Just a few random photos...The first photo is a picture of the Chicken Wings I cooked to eat during the Superbowl.. They were delicious! The second photo is when I got bored with my computer and photo shopped my picture so that it looks like a mugshot.. Hopefully this is the closest I ever come to taking a mugshot. The third photo is with my adopted sister, Davia. She is the daughter of one of my co-workers and she got an award at her school for her good grades. She is a very sweet girl with an amazing family! The fourth picture gives the allusion that I cooked a Bouillon (which is a Saint Lucian meal) but actually was just the assistant. It was a mix of dumplings, lentils, and chicken all cooked in one huge stew. I ate for a few days off of that one pot. The last photo is from a beautiful sunset last Friday night. The sky was ON FIRE!! Whenever I am having a rough time or a long day and there is a beautiful sunset it always makes me smile. Sometimes it takes a little sign from above to remind me that I have someone upstairs looking out for me ;). I hope everyone is doing well back in the United States. I am very happy and healthy here. I love you all!!

As soon as I tell anyone I am Peace Corps volunteer, whether it is in Saint Lucia or the United States, they ask me "What exactly do you do?" So I am going to briefly explain what I do/have done. The Peace Corps' mission has three goals-

1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their needs for trained men and women.2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.3. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

They tell us at training that Peace Corps is a 24/7 job. This has been difficult for me at times. I am used to focusing when necessary and then relaxing when I have free time. Not to say that I am always tense here, but sometimes I forget that my actions (everyday and every night) reflect the Peace Corps program and the Saint Lucian view of United States citizens. Let's just say I have made some mistakes. I have been friends with questionable people, I have partied a little too hard, I have been in some difficult situations, but I have learned and grown from every experience. I am a 23 year old woman and I still have a lot to learn, that being said one of the things I appreciate about the Peace Corps is the idea of their three main goals.

The first goal is addressed everyday by my worksite at the Education Office. I report to the office 4 days a week and use it as my home base. I do all of my computer work here and it is the area where I can be reached to collaborate on projects within the schools. I am a Youth Development volunteer so Peace Corps believes I will be most effective if I am working within the schools. Here are a few different programs I have worked on: A pen-pal program between a Grade Four class here and a Fourth/Fifth grade class in the United States. Starting a Girl Guide company at one of the Primary schools. Football for Lives (an HIV/AIDS education program). Working with a Healthy Lifestyle/HIV/AIDS After-School program at a Primary School. Working on Football skills with females at the Secondary School. And other various activities. The education office is my "Primary Worksite" but I also have secondary projects. I enjoy working with the Choiseul Council of/for Persons with Disabilities. A few of our events have been a Christmas party for Children with Disabilities and a summer camp for Children with Disabilities. I also work on a Youth and Sports committee and we have had a very successful Recreation Day last summer which encouraged families to come and play games and enjoy some good, clean, fun. This year I plan to help with the Choiseul Carnival planning committee to help plan for Carnival. I also like to help out with whatever random things I can... My life is volunteering so if I am asked to help I will not say no.

Goals two and three are accomplished everyday. They are accomplished through the pen-pal program, through my visits home and family and friends visiting here. I am constantly singing the praises of Saint Lucia and also answering any and all questions about the United States from my Saint Lucian friends. Sometimes when I have difficulties getting motivated at the Education Office, I just remember goals two and three. So far I am proud of the work I have done here but there is soooo much more for me to do. I guess I should stop writing my blog and get to work!! Thanks to everyone reading this for supporting me in my journey! I love you all!!

These are some of the children from a Grade Four class at Riviere Doree Anglican School. Just another example of how beautiful and precious children can be.

Wow! I cannot believe I have not updated my blog in over 5 months! I apologize to anyone who is reading this and assuming I disappeared. The last blog was quite a cliffhanger so I think it is my duty to fill everyone in on what happened. This is going to be choppy, like usual, in order to describe the last 5 months in a few paragraphs. Since I am writing this in good spirits you may ascertain that I made it out of Panama....barely! I stayed in my little hotel, Costa Inn, for about 4 weeks! Phew... So now my houses include, Broomfield, Fort Collins, St. Lucia, Prague, and Panama City. When you live somewhere for a month or more it counts as your house...even if it was a tiny hotel room. On the positive side, I am cancer free and I got to live in Panama City for a month. Not that is was not a trying experience, now that I am back in Saint Lucia I am trying to find the positives in my trip. After spending 4 weeks in Panama Peace Corps decided to send me to Washington DC to run a few more tests. They took great care of me and wanted to be absolutely sure I was clear before they let me return to Saint Lucia. After spending 6 days in Washington DC the doctor's at George Washington University Hospital cleared me to return to Saint Lucia.

After disappearing for a few weeks many Choiseullians thought I had gone home. I left on such short notice that not many people knew where I went. I should add that those who knew what was going on, aka a few friends in Saint Lucia including my amazing Landlady, Miss Grace, and my family and friends in the states, were amazing. They supported me, my mom even came to visit me in Panama to keep me from going crazy. It was great to have some mother-daughter bonding time after being away from home for soo long. My landlady, Miss Grace, was calling frequently and she took care of my house while I was gone. I am beginning to consider her my Saint Lucian second mom. Once I got back, after I tried to explain my story, it was back to work. With my departure next October looming over my head I have been trying to be productive before I leave. In December I visited CO and had great time seeing family and friends. The trip to Colorado was nice to show me how much I have changed. It is in subtle things but I know that Saint Lucia and my Peace Corps experience are having a positive influence in my life.

Another exciting event was in January when some students from the University of Vermont came to Saint Lucia to run an HIV/AIDS education program entitled, "Football for Lives." They were here for two weeks and they ran the program at 2 schools in my district. It was great having them, not only was the program amazing but they are really great people and we had a lot of fun. It was hard work for two weeks but they had such positive attitudes that it was not difficult. Now, it is February, October 15th (my departure date) is looming overhead but I am still trying on my work. Who knows what the next 9 months will entail? I am not sure what will happen but I know it will be great!!!

I forgot a few things in my latest post. One thing that happened while my family was visiting was Carnival. It is not quite as crazy as the one in Brazil but there are still costumes, drinking and dancing. We watched it on TV. For Carnival in Choiseul they have different events. One of the events is the Queen Show to crown the Carnival Queen. I went to the show with my friend Ava, her mother, and Ava's boyfriend, Adrian. (The picture where I am sitting next to a girl with a guy behind us and I have on bright yellow earrings). The show was amazing and incredibly entertaining, the only problem was that it ran until 3:00AM! Yikes! Another exciting event was my host sisters wedding. In my first few posts I mentioned Jen. My sweet and friendly host sister. When I first arrived in Saint Lucia she and her boyfriend, Junior, had been together for a few months then on August 15th they got married!!! It was a great ceremony and reception and she was a gorgeous bride! I am sure I forgot a few other events but if I remember I will add them in. (The top picture is me with Panama City in the background. It is a beautiful place!)

