Here are a few notes on some of the subjects I get asked about the most-when comparing SVG to life in the States: Social Life:SVG is a very, sometimes a little too friendly, friendly island. It's expected to say 'Good Morning, Afternoon, or Evening' when passing someone on a village street. Friends who walk by your house will call your name or sometimes come to the window/door to greet you. I have made quite a few local friends, both in Brighton and around other villages. There is a family upstairs, who rents my apartment, that have taken me in as one of their own. The mother is a teacher at Brighton Primary, and she and her husband have 2 daughters and a son in their 20's as well as a 6-year-old grandson who is a studant at the school. I'm also still in touch with my homestay family from the first couple of months living here in Brighton, and see them on a weekly basis, often for Sunday lunch or a night out. The Peace Corps volunteers here are living throughout the island, and once a month or so there will be a get together at one of the houses, as well as seeing each other in town most weeks. Dating is a different experience in St. Vincent. There is not 'dating' exactly; after a short time of hanging out, it's generally straight to 'girlfriend/boyfriend' status or referring to each other as 'my girl/my boy.' There is a different sense of boundaries and attention as well. Most of us learned very quickly not to give out a phone number as easily as in the States, unless you want to be called 5 or 6 times a day, in a row, starting at 6 a.m. While the men here are very, very forward, they will respect you once you make your own stance very, very, clear. Overall though, dating has been a positive experience, once you learn how it works.

Shopping for Food Etc. :Most villages have little 'hut' and 'rum' shops, while a majority of shopping has to be done in Town (i.e. Kingstown). Kingstown is the only major town in St. Vincent, and is where most of the banks, the main post office, cruise ship/ferry terminal, bars, and restaurants are. Some are scattered throughout the island, but not in every village. Brighton is about a half-hour van ride from Town, and most volunteers are further away. Trips to Town are generally limited to once a week, to take care of bill paying, banking, and food shopping.

Transportation:The most available form of transportation in SVG are "the vans." Every village has a number of passenger vans, most with names and locations painted on the front, that run between said village and Kingstown. Fares vary, Brighton to Kingstown for example is $2 E.C., whereas taxis run about $50 E.C. one-way. They run from about 6 a.m. to around 11 p.m. at the latest, depending on who owns them and where they are going. Most do not run on Sundays, when town businesses are closed anyway. While I could describe a typical van ride here, it's best to experience it for yourself-you will never be the same. Think loud music, no seatbelts, fast driving, and...you get the picture. Suprisingly, accidents are rare-the drivers know their roads.

Cooking:St. Vincent has a few grocery stores in town, a vegetable market, and a fish market. Fresh fruits and vegetables are easier to come by in the villages, and are often brought by by someone who has extras and is happy to share. Vincy fruits and vegetables are the easiest to get, such as oranges, starfruit, papya, dasheen, calilou, and breadfruit. American fruits are expensive, such as $15 E.C. for 4 plums or $10 for a head of iceburg lettuce. It's best to learn to cook local dishes, such as rice and peas or roasted breadfruit.

Standing still...and not so still.

That's the best way to describe my work here in the Eastern Caribbean around the 6 month in mark. While some things are not being acomplished so far, other parts of life are moving so fast it's hard to keep up. My primary assignment here in SVG is still, and will continue to be, as a literacy educator at Brighton Primary School. I'm currently working in Grade 1, with children ages 6-8 or so. Grades and requirements are set up differently here, so the age ranges within each class vary. One boy, for example, should be in Grade 4, but according to the teachers, he "slept through Grade 1-twice" and so remains in 1st grade. Right now I am basically a second teacher in the class, I instruct some of the Language Arts lessons, as well as Science and Social Studies. The classes here are set up in 'block' schedules, and so each subject is taught at certain times-usually for 60 minutes. The children are loud, undisciplined, and wild-and while they usually do not listen to a word I say, I love them all. There are some who have amazing potential but suffer in the environment of the classrooms here, while others have no desire to learn anything-somehow these are the ones I am in love with most. The age group I am with is in the basic stages of learning phonics and 'sight words' (words they need to know by looking at them-according to St. Vincent's Ministery of Education). Basically, we are teaching them the sounds that letters and blends (two letters together, such as 'ie' or 'ay'). While it is slow going, they are very creative children and love to make sentences on the board with you. A typical lesson consists of a picture story to go with each sound, followed by listing words that use that sound, and finally creating sentences with those words. It is a slow process, but it can be very rewarding to see them succeeding in both small and big ways.

I have been assigned to the lovely community of Brighton, SVG (around 1,000-2,000 population depending on who you ask). There are approximately 6 streets (A-F) but if you ask the locals, they will have no idea what you are saying (why you go da fo?) is the most likely response. The village overlooks the Atlantic (Windward side as it is known here) and is about 10 minutes from the closest beaches.

I will be doing work at Brighton Primary with grades K-6 as well as independant projects along the lines of volunteer archaeology (the "airport project" as it is known here), community development, and 4-H/Heritage Club with the local kids. Everyone here is very friendly (some too friendly, as any girl walking the streets here will tell you) and helpful when you are lost (as we all are a good 3 or so times a day). The other volunteers (9 of us EC-80's plus the 77's and 78's already serving here) have been amazingly welcoming and we all have plans to do all the wonderful things SVG has to offer. We EC-80's have a few more weeks left for our homestays (which have been a great experience) and then we're out on our own-can't wait!! We have all seen our houses, and I have plans to learn how to grow a garden here thanks to one of the other volunteers (his is a year in the making). I have been learning how to cook vegetarian every night, and all the little kitchen secrets for preparing the local dishes. So far it has been an amazing first week!

"Beyond the East the sunrise, beyond the West the sea; and East and West the wanderlust that will not let me be."

~G. Gould

EC-80's first week here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines has officially ended. We arrived last week, after pre-pre-service training on the beautiful island of St. Lucia. Our first week has been spent in PST (pre-service training) learning the basics of all the buruacratical fine print and in general, our way around the island. Transportation is a whole different experience, and so far we are all living with host families in order to integrate into our respective communities. Some of the 22 volunteers have been assigned to St. Kitts and Nevis, 9 of us ended up here on St. Vincent and wouldn't have it any other way! Photos and more to follow.

All of the above expressed opinions and observations are entirely my own. They are in no way affilliated with the Peace Corps organization.