Peace Corps Journals

Bread and Cheese Makes Me Sneeze

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2012-04-20 10:43:06

Over the Easter vacation I’ve managed to overhaul the library I work in (again). With the enlisted help of a few youngsters from around this rural hamlet of ours, I was able to paint the walls (again) and restock the shelves with new books (again). However, this time around we have some bigger aspirations in [...]

A New Library for the New Year

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2012-01-11 00:38:36

First of all, I would like to thank all of you who supported our book drive by contributing to our partners, Hands Across the Sea. With your help, we were able to raise enough funds to purchase 800 books and incorporate them into our library! The books came in shortly before the winter holiday. A [...]

Comment on Nothing to Envy by Gray Champion

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-07-30 15:58:50

You write very well and compelling. I am so glad you like to read and write. Thank you for the post. Uncle Barc aka:Gray Champion Goooo Gators!

Comment on The Shallows by Gray Champion

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-08-06 12:35:33

Perhap. I find the internet a portal to other minds not possible to access before. When I contemplate whhat I am about to write, I realize that once I send it...it is gone. What I appreciate is your writings. You provide me with a glimpse of your mind and I like and admire what I see. Thank you,

Comment on Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes by Barclay

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-09-17 18:10:39

Ryan, You are not there to build a library. You are there to keep writing and develop your literary gifts. Need I say more? Love you, Uncle Barclay

Comment on Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes by Kristen

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-10-25 14:05:21

Ha...I feel exactly the same way. Guess that's why the RPCV bond is so strong - we're the only ones on the same, outdated page as each other after 2 years. Keep on keepin' on! Kristen Walling

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-09-16 23:06:22

Typically people miss friends, family, foods, or the comforts of the American life they left behind when living abroad for extended periods of time. While I do miss all of those things deeply, what hits me in a totally unforeseen capacity are the changes happening in people’s lives, and the development of contemporary independent culture that I [...]

50 Years of Peace Corps

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Learning Through Service: A Peace Corps' Story

2011-08-20 09:03:00

For the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps, Antigua's volunteers have been writing articles for the local paper talking about our experiences thus far being Peace Corps volunteers in the Eastern Caribbean: Here are the stories that have come out so far

Ryan Jones: http://www.antiguaobserver.com/?p=57199
Me: http://www.antiguaobserver.com/?p=60625
Jen Davis: Came out on 8/19 and isn't showing up online yet.

Critters in my Bed

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Learning Through Service: A Peace Corps' Story

2011-08-12 23:50:00

I just got home not too long ago after what felt like a very long day. Fridays always feel like long days but this one felt extra long. Maybe it was cleaning out the office and clearing many years of rubbish from hidden cupboards, maybe it was the multitude of power outages throughout the day, maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the super-packed bus ride home that felt endless, but whatever the cause, it was a long.

By the time I got home, all I could think was “shower, shower, shower”. So I slammed my door, ran to the bathroom, jumped into the shower and stayed there for about 20 minutes. (Who knew I’d ever want to take a 20 minute cold shower, right?). So I get out of the shower, walk over to my room, go to lay my clothes on the bed and I see a tail. I freeze and I start thinking to myself, “is that a mouse tail or a lizard tail”. The tail wiggles a little bit and I decide, I’ve gotta move my sheets and figure this out. So I take a deep breath, muster up some courage, move the sheet and to my great relief a lizard takes a flying leap off of my bed and onto the floor.

After a year in Antigua, I still don’t expect to find things wriggling around my bed but I was genuinely relieved to find that it was just a lizard. And then I was pretty proud of myself for brushing the thing off the sheets and resuming my normal routine. However, if I had found a mouse in my sheets, well that would have been a completely different story.

For the past few weeks I’ve had a pretty bad mouse problem, in two days I caught four mice and I know there are more lurking around just waiting to be caught. I’ve developed a routine if I have to get out of bed in the middle of the night. I peek out of my mosquito net, grab my phone and use it as a flashlight to sweep the floor to make sure there are no critters under my feet. Then I put on a pair of slippers, and shuffle to the spare bedroom where I turn on the light and scan the floor. Once I’ve decided the spare bedroom is clear, I shuffle to the bathroom, turn on that light, and take several steps back as I wait for the critters to crawl back into their corners. I do this EVERY time I have to use the bathroom after dark, because on more than one occasion I’ve found a huge roach, a mouse, a giant frog, or some other critter lurking and waiting to surprise the heck out of me.

As I reflect back on a year of service in Antigua, obviously more than critters come to mind, but I do wonder if I’ll ever get completely over the shock of seeing something whiz past me in the middle of the night. The grey blur of a house mouse, the creepy shuffle of a cock roach, or the alien type saunter of a centipede. Will I ever get over that? Probably not.

So in other news, I haven’t updated my blog since April. I make no promises about trying to be better about blogging, I’m clearly rubbish at it. But I do have a pretty good excuse; I got sooooo busy with Camp GROW I really let go of my personal life altogether in exchange for loads and loads of work on camp. Which, by the way, was a HUGE success and there will definitely be another camp in 2012.

If you want to see pictures from camp, check out www.facebook.com/gardcenter or if you want to see our video you can see it here:

The Shallows

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-08-06 01:29:35

Is the internet changing us? Is it making us forgetful? Less attentive? What is it taking away from us? Is it making us shallow? These are the fundamental questions Nicholas Carr puts forth in his latest book, The Shallows. In it he argues that yes, the internet, among other technologies, is indeed changing the way we think. He’s essentially [...]

Nothing to Envy

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-07-30 01:25:42

I came across this interesting book recently. It’s called Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea and it’s written by Barbara Demick. What I found most fascinating about it is the depths to which it takes you into the lives ofthe six people that the narrative is constructed around. This work goes deeper than typical narrative journalism. You’re not sitting [...]

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Changing Latitudes

2011-06-16 19:20:00

I was reminded not too long ago that I have a blog (Thanks Dino). Since im spending the day in bed, courtsey of my night spent on the bathroom floor, courtesy of what I can only assume was my pork rib lunch......I've decided to dedicate some of my unexpected down time to a life update.

A lot has happened since I last wrote anything. For starters, its gotten HOT. Seriously hot. So hot I've had some close calls with passing out at inopportune and down right awkward moments. I could actually deal with the temperature if the thick air wasn't trying to suffocate me. 85 degrees with 80% humidity is worse than any dry 100 degree day, I don't care what anyone says. Not even my Hawaiian roots could prepare me for this. And certainly not my years in Washington State. I really do miss the crisp NW air........ So, i've retired my jeans until Fall, turned my fan up to level 3, and started icing my coffee in the mornings. I also try to remind myself that I am surrounded by Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, so complaining is kind of ridiculous.