I am sitting with my computer hooked up to Wifi, drinking a cold coors light (the mountains are blue ;) ), the air condition keeping me cool, listening to some Bob Marley....no, I did not leave the Peace Corps to move home.. I am currently staying in Panama City. I have been here for one week. A lot has happened since my last post in June, let me try to catch everyone up. Sorry this will most likely be sporadic and random, but I guess it fits my personality...?

 The highlight of June was attending a soccer tournament. The Blackheart Tournament was held at the stadium in Vieux Fort and it went on a for a few weeks. Unfortunately Choiseul did not do very well and they did not make it through the playoffs. I knew a few players who were on teams who made it to the finals so that kept it interesting. School went into July so we had school the whole month of June. That kept me busy and out of trouble. I am sure other important events happened but I really cannot remember them now. :)

In July my family came to visit!!! It was great to have them here. They were able to meet a lot of my new friends and my friends were very excited to meet them. The family came for 2 weeks. The first week was spent in Choiseul. We crammed all 5 of us into my house. The first night was the worst because I only had one fan. Everyone woke up drenched in sweat and I think a few new bug bites. We spent the day in Vieux Fort at the beach and buying 2 new fans! I am excited because the fans were a necessity I have just been too cheap to buy them. And it would be impossible to transport them from Vieux Fort to Choiseul on a bus. Yes, we rented a car. The only instructions given to my dad, our amazing driver, were, "Stay to the left." In Saint Lucia we drive on the right side of the road. Who would have known! It was a little stressful at first, but after a few hours, dad was driving like a Lucian. The driving is still a touchy subject so I am going to say that dad did a great job and he was the only one of us who was willing to try. My family came everywhere in Choiseul and met as many people as I could introduce them to. But I still have friends asking me when they were never introduced to my family..? Why didn't I bring my family by their house to meet them? Phew!! Talk about stressful, I consider everyone in Choiseul my family, but there was no way we could meet everyone. We also did some fun activities outside of Choiseul. We toured both Soufriere and Vieux Fort on separate days. We went to beaches, waterfalls, and the sulphur springs. We also went zip-lining in Dennery. It was a first for everyone except me (I went earlier this year when Sarah was visiting). It was really exciting. By the end we had a ton of great photos and all of the 20 something guides became best friends with dad. It was a lot of fun. After the week of shuffling around the Southern part of the island, we stayed at a resort for some much needed R & R. We stayed at Almond Morgan Bay Resort in Gros Islet/Castries. It is an all-inclusive resort and it was great! We had some amazing meals and a pool and the ocean at our disposal. As far as the resort being all-inclusive that also meant that drinks were included. I think I speak for everyone in the family when I say that we have never had so many smoothies in our lives. We would have at least 5 or 6 fruit smoothies a day! And they were great!! The time flew by but it was very relaxing. It was great to have my family there! Another fun event in July was the BBQ for July 4th. Our Country Director, (read Peace Corps Boss Lady) Margo, hosted a huge BBQ at her house. We had amazing food. I might have been too greedy with the food because I had a belly ache from eating so much. It was great though! July 5th was Jessica's birthday so we had a little camping trip to celebrate. It was really fun, although the sleeping was slightly uncomfortable, it was a great experience. After my family left, Jessica went home a few days later. Unfortunately her time was up and she was done with Peace Corps. It was hard to say good bye but it is always exciting to hear about her new life back in the United States.

In August (which is not over quite yet) there were a few main events. I turned 23 years old on August 14th. It was a weird birthday because I was not at home. While the family was here we went out for my Birthday Dinner at Debbie's. It was great food, so I had to conjure up that memory on my real birthday. I spent the day with the Peace Corps Volunteer, Lilly, who lives in Anse-La-Raye. She brought her boyfriend, Mandel, and one of my good friends, Fire One, to one of the beaches near her house. It was beautiful and quite possible my favorite beach in Saint Lucia. Another exciting birthday surprise, my friend Fire One got my name shaved into the back of his head. I had mentioned it earlier in the week, sort of joking that I wanted him to do it for my birthday.. and he did! I got mad at him for spelling my name wrong but he did it on purpose because if he wrote it with an "I" then people would pronounce it wrong. Sort of like, Kell-Eye. It is hard to describe but one is example is that Rastafari is pronounced Rasta-far-eye. So he spelled it Kelly. Anyway, the was one of the most unique things anyone has ever done for me. That night I went out with my friend, Humbert and my Jason (the volunteer in Canaries) came over for a birthday drink. On Saturday the 15th I hosted a small BBQ at my house. It was fun and the food was really good. Some of my friends brought over their huge sound system. Similar to my family visiting, for days afterwards there were people asking my why I never invited them to my party. I tried to explain that it was just a little BBQ, nothing special. Apparently everyone in Choiseul heard the loud music coming from my porch and they wanted in on the fun. Next time I am going to have to be sure to invited everyone I see in the days before the party. 

Now, the reason why I am in Panama. A few weeks ago I was at my doctor's office in Castries and he noticed a lump in my throat. I had always thought that I was abnormal and I had an adams apple. I think I have had it for a few years but I cannot remember exactly. Apparently, it is not an Adams apple. It is a cyst on my thyroid. My doctor was very concerned and began running tests immediately. In Castries I had a chest x-ray, a thyroid ultrasound and a thyroid function test. Everything was ok but Peace Corps Washington (The big guys) decided to send me to Panama to get checked out more thoroughly. The Peace Corps term for going to a different country for medical attention is "Medevaced." (or "Medically Evacuated") I was told on Wednesday that I was going to be medevaced and I was on a plane to Panama City on Sunday morning. Today marks one week of me being here. I underwent a biopsy of my cyst last Tuesday (August 25th) and the biopsy showed that there are no malignant cells. Basically, the cyst/tumor is not cancerous. That is great news! I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon to discuss the next step. I might need surgery to remove the cyst because it is so large. I will find out soon... and add a little post tomorrow once I find out. Anyway, in the meantime I have been trying to enjoy Panama. I did the city/Canal tour and got to see a ship pass through the Panama Canal! Pretty sweet! Although it is a stressful situation I have been able to enjoy myself and look upon my trip as a little vacation. It has also taught me to appreciate each day, because I am not really sure when I will be returning to Saint Lucia. This is the longest I have been away from the island and I definitely miss it. Oh yeah, and the title of this post is because as of August 27th, 2009 I have been living in Saint Lucia for more than one year. Pretty crazy! I had a great first year and I have no doubt that this next year will be amazing! I love and miss everyone at home. I am planning to visit in December so hopefully we can all catch up a little!

