I am here.



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With the tourism project, there is an controlling group that is responsible for strengthening and training some dozen or so community tourism groups. They are covering everything from business fundamentals, accounting, computer training, marketing, safety & security, hospitality, and all sorts of other small start-up training. However, in my opinion, much of this training (at those I've attended) seem to be nothing more than a light dusting on these topics and are not engaging the groups. A few of our group members feel that the rest of the group is not taking the upcoming responsibilities seriously enough. Sometimes I wonder if the provided 'training' in not designed in such a way as to capture the involvement and bring these members on-board. Additionally, I feel as if this light dusting called training won't be sufficient to help these groups manage their sites if they've never managed something similar before.

I've offered extensively to assist the tourism development project team in any way they might see fit. However, there is a general feeling of turfism in that anyone who is not actively working as staff on the project team or contracted by them should be involved with the training. The project liaison and I have bumped heads a few times with my attempts to do some side training for my local village group. I warned the group about this training situation long ago and they didn't seem too concerned. Now that they are starting to realize that the sites will be ready and they'll be operating them by the end of the year (if not sooner), I'm being approached to assist with all sorts of things from the business plans to site marketing to doing the computer work for them. I haven't entirely let myself do all of their work. Just this morning, one of the members was asking me why I didn't get the tourism statistics they needed and I replied because it was them that needed to get it. So we met on middle ground as I sat her down at my computer and had her use her email to communicate to the Ministry of Tourism. They must stand on their own two feet.




Marketing this group is my lastest drive for them. I have a running goal to get them an internet presence (email, social networks, and website) all up and running within two months. They will be alongside me nearly every step of the way. Thankfully, there are not webhosts with relatively easy to use interfaces that allow a person to literally drag-and-drop their way to building a website. Between that and a few tweaks of help, we should have something looking rather nice in the near future. Score one for them and since I'll make sure they can update it themselves, score one for both of us on sustainability.

I've also started to try help a local couple craftspeople to work on their product marketing as well. One of them in involved with the tourism project also--so the repeat coaching should help reinforce the concepts. I'll be happy to provide links for them in the future...

-------------------------------------------

The Spring Village Action Council has been it's own bunch of fun. We're going to meet later this evening and have lots to discuss. As a group, we were gathered to act as a networked council--bringing to the table representatives from the churches, non-church organizations, and interested individuals. We've noticed it is extremely hard to get many of the groups to respond regularly and many individuals don't seem to really acknowledge us as yet. Must strategically plan on how who we should target to expand membership and drive to enlarge ourselves in order to have sufficient numbers to share responsibilities.

We've been mapping out a development project--a somewhat ambitious one--as a tool to establish the group and provide several needed services to the community. However, without a strong membership base it seems as if our meetings are just going in circles. Tonight I hope to gain commitment to a general timeline for the project. Even if that timeline is long, it will give them something on a calendar to work along. The things we have planned out would greatly benefit the community and I fear should I be sent home early that much of this will fall through...

• Crossroad direction and neighborhood (rather than street) signs through the village
  
• Bus shed on the highway
  
• Establish a family play/relax park
  
• Establish an agricultural inputs shop
  
• Complete a bridge to gain access to part of the beach. Currently the river we cross can quickly rise to dangerous levels.
  
• Remodel parts of our community center to reflect changing interests
  
• Remodel and establish a computer training lab in one of the community center rooms.
  

We can do this, but we have to get motivated and start to write. I've told the members in the group that funding is available for those that work towards it--which has been one of their greatest concerns.

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I think the hardest part of what I do isn't facilitating any particular topic.

• It isn't working with kids--->way outside my comfort zone.
  
• It isn't patiently explaining a concept 4, 5 or 12 times to someone.
  
• It isn't trying to communicate with people while being hoarse for the past many months.
  
• It isn't doing lots of walking and hand-shaking to track down people or information to make something possible.

