A Quick Update

Wow time has been flying by here in Dominica. We went straight from the Independence season into HIV/AIDS awareness month, which added a lot of little projects here and there to my schedule. And now we are on to the Christmas season! And I cannot believe I have been gone from the States (and that I call it The States) for 10 months! Like I said time is just flying by here.

HIV/AIDS awareness month was a really great month for me work wise I had a lot of new events to attend, things like a HIV/AIDS talk, a remembrance for those who have lots their lives and those who are living with HIV/AIDS, a drive through the country where we gave out a ton of information, and other great events. But Im not gonna lie it was also really hard. HIV/AIDS work takes a really strong person and while I feel I have grown a lot here and did pretty good work I still have the highest respect for those who make HIV/AIDS awareness their job. There is so much emotion that goes along with it.

On top of it all, I have been feeling pretty homesick as of late. Thanksgiving was pretty tough for me. We had a great PCV party with all the traditional Thanksgiving food and I was surrounded by tons of friends but I still missed home a lot. I tried to think of it as a new experience that I will one day look back on and tell my kids stories about but that didnt really help with the homesickness.

But I made it through and I am feeling surprising good considering Christmas is coming up, and this will be my first Christmas away from home. I Think maybe Kristen coming to visit is why I feel so good about it, I cant wait to go to the beach with her on Christmas day and get a tan. And we are going to try to cook our own turkey as well wish us luck, where gonna need it!

So yeah that is just a quick overview of things that have been going on/I have been feeling lately. I dont have much time for writing right now because I have a lot to do to prepare for the end of the term and my little vacation with my sister!  First up is a Pizza/Christmas party with my CALLS art students.

Also check out my photos of HIV/AIDS awareness events and some of the Christmas activities I have attend so far... more to come.

Independence Season

If there is one thing I can say about the Dominican people it that they know how to celebrate! Its Independence season and that means a month long celebration.

I dont really even know where to start Well I guess I will start with the preparations for the Independence season. First I had a tradition outfit made; every Friday during the month of October everyone wears their Creole outfit in town. I got a madras skirt, which is a bright plaid, and a white blouse. I also got my hair braided not only braided but I also got some fake hair added in. My braids were really long and even had some blond in it. It was really fun for a while, but because of the fake hair you cant get it wet. So after two weeks of not washing my hair they had to come out!

The first event I went to was the Cultural Dances at Cabrits National Park. All the dance groups from the North came together and competed in traditional dances like, Bele, Quadrille, Mazook, and Heal and Toe. Near the end of the month, there is a Cultural Gala, where the winners of the dances from all around the country come together and perform. It was really great to sit around and chat and watch the dancers perform. A lot of my friends were there so it was a very social event for me.

Then I went to Heritage Day in Grandbay. There were some great displays of local craftsmans work as well as great food all around the village. Later that night they had live music and more food!

After that is was the Youth Rally back up in Portsmouth. This was a really cool event and reminded me of my days in marching band. All the schools in the North got a group of students together to march in unison, holing a banner of their school, onto the playing field. It has a very military feel that no doubt came from the British influence here. But there is a marching band that plays while they march. My students from CALLS and RDPS were there and it was so cool to see they marching around with pride for their school.

The last week of October is Creole in the Park and World Creole Music Festival. From Monday to Thursday we had Creole in the Park in the botanic gardens in Roseau. There are two stages set up, and tons are booths all over with crafts, jewelry, candy, drinks, food, and lots more food. But the food is not typical festival food, its Creole food of codfish, crab, bakes, calallou, roti, cassava, and mahi mahi dishes. I got try some crab calallo very hard to eat but very good! Local artists played Creole songs, steel pans, reggae, jazz, and harmonicas, and then every night had one international band. This is a day event that ends at 7pm, and buses run all over the country all day long, so its a great family event that is fun and safe and only cost $2 at the door. I got to go Thursday and got to see one of my favorite singers in the Caribbean Queen Ifrica!

Then Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night is World Creole Music Festival. This is not for families, but more of a concert that goes from 7pm to 6am the next day! People from all over the world fly here to Dominica for the World Creole Music Festival. Each night costs $120EC, and has a combination of local bands and international bands; its all mainly Caribbean artists and music. With such a high-ticket price all us PCV decide to only go Saturday night because on of the biggest stars in the EC was performing that night. However hurricane Tomas had different plans we didnt get hit with the hurricane like St. Lucia did (all the PCVs there are doing well now) but we did get a pretty nasty storm that ended up canceling the show for that night. But in true Dominican style they picked it back up where they left off the next night and we were able to go to the show then! It was such a fun night!

The last event I attended before the actual Independence Day was Creole Day at RDPS and CALLS. At RDPS all the kids were dressed up in the traditional wear and there was a pageant for Miss Creole RD. Two of my old students were in the pageant and did very well. It was very fun to hang out with all the kids and watch the show. After spending the morning with the primary kids I went over to CALLS for the afternoon. The students had spent all morning cooking a huge fest for all of us. We all had lunch together crammed into our tiny schoolroom, and it was so great! The students put in so much hard work and really had a great time. After lunch we took tons of photos (they love taking photos!) And some of the girls did some traditional dancing with the others sang and drummed for them. It was a really special day for me and I was able to really bond with the students outside of the classroom. I think this was one of my favorite events of the season.

After all the celebrations (and I didnt even attend half of them) it was time to celebrate the actual day of Independence (November 3rd) and what better way to do that then a beach day! It was a great ending to a great (tiring) Independence Season.

Check out all my photos that go along with the events!

The Most...

The other day I was talking to my friend Rashawna and she was telling me about an interesting idea her step dad sent her for a blog entry I loved the idea so much I asked if I could do the same thing. Here is what her dad wrote: In the first 8 months can you remember the time you were most afraid? Tell me the story. How about the time you were most lonely? Most happy? Most silly? Most awe-inspiring? Most sorrow for the sadness of the place? Most filled amazement at the wonderfulness of the people? Most struck by the beauty? Most angry and frustrated? Like I said, a great idea for a blog entry so here I go

Most Afraid- The plane ride here no I am just kidding, well kind of! I dont know if there has been a time I have been really afraid I mean leaving home was pretty scary, and sometimes when the power goes out in the middle of the night and you hear voices outside that no picnic either but I really feel safe here and havent had too many scary moments. I am lucky I guess!

Most Lonely- There are two moments that stand out in my mind for the loneliest. The first would be my first day here on the island. For over a week I had been surrounded by people constantly, sitting in training, eating meals together, even sharing a room at night, and forming such tight bonds so fast with everyone around me. And then we get to the island and my host family picks me up to take me home. I had to leave everyone at the airport, with no cell phone and no idea if I would have Internet at my new home  so basically no way to contact anyone I knew.... I still remember sitting in my host familys living room not understanding a word my host sister was saying, eating food I had never had before, and feeling so out of place. I felt like all I had was me Of coarse the next day I went to training and saw everyone, eventually we got cell phones, I had Internet, over time I understood my host sister just fine and was very comfortable in my host familys house. And now I know, that even when its just me thats ok, I like me, and eventually things that seem strange and out of place will come together.

The other would have to be the night before any holiday The holidays themselves are not lonely I am generally surrounded with people and I find it fascinating to see how Dominicans celebrate holidays. But the night before when I am laying in bed I cant help but think back to what my family and friends will be doing together the next day and what I am missing out on. Eventually after sad thoughts and yes even some crying I realize how blessed I am to be here, and that soon enough I will be back home to celebrate with everyone and I feel better. (Often I skype my mom during these times  lucky her!) Then the next day I wake up ready for another Dominican adventure!

Most Happy- My trip to Antigua and my Birthday Beach Day stand out as very happy times but I dont think I have a most happy moment because I am normally happy here. I have my ups and downs like anybody, but overall I would say I am happy here. I think island life had done me good. I wake up happy to be where I am, I am happy to be doing the work I am doing, and I am happy to be me! I am blessed to be here and I remember that everyday multiple times a day and I try to spend the day living up to that blessing. I feel like I am growing as a person and that I am doing good things all this makes me feel happy a good 98% of the time.