Besos y Abrazos,Kelli

One of the sweetest things about being a Peace Corps Volunteer is that no day is the same. My schedule is constantly changing. But in an effort to provide a creative blog...I have decided to discuss an average day in my life. 

Monday-6:12 AM - Wake up and throw on shorts and a t-shirt. Call Jessica6:30 AM - Begin my walk/jog from Choiseul to Piaye.7:00 AM - Meet Jessica. We leave our houses at the same time and meet up in between. It is a nice plan so that we do not have to walk/jog the whole way alone.7:30 AM - Get home and start getting ready for work. Eat some Cream of Wheat for breakfast. (Either that of oatmeal. I like to have easy breakfasts that fill me up. I tried Cream of Wheat for the first time a few weeks ago now I am addicted. Something about the taste and texture.. YUM!)8:45 AM - Leave for work. Ideally leaving my house at 8:45 would get me to the office at 9:00. The only challenge is that everyone in the Village is very friendly and sometimes I am slowed down by conversations. After I leave my house I walk by a few of my friendly neighbors. Mr. Sigh lives a few houses down. He is a sweet, elderly man who is always sitting on his porch with his reading glasses and hat, listening to Jubois (a Patois morning show) on the radio. "Good morning Mr. Sigh," I say as I peek through the bushes to greet him while he sits on his front porch."Good morning darling. How are you?""I am good. How are you?""I am good. Thanks. Have a nice day.""Thanks. You too."I continue walking down my street, greeting random neighbors as they walk by. Then I get to the gap and take a left down the main road which takes me into the Village. Felicia's shop is on my right hand side and I am sure to peek in to say hello if she is around. Generally in the mornings our conversations consist of greetings and then she asks me if I am going to work and I say yes. She tells me to take care and I keep walking. I continued walking downhill until I reach the public bathrooms. I am sure to say hello to the woman who works there (I have greeted her hundreds of times but I do not know her name). Then I begin walking through the village. Greeting everyone who is randomly scattered through out the street. I also make a quick stop to say hello to my friend, Miss Lowen. She has a house in the Village and she is very old. I suspect that she is in her 80s or 90s. I do not know too much about her except that she has had a very rough life. But in spite of all of her hardships she is still the sweetest and most friendly woman ever! When she is on the porch I am always sure to stop by. Generally our conversation is as follows-"Good morning Miss Lowen.""Good morning darling/dou dou" (Dou dou is Patois for darling. Slightly ironic because it is pronounced do-do)."How are you?""I am there,  not too bad. How are you?""I am good. Thanks.""Are you on your way to work?""Yep, I am on my way.""Okay, have a nice day.""Thanks. You too! Take care."A then I continue walking. It is sort of funny that I can write down our exact conversation, but I have had it so may times that I will never forget it. I continue walking. Greeting people with "Good Mornings." In the beginning it was pretty awkward but now everyone expects me to be super cheery and friendly so they all respond. I am not sure that the people in the Village know it, but having them respond to a simple "Good Morning" really makes my day. I have never felt like such a member of a community or surrounded by so many friendly faces. Some days I cannot help but think of how much I will miss Choiseul when I move back home. In bigger cities in St. Lucia such as Vieux Fort and Castries, they no longer greet each other. Obviously friends greet each other but in Choiseul it is considered good manners to greet everyone, especially strangers. I think it is part of the reason I feel so comfortable here. The longer I have been greeting random people, the more those random people have become my friends. Once I get past most of the big groups of people I walk by Kirk's house and fruit selling stand. On this particular day I stop to chat with Kirk. He gives me a banana to take with me and he talks about how life is rough. It is not tourist season so there are not many people to buy his fruit. Luckily he has started selling bananas and he thinks it will be able to hold him over until it is tourist season again. Usually he makes a joke or says something ridiculous so I walk away laughing or smiling. I greet more random people walking down the street then head up towards the Choiseul Police Station. I keep walking past the station to the bridge across the river. This is the spot where I sit and wait to hitch a ride up to the Education Office. In reality the office is only about a 15 minute walk from the bridge. I have accomplished the walk before but it involves a particularly lengthy hill and by the time I reach the top I am soo sweaty that I need a shower. These days I just wait at the bridge for a ride. I could take a bus the short distance but it would cost $1.50 EC (Approximately .60 cents US) but I cannot justify spending that much every day! So I stick out my hand with my finger pointing up the road and generally within 2 or 3 minutes I have a ride to work. Pretty sweet huh?9:00 AM (more like 9:15 AM) - I get to work and say "Good morning" to everyone. I sit down at my desk near the office entrance. The wall was very boring at first but I have started decorating it with some family pictures and a few drawings from different kids. I get my lap-top plugged in and running and check to see if the internet is working. Generally the internet is out but if it is up I am quick to check my e-mail before it goes down. I pull out my notebook and check to see what I have to do for the day. I also consult my desk calendar to see if I have any meetings. I spend the morning working on random work and hanging out in the office.12:30 PM - LUNCH TIME!!! I am always excited for lunch because I love to eat! I have a hard time figuring out what to bring. There is a restaurant down the street that a lot of the people in our office order food from. The menu usually consists of a "Chicken Meal." If I decide to splurge, I order a small Chicken Meal. $7 EC (or about $3 USD) It is DELICIOUS!! It consists of one piece of chicken, macaroni and cheese, salad, mixed veggies, dasheen, breadfruit, plantain and rice. YUM!! Unfortunately I do not splurge very often so usually I bring something from home. Today I have a hard-boiled egg, a turkey sandwich, and some leftover rice from last nights dinner. We all eat lunch together in the table next to the office kitchen. It is a time for gossiping and socializing. It is a great bonding time and everyone always shares their food so if you forget your lunch do not worry. I am usually offered different types of food and someone in always willing to share their juice. Sometimes I feel guilty because i never really bring extra food to share but I think everyone understands that I do not make much money.1:30 PM - After lunch I usually have meetings or some other business to attend to. If there are no meetings for the afternoon then I usually leave the office around 3 or 3:30. ?:?? PM - Whenever I leave... I walk home from the office. It usually takes about 30 minutes to get from the office to my house. I walk through the Village and greet most of the same people. If Miss Lowen is around, I stop to tell her I am heading home. I walk again past Felicia's shop, and by Mr. Sigh's house. Then I finally make it home. By the time I get to my house I am usually a sweat mess so I throw on a set of shorts and t-shirt.5:00 PM - I am home from whatever I have been up to for the day. During the day I have most likely been planning what I will make for dinner so I am drooling for it by the time I get home. Usually there are a few kids from the neighborhood over at my house. You never know who will show up. The older kids come over to use my internet connection. Sometimes they use my computer or they bring their own and plug in to my modem. The younger kids come to watch the older kids or to play. Sometimes they color or play games with my soccer ball on the porch. we hang out for awhile. when they come over I always seem to realize how messy my living room is so I hurry to clean everything up and wash my dishes. After they have stayed for about an hour I realize that I need to start cooking my dinner.6:45 PM - The sun sets (sometimes I am able to sit outside and enjoy it. In case you have not seen the view from my porch, watching the Sunset is witnessing the hands of God. It is soo beautiful that i will never get sick of it). Then it rapidly gets dark so I send all of the kids home before it is pitch black. Then I am able to finish my dinner, watch a little TV or read a book. I usually go to bed around 8 or 9 in order to get up at 6:15 AM the next morning.