The hardest part about what I do is fight a war against apathy, non-motivation, and a general culture of undermining one another. I've talked on many occasions to people in my village and they will all agree on a particular idea, but none seem to have any idea as to how to start changing that culture. They will readily admit such practices run rampant in the village and the greater St. Vincent, but they won't admit to doing such things themselves. The barest strand of this aspect of Spring/Vincy culture shows that a person would like a certain level of happiness/standard of living. While this is not inherently problematic, the common thread continues that if someone else might become better off by helping that person--such as buy from a shop or contribute in any way to an organization, then a person would avoid or even work against the betterment of the person trying to succeed.

Anyone you ask shall tell you just what this community needs, but the vast majority will not provide any assistance towards the work that needs to be done. Invitations to consultations and other meetings would be announced that offer an opportunity for people come and be heard; yet the far majority do not come. Even recently, there was a land and watershed consultation done that actually had a decent turn-out and when the facilitators mentioned a potential of funding for environmental protection work, members of the audience began spinning question after question about when some group will come and fix this and that for them. The facilitators attempted to bring these people on-board with a collaborative venture, yet the audience members turned away from it. It seems apparent that the majority of the people simply want something done for them without personal investment. The local culture is one of negative criticism and perhaps it would be harder to criticize something negatively if that person had been a stakeholder on the effort.

My work here strongly discourages the "do it for them" approach and I don't believe in it either. Sadly, far too many stories have come from previous volunteers that say if you want something done, you just have to do it yourself. I've had to stoop to that before, but am trying my best to bring at least on person with me when something needs to get done. And so the war on apathy continues....

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

Jacks of all trades?

Busy lil bee...
Rain still came on and off through the weekend. Looks like it might be starting to break now that we are getting several hours at a time without showers.

This past Saturday kept me doing lots of stuff all day.
---Got up to meet up with some of the primary school local boys to go down to the beach. Not sure why, but the older kids never seem to want to go-maybe they are just too cool. This group was a bit smaller than normal, but it was still fun. We really didn't get to swim in the ocean since all the heavy rains have made the sea very rough and very dirty (estuary at the beach with all the junk washing down >.< ). So the kids decided it was better to swim in the river estuary....lots of playing catcha (what they call tag).
A shortcut--Crossing the river in Spring Village on the way to the beach

Me and Lex--I think I am his favorite person in the village since he always wants to hang out.

Wading at the river mouth to get to the better side of the beach

Dem kids having fun

---Almost as soon as I got back around noon, made a quick lunch and skirted down to Clive's Black Struggler's Bar. This is were I usually 'lime' (if I'm hanging out) and am training to become domino master. ^_^ The neighbors had widened a drive road and they had to knock down part of the bar's shed for the work. So the local guys volunteered to rebuild it better than before. Last weekend they laid the concrete and blocks--I got to help this weekend with the carpentry end of things. Some of them were very happy to see me wanting to help and they got all excited handing me a hammer and nail--showing me where and how to use them. A couple thought it would be funny to get a pencil in my ear and tape measure on my hip, then show me to the others as a newly transformed carpenter. Actually, I think I put in about 6 nails, but I did help moving things along up on the framework. Although many of they guys do not have much of a formal education and some nothing past primary school, they are all tradesmen and build things all the time. It was cool to see them working live a bee hive, back and forth with all the little jobs. So I was a bit of the odd man out anyways. No worries; they were glad to have me there. I didn't get to stay until it was finished....had to get ready for a meeting at 5pm.