Most Silly- I find a lot of things in Dominica to be silly from the random comments I get to some of the situations I find myself and others in. Things just run differently here and often I choose to laugh about them rather then get frustrated or annoyed. But I would have to say the little children here take the cake for being the most silly. Everyday is a new adventure with the kids you never know what funny thing they are going to do or say next. Life looks much more simple through there eyes. I love how they are not ashamed to ask to touch my white skin or play with my hair or ask me weird questions. My favorite comment out of a kids mouth came after I got my nose pierced, I walked in and this little girl looked at me and says What is that in your nose TAKE IT OUT! I couldnt help but laugh!!! Another image that stands out in my mind was when I saw this little boy named Marvin (he was my adopted son for the Carib Territory fieldtrip) running down the road with three goats on a leash and the biggest smile I have ever seen!

Most Awe-Inspiring- This is probably going to sounds a little strange but my most awe-inspiring moments normally hit me when I am on a bus. Weird I know, but here is why: When I take my weekly trip to town I am normally sitting on a crowded bus listening to my iPod and letting my mind wander for the hour or so it takes to get there. And ever so often amidst the random thoughts we turn a corner and there it is the ocean, the amazingly huge ocean, right there 10 feet away from my bus, and I cant help but think about how amazing this island is and how blessed I am to be here. Whenever this happens I cant help but to take a moment and think about how proud I am to be a Peace Corps Volunteer, and how this experience is going to be with me for the rest of my life and help shape me into the person I will be.

Most Sorrowful- This moment actually happened when my parents were visiting. We were driving around killing time, till my laundry was done, checking out parts of Portsmouth that I had never even been too, when we drove past this little shack, for lake of a better word. My mom was the first to notice the little house; it was packed with so many people, children and adults alike. The laundry was hanging outside and as a result most of the kids running around were naked due to the fact that their only cloths were there on the line. Here we were driving around in our car waiting on laundry to be done for me and this family was literally washing the only cloths they had. Then when I thought I couldnt feel anymore, I recognized one of the little girls and realized I knew the family caught in this cycle of poverty.  She is one of the sweetest happiest kids I have ever met despite her home life. It really made me realize how bless I am and that there is a reason why I am here doing what I am doing.

Most Filled Amazement at the Wonderfulness of the People- This moment happens daily here on this island. Everyone is so willing to help anybody not just their friends or family but literally everyone! I remember my first day of training and my first bus experience here on Dominica. My host mom road with me all the way to the PC office to drop me off and to show where to wait for a bus, where to get off, how to pay, how much to pay you know all that stuff you never think about till you realize you have never done it. After training my host day was going to pick me up (he is a bus driver) and take me home. Well turns out he got busy with a bus full of tourists so he called and said I would have to make it back without him. He told me where to go in town to get a bus and to tell the drive to drop me out the house. I found the bus stop (Im still proud of myself for that) but the only problem was I didnt have any idea where the house is I mean I knew it was in Portsmouth but that was about it (hey I had only been there a day so dont judge.) Anyways I walked up to the bus and asked, Do you know where Wayne McLawerence lives thinking that was a stupid question so I wasnt prepared when the drive said yes of course he knew the McLawerences and would drop me there! (I soon found out that everyone know everyone else on this island) Not only did he drop me there, but also he went out of his way to drop me at the front door, and over some pretty crazy roads too. And not one person on the bus was annoyed at the detour!

Most Struck by the Beauty- Literally everyday! This place is more beautiful then you can image and it never ceases to amaze me. Everyday I walk out my door it hits me, and I never get tired of seeing ocean!

Most Angry and Frustrated- There have been a number of times that I have been frustrated on this island, and most time I just remind myself to relax and find the humor in each situation. However the other day that tact didnt pull through. Last week, when I was teaching my art class at CALLS, was by far the most frustrated I have been! My kids were crazy, out of control, and wanted to test me it was too much! There were fights, kids punching the walls, no one wanted to do their work, I got flipped off, and each student magically got allergies to dust when the time came to clean up. Their disrespect was almost too much for me to handle. Somehow I was able to pull trough the class (all 2 hours of it) and make it home, where my poor mom had to calm me down over skype. Now that I have had some time to relax I know that these kids have had a rough life, and it will just take time for them to respect me. They dont have much consistency in their lives and probably no one to trust or anyone who had really cared about them until CALLS. I guess it just a little reminder why I am here and why I decide to volunteer at CALLS in the first place they just better be nicer next week!

So thanks to Rashawnas step dad for the great blog idea! It was great to sit down and think about all these things like a trip down memory lane!

Antiguan Vacation!

A few weeks ago I left the island of Dominica for the first time since coming here 7 months ago and can I just say I love vacations!!!!! Peace Corps gives us vacation days and a lot of people use these days to go home for Christmas or for the summer. I however I have decided to use some of my days to travel around the EC! (Plus my sister Kristen is coming here for Christmas so I dont need the days to travel home).

Anyways a few of us PCVs decided that I trip was in order so Michelle, Alica, Brian, Austin, and I booked a 5 night stay at an all-inclusive restore in Antigua! After a short 45-minute flight we arrived in Antigua, we wasted no time getting to the resort and immediately got a drink at the bar and got in the pool! And I am happy to say this is how we spent most of our vacation that and eating!

Every morning we would wake up, head to the pool and stay there all day breaking only for lunch (which was a little grill next to the pool). There was a swim up bar so we didnt even have to get out of the water, so nice! The ocean was right next to the pool, but the water was too rough so the resort didnt want people swimming in it, fine by me! I have beaches here its the pool I was there for! Every afternoon we would head up the rooms for a nap before dinner. Dinner was at a different restaurant every night, Seafood, Italian, Indian, and a BBQ! Oh how I have missed normal food!!!! After dinner we would participate in whatever activity the resort had that night, karaoke, bonfire, dancing, steel pan group, and lots more. Then head to bed (the AC!) to start it all over the next day!

We had a blast and I have so many memories and so many stories to tell. There are just so many its hard to know which ones to write! I guess one that I found pretty funny was: When we were driving to the resort we stopped in the middle of the road, and for the life of me I couldnt figure out why then I looked up and there it was a stop light! We dont have those in Dominica! It was funny how annoyed I got sitting there waiting for the light to change, when back home (in Dominica) I wait 45 minutes for a bus to fill before we even leave!

Other fun stories include:
 - Making the boys bead bracelets with us
 - Brian mashing up his face while trying to do a handstand in the pool
 - The Wine Ninja  who kept refilling our glasses without us knowing!
 - The other crazy guests and the thing they did (topless sunbathing, and a guy even paralyzed himself from the waste down by diving into the 3 ft pool naked)
 - And many, many more!

I was so happy to have a little vacation with some great friends, and I am so blessed that I have the opportunities that I have! This is the life!!!!

Birthday Bliss

Well I almost hate to say this but my 24th birthday here on the island was probably one of the best I have ever had. Not that I am discounting any other birthday spent back home with everyone but this was one to remember! But for some reason I am having a really hard time writing this post I have been staring at my computer for over and hour and I have deleted paragraphs and started over countless times. I think the problems its easy to write about what events happened on my birthday but infinitely harder to write how special the day was for me.

The night before my b-day I was feeling down, it was just hard to imagine not spending my birthday at home with my friends and family. If you know me you know how much I love holidays, even my own birthday (how vain is that!) and I was nervous that it wouldnt feel like a special day being so far away. But that couldn't be further from the truth! My amazing PC friends and this amazing island made this one of the best birthday ever!  I cant even begin to explain how much it meant to me that everyone here took time out of their crazy busy schedules and money out of their crazy empty pockets to come celebrate my birthday with me. Not to mention all the amazing friends back home who sent countless message, phone calls, skype message, and even a youtube video just for me! I am truly blessed to have all you guys as friends and this weekend was a huge reminder for me! Thank you all for being there for me and for making my 24th birthday a day I will never forget.