That is just a typical day in my life but you never know what could happen to change it. After re-reading this little piece, something stood out to be. I do have programs and tasks I am working on and I pray that they will be successful, but they are not the things that I think of day-to-day. A little success with Girl Guides might make my day once but all of the amazing people I have met make everyday special. Mr. Sigh, Felicia, Miss Lowen and Kirk are just a few of the characters that make my days great and my time in St. Lucia truly special. They will probably never know how much they can brighten my day and I only hope that I have that affect on one person while I am here. 

Hello Everyone!!

So I feel guilty that I have not updated my blog. I know a few of you hang off of my every word and I am sure you are going through shaky withdrawals because I have beeen neglecting you for so long! JUST JOKING! But seriously, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still here and I am doing well. It is hard to update the blog with new experiences when I am finally comfortable enough here that I do not have many new experiences. Things are starting to become regular and therefore un-newsworthy.

Ok.. scratch that last part. I cannot believe I have not written in my blog since Sarah came to visit back in March! It has been awhile! It was great having Sarah here. She brought me treats from home and it was comforting to have the familiar with me in the flesh. We had a great time and I think she would support me when I say that she fell in love with St. Lucia. The two weeks she was here were jam packed with adventure. I am going to set up her trip as a list because we did sooo much! I might have to refer to our photos to remember everything--

Her first night we went to a club in Gros Islet

Second day we went to Klu's Chicken and a beach party in Laborie

We had a sunset picnic at the beach

Suntanning at many different beaches

The Dennery zip line through the rainforest

Gros Islet Street Fair (twice)

Anse-La-Raye Fish Fry

Sulphur Springs (during the day and at night)

Piton Falls (at night, much more exciting than during the day)

A hike across the rainforest and then an even longer hike to a waterfall afterwards

Many trips to "Pizza Hut" (Same name, but not what you are thinking)

An AMAZING dinner at Debbie's

A few more trips to Klu's (I think there 5 trips in 2 weeks. A new record)

Took a trip to a Kweyol history/museum place (including a local meal)

Went to Balenbouche Estate

Sarah assisted with the Piaye After School Program

PHEW... As you can tell we kept very busy!!

So Sarah's visit was fun and it was a little vacation for me too. Then it was back to work. The school year wraps up on July 3rd so I am trying to plan activities for this summer. I am going to be a co-leader of a Girl Guide Company (read Girl Scout Troop) at a Primary school in Choiseul. We have already had our first meeting and we are having a sleepover tonight! That has been keeping me busy the last few weeks. School has also been interesting because it there are wage disputes between the teachers and the Goverment. The teachers have been on strike for a few days this term and they have said that if they do not get paid their full wages on May 26th then they will strike again until they get paid. The strike is not only for teachers but for all civil servants so it could really slow down the country. We will have to wait until next week. This summer, besides my family visiting for 2 weeks (!!!!!!!!!!), I am planning a few different activities. I will be helping out the National Council of/for Persons with Disabilities with a summer camp for disabled children. A few days ago I started brainstorming ideas to start a Children's Reading program at the Choiseul Library. It is in very early stages (I have yet to meet with the Librarian) but I am really excited about the idea!!

Anyway, I hope it is evident through this post that I am thoroughly enjoying my time in St. Lucia. Every once in awhile I have to take a step back and pinch myself. I have been living here for 9 months!!! I love St. Lucia, especially Choiseul, and I am at a very happy place in my life. (There are always ups and downs but more positive than negative) I hope everyone is doing well at home. Congratulations to all of the new graduates and I hope everyone enjoys the warm weather I have been experiencing since last year! I love you all!!

Kelli

P.S. This post might seem like I am sickeningly happy. I will attribute that to the Nuggets winning last night's game. The series is tied 1-1 and they are coming back to Denver!!!! Get 'em!!!

The Top Ten signs you are a Peace Corps Volunteer, in the Eastern Caribbean, EC 78, Currently living in Choiseul, St. Lucia....

10. Suddenly showering has become less of a priority and your hair does not get washed more than a few times a week. You consider a warm bucket bath more fulfilling than a cold shower.

9. Popcorn, Oatmeal, and water are three of your main food groups.

8. You randomly run into your Priest in your office and he kindly reminds you that he has not seen you for awhile.

7. At least once a day you are told you are beautiful. This is flattering at first until it happens when you have been sweating for an hour and your are wearing shorts and a t-shirt. You suddenly realize that everyone just says that and it has nothing to do with you. But you are still flattered every time you hear it. Or you are told... "I like to see you."

6. Even though your dog has passed away, your veterinarian gives you rides in order to hit on you. He says that if you move in with him (and his 2 daughters who are almost your age) then he will "take care of you."

5. You receive odd text messages from random men you have met. More than once I have received, "I love you" from people that I hardly know. There was also the text message about someone wetting their pants...but I won't get into that one."

4. You get to work everyday by hitching rides with strangers. It saves you $1.50 EC (The bus fare) and it is surprisingly reliable form of transportation.

3. Running and reading are daily activities, as well as illegally watching movies on the internet.

2. You wake up every morning to a view of the Caribbean Sea and Gros Piton and every night you can watch the sunset over the water and shower while looking out the window at Gros Piton.

1. You are frequently awakened by your cell phone alarm randomly going off in the middle of the night. Even though you set it for 6:30AM. If the cell phone does not wake you up it is the goats/sheep dry heaving/puking outside of your window. (This has happened at least 6 times in the past few weeks.)