Work has been going really well lately. My 9th graders just finished their exams and are basically done for the summer. Some of them will move on to secondary school but many will, as one teacher put it, be thrown to the wolves. I've had a hard time accepting this reality, but it is a reality. It's their reality. I wish them absolutely nothing but the best. There is not a single one of them that doesn't have it in them to do great- to be great. They drove me crazy more than a few times. I actually screamed at a few to get out of my classroom on one particularly bad day, which is something I never thought i'd do. But I really will miss my Tuesdays with them. Im not the same person I was the first day I first stepped into their classrooms. I am stronger now and much more patient. I found that I have it in me to be assertive without losing my softness and compassion. And I know now that the only way to survive teaching is to not take yourself too seriously. You gotta laugh. And I mean really laugh.

The last few months at The Environmental Awareness Group have been spent organising and hosting a Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival, continuing to get ready for Camp GROW, and dedicating some weekends to helping out with our annual bird and snake surveys-all of which have been incredibly successful and rewarding experiences. *Camping on a beautiful, uninhabited island with ridiculously amazing company while practicing my snake catching skills is not something I will soon forget...

As if my time at school and the EAG didn't keep me busy enough, I just recently began a THIRD assignment assisting counsellors at the Student Support Centre which provides intervention and life-skills training to at-risk teens. I couldn't be more excited about this opportunity. The work will not be easy. After only three weeks I am already beyond frustrated at the non-functioning social services in this country. But the bottom line is that I get to spend my time challenging these teens to see in themselves the hope and opportunity that I see in them, and if it turns out thats all I can do, thats good enough for me.

Besides work-life, I am hanging in there. Yesterday the volunteers in Antigua had a mental health session with our medical officer from headquarters in St. Lucia. I didn't realize how much I needed it until I started crying my little eyes when it was my turn to talk. I think it suprised me as much as it did everyone else sitting at the table. The truth is, Im tired. Im lonely. Im emotionally drained. I miss my family. I wake some mornings and wonder what the hell im doing here. A lot of mornings actually. Is all of this worth what I sacrificed and left behind? But l get up ever And there is beauty in my life each and every day. I snatch it up up wherever I can

Camp GROW

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-04-17 01:05:42

I would like to take this opportunity to inform the reader of a lovely Peace Corps Partnership project which has recently been created by two of my fellow volunteers on the island. This project is called Camp GROW. Camp GROW (Gaining a Respect for the Outdoors and our World) has been formed through a partnership between [...]

Support from Neighbors

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Learning Through Service: A Peace Corps' Story

2011-04-15 01:32:00

As much as I sometimes miss living in a big city with lots of choices for groceries, restaurants, entertainment, etc., there’s something really nice about living in a small place and meeting my neighbors. I get support from my neighbors in all sorts of ways…

· They tell me if I’ve missed someone stopping by my house when I wasn’t home.

· They offer to help me get my coconuts out of my tree.

· They bring me fruit from their trees. Mmmmhhhh guavas.

· They look after Hugo when he gets out of the yard.

· They offer words of encouragement when I’m struggling to get myself and my bike up the hill. Shouting things like, “Lookin’ good!” and “Stayin’ fit!”

· They offer lifts to the bus stop or to work on days that I’m not riding my bike.

· They offer friendly smiles and kind words. I especially love it when I’m getting off the bus from town and one of my students yells from a quarter of a mile down the road “HI MISS HALL!!!!!!!!!!!!” or “HI TEACHER!!!!!!!!!”

· When I’m running with Hugo they give me nods of encouragement, extra friendly good mornings, and similarly to when I’m on my bike… “Stayin’ fit!” and “Lookin’ good”

· They tell me when local cricket games are and how the village’s team is doing… we’re winning by the way, Seatons just won a championship game last week, GO SEATONS!!!!

My neighbors in Seattle have always been courteous but they’re just not as willing to break out of their comfort zones as people are in my village here. If one of my neighbors at home told me, “Where’s your bike? You gotta keep riding to stay fit” I would have thought they had lost their minds. But meanwhile, the 70 year old gentleman who lives down the street will always tell me to “keep it moving on that bike”.

When I finished my run this morning, as I do after all my runs, I opened up my front door (and left it open), rolled out my yoga mat, turned on the fan and sat down in front of it, and started doing crunches and stretches while singing along to my iPod. One of my neighbors rolled by on his bike, stopped in front of my house to make sure he got my attention (it’s hard to do when I’m jamming to the Submarines) and then shouted, “lookin’ good, keep it up!” Is there anything that can make a person feel better when they’re all hot and sweaty and pushing through crunches then to have someone tell them that they’re doing a good job? I’d argue that there’s not.

So long story short, I love my neighbors and love the encouragement that they give me. I hope when I go home I can develop a similar relationship with my neighbors there… bring a little bit of the Caribbean back to the States.

Speaking of fresh coconuts, check out this beautiful coconut from the GARD Center. =) It filled up that entire glass and was delicious!

Planes, Trains, and Bookmobiles

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-04-13 18:58:00

A lot of things have happened since I last offered an update to the blog. For starters, I have a puppy now. I’ve also started a recycling club for the kids in the village and written an article for a local newspaper. I came back from town one afternoon and found a small, flea-ridden puppy [...]

Camp GROW

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Changing Latitudes

2011-04-08 23:36:00

It is hard to believe that almost 8 months have passed since I left the US to begin my Peace Corps service in Antigua. Where has the time gone??? In all honesty, its a bit of a blur. There are days when someone asks me what i've been working on and I can't seem to figure it out myself. One way to describe my time thus far would be to think of a seedling tray. In this incredibly nerdy metaphor the seeds represent ideas, projects or partnerships with local community members and groups. **Seeds must go through several stages of development before being ready to sprout and once they are ready they need certain things (warmth, water and oxygen) in order to do so. The same applies for my metaphorical seeds**

Ive planted dozens of seeds in dozens of trays over the past 7 months, mostly metaphorical and a few literal (I must say my basil is doing quite well!) Most of these seeds never sprouted. Maybe they didn't get enough oxygen or support from the community. Maybe they just weren't ready. Many of the seeds that did initially sprout have since shrivled up. Too much sun light, too small of a pot, or not enough resources to see it into fruition.

I won't lie. Its frustrating to spend time and energy on an idea or a project that never even sprouts. But as time has passed I have become profoundly aware that the work is not done in vain. The lessons hidden within the unsprouted seeds are sometimes the greatest.

That being said, its really really exciting to see one of your seedlings sprout and transform from an idea to an actual project! Camp GROW (Gaining a Respect for the Outdoors and our World) is one of these projects.

Camp GROW is a partneship between myself and a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer, The Environmental Awareness Group, and The Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Center. It seeks to bring youth from around Antigua together for two weeks this summer to have fun and get their hands dirty while cultivating an appreciation and understanding of the natural environment and its links to healthy, sustainable communities.