Woo, now that I have all that mushy stuff out of the way I can give you a quick rundown on what we did to celebrate: The entire day was spent at Coconut Beach here in Portsmouth, we pretty much played in the Caribbean Ocean from sun up to sun down! We brought tons of snacks and even had fun water toys to float around on, which was really nice after a great lunch and birthday cake! In the afternoon we rented some kayaks and a small little sailboat and went out to Secret Beach, more fun ensued there till we realized the sailboat was heading out to sea without any of us on it and then had a kayak chase! (We caught it in case you were wondering). We even got a bit of snorkeling in too! After a full day at the beach we all went out to dinner followed by drinks and great conversation! We ended up renting a beach cottage for the night so after dinner we all heading back to the cottage and chatted for most of the night out on the dock, then feel asleep to the sound of the waves outside and the blissful AC inside!!! The next morning, which I am still counting as my birthday, we took a swim (naturally) then all had breakfast before everyone had to head home.

It was an amazing day filled with great friends, countless stories, tons of sun and beach time and so many memories! Even though I wasnt at home and that was a little weird for me, my 24th birthday was one I will never forget and quite possibly the one of the best birthdays I have had. Thank you to everyone who made it a special day, who know who you are!

Check out the fun photos from the day and hopefully soon the video that everyone back home created for me!!!!

Adventures in Dominica with the Rents

Well I realize it has been a long time since I updated my blog last, but I have good reason! For the past few weeks I have been busy hanging out with my parents! Yep Mom and Dad made the long trip down here to Dominica, and rather then sit on a computer writing a blog entry I spent all my time hanging out with my parents and showing them this wonderful island. And can I just say we had an amazing time!

I cant not even being to tell you all the things we did on this island! We packed every minute full of new Dominican adventures! Ill list just a few so everyone can get an idea of the amazing things to do here in the Nature Island:

Emerald Pool:  Quite possibly one of my favorite stops on the island. Just a small walk to the pool that is full of the clearest fresh water with a beautiful waterfall filling it. We had a great time swimming around and even diving off the rocks. The best part was, there were theses two guys from Martinique who saw us diving and decided to give it a try ending in a spectacular belly flop! We all had a good laugh including him.  Oh and we saw a really cool stick bug!

Just Driving Around the Island: Thanks to Dad for taking on the roll of the driver for the trip! I really think most of our crazy adventures started with us driving somewhere new and finding millions things to stop and look at on the way. I think this is where the bulk of our photos came from too, we would see something cool, back up, snap a photo, then head down the road to the next great photo op. Dad was fitting right in on the road before they left, just like a regular Dominican driver! Way to go Daddy!

Carib Territory: Always a must do on the Island! Its a guided tour of a replica village from the native people here on Dominica, the Carib people (you learn that Carib is not a very nice term for the people they are actually the Kalinago people renamed Carib by Columbus cause he thought they were cannibals) Anyways its a great tour with amazing scenery. Two highlights from the trip: One we saw the two couples from Martinique again, they were on the same tour with us and dont speak a word of English. One lady farted on the trail right in front of us and tried to blame it on thunder never heard that one before! The best part is she had to ask the guide how to say thunder in English just so she could tell her joke to us! Funny!!! We ended up seeing them at least 3 more times all around the island! Second: There was a slight rain storm in the middle of the tour at the top of a very large hill so we took cover for a bit in one of the huts. After the rain we all headed down the trail to the bottom of the crazy hill and guess what we left the cooler up at the top in the hut. So guess who got to run up the hill to get it, yeah me and running was not a good idea! I am covered in sweat for all the remaining photos from that trip but I got the cooler, yay me!

Trying New Foods: Well I really tired to have Mom and Dad eat as much local food as we could along with going out to dinner cause that is something I dont do very much here. So we had a great balance. Dominica Foods Had: Mangos!!! Jelly Coconut, Coco Tea, Dynamite, Creole Lunch, Roadside Grilled Plantain, Dasheen, Bread Fruit, Kubuli and Carib Beer, Rum Punch, Bakes and Local Juice, Cassava Bread, Ribs, KFC :), Freshly Backed Bread, and more! Amazing Restaurants Had: steak and Shrimp Dinner at Fort Young, Amazing Pizza and Chicken Burrito at Red Rocks (SO SO GOOD), Sunset Dinner at De Champ, Beer and Pizza at Tomato (across from Georges) and many more! Best food story finding worms in out mangos twice and still eating around them. Now that is eating like a true Dominican!

Beach Days: Oh how I love the beach, and we had some great beach days! From the calm waters at Purple Turtle Beach to body surfing on the east coast beaches. We found some new beaches that I didnt even know existed all starting with crazy drives down the side of a mountain with noroad just a semi path! So fun and great adventures! Although I did get hit with a branch in the face on one drive lesson learned, when drive down said paths windows should remain up!

Rituals: After long active days we would come back to my apartment and cook dinner. Now when its already 90 outside and you are cooking with an open flame with three people in a tiny apartment, it gets pretty hot! The way to beat it coffee and cards at the coffee shop after! Quite a few times we would have dinner at home, wonderful home cooked meals cooked by mom (I now have more ideas for great dishes I can make here, thanks mom!) then head to the coffee shop and play Phase 10! I never won but we had fun anyways!

Horse Back Riding: Ok not the best trip but still an adventure that can all be summed up in one crazy horse for Mary that was suffering from Rain Rot that really didnt want to go on the trip, and two down trees blocking all paths we could take. So we got a mini 30-minute ride long enough for my crazy horse and me. I think he was about to try and get rid of me anyways!

Snorkeling: LOVE LOVE LOVE snorkeling! This trip was the first time I tried snorkeling and I love it so much! We tried Champagne Beach first. The water is famous for these tiny bubbles that come up out of the ocean floor making it look like champagne. We swam right over them the first time but caught them on the way back! Pretty neat, but the best trip was when we hired a guide that took us down to Scotts Head. It started with a great boat ride (I love boats!) Then into the water, it made such a difference with a guide, he showed us so much wildlife that we would have misses on our own. We saw all kinds of fish, cool string like animals that retract when you touch them, squid, a barracuda, and a frogfish! Apparently people come from all over the world to see this fish and hardly ever do, but we got to! Google it, its a cool little fish! We saw a bright green one! Snorkeling might have been one of my favorite things we did; its a whole different world under there, crazy!

Other great adventures include: Whale watching, Trafalgar Falls, Indian River, Bird Watching, Cabrits National Park, Sari Sari Falls :), Botanical Gardens, Local Bus Ride, Market Day, Souvenir Shopping, Driving in the South, trying to fit three people and all our stuff in my tiny apartment, Miracle Valley and our crazy guide, countless chats with locals, and many other crazy adventures!

Well I guess you can tell we had an amazing packed two weeks here in the Nature Island. But the best part was spending time with my parents. I missed them so much and after 5 months without seeing them we could have sat in the airport for two weeks and I would have been happy! Thanks again Mom and Dad for making the trip down here! Love you!

Oh and check out the photos there are a lot, but I whittled it down from about 900, which was not easy! Enjoy!

2 Graduations and a Field Trip

Well this had been one busy week, and its still not over! On top of all my normal projects I had two graduations and a field trip! Check out the photos!

First was the CALLS graduation (Center Where Adolescents Learn to Love and Serve). I helped teach an art class and did computer tutoring here. This was one packed ceremony. First the Bishop came up from Roseau to do a blessing of a new building at the school. The school asked if I would play my flute during the ceremony, which I did. It felt great to pick up my flute again and play! And hey, I still got it!

After the blessing I got a ride to the school from the Bishop, yep Im cool like that, where we had the graduation ceremony. It was a pretty low-key ceremony complete with gifts for each student and personal stories. Their life stories are amazing! You wouldnt believe what some of these kids go through just to graduate from high school! They are truly an inspiration! After the ceremony there was lunch prepared by the cooking class and all the art and crafts that were made during the year were on display. Even some of the art from the class I helped teach was hanging up! It was an amazing graduation, and one I will never forget!