On this Friday afternoon I decided that my earlier post was far too upsetting. I have a tendency to tell all of my funny and entertaining stories to the people I speak with everyday and only the sad upsetting stories stay in my head. With that new revelation in mind I am going to write a quick post about a my past Saturday Night. I made a conscious effort on Saturday to avoid using electronics. (I had to use my cell phone because I was meeting a few volunteers to go to the beach) So, it is not completely possible to avoid technology but I stayed away from the internet and my cable television all day! I considered this a huge accomplishment. I woke up in the morning and had a nice cup of tea and oatmeal for breakfast. I cleaned my house because two volunteers were coming over to o to the beach near my house. I got ready for them to arrive (read- threw on my swim suit and a little sunscreen on my face) and sat in front of my fan reading until they arrived. The night before a began reading "A Plain Life." It is about a quaker man and a pilgrimage he took while discussing life lessons. It was a great book. Anyway, I read as much of the book as I could until my friends arrived. I also made some popcorn in the meantime so that we could have a snack at the beach. Once Jess and Eric arrived we walked the 5 minutes to the beach near my house. The spelling is questionable but it is pronounced Sab-wee-sha. That is how I spell it but I have also seen it Sabwisha, and a few other ways. Anyway, we had a lime at the beach for a few hours. We ate our popcorn, sun bathed, and bathed in the Caribbean sea. Eric and Jess had plans so they needed to get home by 2. We were fortunate that my friend, Jerry, happened to be driving by at the exact moment that we were beginning the trek home. The walk is only about 10 minutes, but it is up two steep hills and after the thrashing we took from the waves it would have been difficult. Jerry, always helping me out, drove us up to my driveway. My friends left and I continued to read for a few more hours. I was close to finishing my book but I desperately needed groceries. I walked into the village saying "Good afternoon" to mostly friends but also a few strangers. I walked down the main street to Kirk's fruit stand. Kirk is one of my best friends in the village. Although he is always in my business, as the "white lady" in town I have come to expect people asking me super personal questions without really knowing me. Anyway, him and I hang out at his fruit stand and share jokes and laughter. He is also a good source of gossip for what is happening in the village since he is sitting at his shop everyday! After I hung out with him for 10 or 20 minutes I went into the little grocery store next door. When I say little, I mean little! It is about the size of a gas station rest stop except there is no restaurant attached. There are 2 mains shop like this one in Choiseul Village and they explain why I generally shop for my groceries in Vieux Fort. Anyway, I by my groceries and head home. It is about 5:30 PM and the sun is beginning to set over the ocean. On my way home I run into my friend, Nico who is repainting the sign advertising his bar, "Headquarters." The bar shares its name with the main Peace Corps office so you can imagine how I play on the words when I am bored. 

My fellow volunteer Mary-Ellen calls-- "Hey Kelli, what are you doing?"Me--"Oh nothing, just grabbing a beer at Headquarters."Mary-Ellen-- "You are in Castries?"Me-- "No, the bar by my house."

Anyway, that little dialogue was much more entertaining in my head. Back to my story...Nico invited me to a party at Headquarters (hahah, get it?) later that night. Up to Saturday night, when I would go out at night in Choiseul I would always have a fellow whitey (read that as Peace Corps Volunteer) by my side so I did not feel so awkward. Being that none of my friends were in town I was nervous to go to the party. I went home, had a glass of wine, watched the sunset, finished my book and decided that without internet or television, I could either go to bed, or go out and take a small risk. I got dressed and went down to Headquarters. (I know that time it at least made you smile) Upon arrival I did not know anyone. If you want to quiet a party in St. Lucia, throw a random white girl into a small family party in Choiseul! I went to the bar and luckily Nico's mom recognized me and found Nico for me. Another interesting Saint Lucian cultural gem, since I came to bar and met up with Nico, everyone at the party assumed we were dating. They probably still assume that but if that is the case then they probably think I am dating half of the men in Choiseul. I hung out with Nico for awhile only to be told a few hours later that the party was the continuation of a wake held for Nico's deceased grandmother. I did not realize that I was crashing a funeral party but it was still fun. I got to know a few of my neighbors and I even saw a few people that already knew. By the end of the night I had 4 Pitons, a dozen great conversations, a few new friends and a few days later one of my neighbors sent me 15 sweet potatoes from her garden. I am still deciding what to do with them. Anyway, the moral of the story is, I put in a little effort to put myself out there and I had a great time. It was truly another day in Paradise! Although a lot of my blogs talk about big events, it is the day to day happenings that are leading me to fall in love with Choiseul. 

A quick little note. Recently I have been in to spirituality and self-help types of books. "A Plain Life" was a great book. My mom is sending me a copy of "The Shack." If anyone has any suggestions of other books like this please let me know!

Sending love from St. Lucia!!!

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

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

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

Kelli

AAAAHHHH!!! I cannot believe that it is already 2009. That means that in a year I will be coming home! (actually I return home in October 2010 but if one was only looking at the year then it would seem much faster) The holiday season has come and passed. Thankfully I survived, although there was a lot of homesickness in December I survived, thanks largely in part to my friends on the island and to my adorable pup, PJ. His fully name is PJ Sparkles and he is the love of my life! It was very difficult to raise him at first but things are slowly getting better. I spend more time at home in order to be with him and I can not spend nights away from home. Did I mention how adorable he is?? I do not really notice his growth since I am with him all the time but after looking at pictures from when I first got him I have realized the he is getting huge! Although he is difficult to train he is very smart. (I know everyone says that about their pets, and their children, but it is true) I have finally taught him to quit biting my toes but he still tries to chew on my fingers. He has taught me that dogs, like children, are best tog et when they are babies because they are soo cute you cannot get mad at them. Then, by the time they are old, you are already so in love with them that you put up with their craziness. That is just a little theory I have been working on but I definitely think it rings true. Anyway, he is a HUGE responsibility but I love him and I am very happy I made the decision to become a dog owner.    So the holidays in St. Lucia...Thanksgiving was delicious!! My favorite part was eating the fudge that Margo's sister brought. Margo is the Peace Corps director for the Eastern Caribbean. The food was amazing and it was shared with great company. The month of December was slow because it was more of a family style month in Choiseul. There was not much work to be done so I spent my time hanging out with friends and playing with PJ. On December 23rd we were all invited to a lunch at the house of the Peace Corps Warden, Bill Jackson. I am still unclear what a "Peace Corps Warden" does but he and his wife were incredibly nice to host us for a Christmas meal. The food was amazing!!! I ate 3 plates full or turkey, ham, stuffing and other scrumptious side dishes. Then on Christmas eve I went to midnight mass. It was supposed to begin at 11 PM. I arrived at 11:20 and mass finally began at 11:45. The service was nice but because of the heavy rain it was pretty empty. I still felt like I fulfilled my Catholic obligations by attending and it was a nice way to end 2008. On Christmas Day I spoke with my family over the internet and visited with a few of my friends from Choiseul. It was very laid back and I really missed home but surviving Christmas has made me stronger.  New Years Eve was much different than Christmas. My friends Hallie and Jason, fellow Peace Corps volunteers, came to my house so we could celebrate together. Hallie did not feel well so Jason adn I went to the village to celebrate. We participated in a St. Lucian tradition known as a Jou ouve` (which is the Patois name for dawn or daybreak). Basically, you stay up until the sun rises. Jason and I had our fair share of Pitons (the beer brewed in St. Lucia) and we had a great time among my friends from Choiseul. It was surprising how many people I knew and it was nice to feel surrounded by friends to welcome in the New Year. Today is my first day back at work. I am excited to get back to work and I cannot wait to see what 2009 has in store! A few other highlights from break.... Visiting a few secluded beaches with the other volunteers. A hike across the rainforest from one side of the island to the other and back again. And attending an event at the field near my house called, "Square." On the last week of school in December I also went with a group of teachers from my school to climb Gros Piton which is a huge mountain in St. Lucia. The aforementioned beer is named after this mountain and Petit Piton the other in the mountain range. I have been keeping busy but still enjoying myself. I hope that everyone had a great holiday season and they are optimistic for 2009. I love and miss you all!!!