Camp GROW was recently added to the Peace Corps Partnership Program Website, which means that you can now help fund this project by making donations!! Woohoo!! If you aren't able to donate but you are willing to spread the word to your family and friends, thats great too! Also, if you work for a company that matches employee's charitable donations please keep that in mind. We have already recieved some tremendous community support to fund this project but we need all the help we can get!

To learn more about Camp GROW of make a donation, please visit: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=538-008
If you have any questions about this project or anything else I am working on in Antigua, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'd love to hear from you!

Hoping this post finds you all happy, healthy and enjoying the spring weather. So far the highlight of spring in Antigua is the start of mango season! Yum Yum Yum

Peace Corps Partnership Projects

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Learning Through Service: A Peace Corps' Story

2011-04-07 20:32:00

I received some VERY exciting news today and of course I had to share it with all of you, my Peace Corps Partnership projects are now appearing on the Peace Corps Partnership website! HOOORAH! This means that people can now make online donations to my projects. What projects you ask?

In February I sent out an email which mentioned two projects that I am working on here in Antigua. The first is Camp GROW (Gaining Respect for the Outdoors and the World) which is a joint project between my organization the Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Center (GARD Center) and the Environmental Awareness Group (EAG). The second project is a library project for Pares Primary School.

Serving in the Peace Corps has been such a remarkable experience for me in so many ways and these projects represent a small fraction of the work that the Peace Corps and our local community counterparts are trying to accomplish in Antigua. Namely, promoting literacy and providing safe places for young people to learn and play.

In order to get these projects off the ground, I need your help. If you can donate to either project, that is FANTASTIC! If you’re not able to donate but you are willing to spread the word to your friends and family members about these projects, that’s GREAT too! Also, if you work for a company that matches employee’s charitable donations, please keep that in mind when making your donation. We don’t want to miss out on those matches, do we? =)

To learn more about Camp GROW or to make a donation, please visit: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=538-008

To learn more about the Pares Primary School Library project or to make a donation, please visit: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=538-007

You're not going to poop in a hole...

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Learning Through Service: A Peace Corps' Story

2011-03-23 11:24:00

Yesterday, my friend Gwynn (Peace Corps Suriname) shared a video about Peace Corps on Facebook called, “Poop in a Hole”. The video is hilarious and touches on a lot of stuff that MOST Peace Corps volunteers face. But the thing about serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Antigua is that it’s not like most Peace Corps posts, life here isn’t as hard as life in more remote areas… I don’t poop in a hole.

Having life be easier can be good and it can be bad. It’s good because sometimes I feel like I’m able to get a lot more done. The fact that I spend my day working on a computer in an air conditioned office, designing marketing campaigns for upcoming courses, teaching computer classes, writing grants for summer camps, etc., in some ways it feels like what I might be doing at a non-profit at home. And that’s good right? Because it gives me skills that I’ll be able to use at home, yes?

But at the same time, the ease can be frustrating. Most of us didn’t sign up for the Peace Corps thinking that it was going to be so similar to home. We wanted it to be different; we wanted to know (as much as we could) what it felt like to live at the level that most of the world has to live on. Difficulties getting water, no indoor plumbing, experiencing life in a small remote village where things feel like they’re moving at a slower pace and people spend more time with one another. We wanted all of those things.

It’s hard to explain why having things be similar to home is hard. I guess it’s that you see a lot the stuff that reminds you of home but your friends and family aren’t there to share it with and you don’t have the same resources (e.g. income) to enjoy all of those luxuries of home. My life sometimes feels like I’m living in Seattle but I’m broke and I have to do 80% of my shopping at 7/11 and the dollar store… oh and it’s like 85 degrees all the time and I have to walk everywhere. =)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying my Peace Corps experience but I guess it’s not what I expected. And I suppose that’s the reality of life, things never live up to our expectations. If the point was to go someplace new, learn some things and share some of my skills with new people then I can say that I am accomplishing that goal. But if the goal was to go and poop in a hole for two years then I have most definitely failed.

First the video:

And now a list of the things that I have and haven’t experienced that the video mentions…

Here’s a list (from the video) of stuff that I haven’t had to deal with:
• Thank GOD no diarrhea yet.
• No fevers (yet)
• Learn a new language – people do speak dialect in Antigua but if I try to speak dialect I sound like a moron.
• Pooping in a hole
• Dreaming about ice cream and soda – we have all of that here in surplus. I do dream about Thai and Indian food though. Mmmmmm Pad See Ew.
• So far have had Turkey at Thanksgiving
• No parasites (yet) – but I should probably have this rash on my arm checked out.
• So far I haven’t run into anyone wanting a bribe.
• No government coups
• My counterpart would NEVER steal money, everyone in my office is sooooooo honest it’s awesome.

Here’s a list of what I have had to deal with:
• Waiting 16 months to know whether I made it into the Peace Corps
• Getting stared at as I walk down the street. Not because I’m foreign though, mostly guys just hiss, whistle, and try to get my attention. That is very new and weird to me.
• Not feeling like I fit in. This isn’t so much at work, it’s everywhere else. Although when I was teaching classes I had a hard time relating to the kids and they definitely had a hard time relating to me. I’m only a few years older than most of them but our lives and experiences have been quite different.
• Trying new foods. Lots and lots of new foods at first but now that I live on my own I pretty much stick to cooking what I know.
• Weird rashes… I really should go get these looked at.
• Keeping a diary (or blog) but being bad at both of them and then thinking I will probably just stop trying.
• Being a long way from home.
• Looking like a homeless person – old ratty clothes that have stains on them, sweating all day as you walk around town because you can’t drive, all the while carrying a MASSIVE backpack that is dirty and has holes in it. Oh and never wearing any makeup because as soon as you put it on it slides off.
• Feeling under qualified to “save the world”… or just do my job… which is sometimes well defined until it’s not anymore.
• Being too hot, being too hot, being too hot, being too hot (I’ve never felt too cold).
• No AC at home but I do have AC in the office which most Peace Corps volunteers don’t get.
• Trying to Skype/Video chat with people at home but can’t make it through (can’t hear anything) because of a bad connection.
• Facebook friends looking at pics and say “you’re livin’”.
• Plenty bucket showers when my water goes out, just happened again last week. When it’s not a bucket shower it’s a cold water shower. Also, can’t take a bucket shower using the water in my cistern because it’s filled with what I think are mosquito larvae. They could be something else but I can’t think of what. Thousands of little black worm looking things that swim. I dumped a bucket of bleach in the tank and they lived through it. Must be mosquitos, right? I only use that water to flush my toilet when the water is out.
• Feeling like, “I just came here to help” and then running into PLENTY of people who don’t want your help. (Thankfully none of them are at my primary worksite)
• Making a very LITTLE bit of money, but unlike on the video, over here it’s not a lot and nobody wants to marry me for it.
• Can’t drive a car (oh how I miss my car), gotta take the bus (oh how I hate the bus). Sometimes I ride in the back of trucks but not very often.
• Waiting for what feels like a long time between care packages but really isn’t. My family and friends are awesome! Although, I have had two care packages go “missing”… somehow they got “lost” between the US postal service and the Antiguan postal service.
• Reading a lot of books and watching a lot of movies.
• Marking the calendar and figuring out how long I’ve been here vs. how long it will be before I get to go back home.