Next was the Roosevelt Douglas Primary School graduation. This graduation ended up being a little more formal then I thought it would be. The sixth graders even wore caps and gowns! It was your pretty standard graduation, with the keynote speaker and handing out diplomas, and music you know the norm. But there were a few little extras, one was a little boy, maybe about 4th or 5th grade, came up with a calypso song about reading and performed it at the ceremony. It was so good, and I think he might have a future has a calypso king here some day!!!! All in all it was a good ceremony.

Yesterday I went on a field trip (yep a field trip after graduation) with the first graders to the Carib Territory and Emerald Pool. A few other classes came along as well. Each students parent had to come along on the trip, just for safety reasons, but one little boys parents could make it so I was his parent for the day. His name is Marvin and we had a great time together other than the bus ride. You see Marvin suffers from carsickness, not the kind where you just dont fell good but can make it through the ride no Marvin threw up every 15 minutes for the entire hour and a half bus ride into a little bag that we had to throw out the window each time. It was lovely! But as soon as the bus ride was over he was back to normal! We ended up doing a tour of the recreation of the Carib Village. It was pretty interesting to learn about the Caribs and how they feel about Columbus discovering them still not sure they think it was a good thing. The students questions were the best part things like why didnt they wear cloths and what made them turn into Catholics you know only questions kids will ask, out loud anyways. :)

 After the Carib Village we went to the Emerald Pool for some swimming It was a total nightmare for me! 30 kids swimming around splashing and dunking each other. And I was in charge of two of them! (One girls parents wouldnt make the hike to the pool so I took her) Anyways it was crazy! And at one point one little boy, from the other class without parents on the trip who couldnt swim, decided to jump off the rocks into the water, just cause everyone else was, and one of the dads had to jump in and save him. He ruined his camera and cell phone in the process, but he saved the kid so you know small price to pay. I guess that is why my teacher made sure each kid had a parent present. Despite the near drowning, I think all the kids had a good time, and so did I. I love those little guys and I am gonna miss them now that school is over. They are all grown up and 2nd graders now! Oh and Marvin made it all the way home without getting sick probably cause he was so tired he, and all the kids, feel asleep on the way home and maybe me too!

Sounds like a great week huh; well its not over, full day of work today at the Town Council and teaching computers at the Womens Center.  And then a 4th of July BBQ with all the PCVs tomorrow!!! I cant wait; Im bringing the stuff to make smores. Ill tell you all about it, but thats a different post altogether!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!!

Dear Dad,

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!! I wish I could be there with you today celebrating what an amazing Dad you are! Without you, your love and your encouragement I would not be who I am or where I am today.  Thank you for everything you have taught, especially that there is nothing I cant do! I cannot wait till you visit and I can show you everything about my life here! I know you will love it! I miss you so much and I love you even more! Enjoy your day Daddy!

Bet You Wish You Could Eat Like Me

Today I went to lunch with some of the primary school teachers; my choices pigs snout or bulls foot soup. I chose bulls foot, but they made me try the pig snout anyways. And yes its exactly like you are thinking, a whole snout and foot sitting in your veggie and dumpling soup. The stray dog next to me didn't even want the left over foot bone... needless to say, I think next time I will just pack my own lunch!

Dominican Events

Lately I have been adding a few random photos albums to the site and not really explaining what they are so I thought I would just do a quick recap of some of the events I have been attending so the photo make a bit more sense.

A few weeks ago we went on a tour of the Cabrits archaeology dig site, which is an 18th century British garrison called Fort Shirley. We meet Zach, a Fulbright student working on his dissertation at Fort Shirley and his assistant, a Dominican, Edward. They took us on an amazing hike/tour of the fort and the surrounding area where we saw all kinds of cool ruins and artifacts left behind when the fort was closed down and abandoned. They were mostly interested in the lives of the slaves and the houses they lived in, so that is where the majority of their research is being conducted.  It was a really great hike full of tons of cool info on the history of Dominica! And now we have two cool new friends to hang out with! If you want to know more history about Cabrits check out this web site: http://www.lennoxhonychurch.com/cabrits.cfm

Next we have Isidiore and the Cabrits Jazz Festival, which equals one big weekend full of crazy events. Last Monday was a holiday here in Dominica, Pentecostal Monday or Whit Monday. Not sure why its a holiday, but Dominicans really dont need much of an excuse to have a day off. And when there is a long weekend it makes the perfect time for festivals. We started the weekend off at the Isidiore Festival in Grandbay, a huge four-day celebration that included over 30 bands, a race around the village, lots of food and drinks, and many other great events. Im pretty sure Grandbay is one of the craziest villages here on the island! I was only able to make it through Saturday and I was exhausted after that! Then the next day we came back up to Portsmouth and Cabrits to go to the Cabrits Jazz Festival with our new friends Zach and Edward. The jazz fest was completely opposite Isidiore, people brought blanks and sat in the grass, had picnics and enjoyed the music.  It was more of a relaxing event. If I had to pick one of the two, I would say I enjoyed the Cabrits Jazz Festival more. Guess I just like the vibes of Portsmouth more, I got lucky that this is where I live or it might have something to do with our amazing APCD who placed us in our villages that fit us all perfectly!

After that we have the Government Unity Walk. This one was a bit of a surprise for me, I show up at work the other day in my business casual cloths ready to work in the office, but when I got there the clerks where in hiking gear closing up the office! I guess they forgot to tell me about the walk so I ran home and changed as fast as I could. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. We ended up walk/driving from Portsmouth to Marigot (about 25 miles) then Marigot to Castle Bruce (another 8 miles). Now dont get me wrong we did drive some of the way so I didnt walk all that, I think I would be dead now if we had, cause walking in Dominica is more like hiking, not to mention we left at 9:30 and didnt get home till 7:30! But it was actually a really cool event. We walked through every town and stopped at the Town Councils office in each village and read a unity speech.  The event was three days long and by the end the local government reps and the local town council employees walked completely around Dominica and read the speech, we only participated the one day :)! Pretty neat idea I think and great exercise!

In the random photos album I added just a few photos of a cruise ship and a bookstore, pretty random I know, but its actually a ship that travels around the world brining knowledge, help and hope. Its a community of Christians that volunteer for two years to travel on this boat and not only tell people about God, but also to bring education books to schools, build houses, volunteer in the community, and has an on-board bookstore full of all kinds of books. Most of the other volunteers brought their school kids to the boat, but my school was closed this week so I just stopped in to see what it was like. I got a bit sick being on the boat, but it was neat to walk around the store and look at books, made me feel like I was back home in Barnes and Noble! However I dont really have the money to buy books, so I didnt go home with much, just a little gift for my babies at home!

And finally we have the cricket photos and videos! Oh man what a day! I dont even know where to begin first of all cricket is hug here on the island. Everyone loves to play, watch and talk about cricket. So when they found out a few months ago that the West Indies team was going to be playing South Africa here, lets just day I havent really had a hard time talking to new people cause you can always bring that up and they just cant stop talking about it! So all ten of us new volunteers decided to go and see what it was all about. Most of us bought matching T-Shirts and some braided their hair. We brought tons of food and drinks and had an amazing experience. We sat in the grounds (the cheap tickets) from 9:30 when the game began to 5:00 when the game ended. Yep it was that long, and they even took a break for lunch? Never heard of a sports game that takes a lunch break! We meet so many neat people and just really enjoyed ourselves. I still have no idea how cricket is played though and I was trying to learn too! Anyways WI ended losing  sad  but I put up a video that shows people during the game and after you would never know that they lost! Check it out!

Anyways that is it for now, just thought it would be helpful if I explained the photos a bit more! More to come Im sure!