Kelli

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

November 25th, 2008

   How is the weather in the US? Here it is about 80 degrees and sunny. Not my typical Thanksgiving week weather. Sorry for the sporadic nature of my posts, I am never sure when I wrote the last one so whenever I have free time I like to knock out another one. I am sure everyone is wondering, and yes, I will be having turkey this year! All of the Peace Corps volunteers are having a Thanksgiving feast. Imagine a Thanksgiving potluck with about 25 people and 3 Turkeys!!! I am really exited but my stomach is already hurting in anticipation of all of the food I will stuff into my mouth. Yummmm!!!! We are also having an American Football match between the volunteers. I will be sporting my Denver Broncos jersey so hopefully I represent for my team. Basically from here until next year my work is slowing down significantly. The schools are all in exams and they let out on December 13th. Then they return January 5th. The holidays are a time of celebration where work is much less important than spending time with ones' family. In other words, I do not have much to do these days. The football skills training I am doing is still going well and it will continue into break so I will have something to do no y Tuesday and Friday afternoons. i would also like everyone to know that I have a new addition to my family. NO I am not pregnant!!! I am getting a puppy :) ! On Thanksgiving he will be 6 weeks so he is ready to come home with me. Currently his name is Cupid because he is white with 2 brown spots shaped like hearts. I am going to change his name but I am not sure exactly what I will call hi. Once I spend more time with him i will decide on a name that fits his personality. I am sure that everyone is thinking, what breed? We do not have the luxury of breeds unless you want to shell out a ton of money. He is a mongrel but he will grow to the size of a golden retriever. I am very excited to add him to my family and since the Holiday season is so slow I will spend the time training hi. Do not worry, I realize that a dog is a HUGE responsibility but I have weighed the pros and cons and I am very excited to add a loving member to my family.    I go to the office a few days a week to occupy myself. Everyone in the office is very friendly and they love to joke around and have a good time. I am finding it more and more fun to go to the office. I feel lucky to have such great colleagues to work with. I can't wait until school starts again next semester so that I can start doing some real work. Right now the plan is for me to start after school programs at the primary schools such as: Environmental club, Health and Wellness Club, and Girl Guides (also known as Girl Scouts). I am also trying to start a female football(soccer) team at the secondary school. It will take a lot of time to put all of these programs into place but I am excited to have concrete ideas to work on. I am starting to make more friends in my community. Sometimes I joke that all of my friends are either under 1 years old or over 40 years old but I am starting to meet a wide variety of people. It is just a matter of walking around in the Village and being as friendly as possible. My face gets sore from the constant smile on my face but it is worth it when someone says hello back to me. It is even better when they remember my name, it makes me feel welcome, like I am starting to fit in. Another method to fit in and get to know people is to work on my proficiency with the language (patois). My colleagues in the office are always speaking Patois so I am going to make a serious effort to learn it over the next few months. I have been slacking on my Patois  studying since I left Peace Corps Training so I need to take it upon myself to learn the language. I will update everyone on how that goes in a few months...Maybe I could save it for my  New Years Resolution...? We shall see. I am currently waiting to act as secretary for the Committee to plan activities for Independence Day. The meeting was supposed to begin at 10:00 AM and it is 10:45 and there are only 4 of us for the meeting. It is a great example of life in St. Lucia. Most activities do no start on time. We are definitely on "Island Time." It is quite the adjustment in mindset. I always get to meetings on time and it is usually just me and the meeting chair for awhile until everyone else arrives. Oh well, I would rather be early and have to wait, than to make everyone else wait on me.   Since it is the week of Thanksgiving I would just like to thank everyone for supporting me through this interesting experience. This blog is e-mailed to all of my close friends and family and I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season. I have always the luxury of being home for Thanksgiving but since I am gone this year I finally have an appreciation for family gatherings in the spirit of giving and love. I miss everyone very much.

Sending my Love from the Islands,Kelli

1.Some of the girls who live near me. Wenda, Josanni, Dowanika, and Tricia.2. The Peace Corps Volunteers at the Halloween party.3. Rihanna after I gave her my Madras sash for Creole day.4.  A few of the boys from Piaye and me at Creole Day.5. Drinking the coconut water at the Host family celebration at Pigeon Point.6. The sunset from my porch. 7. Hallie, Haley, and I having a photo shoot at the Gros Iset Street Fair.8. A view of Choiseul Village from the huge hill I have to walk up and down everyday! 

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

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

Love,

Kelli

Hello Everyone!

So I am still having issues with the picture thing.. Everyone can expect them in three weeks. That will be one of the first things I do. I am also going to make myself a hammock!! I think I am going to use the Madras print (which is the national print) to make a sweet hammock for my porch. How is the weather back in the U.S.? I am jealous that the weather is starting to get cold. I feel like I have exciting things to tell everyone but I can't think of them right now....

Last weekend it rained for three days straight and our water turned brown. I was still able to shower but we avoided drinking it. (yet we still cooked with it). I guess we were lucky though because a lot of the communities around us had their water shut off! People living as close as 10 minutes away did not have any water for a few days! Yikes! One of the volunteers' families actually showered (i.e. naked with soap) outside on the back steps. Just thought that was funny!

Ok, I realized recently when talking to my family on the phone, that I haven't really explained the basics of St. Lucia. Before I arrived here I knew nothing about this Country except that many people come here on honeymoons. I was under the impression I would be living in a grass hut.... I WAS VERY WRONG!! We have all of the amenities of houses in the United States. I should preface this statement by saying that my host family is very wealthy compared to the community. But we have almost everything the same as the United States. .. computers, internet, clothes washer, car, toilets, sinks, showers.....We don't have a clothes dryer or dish washer, but they definitely aren't necessary. We live a very nice life. I should also note that there are people who live in extreme poverty. In Choiseul at least 30% of the community is living under the poverty line. But where I am moving I will have running water, a clothes washer, an over, a refrigerator, but I will not have warm water or a dryer.. Oh yeah, and I will also have a madras hammock!!! :) Just throwing that out there! Anyway, sorry this wasn't very interesting but I wanted everyone to know that I am living very similar to the United States.