Rebuilding the frame





can you spot the one Vincy in action pose... ^_^ As soon as they know a camera is pointing, they love to pose.

wannabe carpenter for a few hours

---From kid sitter to carpenter to meeting organizer.....we had a fairly decent meeting this time around with my host organization--SUDO. It was a longer meeting, over 2.5 hours, and we covered a lot of ground. Now the trick will be to move forward on some of the things we talked about. SUDO runs the village library/internet cafe. The library doesn't keep any of the local papers, nor does it have easy access to any info 'Vincentian'. Some kids needed help to find info on local government ministers and our only resource was the computer...which are not always available. We are also hoping to start decorating the library with themes--since there is a large concern with people not really using the library portion and only using the computers. The group identified a lack of book diversity as a possible problem....so if you know of places willing to ship older books and other useful library type stuff....let me know.

My boss came by for the early part of the SUDO meeting to help address a joint concern (mine and his) about my organization's lack of response and function. It took 3 weeks now to gather its members for a meeting, of only 6 people, and that I'm assigned to the orgnaization and I've seen them perhaps 3-4 times as a group since I've arrived on St Vincent. Later in the meeting, I began to address some major concerns I've had about the structure, records, and general functions of the group as an NGO.....they didn't like what I had to say and I think it may have opened a couple wounds. They fall back on the good history and experiences SUDO has done for Spring Village.....so I hope to spend some time with its members and build the missing historical documentation to help strengthen the group. This should help close the wounds. Many of the various activities I am researching right now--steel pan & music, public speaking & debate, drama & dance, tutoring activities--all can be sponsored by SUDO, but I just don't trust them to take those reigns until they can begin to look more like a functioning NGO. They have been around for decades, but if it wasn't for the stories if its members and the communities stories, you'd hardly know they were around for more than a year. Sure, oral history is good and could be defened by saying they are a developing nation--but seriously? There are groups just as old that are the polar opposite in a positive manner that we will try to use as our benchmarks. Revival of this group is supposed to be one of my number one goals....it is the reason I am here. It will be done.


---Sunday was another action packed day. I was supposed to get up and be outside on the road by 6am to meet up with a group of banana farmers. A bit of celebrating from completing the shed construction from the night before helped me to oversleep a bit. Got up by 6:30....and missed the truck. Tossed on my waterboots, backpack and cutlass and began the LONG walk up the road, 'up da mountain' as they say. The walk through the village was good, as I got lots of suprise and positive comments from people here since they got to see me doing things and dressing just as they do for farming. Once I got out of Spring Village proper, I was on new turf. I'd never walked up the road this far....and was surprised at how long the road went--and I didn't even go all the way up!!! This is a really long road...not sure just how long yet, but there are many farm plots along the way. I think I walked a good 45min at least until I saw the first truck. Not the guys I was supposed to go with, but I knew them anyways so I spent the day with them--RasBen, XC, and their wives.

(lol...worked with them the whole morning and I don't know their names yet--yes there is something awkward when everybody already know your name and you don't know theirs. It is commonplace for now.)

The guys showed me around the banana trees and got a laugh at my cutlass--apparently I didn't need it for banana farming. They use a small wickedly curved knife to cut and trim the bananas. Most of my work was washing the bananas in a solution to slow the spread of 'crown fungal rot' as well as bagging and boxing bananas. I got to eat a yellow one (no clue where XC got it from) and it as great. We also had some fresh paw-paw (paupaya) and tangerines; always best super fresh. When we finished at the boxing shed, we loaded the truck and picked up a few other banana farmers & their boxes along the way. We stopped at the Fair Trade shed where a few others would be doing quality checks on all the boxed bananaas. Those boxes would be purchased by the Fair Trade group and loaded onto a big truck and shipped out. Most of the bananas we harvested go to England.


Evergreens in SVG!!!

RasBen clipping bananas

XC in the back of the truck

A banana shed on the mountain road, but not the one we worked in

Busted...washing the bananas in a preserving solution.