The Places I Go

Warning: Massive Blog Ahead

So its been about a month since I told everyone what I have been doing here on Dominica and some things have changed so I thought I would do a quick update of the weekly schedule. I also added a photo album called The Places I Go you not only can know what I am doing, but also what it looks like! So here goes:

Monday:
*9:00am to 12:00pm - Town Council
Soon I will be starting some new projects at the council, including a Get to Know Your Council campaign complete with display in the office and brochures to hand out, and the Portsmouth Town Council Web site. Ill keep you posted on both!
*12:00pm to 6:00 or 7:00pm - Weekly Visit to Town
This includes visiting the Peace Corps office, getting my mail, going grocery shopping, and various other random things. Town is where I end up spending the bulk of my money so I try to avoid it!
*7:00pm to 8:00pm - Dinner
I am really trying to cook, Im not that great at it but I am learning. Plus I have some friends who have offered to teach me how to make some local dishes so Im pretty excited about that!
*8:00pm to 11:00pm - Hanging out at home
I dont really go out much a night, not only cause most people stay in at night and I dont think it would be safe to be out on my own, but also cause I am normally pretty tired and just want get things done at home. Things like reading, emailing, skyping, watching TV, cleaning my house. You know
*11:00pm  Bed
Every night I fall asleep to the sound of crickets and frogs chirping away!

Tuesday:
*8:30  10:00am  Art Class at CALLS
This project is new for me. The art teacher for CALLS (a high school for disadvantaged youth) is about to go on a month long vacation so the center asked if I could step in and teach the classes while she is gone. This week I just sat in on the class but I will take over in the next few weeks! I am pretty excited and pretty nervous to teach this class, I hope the kids like/respect me!
*10:00  12:00pm  Volunteer at CARE for the Elderly
Normally I volunteer at CAREs fundraising store, I help sell discounted items that are normally shipped here from the States. Things like clothing, diapers, bathroom products, household items, and things like that. Its basically like a mini Goodwill that supports CARE. Store like JcPennys, Safeway, Ace, ect. Send the products no one wanted in the states. Its actually really fun, I like the ladies I work with and its a great way to meet new people in my community, the store is very popular! Today the store was closed so I helped separate and organized a train car full of clothing  it was so hot and a lot of work! Soon I will be seeing those close in the store Im sure.
*12:00  1:00pm  Meals on Wheels
 This is one of my favorite things I do here! Every Tuesday I go with a few other CARE volunteers to help with the Meals on Wheels project. We start by going to a local restaurant that makes the food for us. We never know what they are making sometimes soup, sometimes chicken and rice, you just never know. Then we drive around to all 14 different elderly men and women in the Portsmouth area. They give us their little container (normally a broken Tupperware) we fill it with whatever was made that day, give them some bread, and if we get lucky a little bag of rice, or flour or something extra they can use for the rest of the week. We chat for a while, and it great that they are all starting to recognize me and chat with me more and more! Sometimes its hard to see the way they are living, but its also amazing to see how grateful they are for a little container of hot food served with a smile once a week. Seriously one of the best parts of my week!
1:00  7:00  Free Time
This actually the only afternoon I have free in the week and I am sure it will be filled sooner or later. But for now I use this time to do all kinds of things. Laundry, visit friends, nap :), clean house, and other random things like that. It kind of annoys me to have an afternoon off, but it is also kind of nice. Well see what I end up doing with this time slot!
7:00  8:00  Dinner
I pretty much eat chicken every night
*8:00pm to 11:00pm - Hanging out at home
Mostly skyping the family and whatnot!
*11:00pm  Bed
I actually sleep really really well here! Not too many restless nights.

Wednesday:
*9:00  12:00pm  Town Council
A few weeks ago the Mayor just randomly resigned at a meeting, it was a little crazy to watch actually. So soon they will be having elections for a new Mayor of Portsmouth.
*1:00 - 3:00pm  Computer Help at CALLS
Again this is also a new project for me. Starting tomorrow afternoon I will be going to the CALLS center to help the students with any computer assignments they might have. Their computer teacher just quit (can you call it quitting if youre a volunteer?) and I wasnt able to fill the time slot they needed so instead I am just going to have open office hours to help, not ideal but its the best I could work out.
*3:00  7:00  Hanging out at home
So I kind of have the afternoon off here too so I fill it with the normal things I explained above. Exciting I know!
*7:00pm to 8:00pm - Dinner
Not much more to say on this topic
*8:00pm to 11:00pm - Hanging out at Home
I am trying to fit in my paining and art projects during this time too, and soon (as soon as I get comfortable with my landlords) I want to start playing my flute again.
*11:00pm  Bed
My bed is probably the most uncomfortable bed ever, its like a board. I really think it might just be a box spring with no mattress. Ha! But I sleep well anyways!

Man this post is getting long, go take a break and come back

Thursday:
*9:00  12:00pm Town Council
*12:00  1:30 Hanging Out at Home
You know lunch and what not  normally leftovers from the night before or a PB and Jelly!
*1:30  3:00  Arts and Crafts Class at the Womens Center
Again something new for me this week. I meet this old PCV that actually served in Mongolia and is now living here with her boyfriend while his is in school at ROSS. Anyways she is like a super volunteer and she spends a lot of her time at the Womens Center. Starting this week she will be teaching arts and crafts and I am going to go and participate, and help out if she needs me. I think it will be a nice break from everything, just a fun time with other ladies making art! Ill left you know how it goes.
*4:00  5:00  Computer classes at the Womens Center
You guessed it another new project  starting this week I will be teaching classes at the Womens Center on computer basics, things like setting up and email account and sending and receiving emails, how to create a resume, how to do a web search, things like that. I am a little nervous for this class too, I hope Im a good teacher!
*5:00  6:00 Advanced Computers at Womens Center
Im a little less nervous to teach this one, dont ask me why I just am. Im not really sure what I will be teaching yet, I was going to let the class tell me what they want to learn and go from there cause I dont know what advanced means  Photoshop and Creating Website? Or less advanced like blogging and editing photos. Well see!
*7:00pm to 8:00pm - Dinner
*8:00pm to 11:00pm - Hanging Out at Home
*11:00pm  Bed

Friday
*9:00  3:00pm Working with the First Graders at Roosevelt Douglas Primary School
I have written a lot about the school before so I will make this short and sweet. I normally work with a first grade class every Friday. All the kids call me Miss Mary and cant stop hugging me the whole time I am there  Im trying to phase into the high five so that I can walk without six kids wrapped around me. I normally help some of the students who are falling behind take their tests (Friday is test day), grade papers, and do fun things like take field trips, make play-doh, color, and I read to them as well. I love going to the school but those kids wear me out big time! Hopefully soon I can start working on the library so the kids can have that up and running! (Ok that really wasnt that short, sorry) Oh and I do get a lunch break in the middle of the day :)
*3:00  6:00pm Hanging out at Home
*6:00  10:00pm Salsa Lessons
I started taking Salsa lessons with my friend Aldon at ROSS every Friday night. I think its funny cause Im not a ROSS student and I basically sneaking into this school club but know one there knows that. Aldon works at ROSS anyways so its cool; I just think its funny. After we go out to dinner and I get me some American food, like last week I had a cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate milk shake  so worth the money I should not have spent!
*10:00  12:00am Hanging Out at Home
*12:00am  Bed

Saturday and Sunday change every week depending on whats going on, on the island (is that the right way to type that?) I normally fill it with going to the market, seeing other PCV, exploring, hiking, going to festivals, going to the beach, mostly the all the photos on my blog to date are from weekend activities so you get the picture. I am normally pretty tired after the weekends cause we really pack them full, but hey I have been making some really great memories!

Well thats it, I am pretty sure I left some stuff out, but its long enough anyways. Thanks for sticking it out and reading this massive blog post. Check out the photos so you can get a visual of all these places!