Love!!!

Kelli

Hello Everyone,

I seem to remember saying that I would update the blog in a few weeks, but so much is happening that I am going to update again in order to avoid one huge long entry Because I know from experience that no one will read. (Cough,my long e-mails from Prague,cough) So anyway, everything in Saint Lucia has been going really great. Just a note, there are definitely times when I feel homesick, and I miss friends and family, but it would be selfish of my to tell everyone of those sad times, when there are so many happy ones to go along with the bad ones! By the way, another reason to update the blog...I told myself I would work-out today and this seems the best method to avoid actually working out. I should also be doing my laundry but I donÕt think that will be happening anytime soon either.. So you see, nothing has really changed!!!

Over the past week I have had some amazing experiences. I started my internship at the Secondary School. I am shadowing a very nice teacher, who has been teaching for a long time and she is really good with her students. I go to the school every Tuesday and attend all of her classes which are English and Literature. The first day she just introduced me to her class and I observed which is what I will be doing next week as well. Then, the third week I will help to run a lesson or co-facilitate. We haven't talked to much about it yet because when I met her she wasn't aware that I was interning with her. Ooops! Oh well, she handled it well and was very welcoming and nice to me. I have still been going to Castries three weeks. When I am feeling especially ambitious I read on the bus rides back and forth. Last week I read The Nanny Diaries in three days! I am currently reading Crick Crack Monkey for one of the classes I observed. Yep, my homework from the first day is to read an entire book!! It will help me follow along better in class though.

On Friday night my host family and I went to a going away party for a volunteer who has served his 2 years and is leaving Monday (which will be today once this is published). He has given me some great advice and been very helpful over the last two weeks. Saturday, I went with some of the other volunteers to the Sulphur Springs in Soufriere. It was a lot of the fun. The sulphur bath is free!!! We decided not to pay for the tour of the volcano because it is $12.50 EC or $5.00 US and frankly all we are getting paid right now is money to travel to and from Castries. Basically, we live in strange place where we are all very poor but because we look like white tourists, everyone thinks we are rich. But there are also privileges to being white (cough, like in the United States, cough). Although occasionally we might be charged a little extra at the market, or the bus driver might try to cheat us out an E.C. on our fare, overall there is a system of white privilege in place here. I am still doing some research (i.e. having casual conversations with my host sister and others around town) but I think it has to do with supporting tourism, and the belief that white people who visit can support the economy, but I think it also goes back to the slavery experienced by St. Lucian people. Anyway, I could write about this forever so before I bore all of my non-ethnic studies relatives and friends I will switch topics.

I thought it would be interesting to discuss riding the bus. I have had the pleasure of talking to a few of you back home and everyone asks, how is St. Lucia different than home? There are many similarities and differences. The bus system is a great example of differences. The buses, also called mini-buses, are actually large vans. Depending on the van they fit between 13 and 16 passengers. You wait at designated 'bus stops' and when you see one coming you stick out your arm and wave it up and down one or twice. DO NOT WAVE TO THE BUS DRIVER!! He will wave back and keep on driving. (Luckily I was educated on the system early enough that I haven't experienced that one!) If you succeed in pulling him over (1. I have yet to see a female driver so the 'he' is appropriate. 2. He will not pull over if he is full. This causes some volunteers trouble, but most of the buses headed out of Choiseul have a few seats open) you hop in. One interesting aspect of the culture is that upon entering the bus, it is polite to greet everyone with a "Good morning," "Good afternoon." or "Good Night." (NOTE: Good Night means the same thing as Good Evening, but the first few times I heard it I was very confused) These greeting are also used with everyone you walk by on the street. I walk by some Elementary age children on my way to stop and everytime I say "Good morning" they return the "Good morning." It is one of the charming aspects of my village because in Castries, it is less friendly.... I digress...Once you get on the bus, you hold on for dear life while the driver drives around the hills, twists and turns. Dramamine is not supplied but it would be nice before bus rides. Once you reach your individual destination you use one of a few commands to make the bus stop. My choice phrase is "Stopping Please," other options include "Stopping Driver," and "Bus stop." Then you jump out on the side of the road. (The cars drive on the left side, they call it the "Good side" here since so visitors call it the wrong side of the road) You pay the driver through the passenger side window and continue on your way. At first it was stressful to learn which stops to go to and to focus enough to get to your own stop, but by this point isn't too bad.

Ok, this is getting dangerously long so I am going to end it now. Again, I miss everyone and send my love! I hope everything is well at home and I will talk to you all again soon!!

Love,

Kelli

Bonjour, Sock-a-fet (that means whatÕs up? it is the phoentic spelling for Patois. I just invented it but Patois has only been a written language for a few years so it could be close...Language class starts Friday so I will let you know!) anyway....

Hello Everyone!!

So although it has only been a week since I last wrote, it feels as if a lifetime has passed. I am currently living in St. Lucia with my amazing host family but I will back up a little to catch everyone up..... On Wednesday afternoon we arrived in St. Lucia. As soon as we exited the plane it was hot and humid. It was raining a little so the humidity was extreme. None of us really noticed though because we were so excited to be there. Thirty-nine of us flew to St. Lucia and at this point we have been dispersed to St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and St. Lucia. My group in St. Lucia consists of 13 trainees although there are already about 20 or 30 volunteers on the island who have been living here for awhile. Once we arrived we were taken to the area for our training. It was a nice place, a Catholic retreat place and we had an amazing view! Hopefully I can attach some pictures. The only problem was that the building that my group slept in was up a ton of stairs!! By the time we reached the stop everyone was breathing heavy and sweating a ton (but I am pretty sure the sweating part can be applied to my Peace Corps service for the next 2 years.) We spend 4 days at the retreat place going to class everyday to learn about policies and procedures. It was long and boring but I am sure that it is necessary. My only other complaint is that I was attacked!!! by the mosquitoes, or some sort of insect. I am hoping to attach the picture of my legs but they were covered in itchy bites. Some people said it looked like bed bugs, others said mosquitoes, I am not sure, I just want them to go away. They are slowly starting to fade but they still look nasty. The mosquitoes are much better at my house now because I have screens on my window! and a fan at night that keeps them away. Anyway, after the mosquitoes feasted on my body I was happy to be meeting my host family on Saturday. (Seriously though, I had atleast 60 bites on my arms and legs, it looked like a skin eating disease...)