Comment on Me Finished de Job by AM

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-01-09 16:09:14

Hi Ryan! Such a joy to read about your Unexpected Journey with the PC/Antigua! Congratulations on the library and all that you are bringing to your job. You are a talented writer, so effortless and natural and unselfconscious. I look forward to more island adventures and insightful observations. Hugs--Aunt M

Comment on Contact by Barclay Hastings

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-01-09 16:20:47

Ryan, Like a rocket...what a take off into the world at large. I am so GD proud of you I will stick around abit longer to see what the impact is you and your generation of servant leaders will have one this troubled planet. If there is anything you need, just let me know...what a nephew!! Go Gators Uncle Barc

Comment on Me Finished de Job by Andrea

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-01-11 15:28:22

Greetings, My name is Andrea de Vries and I am a the President of the International Alliance for Child Literacy (the "IACL"), a New Jersey non-profit corporation as well as a practicing attorney in Philadelphia, PA. My colleagues and I founded the IACL because we are committed to improving literacy rates among the world's children. We are particularly focused on providing educational aid and materials to children in Caribbean countries. To help achieve our goals, we are partnering with local Caribbean communities and American organizations to establish libraries and literacy programs in schools and communities in the Caribbean. I have been following your blog for the past few weeks and am very impressed with the work you are doing with Bolans Primary School. Congratulation on getting the library set up, you did a great job transforming the space! From your blog I see that you are thinking of setting up a literacy program. I am reaching out to you in the hopes that we may be able to work together. I have included my contact information and look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Andrea adevries@theiacl.org

Comment on Advice for Those Considering the Peace Corps by That Little Notebook

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-01-15 03:05:51

Thank you for writing this. I'm seriously considering joining, once I get my bachelor's degree, and am trying to read as many viewpoints about the commitment as possible. =]

Comment on Contact by Beth

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-01-21 15:33:33

Ryan, I finally figured out how to get on your blog. I am so proud of you and so impressed with all you have accomplished. Your blog is fantastic and I love the pics. The library turned out amazing. Love the colors. What an adventure. Here is a quote you may enjoy. "We are not human beings on a spiritual journey, we are spiritual beings on a human journey." Stephen Covey I wuld love to send you a care package but have no idea what you would enjoy and or need. Please let me know your wish list. Love you and miss you, Aunt Beth

Comment on Contact by rcpcv

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-01-22 05:09:35

Thanks a ton Barc, such encouraging words go a long way. I hope all is well in Columbus, and I will surely ask for help if it's needed. Take care. Go Bucks Ryan

Comment on Contact by rcpcv

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-01-22 05:24:52

Books! Books are really expensive here, so I'll make a small list of a few that would be nice to have. Besides that, how about cookies? I could use some. Thanks for the kind words. I just put the quote up on the quote page actually. I hope all is well and that it's not too cold up there! Love and miss you too, take care. Ryan

Comment on Me Finished de Job by rcpcv

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-01-22 05:27:41

I'm glad to hear it's a joy to read, I hope it gets better. Thanks for the support. The days go by here moment by moment, and they seem to just drift on endlessly. It's a pleasure to be here and with the people of this island, I'm learning every day. I hope all is well back in Columbus, take care. Hugs as well. Ryan

Comment on A Sunday Dinner by Christopher Nelson

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-02-14 15:46:57

Hey dude, it's Chris from St. Kitts. You on Skype yet? I'm duly impressed with the success of your library reorganization – and in such short order too! I worked on a similar project at my primary school attachment, and was also able to get it into some sort of working order, but am running into difficulties keeping it maintained and accessible to the kids. Pleased to hear everything is going well there in the land of 365 beaches (that's right, isn't it?). Keep up the good work!

Lets Hear it for the Boys!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Changing Latitudes

2011-02-22 19:43:00

I've been thinking a lot about boys lately.

Thinking about what we teach our boys. How we raise and how we praise our boys. Ive been lying awake at night wondering how to reach and empower our boys. Wishing we'd hug and show more love to our boys. Maybe have a little more faith in our boys......

Its easy to get down on men, and I must admit, I do it quite a bit. Lets just look at some facts shall we:

85% of murder is commited by men
90% of physical assault.....
95% of domestic violence cases are perpetrated by men
95% of child sexual abuse......
99.8% people sitting in prison convicted of rape are men
And it is estimated that 1 in 4 men will use some sort of violence against a partner in their lifetime

In Anigua, the majority of families are run by single mothers. It is not uncommon for a man to have dozens of children with different women, many of whom live in the same village and attend the same schools. Mommas shuttling kids around to various family members and daycares before and after work while daddy 'limes' or chills on the block playing dominos is an all too familiar scenario here. On top of it all, our young men are drastically falling behind in school.

So what the hell is going on??

Well, a lot of things. You could spend a lifetime answering this question, and many people have. But the bottom line, or at least a significant part of the bottom line, is POWER-STRENGTH-CONTROL and what these words can mean for young men who are forced into boxes with them. Are men evil? No. Are they inherently violent? Absolutely not. We are socializing them into the roles of dead-beat dads and abusers by our unforgiving and unrelenting rules on what it means to be a 'real man'. We are what we eat, and we seem to be feeding our boys a load of crap.

Its easy to get down on men, this we know. But getting down on men is not the solution, infact I think it is actually part of the problem. If all young boys hear is that 'men are this' and 'men are that', then why try to be anything different? And if we spend all of our energy focusing on the dead-beat dads and the abusers, who is focusing on the rest?

So I would like to take this opportunity to do exactly that, and recognize the amazing men, young and old, that I have had the privledge of knowing over the past 6 months of my Peace Corps Service. When I watch these boys and men...when I hear their stories.....I am too often left heartbroken but always always left inspired.

To the 14 year old young man, living on his own and constantly wondering where his next meal will come from--- The fact that you show up to school every day demonstrates incredible dedication and perserverance. I honestly don't know if I could do it, and most in your situation don't.

To the single father who is raising two of the most respectful and tender boys I have encountered on this island---Kudos to you, sir. Kudos to you.

To the fellow Peace Corps Volunteer that spoke with such grace and conviction about issues so often deemed 'women's problems'--- Your voice is incredibly powerful in a sea of silence. Thank you.