A little list of some things I have learned here

Well I have been gone from home for three month and I have been an official PCV for one month, so I thought it would be a good time for me to reflect on some of the things I have learned here on Dominica:

-Even if a bus driver tells you he is leaving now, he will never leave unless the bus is full to its max
-Yeah Ok its a perfectly legit response to Hello
-Goodnight doesnt mean like goodnight Im going to bed, it means Goodnight like Good morning, Good afternoon. And therefore when trying to end a conversation because your tired, do not use Goodnight cause it means you want to stay and chat not sleep
-God has blessed my life more then words can say
-Loud harsh words dont mean someone is angry
-It is perfectly normal to walk around with a cutlass
-Bug net = Best Friend
-I am proud to tell people I am a Peace Corps Volunteer because of the positive responses I get
-Dont question the food, just eat it
-Ants, while they are annoying are perfectly harmless housemates
-Everyone knows everyone else in Dominica, and people will talk no matter what you do, gossip is alive and thriving on this Island
-When a band says they are performing at 10:00 that really means 2:00, and if you start dancing at 10:00 you will never make it to the actual performance
-Dominicans are some of the kindest people you will ever meet
-The most surefire way to be rude is not to say good afternoon back to someone, this rule applies on the bus as well, when someone gets on and says good morning all 17 others on the bus say it back
-A trip to town means, Im gonna spend a lot more money then I should today
-Rain can fall from a cloudless sky, dont ask me how just always have an umbrella
-My family means more to me than anything else on this Earth and without them I would not be where/who I am today
-Oreos can make my week, and Chips/Salsa can make my month
-My friends will always be there for me, and I for them even if there are 3,000 miles between
-The food here is a million times fresher and therefore lasts a lot longer
-Seeing mail in my mailbox makes me smile for the rest of the day, and packages actually make me jump for joy
-I share a special bond with my fellow PCV that could never be broken
-Dominican time is a very special thing indeed  still learning how to be patient with this one
-And as this one Rasta said to us the other night, We are all one blood and while we all might look different on the outside, have different beliefs, and different cultures, we are all the same on the inside. We all share the same draw to be kind to others and the less fortunate, the same insecurities about ourselves and about our lives, and we all share a link that makes us all from one blood.

So there you have a little list of some things I have learned here on Dominica, I challenge you next time you step onto a bus or enter a room say Good Afternoon and see what kind of response you get, you might be surprised!

Happy Mother's Day

To my Mom on Mothers Day! You are the worlds best mom (and I can say that because I am a world traveler now)! I would never have been here doing what I am without you and your unending support. Thank you for everything, thank you for all the phone conversations, the emails, for answering all my strange questions, and for being the best mom throughout the years. I love you more then words can say, and I wish I could be there with you guys today on Mothers Day. Know that I miss you and love you! Enjoy your day you deserve it!

18 kids, a Boat, and the Indian River

Friday was one of the best days I have had here on Dominica! I spent pretty much the entire day with my first grade class.

The day started at the school during assembly. Each class lines up and stands in order in the courtyard. There they all pray together, sing religious songs and the national anthem, recite the pledge of allegiance, and listen to the announcements. All while being quite and standing in rows with their arms folded and paying attention. Can you imagine trying to get an entire school of 300 to do this at home? No way! I uploaded a video if you dont believe me. :)

Then it was into the classroom. We started they day off with a test on family life, aka basically sex ed for first graders. They had to write what parts a boy has that girls dont, and what girls have that boys dont. Oh man I loved some of the answers/spellings that were turned in. Here are some things I learned, boys dont have long hair nor do they wear skirts. And girls have earrings. Cleary not the answers the test was looking for. It was also pretty funny when they would come turn in their test with these answers and the teacher and I would have to prompt them to think a little harder about what the real answer could be, then you could see the light bulb go on and they would get all shy and run away so funny!

After the test, which took way longer then it should have the kids got to make Mothers Day cards! They loved it! They each got to pick out what drawing they wanted to color, then the Mrs. Baron and I glued them to construction paper and they wrote a message to their moms. They turned out so good, and I upload some photos of the kids with their cards for all to see! This took us up right to lunch so with a quick prayer  yep they pray before they can leave for lunch thanking God for their food  and then the kids went home for their lunch break.

After lunch instead of meeting back at the classroom, we all meet at the Indian River for our class field trip. Mrs. Baron and myself along with a tour guide took 18 first graders up the Indian River on a boat! I thought it was going to be crazy, but the kids were actually really great. I think mostly because the they were afraid of the water and falling in. The little guy sitting next to me was holding my hand for most of the trip. :)

The tour was great. We learned all about the wildlife and some history about Dominica! We even heard about the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean 2, because the river is in the movie! Its where they go to find Calypso. I happened to see the movie on TV the night before and I thought it would look way different  you know it would be all Hollywooded up- but it looks exactly the same! The water really is that murky in spots and it is shallow enough for people to stand in. Of course it was during the day and there werent candles everywhere, or a village of people living on it, but still you could tell it was the same place.

Even with all the cool info the tour guide was giving us all the kids really cared about was pointing out every single crab they saw. And can I just tell you how many crabs there are on that river, probably one every 3 feet. Big ones, little ones, white ones, red ones; we found them all and got excited about every single one!

In the middle of the tour there is a little bar that you stop at, you know tourist need their bars. But we stopped and let the kids have their snack and run around a bit. It was a really neat place in the middle of the jungle. And we got some great group photos as well. We also saw a really cool lizard, but they kids wouldnt stop chasing him. I felt bad for the little guy!

After snack time we went back down the river to where we started. The kids had a great time on the boat and where a bit sad to be done, I was pretty much ready  those kids will wear you out fast! As we waited for their parents to come pick up the kids, our tour guide made me this really cool crane and fish out of palm trees leaves! Its probably one of the coolest things I have gotten here! I love it!

So like I said it as probably one of the best days here on this island and one that I will never forget! Nothing like a day with kids to make you understand why you are doing the Peace Corps.

What do you do in the Peace Corps?

Well I know it has been a little while since I last updated my blog, and for a few days now I have been wanting to update it and tell everyone about my job here on Dominica, the only problem is  Im not really clear what it is yet. Dont get me wrong, I know why I am here and I keep myself busy everyday but I have yet to find that one project that stands out from the rest. I guess I will tell you what I do know rather than what I dont:

I am attached to the Town Council here in Portsmouth. The Town Council is the local government here in Portsmouth and maintains the town. I stop by the office three times a week to help with daily work. Mostly preparing bills, attending the council meeting, things like that. However I am too new to take on larger projects as of right now, which is eventually the goal of my Peace Corps work. For now I am just trying to earn trust and get to know people.

Also the other larger set back, other than being a new young American that no one knows, is things here in Dominica move at a different pace then I am use to back home. That is to say, things move slower here, a lot slower. Im not saying they dont get things done here in Dominica; there is just a different focus then back home. And it takes a lot of time to build relationships and to earn the trust of the community, it also takes a long time to plan actives and get things done. By the time I get home, I will be the most easy-going person you have ever meet. I thought I was patient before, but that is tested here everyday.

I am also attached to Roosevelt Douglas Primary School. I visit the school at least once a week, if not more, and work with the students there. Right now my main focus is with one of the first grade classes, you can see the photos of the kids and me. Some days I grade papers, some days I read to the kids, and some days I help some of the students who are falling a bit behind. Mostly giving them one on one time with tests and projects. Every time I am there I am nearly knocked over when I walk in the doors by 40 or 50 kids who all want hugs. :)

One of my main goals that I want to accomplish at the school is setting up the library, the school is a brand new, they have been open for a year, and the library has still not been set up. However like I said before things move slower here. The lady who is working on the library has been on vacation since I got here, so I am still waiting on her return to start this project.

When I am not at the town council or RDPS I fill my time with as many other activities as I can. For example today I just got back from volunteering at CARE for the elderly. Today we did Meals in Wheels and distributed soup, rice, and bread all over Portsmouth. On Friday I went to a near by village named Cottage and helped a friend put on a movie night for the youth in the area. And soon I hope to start going to a Steel Drum group and learn how to play. Every week I also take a trip into town to get mail and visit the bank, and do shopping. And on top of it all I am teaching myself how to cook the food here, and we all know I dont really enjoy cooking that much. There are tons of other random things I do here but like I said Im still trying to work towards a bigger project.