Bagging dem bananas--6 to a regular bag, 8 if they are smaller and into 'kid-pack' bags

Boxing up the bags for later shipping

RasBen in the back with our boxed up bananas


---A quick wash and lunch back home and it was off to the Sunday football game. It was decent game and we had our usual social party afterwards till about 9pm. That was also the norm, but what stuck out was the 15-20 minutes music that I really didn't expect to hear from the djs. Typically they play more localized music, Caribbean dance flavors. They started to play a big band song--swing, swing, swing--as well as other American music like Karma Chameleon and some unknown country song. Moreover, everybody dancing along was loving it, some even singing along. Now I love when people around the world share and enjoy music from all over, but in the weeks I've been going to these little functions this was a first experience. Not a bad one at all, just different--a good time.

That makes for a busy weekend and long blog...

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

Searching for green gold and now free texting!!!

Another day in Caribbean...
For some of us--like our Florida volunteers, the weather patterns and warmer climate this time of year are normal. Personally, I've been in warmer places, but I don't think I've ever gone a full year without seeing a 'northern' winter. A couple people back home tell me about how cold it is getting and snow will be right around the corner. I certainly won't get any of that down here. A bit strange, even surreal to the mind--wet and dry season only, when I'm used to 4 seasons back home. Speaking of wet--it's still raining plenty here. It's now been 7 days straight with breaks in-between the down pours; heard it is supposed to go through Saturday. No worries for me though, just makes transportation a bit more difficult (they don't like driving in the rain and don't drive as late in the evenings) and tends to keep people from attending meetings in the village.

Spring Village is a more rural village, mostly farmers here. Even many of the people who don't farm as a livelihood still maintain some sort of agriculture to supplement themselves. One of the major things they farm here is banana. There is even an organization called Fair Trade that correlates the farming efforts and production. I got all excited to hear that there were so many banana farmers here and figured that it would be raining bananas. I really like them--they taste great and are extremely good for you. Funny thing--I can't really find any for sale. I'm surrounded by banana farmers and don't see any on the street corners here. Sure, I can find them in town--but I want to try and buy more of my local foods in the village if I can.

I see plenty of plantain, but no banana. haha, I learned by doing that ripe yellow plantain is still tricky to get out of it's skin and really doesn't taste good at all when raw. I managed to get another member of the banana family--called a fig (not to be confused with the date type of fig). It is smaller, chubby, and a bit sweeter--and they need longer to ripe. There is also another member of the banana family here called a grindy--also rather tasty. Grindy, fig, and banana are all ok to eat ripe--so those will be the ones I search for later. Plantain are nice, but I'd rather eat ripe than cooked fruit. Sunday, I am supposed to be getting up early (5am?) to meet up with some of the banana farmers and go work with them in the mountain. I've seen them coming in before, boxing up blue bags of banana that go onto large flat bed trucks to be exported later. They told me that if I really wanted banana, it's best to get some from them when they come back from the mountain. ^_^ The hunt will soon be over! lol, I've also learned from them that there are 2 sub-types of banana....but I can't recall their names. One is more like what we find back home and the other is a type that is preferred here. Perhaps I will find the difference. I joked with one of the locals that we should do a blind taste test and see if they can identify which of the banana types they are eating.

Banana, Fig, Plantain. I haven't seen red banana here, but the grindy looks more like the red ones--only yellow when ripe.


Yesterday I finally got to deliver a letter to the Ministry of Education officially requesting that I be allowed to use the school's computer lab to teach computer classes. The school principal says that it is ok, but I needed her to give me the letter--which I've been waiting for +/- 2 months now to receive from her. Finally, Tuesday I drafted the letter myself and brought to her for her edits and signature. Sometimes we just have to do things ourselves...now I wait for the red tape to clear and I will have some very happy locals. ^_^ The only thing I don't like about the computer lab is the operating systems on the computers. They used to have older desktops, kinda slow but usable for sure, that had Windows XP. Some time before I arrived, the ministry had them changed to these little box things (smaller than micro cases if you've seen one) that don't even have floppy or cd drives on them--just 2 usb in the front. I think they are flash memory based (didn't see a fan on it either) since I was told that we aren't really supposed to store things on them. Worst part about them--they are running Windows CE. It is windows, but doesn't run like the conventional windows system that I'm used to and I don't know much of anything about it. I believe that it is similar to what you might find on a PDA running a Windows environment, like 5.0. So there goes all the little training and educational software I was going to use--it's not compatible. Time to get creative again. ^_^ Good times, that's why I'm here.