And to a very young man who has stepped up to help take care of his 3 little sisters while his father sits in jail awaiting trial for brutally assaulting his mother--- I am so sorry that you have had to see the things you've seen. I wish all you had to worry about was being 9. The responsibility you have taken on and the compassion that you are are showing your mother and your sisters....these are what make you a 'real man'. Not the control you can exert over others or the damage you can do with your fist. Don't ever forget that.

To every father, son, brother, husband, boyfriend, allie, and friend out there......I see you and I appreciate you.

So lets hear it for the boy!
I just couldn't resist..

A Visual Glimpse

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-02-18 17:29:39

There are a couple videos I’ve come across which may offer a glimpse into life in the Caribbean. The first is a commercial Christopher Nelson made in St. Kitts. Chris is a fellow volunteer and was actually my roommate during pre-service training in St. Lucia. The video was posted on his blog. The other is [...]

Time Management (or lack thereof)

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Learning Through Service: A Peace Corps' Story

2011-02-16 00:58:00

I have to be up at 4:30 in the morning tomorrow to make sure that I can get to training on-time and I’m slightly irritated by that. I have to be on the bus by 5:45, to get to town by 6:30, so I can walk a mile to the west bus station, and get in line for the Coolidge bus that leaves at 7:00 so I can try to make it to the conference facility by 8:30. It’s a lot of bus time.

Also, all I can think about tonight (besides having to get up at 4:30am) is that my house is a total mess. My floors need to be mopped. My new books need to be sorted. I have kitchen towels soaking in bleach water in the bathroom that need to be scrubbed and hung to dry. I want to read my new graphic design and photography books… oh and I want to start my new novel… oh and I need to work on logos that I owe to a few of my community members… and that Excel spreadsheet I owe a neighbor… and I need to catch up with the kids that I’m tutoring because I’ve been so darn busy these last 3 weeks we’ve missed 3 sessions. Also need to chat with my mom because we’ve not spoken for weeks… and send a few emails to friends who might just think that I’ve fallen of the face of the planet because I’ve waited so long to send emails.

Needless to say the list goes on, and on, and on and it’s easier to blog about it than it is to actually finish the work. Where’s all that free-time that I’m supposed to have in the Peace Corps again? I could really use some of that right about now. I am committing myself to being productive this weekend. I am not sure how I will do it but it must be done because this is getting to be ridiculous. It’s time to start ticking stuff off that list and refusing to add more items to the list until I’ve finished what I’ve started. :D

Backyard Bleating

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-02-06 18:47:15

Sundays are usually pretty busy for me, but today I decided to stay in for the morning and read. As I was reading a collection of essays from other Peace Corps volunteers about their experiences, a typical Peace Corps experience occurred. As I sat in my living room, my eight-year old neighbor came up to [...]

Following Goat Trails

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Learning Through Service: A Peace Corps' Story

2011-02-01 22:23:00

I know, I know, I’m the worst blogger ever! Blogs are really hard to keep up on for me so I think I’m going to try something different. Starting later this month, I’m going to do a photo blog. One picture a week (maybe more and maybe less) of something that’s going on in my life here in Antigua. I would have done this sooner but my darn camera broke the very first week I was in St. Lucia and I haven’t had a good camera to take photos with for months. My replacement camera is coming with Jamie and Gene who will be visiting next week.

Speaking of friends visiting, I am SUPER excited for Jamie and Gene to come to Antigua. Plans are in the works for plenty beach time, a cruise around the island, snorkeling, consumption of many local foods, a beach lime with my host family (DJ and all), and lots and lots of other great stuff. We’re going to have a blast and it will be so nice to have a few vacation days.

Now for story time…

Work of late has been fantastically stressful. We have a ton of projects that we’re working on and at the beginning of January classes started which means we now have 60 new students wandering our halls. It’s hard to explain what the addition of 60 extra people in our VERY small office does to our work environment. It’s loud, it’s chaotic, questions fly in every direction, people are being pulled in and out of classrooms, offices, etc. Not a moment passes without a phone ringing, a student walking into the office, or one of us losing something in the mess that is our desks. It kind of reminds me of the images you see of the floor of the New York stock exchange. Crazy freakin’ busy! The tension at the center is palpable and at least in the short term there’s not a whole heck of a lot we can do about it. Our facilities aren’t going to magically expand. Nobody wants the classes to get smaller; in fact we’d love it if we had room for more students. It’s just going to be stressful for well, the next 8 months.

For the most part everyone has been staying pretty positive about the chaos but the entire office is a bit on edge. I find that as the day comes to a close my head feels heavy and I can think of nothing but crawling into bed and watching movies on my laptop… even reading feels like too much effort. So today, in an effort to arrive in my bed all the faster, I decided I would take a “shortcut” home.

My home is about 2.5 miles from my office and if I take the main road, it’s a relatively easy trek. While I’m walking through my village I feel comfortable enough but walking on the main road is kind of scary. People drive incredibly fast and they don’t really look for pedestrians because pedestrians aren’t ever on the road… so I’m always on high alert if I’m walking or riding my bike. If I could find a way to get off the road AND get home faster, well then that would be GREAT.

Last week while I was walking I noticed that there was a herd of goats which were cutting through some fields and it looked like the fields might lead to Seatons. So I figured if the goats could find their way to Seatons (I recognized some of the goats from my village or at least I thought I recognized them) I could easily find my way too… after all, I’m smarter than a goat right? So after going about halfway home on the main road, I turned off and went stomping through the bush.

The first trail I went down led me about a quarter of a mile away from the road but I eventually reached a dead end. DARN, I’d have to backtrack to the main road. On the second trail I noticed a woman who was carrying a bucket of tomatoes on her head, some seed trays in one hand and a bag of tomatoes in another hand. She looked very much like she knew where she was going so I thought I must be on the right trail. Yes, not only goats can find their way through the bush apparently we humans can too. After asking her if the trail led to Seatons, she smiled and looked me up and down and said, “yes, but you might not make it in those shoes.”

I looked down at my feet and saw my good ol’ Tevas. Ugly as sin but great for walking long distances and especially great for hiking a silly little goat trail. So I told her that I thought I’d be fine and if she wouldn’t mind showing me the way I’d help her carry her tomatoes. She looked at me again and I saw that she was eyeing me up and down and seemed to be focused on my work attire, a black skirt with a tank top and a purple sweater. She kind of gestured to her own clothes, she’d clearly been working on the farm all day, and then she specifically pointed to her boots and said “see my shoes will protect me from the bush”. Not to be deterred, I told her that I’m sure I can make it, grabbed her bag of tomatoes and started following her.