I dont know if that made any sense to anyone but me. Its really hard when someone asks you what you do in the Peace Corps because there are so many different elements to it. Not only do I work here, but I am also trying to learn a new culture and integrate into the community. Everyday I do something new, I meet new people, I learn something new about Dominica and about myself, and everyday I have to remind myself to take it one small step at a time.

Its Official!

Well its official now, I am an official Peace Corps Volunteer!!! I am no longer a trainee because yesterday we had our swearing in ceremony! Its so crazy to think that I started this whole process over a year ago and now here I am living in Dominica as a PCV!

The ceremony started with a prayer, as do all the official events and meeting here, follow by the singing of Dominicas National Anthem and the American National Anthem. Then our APCD Patrick spoke and the Country Director, Margo. Mostly just a brief overview of what Peace Corps is and what they are doing on the island, followed by a congratulations to the soon to be volunteers.

Then our host families were recognized. Really without them the transition would have been much harder for all of us. They all got to come onto the stage and receive a certificate from the PC thanking them for all they do. Both my host parents were able to attend so that was really great to see them up there.

After that it was time to take the official oath. We all had to stand on the stage and raise our right hands and swear in as official volunteers. I felt a little dorky up there with my hand in the air repeating the oath, but it was actually really cool when you think about it. Then we got our certificates and our Peace Corps IDs, a pin and a patch. Like I said Im official now!

Then came the part I was most nervous about. We had to give a presentation in Kreyol, the local language here. We decided to do a skit on what we have experienced so far on the Island. Here was my line:

Flex, Mwen pa yon etyodyan Ross. Mwen se yon ofisya Peace Corps eve jodi a nott ka organize yon jou spo an pak-la nou vle tout moun vini.

Basically I said:

Flex (the host of our radio talk show) Im not a Ross Student, I am a Peace Corps and we are having a sports day in the park tomorrow and everyone should come.

Its a running joke here that everyone thinks just because I am white and living in Portsmouth I am a Ross student (it is an American medial school here in Portsmouth), in fact I dont even have to find buses to come home from the capital, they find me.

The skit actually went really well and we got a lot of laughs out of the crowd. Following the skit Alex did our vote of thanks in Kreyol , she did a great job and everyone could even understand what she was saying. And that was it. We had refreshments after and I was able to spend some time with my host mom.

And to end the day, all the volunteers on Dominica got lunch together. Which was nice, we were able to relax and chat and just enjoy the idea that we are now official Peace Corps Volunteers!!!

Good by training and hello working!

On My Own Again

Well the day has finally come; I am now living in my own apartment here in Dominica! I moved out of my host familys house yesterday in the pouring rain after going to the market in the rain to stock my new house with fresh fruits and veggies! I spent the entire day yesterday cleaning and unpacking and was able to transform this tiny apartment into a home by the end of the day. I think its going to be a great place to live for my two years here.

I live right in the heart of Portsmouth, directly across the playing field, a 20 second walk to my school attachment and a 2 min walk to my job. Everything I need is a short walk away, from the bus stop, to shops and restaurants, and everything in between. There is also a little restaurant close by that has pizza on Friday nights! What a great place to be living.

My apartment is attached to my landlords house. Their house is L shaped and my little place is under one side of the L. We have a little courtyard with grass and flowers, and a cement wall surrounds the entire place (doesnt sound nice but it is), just out side the gate there are more beautiful flowers. I have my own gate that I use and my own little porch to sit out on and lime (chill).

I have a one-bedroom, one bathroom apartment. The living room, dining room and kitchen are all in one. ☺ I have wireless Internet!!! Cable TV (yeah I know I just said I have cable TV  crazy!) And the Pice de rsistance, I have hot water!!!!! I took my first hot shower yesterday since leaving the Untied States. It was lovely!!!! It will probably cost me an arm and a leg but oh well its so worth it!

Last night was my first night sleeping in a place all on my own since I moved home from Fort Collins. Im not gonna lie, it was a little hard to fall asleep, I guess I just felt a little lonely after constantly being around people for 8 weeks straight. But I finally did fall asleep, after a bit of skyping, chatting with the other volunteers, and some TV to distract me, and I slept well through the whole night. And in the morning it felt great to wake up in my own apartment.

All in all its an amazing place to live and I am very happy to be here. I also uploaded lots of photos and a video tour!

Oh and special thanks to Aunt Patti and Uncle Al, the gorgeous piece of art hanging in my living room is all thanks to them. What would an artist house be with out a little art on the walls right? It really makes my house a home!

Happy Easter!

Just wanted to say Happy Easter Everyone from Dominica!

I just celebrated with a 3:30 hour Easter Mass. It was a very beautiful very long (10:00pm to 1:30am) mass, so Im off to bed. Goodnight!

Playing Tourist for the Day

Well it has been a very long week of training, full of classes, shadowing, job site and school attachment. But thanks to my host mom Sam and I were able to relax a bit this weekend. Marilynns sister works for the tourisms department here and was able to get us two spots on a tubing trip down the Layou River that is normally reserved for the tourists who come in on the cruise ships.

It was really fun, nothing like rafting back home. It was calm, pretty much just sitting in a tub floating down the river. So relaxing!!! Plus it was kind of fun to play tourist for the day. We meet them at the dock and got on the bus with 30 tourists from the ship. Then we drove to the river, the bus ride was really different than the local rides, and it was about half the speed and craziness that I am use too.

It was pretty entertaining to hear the comments they all made as we drove through the villages and all the assumptions they made along the way. I guess it made me realize how much I have learned in only 2ish months of being here. And I cant help but wonder how much more I will know in 6 months, a year, and after I leave in 2.

Once we got to the river we got helmets, life vests and got in the tubes. (Yeah we were looking good for sure) There were guides every step of the way, so I pretty much zoned out and enjoyed the river. At the end we got complementary drinks! Oh the live of a tourist!!!

By the time we left everyone knew we werent actually tourists so we answered questions about Dominica and the Peace Corps all the way home. It was nice to dispel some of the myths we hear on the way up. I also got to ask some questions about cruises, like if they leave you behind of you miss the boat.

Its good information to know because there is this guy outside the PC office that plays this little guitar all day and sings so quietly that you can only hear him if you are 2 feet away. Anyways Im pretty convinced he was once left behind on a ship and the only logical thing for him to do was to become a street performer. Either that or he is a Peace Corps Volunteer that never went back home

Learning more and more about Dominica

Hello world, and or select few family and friends who read my blog. Well things have been getting more and more busy as we have entered into the second half of training. But we still have been able to fit in some cool cultural experience here and there.

The other day the Queens Baton (torch) came through Dominica for the Common Wealth Games happened in India in a few moths. There was a huge ceremony at the stadium, in Roseau, and a few of us trainees were able to attend. We were sitting four rows back from the presidents, the mayor of Roseau, the man who created the Dominica flag, the carnival royalty and various other distinguished guests. They were actually being served on a silver platter and the carnival king didnt want his so we got it ha!  I guess we got really lucky with our seating choice. We also sat right in from of a well know soukouyan (aka witch) here is Dominica.

It was an amazing event there was local singers, different cultural groups that did traditional dances, stilts (they were crazy  running, jumping, and hopping on one leg!), fireworks, steal drum bands, and tons of other cool things. It was so cool to be a part of.

This last weekend we also took a field trip to Cabrits National Park here and an old fort left behind by the British, Fort Shirley. There we had a special presentation on the history of Dominica. It was really really cool and I think we all enjoyed learning a bit about this country. After the talk we were able to walk around and take some photos and just explore the fort. It was a really fun day for all of us. On the way home we stopped at the beach for a quick swim.

So all and all things are going great for me, the Peace Corps keeps you busy for sure, but I wouldnt have it any other way.

Always Learning

Today I learned how to prepare a meal, as well as wash my cloths by hand. Can I just say, so not as easy as one might think. My forearms are still killing me from all the scrubbing. I also used lotion for the first time on my hands since coming here; they were so dry from all the soap in the water.