Keeping on the nerd train...
I was playing around with the plug-ins available for Mozilla Firefox and came across yet another reason why Firefox RULES! They have a plug-in called WataCrackaz AutoSMS; crazy name huh? But this little toolbar (which I usually stay away from toolbars) allows you to select a global region, choose a cell carrier, enter a telephone #, and message to send (suggested under 100 characters) all for FREE!!! Since it sits in the toolbar, I just have to be online and use the toolbar--too simple! Not extra websites to visit or log into. Simply awesome. I've sent a couple texts out back home--but not sure yet if they actually got them. Sent one to my phone here and I got it within a matter of seconds. Sweet....

Getting my yellow fever vacination tomorrow. I don't need it to live here, but one of the other volunteers is taking a trip to South America soon and it is required for her to go there. They needed 3-4 people to get the vaccine in order for it to be feasible to sent the vial to St Vincent.....so I volunteered (yet again....that word is becoming common in my daily life huh?) to get stuck. Not sure if there will be any side effects, but at least I will have the vaccine in case I go on any interesting trips to the Central or Southern Americas.

The PCVs and our staff will be celebrating Thanksgiving this year Thursday the 27th. Our boss, Mr. Cool, has stated we will be joining celebrations with the Taiwanese volunteers and their staff on island. I didn't even know the Taiwanese celebrated Thanksgiving. If they don't, perhaps this is just a good time for cultural exchange. I've met one of them here already, very briefly, and I'm excited for the event. They are making some of their national dishes and we are going to be making some of ours. I am with 2 others on pie duty. I was intending to make 2 pumpkin pies, was even going to make everything from scratch. However--the cost was getting too steep for me, scratch or from canned. So looks like we are having a bunch of apple pies instead. Strange that the apples here are imported, but will be cheaper to create. I've never made apple pie from scratch before so this will be a learning experience. Pie day will be Wednesday. ^_^ Yum. I think we are baking a test pie to see how it goes first....double yum.

Stay safe and well.
ciao tutti
~your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn

Frogs and Bats oh my

Hey readers,
Good things so lately for the most part.
--Last Saturday, I went to see the orphans of St. Benedict's play steel pan as the opening group for a music fest. Hopefully how good they were will help shake some of the stigma that the orphans experience, since all of them have some sort of physical or mental ailment. Although I was approached by some weird guy; he didn't seem drunk but I couldn't understand anything he was saying to me and he wouldn't leave me alone. Our HIV/AIDS trainer was around and took notice and together we got the guy to go away. Funny thing was that our trainer, a local, couldn't understand the guy either. On the way back, I was a bit lucky to catch a late bus and we crammed in the most people I've experienced yet....maybe 22 when it is registered to carry perhaps 16. With the rain and really heavy van, it was a long slow ride home--no worries though, this is the Vincy way. ^_^

--So with all the tropical storms in the area, St Vincent has been getting plenty of rain and a humidity that makes everything sweaty. What should I expect...its the Caribbean. : ) I just hope that our other volunteers are doing ok on the other islands. Last I heard, St Kitts is under hurricane warning from Hurricane Omar.