We said bye to the other volunteers who went to the airport and we were driven to the Peace Corps office in Castries. My family got me around 11. Clara is my host-mother and Keam is my host-brother. He does not live with us though because he has his own place closer to Castries. Later in the day I met my host-sister, Jen. She is 24 and she lives at home so we have been getting along very well. (DonÕt worry Heath, you wonÕt be replaced, but she is very sweet and we have A LOT in common! so it is nice to have her around) My host-mom is also really great. She has had at least 3 other Peace Corps volunteers stay at her house so she knows the routine. She wants me to be very comfortable at home so she does everything she can to help me out. She even bought me Honey-nut Cheerios!!! On my first day of training I had to take the bus to get to the office in Castries by 9:00. Just so everyone knows, I am living in a town named, Choiseul. (The Peace Corps has a policy about giving away to much information about oneself so that might be removed later). It is the farthest town from Castries. To be there by 9:00 I have to leave my house at 6:30. I ride 3 different buses for a total of around 2 hours with about 20 or 30 minutes walking and I finally arrive at the office. There are a few people who live at my first stop though so I can ride with them and it makes things a little more exciting. On my first day though, Clara drove me to the first stop and talked to the driver of my second bus to make sure that I got to the right stop. Then, once I made it to the office I had to call her to let her know I arrived safely.

I went to Catholic Church with Clara on Sunday morning. She goes to the 6:30 service!!! Yikes! It was early, but also just early enough to still be slightly cool. She told me she is usually late for church and I wasnÕt sure what she meant until we arrived at 6:50 to a 6:30 service. But it turns out that we had the preacher who talks a lot so the service lasted until 8:30 and we were there for more than half of it. After church she took me to visit a girl who is a volunteer in the next town over. She has been here for a year so it was great to talk to her and get her perspective. Saturday night I was really extremely homesick and Clara felt bad for me so she made me meet Jessica to have some to talk to who I could relate with. Hanging out with Jessica was great because she answered all of my questions and made me feel better about a lot of things I had doubts about, and now I have a friend close by who I can hang out with for the next year! She does work with a lot of the kids in her community so they all came over to hang out! Even though there were some wild and crazy kids, for the most part they were adorable! It was a great reminded of why I wanted to join Peace Corps. Not just to help out the people of my community, but mainly to help the kids and hopefully give them the tools to achieve things they never thought they could... Okay, that is sort of a corny rant but the kids made everything easier. We took them to the beach and played and hung-out. Anyway, I havenÕt done much so far except for successfully making it into Castries yesterday, and going to church. Tomorrow (which is more like ÒtodayÓ because it will be Wednesday when I have internet at the office so I can post this blog) I am picking my players for fantasy football because apparently some of the volunteers have a league and they invited me to join! That is all of the excitement now. I am very happy, and very excited to begin this incredibly long journey. I think I am going to a play on Friday with my host mom and sister. They said it is in Patois but they will translate for me, it should be interesting. Then next Saturday my sister and I have plans to have a day in Canaries of shopping, going to see a movie and eating dominoes pizza!!! That is definitely something to look forward to! I hope everything is going well in the states, sorry I can't make my e-mails more individual but when I move into my own place I should have internet so I can send everyone messages... Until then it will have to be one general message.

Love, (I learned how to say it in Patois but I already forgot!),

Kelli

P.S. I met a current volunteer, Tameron in Choiseul. He gave me the GRAND TOUR (which involves about a 5-10 minute walk from one side to the other). It is a great little community and I am hoping to be a useful tool in youth development. I also got a preview of his house and it is amazing!! It has 3 extra beds and a place on the porch to hang a hammock...and the most AMAZING VIEW!!! I am really going to try to live in his place. He moves out on the 15th so I am going to talk to my supervisor today and try to secure a place there when he moves out. I just realized that I can't get my picture posted yet so it will have to be in 7 weeks when I can hook up my computer to the internet! Ok, everyone needs the computer so I will talk to you later! I love everyone and miss you all!!!

Hello Everyone!!

      I have been in Miami, Florida the past 3 days for "staging." It is the preparation before we head to St. Lucia for Pre-service training. The past 2 days have been filled with group sessions where we have learned about Peace Corps Policies and procedures but not too much about our specific islands. Tonight we are all re-packing our luggage in hopes that it follows us to St. Lucia. We have to check out of the hotel at 6 A.M.!!  But the lack of sleep will be worth it when we arrive to St. Lucia. Upon arrival we are going to a hotel for 3 days of training and then on Saturday we all get to move in with our host families!! I will be staying on St. Lucia but other volunteers will be flying to their countries in the Caribbean. Most likely I won't have the internet for a few weeks so even though I don't have much to say, I am writing a quick update. I will also be losing cell phone coverage tomorrow morning :(

    There are a few interesting things I learned through-out the staging. #1 I will be learning Creole, (I think I said that in my last blog but I found out that only the St. Lucia volunteers learn Creole so I feel very lucky) #2 I am planning on getting a dog on the island!! Although the locals view animals as wild I have always wanted a dog and my biggest fear is being lonely, so this way I can have the best of both worlds. A dog and a companion!!! I am very excited. Alright, I have some serious packing to do so I am going to conclude with a quote from our staging workbook... "People cannot be developed: they can only develop themselves." -Jules Nyerere

Love,Kelli

P.S. Usually I check all of my posts for grammar and the sort but I am too busy for that so please excuse my punctuation and grammar errors!!

To My Loved Ones,    Just wanted to introduce everyone to the blog I will be keeping during my time in the Peace Corps. I was going to try a mass e-mail but this website seems to be easier to use and I am hoping to update it about once a month, but that all depends on my accommodations. Here is my current update.    I leave Sunday morning, August 24th and I am heading to Miami, FL for a 3 day pre-service training known as staging. After the 3 days in Florida I will be flying to St. Lucia and living in a hotel for 1 night, and then with a family for the next few weeks while I continue my training. Once I am sworn in for Peace Corps service I serve 2 years. Oh, by the way, I will be spending my time in St. Lucia, thus the title of my blog. ; ) It is an island in the Eastern Carribean so I can finally be the beach girl I always knew I was!      Really, this entry is to introduce you (and me) to this blog and hopefully it is a way for us to keep in touch while I am away. The support from my family and friends is really important and will certainly help me through the process. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me since I began the application process last fall.     Currently I am scared to death, but also super excited to start my service. I am sure I will be going through many challenges such as: learning a new language, kweyol (creole), learning to live by myself, and representing the country while also staying true to myself. It will be a difficult journey but I am excited and glad that I have found an outlet to share it with you all!!

                                                                                            Hugs and Love,                                                                                             Kelli