As we walked along the trail, I couldn’t help but smile. First of all, she was right of course. The trail had really tall grass, large bushes with thick thorns on them, and random holes that were accidents waiting to happen. But besides the tricky terrain, the view was gorgeous. Golden brown fields all around me, giant sugar mills on either side, the ocean in the distance, goats and cattle grazing on the grass; the whole scene was picturesque, I felt like I was walking through the scene of a movie. And all along the trail, I got to chat with my neighbor who I found out was named Grace and owns the fields across the road. She was telling me about how she loves farming, how she used to raise goats but can’t any longer because someone stole them (how anyone could steal anything from such a nice lady I have no idea!), and how she thinks she should learn to drive standard transmission so she wouldn’t have to walk to her fields every day.

I for one am thrilled that Grace walks to her fields every day because if she didn’t I might not have ever met her. When I left her and her tomatoes at the gate of her house, she told me that I should walk with her again someday. I really hope that I get to walk with her because I haven’t had such a pleasant walk in a long time. In some ways it was a perfect Peace Corps moment, to meet a neighbor and chat while walking home. In another way, it reminds me very much that I can have that moment anywhere in the world so long as I am open to the experience. These are things that I hope to remember when I head home. It’s important to get outside and walk in your neighborhood, meet the people who inhabit the same space as you, hear their stories and find out why they love what they’re doing. There’s just no reason for us to be so isolated when we share the world with so many other lovely people.

Gone Fishing

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-01-31 03:58:04

Renol showed up at my door last night expecting to come over and help me fix up some food for today’s fishing trip. I had just finished with having Wes over after our final two scuba dives and wasn’t in the mind set at all to deal with this. Yet, I obliged. We organized our [...]

Life in Bolans

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-01-22 11:54:50

As I rise each morning around six or seven, the sun has just begun to shine over the hills surrounding the village. It streaks in through the windows as I move about, preparing myself for the day. When I’m finished, I leave and head down the street towards Bolans Primary. By this time the goats [...]

Books for Bolans

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-01-20 14:48:03

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Today marks the beginning of our Bolans Primary book drive! First of all, I would like to thank those of you who have an interest in contributing to the book drive. As the previous post has stated, the need for youth literacy development in Antigua and Barbuda is very great. To address [...]

Me Finished de Job

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-01-08 02:42:22

So the library’s finished. It feels good for the work to be over and to be able to use the room for all sorts of things, from hosting study periods to reading one on one with students. Kids seem to float in and out during their breaks, reading from a book here and there before [...]

Dr. Amu’s Hut

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2011-01-08 00:47:11

After school I got on my bike and rode over to Jolly. After reading on the beach for some time, I caught Dr. Amu in my peripheral walking down by the water. Dr. Amu is a man I met way back in September during our training, and have seen occasionally ever since. “You see, I’m [...]

Fishing for Happiness

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Changing Latitudes

2011-01-04 20:31:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

I've made it through my first holiday season in Antigua which sent me celebrating all over the island with all sorts of awesome people! There were sailboat races and beach parties, showers with turtles and domino sessions with boys on the block. There were lazy days and late nights full of merriment. Through it all, there was lots and lots of food. Ridiculous amounts of food. Okra fritters and fried chicken, curried goat, callaloo, and my host mom's famous Trinidadian chrismas cake......just to name a few. Of course this was all washed down with healthy portions of rum. Rum with coke, rum with sorrell, and rum with rum. Twas the season!

While it was great spending time with local friends and fellow volunteers all over the island, the holidays reminded me how little I am actually in my own village with my own neighbors. Integration is a word that is drilled into us during training. We are told that our safety and security, as well as the richness of our experience, is dependent upon it. I agree whole heartedly. Of course some of this integration refers to the island community as a whole, but some is more specific to one's immediate community. This is where I struggle. It is difficult to make friends and feel part of a village that I spend very little time in. Sure, the kids yell 'techa!' or 'Miss. Davis!' as I pass through, and the adults know me as the white gyal they say hi to every morning, but except for a few people, that's as far as it goes. Working in town 4 days a week, I find myself sucking my teeth (a standard behavior in the Caribbean) at volunteers lucky enough to work 5 days a week in the village that they live. By the time I get home from town, darkness has set in leaving no time to go off socializing. So....... while I usually shy away from New Years resolutions, as I rang in 2011 with a bottle of champagne and sand between my toes, I resolved to spend more time in Swetes, the quiet village I call home. Since I can't stop going to work, or make the sun set any later, this means finding a balance on weekends between time away and time at home.

That being said, you can imagine how thrilled I was on New Years day when I ran into two of my favorite neighborhood boys on the bus ride home. Levi is in one of my ninth grade health classes, and Joquan is in grade five. Squeezing myself between them, I began my inquisition on what they'd been up to over the three week holiday break. In typical adolescent fashion they responded with "nothing.." They decided they would rather talk about me...like what beach had I just been to? (The sand in my hair gave me away) By the time we got off the bus near our village and began our walk home I found out that these two boys were not just friends, they were brothers! They live with their father, a Rastafarian goat herder, in a small house at the end of the road. Levi mostly hangs out with the older kids on the block, while I often see Joquan riding his donkey down the road or helping his father with the goats. Before we parted ways that New Years afternoon, the two boys asked me if i'd ever want to go pond fishing with them. "Of course!" I replied, "When?" They told me maybe next Sunday. 'Perfect', I thought, as I logged one week from tomorrow into my mental calendar.

That next morning, intent of taking advantage of my last day of vacation, I lazed around in bed until finally getting up to boil some water for the day. Just as my kettle began screeching I heard another high pitched sound coming from the road. "miss daaaaviiiiiiiiss!!!" Still in my pajamas I opened my door to find Joquan perched on a post staring at me in disbelief. "You aren't ready!?!?!" "I thought you said next Sunday!" I replied. No response.....just a disappointed fifth grader with his jaw dropped in astonishment that this white lady would still be in her pajamas at 9:30 in the morning. "Ok Ok, give me 10 minutes" I said. I quickly brushed me teeth, slathered on some sunscreen, threw a 3 day old pb+j and a bottle of water into my backpack and headed out the door. Joquan looked disapprovingly at me as I exited my apartment in flip flops and shorts. "No shoes?" "Ok Ok, give me another minute," I said as I ran back inside and changed into jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt.
"Now you look like you are going into the bush!" he exclaimed, with a giant grin plastered on his face.

Walking down the street I learned that the boys' cousin Marlow was a farmer in Body Ponds (a forested area with several large ponds in the middle of the island). Any part of the island remotely forested is considered 'bush' by Antiguans. Marlow would be taking us fishing near his farm. As we neared their house I was properly introduced to 3 or 4 extended family members, two donkeys, a herd of goats, and one horse. Marlow insisted on calling me Miss Davis despite me introducing myself as Jen. Getting anyone who knows me from school to call me by my first name is a lost cause. We piled in the jeep and headed out of Swetes and down a long bumpy country road. As we arrived at Marlow's farm the boys scattered to find me all sorts of goodies. Within minutes I was being fed my first cacao fruit, guavas, and various nuts found on the ground. As we sat in the dirt eating and waiting for Marlow to take care of a few things, Joquan told me of his dreams to one day live out in the bush and farm his own land. He loves the peacefulness and the fact that if you are a farmer you always have food. "You never have to beg because you hungry, " he said.