--There is currently a teacher strike across the entire island as they attempt to resolve with the government terms and conditions of a reclassification system, which affects their pay scales. Although I won't get into the nitty gritty, I'll say that it is causing quite a disturbance on the ground. I hope it gets resolved quickly. I am not taking any particular stance on this issue, but I do see how it is affecting the communities. Even though I can't stand how the current scholastic system is performing--both on the part of the schools and the students--it is certainly better to have something functional. Societies are strange. The amount of attention provided during times of strife depends on who or what is causing that strife. The teachers have been protesting their issues now for a few weeks rather loudly and now on strike since Monday going forward--although they have been arguing with government about this for months. If the strike would have come from a different sector of society, perhaps internal government workers or even the police, I'm sure that the response times to sit down for discussion/negotiation would have occured much faster. Again, I am not taking any sides--especially since I don't know all the details--but I personally think that teachers, good teachers, are the foundation for building a better future and deserve the respect and treatment equal to the services they provide.

--Tuesday I began to teach an older gentlemen from a nearby village how to use the computer. He is interested in learning how to use email, since he is currently relying on others to send messages for him to buy a boat from overseas somewhere. Before Tuesday, he had never touched a computer before and although he admitted it was overwhelming, he was very excited to be learning about it. Teaching bare basics, like how to move a mouse and even how to touch a keyboard key properly are things that are easily taken for granted. I was glad to be able to help him and see his responses. Sure, we didn't get much farther than a couple sentences and using MS Paint to connect a few dots for mouse skills--but it was a great start. He didn't mind at all being my guinea pig, since I've never started helping someone from ground zero up and the experience was good for me as well since I will be doing regular classes for people of all ages that have never touched computers. Fortunately, this gentlemen was able to read/write well, so my concerns for later will be for those I will train that can't read/write. Gotta walk before we run.

--A fun little experience. I was at the computer at my host family's house the other day and I noticed a funny looking dark spot bouncing on the floor. I thought it was some strange bug and was pondering if I should squish it or not. A closer look showed that it was actually a really small frog; the entire frog could fit onto the fingernail of my index finger. So small! I have no clue how it got in as the doors and windows were closed, but I captured it and let it go on a plant leaf outside. I'm actually glad to hear the frogs at night. After spending some time in the research labs at Southern Illinois Unv with Dr. Lips, I learned of the Chytridiomycosis bacterium that is causing the deaths of amphibians across the Americas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chytridiomycosis

--More SVG Animal Planet....we have bats that enjoy roosting in the spaces between the metal sheets of my host family's roof. They are really loud in the evening and when they suffle about. I don't really mind, but it is driving my host parents crazy. Last night, they were taking the broom and whacking the ceiling as they tried to drive them out. I really doubted it worked, since their previous attempts have all failed. I'm not sure if they really cause any damage to the home, perhaps buildup of guano will eat away at the metals over time. Otherwise, I enjoy bats and think they are great for insect control.

--Last night's U.S. presidential debate was a disappointment in my opinion for Obama. Sure, the polls and pundits are saying that he did better overall and that this now makes him 3 for 3. I couldn't ask for better on that part. And yes, he did maintain a cool and collected air about him for the entire thing. I was split on his discussions. Some portions really resonated with me, such as education, while others left me wanting more details. Either way, I really thought that Obama was a bit flat, to echo the words of the analysts. Where is the great speaker and motivator that carried him through the primaries? I am glad to see that he is settling in rather comfortably into the presidential 'look', but I think his tone has lost a bit of its fire. As much as I can't stand Sarah Palin, she seems to have picked up where he left off in terms of energy and enthusiasm during her speeches.

--Which tosses me to my last thought. My village has expressed an interest in reviving the drama group they used to have. I will need to spend time research what that actually entailed, but this is something that several have really wanted help with. I don't know a thing about how to work with or run a drama group--but if it is one thing I know how to do.....is find and bring people and skills together. I might also try to revive the drama group and umbrella other efforts with it as well, such as the steel pan and public speaking efforts--try and put them all into a greater organization and reduce the individualized structure and resources required for each group within a smaller village. So don't be surprised if I shout out a few emails asking for your thoughts and opinions as I seek guidance down the road. ^_^

Stay happy and well.
ciao tutti
~Your local wannabe jedi
~Shawn

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.

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