But it was good to learn so now when I move out on my own in three weeks I wont be completely helpless. For now I will leave you with a little tid-bit of information my host mom told me about washing:

When washing panties makes sure you scrub the crotch, the front, the boom boom, and the legs. And unless I am not mistaken that pretty much covers every part of the panty.

The Emerald Pool

I just realized that half my blog entries start with the word so, so I am going to try and be a little more creative in my entries from now on, but no promises.

One fine day in the lovely land of Dominica there was a group of Peace Corps Trainees with nothing to do on a Saturday so they decided to pull the tourist card and check out one of the natural wonders on the island.

Thats right we got a day off and deiced it would be fun to take a trip to the Emerald Pool. Well all meet in the capital and got a bus to take us on the hour or so journey into the rainforest and the Emerald Pool.

It started with a fifteen-minute hike that was really just a walk, through the rainforest. It was the most beautiful part of the island I have seen since coming here. The Emerald Pool is amazing, there is a waterfall that fills it and the water is crystal clear but has an emerald color to it. There is nature all around you, with giant trees that almost block out the sky above you, and so many different shades of green!!!!

Once we got to the pool we decided to go swimming, the water was pretty cold, but we all thought it was about the same temperature as the showers we take everyday anyways. We had a great time playing in the waterfall, and swimming around. I think we were annoying the tourist though they wanted photos of the pool without a group of 20 somethings messing around in it. By hey we didnt really care, were locals now!!!

Anyways it was a great trip to one of Dominicas natural wonders, cant wait to see more!

Mail Call

If  anyone wants to send me letters my address is:

U.S. Peace Corps
Mary Steinke
P.O. Box 357
8 King George V Street
Roseau
Dominica

AKA I really like getting and sending mail so please send me some letters :)

The Life of a Trainee

Well as I go back and look at my blog I have realized that I have not really said much about Peace Corps training which really occupies most of my time. Its not just the fun beach visits and exploring Dominica, although we try to squeeze that part in as much as possible to keep ourselves sane. So I thought I would just tell you a little bit about being a trainee:

Let me start by saying I am not on official Peace Corps Volunteer as of right now, I am in fact a Peace Corps Trainee. Every PC Volunteers goes though an 8-week training before being sworn into the Peace Corps. I am about half way though training at this point, and hopefully will be sworn in to the PC in mid April and that is when my two years of service begins. As a trainee we are kept so unbelievably busy that I hardly have time to think let alone sleep.

Every week we go to the capital, Roseau, three times. It is about an hour and 15 min for me one way. So I get up around 6:30 to get there at 8:00  8:30 depending on how many extra stops the bus driver feels like taking. There we do training in the PC office, this includes sessions on:

-Cross Cultural Training
-Safety and Security
-Participatory Analysis for Community Action or PACA
-Working with Schools
-Tech by Track  or my NGO development class
-Language
-Project Design Management
-And a few various others

We are normally done around 3:00 or 4:00, and then we try to hang out as a group a little in town before going to our separate communities. Then its the bus trip home where I spend my time trying to hang out with my host family, integrate into the community, and do the homework I have been assigned by the classes.

The other two days of the week are set aside to visit the school we are attached to, visit our work site, and do our shadowing.

I am attached to Roosevelt Douglas Primary School. I have only been there a few times but it is looking like I will be doing some one-on-one time with kids that are falling behind in classes as well as helping set up the library. The school is lass than a year old and the classes are packed. The teachers are overloaded with kids and there is no special education at all. I hope I can make a difference with some of these kids throughout my time here.

My worksite is the Town Council and I kind of explained what my job will be there in a pervious blog entry. This is the hardest thing for me so far, its very difficult to jump into a working office and learn how things are done. But I just have to remind myself to take it slow and learn now so I can be effective later.

The shadowing has turned out to be very interesting. Each week I shadow a new person from the community and learn what they do on a day-to-day basis. The first week it was the Youth Officer for the North, the second was the Development Director for the North, and next will be the CALLS center (dont know what this is yet, but I will soon). I think I will shadow a Health Officer too at some point. I have learned more in these shadowing than in another place, just to be a fly on the wall at so many meetings, events, and in so many offices, has given me a lot of knowledge on the community. I am looking forward to my next shadow!

The weekends are normally ours to spend time with our host families and integrate into the community, although we have some field trips on Saturdays coming up. On Friday nights I go to BBQ with my host family in town. Some Saturdays all of the trainees try to get together and do some of the tourist things Dominica has to offer, just to get to know the island and each other a bit better. And that is where most of my posts have come from. I also go to market with my host mom on Saturdays at 5:30 in the morning; its quite an experience. Sundays I go to Catholic Church with my host family and it last 2:30 hours, really really long! Then we have a family lunch and hang out at home for the day. The buses dont run here on Sunday so everyone mostly stays home. Then I start the process all over again on Monday!

Well I think that pretty much sums up what I do as a trainee, and plus I need to go work on some homework :). Sorry it was so long, there is just so much that I do every week. And I am sure I left some things out to, ha!

P.S. the photo is actually from training on St. Lucia, but I dont have any of the office right now  but I will get some soon.

Comfort Cloths vs The Heat

So I realized something today I haven't warn jeans since I left Colorado and I don't even have a hoddie in my possession now. I feel like a part of me is missing

So tonight when we went to get dinner (BBQ chicken) I put on my only pair of jeans. I feel better now  more like myself.  Now only if I could find a hoodie here to buy and get use to wearing it in 90-degree weather. :)

Oh and here is a photo of some chickens. They are everywhere and the wake me up every morning... really really early

One small step for most people One giant leap for Mary

So yesterday was my first day off since leaving the United States. And it wasnt really supposed to be a day off I was supposed to meet with my counterpart from my job, but he is out of town all this week so I got the day off instead. So I got to sleep in and have a lazy morning, which was nice considering I get up most days at 6:30 and Im on the go all day.

But eventually I got a little restless and bored of being in the house. So I decided to go visit Rashawna and Marcus in Marigot, which is about 20 miles away from Portsmouth. Now in the US this really wouldnt be a huge deal right, you just get in your car and drive over to your friends house. Well, it was a big deal for me and I was actually a little nervous about getting there and back home again.

First I had to find the right bus to Marigot, not really an easy task considering there are no official bus stops here. Then I had to make it through the hour bus ride (yep thats right here 20 miles equals and hour bus ride) through the winding roads in the jungle. Its pretty but man its not so fun for those of us who are inflicted with carsickness. Then find Rashawna in a town I have never been in before. But guess what I did it all!!! I was very proud of myself, so funny for such a small task really. I couldnt help but think One small step for most people One giant leap for Mary

Marigot was fun, we went to the beach, again, and yes I do actually work here its not all beach visits. It was really different from the beach in Portsmouth; we had to hike for 20 minutes down these crazy mud steps to get to the beach. But once we were there it was really cool, it felt like a private beach.

All in all it was a good day for me, but I was exhausted by the time I got home.

The Beach

Hello all! Well it has been a busy week, commuting to the capital everyday for training. Then coming home and hanging out with my host family and meeting new people in the community. It makes for very long full days, but good days for sure. For the rest of training we dont have to go to the capital everyday anymore, we get to stay in our villages for half the week, so that will be very nice.

This morning I got up at 5:30 to go to market with my host mom. It was an experience to say the least. I mostly followed my host mom around and just took everything in. Its a little more crazy than the grocery store back home. I think it might take some time before I learn what and where to buy, and how much things should cost, but I have lots of time to learn. After the market I went to a youth center meeting, it was a meeting of all the youth group leaders in the north. I will be working with the leader of the group during training so it was good to meet him and start to get involved.

Today is Rashawnas birthday so a few of us got together and went to the beach, which just so happens to be in my village. (Dominica doesnt have very many beaches that you can swim in). It was so fun! The water was amazing, very warm but not to warm that you couldnt get in and escape from the hot hot sun. It was a great way to spend the afternoon. The locals here use the seawater as a cure all for everything. I think it worked on my bug bits; they itch a lot less now. I feel so blessed to be living here where I can just walk over to the beach anytime I want.

So many new adventures everyday!