When Marlow was ready we headed out to find a good spot to fish, stopping along the way to dig up some bait. Levi quickly fashioned us a few poles out of palm frawns and we began to fish. The boys caught dozens of fish while I continued to come up empty handed. "When the fish bite, yank like you taking your purse back from one tief!" they said. I hope a thief never steals my purse because Im not very good at yanking. I finally caught the tiniest pond fish in the world and the boys erupted in congratulations as I began jumping up and down like a crazy person. Today these boys were my teachers, and I was their student. I threw the poor little fish back, which was apparently not the right move. Throwing back your first fish is bad luck, but I explained to them i'd caught many fish in my childhood so it wasn't REALLY my first fish. After catching my second fish, I decided to sit back and watch, handing the bait to the boys when they needed it and taking in the beauty of the day. The fish eventually stopped biting and the boys moved on to climbing coconut palms. Once they'd collected a dozen or so coconuts we sat down an feasted on the juice, jelly, and meat till our bellys were full. The rest we carted back to the jeep so Marlow could use the milk to make coconut rice. As we trudged up the hill against a warm Caribbean breeze with a buckets full of fish and coconuts, Joquan looked back at me and said "Miss Davis, this is what I did on my vacation".
I told him I couldn't think of a better way to spend vacation. And I meant it.

Marlow insisted on loading me up with goodies from his farm before driving me home. My backpack was bursting with cassava, sweet potatoes, seasoning peppers, sugar cane, green papaya, and water bottles full of fresh coconut water as the three boys dropped me off at my apartment that afternoon. "Will you come fishing again Miss Davis?" they asked.
"Next Sunday?" I said

Ah, Happiness...

Brothers......Levi and Joquan

My first introduction to the Cacao fruit
So that's where my chocolate comes from! The Jelly around the seeds is tasty!
One of my skilled teachers
Fishing with a palm frawn, a safety pin hook, and freshly dug earthworm bait
If you look closely, or click to enlarge, you can see an excellent tree climber on a mission for some coconuts

Land Turtles Don’t Like the Rain

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2010-12-28 21:36:09

Last week we had a secret Santa gift exchange among the staff at Bolans Primary. I bought mine a really nice working bag. It had green, beige, and purple triangular pieces of fake leather on it. Nice design, me say. I spent a good while searching the vendors on market street for such a bag. [...]

Advice for Those Considering the Peace Corps

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2010-12-26 23:49:18

You have to be ready and willing to face things you may have never encountered before in your life. The role of a Peace Corps Volunteer is an entirely original one; never before has there been, to the best of my knowledge, a government initiative sending thousands of volunteers around the world in the spirit [...]

Seaside Coves, Frigate Birds, and Lobster Pizza

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Adventures in the Caribbean

2010-12-14 21:15:56

I left on Friday morning for a second field trip with the sixth graders—-This time we were going to Barbuda, the tropical paradise. We left the port in St. Johns as a small group of two teachers, three students, and myself. Two of the students were brother and sister. The ferry ride over was awful. [...]

About My Work

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Learning Through Service: A Peace Corps' Story

2010-12-11 12:41:00

So I realized that I haven’t actually put much of anything on my blog about my job here in Antigua, so I’m going to fix that now. =)

I’m working at the Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Center (GARD Center) helping them with various branding, communications, and IT projects. Over the past few weeks, I created a new website for them at http://gardc.org/, designed a series of pamphlets entitled the “Cost of Production Series”, created posters and flyers to advertise for their upcoming courses, created a course catalog, helped to design/layout the annual report, created a slide presentation (80+ slides long) which tells the history of the GARD Center over the past twenty years and a few other things as well.

I guess the strangest thing about my job at GARD Center is that it’s basically a desk job. I left Seattle thinking I was leaving my desk job behind me and got to Antigua only to pick up another desk job. At first this kind of bothered me, but then I realized that I came to Antigua to share some of my skills with GARD Center and if these are the skills they need then it’s a good thing I have them to share. The question is; if I weren’t working on these projects, what would I be working on? The answer: I sincerely have no idea.

What’s even better about the projects that I’ve been working on these past few weeks is that they’ve made me realize that I really like doing this kind of layout and design work. I get really focused when I work on these materials and can spend hours dinking around with them to make them just as I want them to be. The problem is that I know that I’m probably breaking 1001 design rules so I’m strongly considering taking some design courses when I get back to the States.

Overall, I love the work that I’m doing with GARD Center. The group of women that I work with are amazingly talented, fun to be around, and very committed to their work and the Center’s students. I’m learning so much more at GARD Center than I feel like I’m giving but I suppose that’s all part of the experience of being a Peace Corps volunteer... your relationship with your organization is give and take and you always walk away feeling like you didn’t give as much as you received.

So if you want to view some of the things that I’ve been working on visit http://gardc.org/ and look at the “Resources” page under “GARD Center Publications”. You can also look under “Students” and “Upcoming Courses” to view the course catalog that I created. Below is one of the posters that I created for our upcoming courses.

There is just so Much to be Thankful for This Year!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Learning Through Service: A Peace Corps' Story

2010-11-25 14:35:00

Thanksgiving in Antigua is bound to be different from Thanksgiving at home. The most obvious difference of course being that Antigua doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, so for Antiguans the fourth Thursday in November is just another Thursday. But for me, being an American living abroad, Thanksgiving has suddenly become more important this year than ever before. I’m not exactly sure why this is but I have a few ideas.

First, I feel like I have a lot to be thankful for this year. Joining the Peace Corps was a dream that I had for a long time and to finally be able to do it is an amazing feeling. Granted, this Antiguan Peace Corps experience is not exactly what I imagined my Peace Corps experience would be… I’m not living in a hut in the middle of the bush with no access to electricity or running water. But I’m still doing much of what I set out to do which was simply to live abroad, learn from people whose culture and background were different from my own, and lend my skills and talents to people who might find them helpful. And at the same time as I’m fulfilling the goals that I had for my work as a Peace Corps volunteer, I’m also having a fantastic time outside of work. Where else in the world can you put in a hard week’s work and then spend your weekends snorkeling, relaxing on the beach, sailing, hiking, or just limin’ in town? Yes, I definitely have a lot to be thankful for this year!

Secondly, Thanksgiving feels really important this year because in spite of the great time that I’m having at work and at play, I miss my family, friends, cool fall/winter weather, and American traditions. Since going home isn’t an option, the second best option is to bring as much of a traditional American Thanksgiving here to Antigua. The other volunteers and I have set off to do a big Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday and man ‘o man is it going to be delicious! We’ve invited some of our local friends to join in on the festivities, bought two turkeys and all the fixin’s earlier this week, and I’m hauling out all of the Christmas movies that I brought so we can have those and Christmas songs playing in the background as we spend the day cooking. So even though it’ll probably be 80 degrees outside, inside will surely feel, smell and sound like a traditional American Thanksgiving.

So if our big Thanksgiving is happening on Saturday, what will I be doing today (on the actual Turkey day)? Well I woke up early this morning, not to watch the Macy’s day parade but rather to do some laundry. I turned on the Christmas carols, filled up my buckets and began scrubbing away. It was my first time using my new rapid washer and I’m IN LOVE with it! It agitates your clothes like a washing machine would and you can actually see the dirt and grime coming lose from them. Between the rapid washer and my wash board, I’m in hand washing heaven. My clothes feel super clean and my knuckles aren’t raw from rubbing the clothes together like a mad woman. After I finished washing my clothes, I filled up my mop bucket and mopped my floors while I sang Christmas carols and took in the nice northerly breeze that’s blowing through my house and signaling that it’s winter in Antigua. Later this afternoon I’ll head into town to meet up with some of the other volunteers and then tonight we’ll all be going to the Air Force base for a big Thanksgiving dinner that we were invited to. That in and of itself will be a new experience as I’ve never spent any time at all on a military base and I’ve especially never had a holiday meal with a bunch of air force personnel. =)

So this Thanksgiving will be much different from previous Thanksgivings. I’m in a new place, celebrating with new friends, and making a lot of new traditions. But I feel so blessed to have the chance to be here and I can honestly say I wouldn’t change it for the world.

For all of my family and friends back home and around the world, I’m thinking of you and miss you lots but I’m sure we’ll see each other soon (you’re coming to visit me right?)!!!! And for my mom, whose birthday falls on Thanksgiving once every seven years, HAPPY THANKSGIVNG AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH and I wish that I could be with you today especially… feeling extra thankful for such an amazing mom today.

Curve balls and Turkeys

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Changing Latitudes

2010-11-24 23:23:00

When I decided to join the Peace Corps I wasn't expecting life at home to stop and wait for me to return. DUH. Ok but honestly, I was kind of hoping it would slow down a little. You know, people could just sit back and chill for a couple years so I wouldn't miss too much. I even left explicit instructions with certain family members in hopes of missing as little as possible (I've always been the bossy child). Well guys, I am here to tell you that life doesn't listen very well to explicit instructions. No sir, no not at all. So life at home didn't stop, big surprise. And it didn't slow down, it was a long shot anyways. But did it really have to speed up? For the first time since I was 8 years old, my entire immediate family is living within 100 miles of each other and big things are happening in their lives. I mean, BIG things! Big scary things and BIG amazingly wonderful things and all sorts of BIG things in between. What are these BIG things you ask? Well, those are their stories to tell, not mine. The point is, for the first time since I was 8 years old they are all together, supporting each other, celebrating with each other, and just BEING with each other. And I am here. No matter how you slice it, that is hard to swallow.

No one likes to admit that they've planned out the way certain things in life are going to go, because it doesn't really work that way. But we all do it to one degree or another. Honestly, I don't even realize Im doing it most of the time. The plans are buried somewhere deep in my subconscious until life takes a different turn and I have to come face to face with them and the fact that they will only ever be exactly what they are... plans. I guess its not the plans themselves that cause the problem, its the attachment to the plans that really do you in. Its always the attachment that does you in. But thats a whole Buddhist can-o-worms I won't open right now. I think I am getting off topic. The point is, the past few weeks threw a lot of curve balls my way. One, right after another, until I was pretty sure that just one more might knock me flat on my face. Everytime I thought I found my footing, something else came along to challenge my capacity as a good daughter, a good sister, and a good friend. The good news is, I did not fall flat on my face. Thank goodness! (Ive actually done that once before and I like my teeth too much to do it again). A couple AWESOME crying sessions, such much needed floating-in-the-ocean time, and many many hugs from a woman named Norma Jean and where am I now? Well, I am right where I should be. In Antigua, loving and supporting my family as much as I can from afar and trying to suck out all of the goodness from this experience, down down down to the marrow. I am still trying to find my footing here in the Caribbean and working to define my relationships with people near and far. I probably always will be. I think curve balls are good for a person. They challenge you and remind you of what is really important, which leads me to the whole point of this blog post...Thanksgiving!

So here it is. This Thanksgiving I am thankful for my Mother and the unconditional love that has poured out of her and into me for the last 25 years. I am thankful for my Father who is very likely my number 1 fan, and has taught me that a life without passion is no life at all. I am thankful for my Sister, the most compassionate woman I know and the only person who will ALWAYS rub my feet when I ask. I am thankful for my Niece who reminds me daily of the purity and wisdom that we all begin with and sometimes lose along the way. And I am thankful for a man who believes so much in me and what I am doing that he lovingly watched me go. There are infinitely more things that I am thankful for, and for that I am thankful. Let the feasting commence!

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving."

Finding time...

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Antigua and Barbuda Learning Through Service: A Peace Corps' Story

2010-11-19 02:00:00

Prior to joining the Peace Corps, everyone told me that one of the hardest things about being a Peace Corps volunteer was dealing with all of the down-time that you have. They said that it’s all of those extra hours when you’re not working and haven’t much to do, when reading just isn’t an option anymore because you’ve read too much, it’s those surplus hours that make you go stir-crazy. Now that I’m a Peace Corps volunteer, I’m trying to figure out where all of my down-time is hiding? I want to find those hours upon hours where there’s nothing to do and no place to go. What happened to them? When do I get to spend an entire day in my house curled up on my bed with a good book and a bowl of popcorn? =)

As a Peace Corps volunteer I don’t find that I have all these hours to sit around and contemplate boredom. I work regular work hours five days a week and rarely (and by rarely I mean never) have time at work to just sit around and be bored. By the time I get home in the evening there’s always something to be done… tutoring the neighborhood kids, spending time with local friends and Peace Corps volunteers, cooking food for the next day/week, doing chores around the house. My life here in many ways is like my life at home, filled with work and things to do.

I think this business of keeping busy all of the time is good but it’s also affecting my blogging. There’s too much to do and not very much time to sit down and write about all that I’m doing. Also, the more time I spend in Antigua, the more ordinary my life feels and the less I feel I have to write about. Requests have been made however that I become a more frequent blogger so I will make an effort to do that. Maybe I’ll set a goal to write every other week? That should be manageable I think. =)