The Most Amazing

I know its been a while since I wrote in my blog last, so sorry. I have been waiting for the company to fix it so I can upload photos but since it looks like that wont be happening anytime soon I thought I would just add my blog updates and then add the photos when its fixed. So here goes

The other night I got to see one of the most amazing things I have ever seen! Never in my life would I have ever thought I would get the chance to not only see but touch a giant sea turtle! Words cannot even explain how amazing this experience was but I will try.

Right now it is turtle season so various kinds of sea turtles are coming to the islands to lay their eggs. The generally come in on the east side of the island. So the other weekend I went to stay with Rashawna in Marigot in hopes that one would come in that night, we had it on good authority that one would due to the right weather conditions and various other signs.

Rashawna, Rudy (a local friend) Marcus and Stacy (PCV and his girlfriend) and I  headed down to the beach about 11:00 pm. The walk took us about 30 minutes or so. When we arrived on the beach we meet up with a group of guys that patrol the beach during turtle season to make sure no poachers kill the turtles or the steal the eggs (and yes that does happen a lot here). They said there wasnt a turtle yet so we just sat in the sand and chatted for a few hours. About 1:oo am or so Rudy said he thought there would be a turtle in about 5 minutes, well the turtle guys didnt feel like waiting anymore so they took off leaving just the five of us behind. We decide it was time to head back considering we had such a long walk back.

And what do you think we found 5 minutes into our walk thats right a giant leather back turtle who had just made her way onto the beach. We held back for a while because if you spook the turtle before she starts digging she will go back to the sea and not lay her eggs. Once they start digging they go into a sort of trance and nothing stops them from finishing. So when she started we got really close we got to pet her and watch her dig a huge hole (almost 2 feet deep with her littler flippers) and we even got to watch her lay her eggs. They generally lay about 60-80! Crazy cool! She was working so hard the whole time I kind of felt bad for her, its not easy for them to move around on the sand. The whole digging and laying process took at least 2 hours and we stayed the whole time, we didnt want someone to come and kill her.

After she finishes laying the eggs she barriers them in the sand and packs it down then she camoflodges the area! She goes around messing up the sand around the hole she just dug and it takes her about an hour to do it, again working very very hard! After that she follows the reflection of the moon back into the water. We helped her out a bit with a flash light in the beginning cause she got a little lost. Then we watched her take off in the water to go meet her mate and started our long trek home. We finally fell into bed exhausted but amazed at 4:30 am!

So so so amazing and I am so grateful I got the chance to experience it! I love my crazy PC life!

Oh and Happy 4th of July!!!!! :)

The Gs Do Dominica!

I lived a very blessed life, not only am I living this amazing adventure but I also get the chance to share this experience with family and friends that come to visit. And guess who the visitors were this time, none other then my amazing grandparents thats right Grandma and Grandpa Steinke were here on the island and we had a great time!

It was so amazing to share my life here with them and have them see all the places I go and work and meet all my friends and co-workers. We had a very packed week full of sightseeing, great meals, cards (Polish Poker to be exact) social visits and we made some great memories. I am probably one of the only PCVs that can say their grandparents came to visit.

Here is the rundown of some of the sights we got to see. Trafalgar Falls, Screws Hot Springs, Syndicate Nature Trail and bird watching, Indian River tour with James Bond, Cabrits, Arial Tram ride through the rainforest and much more! We also got to have some amazing food, breakfast cooked by grandma (so good) and tried out a lot of the restaurants around Portsmouth. I even got to try lobster!

They also got the chance to see my apartment and all the places I work, and meet my friends, co-workers, landlords and host family! And they even came to do meals on wheels with me and I know the people we serve enjoyed meeting them! Like I said we packed the week full! We also played a lot of cards which was a lot of fun even though I was really bad at the game and only won a few hands!

I am so blessed that I have such an amazing family and that my grandparents were able to come down here and spend the week with me. I wouldnt give up the memoires that were made for anything! Thanks for everything Gs!

I Survived Carnival!

I have officially made it through my first Carnival and while I may not have slept for 4 days (only naps) it was well worth it considering the fun that was had by all! I cannot really even begin to explain the craziness that is Carnival here in Dominica but I will try my best.

Carnival is a huge party that takes place mainly in the streets of Roseau that is celebrated for a month with the big party days on Carnival Monday and Tuesday and the weekend before. It all started with the opening parade in Roseau and then the opening parade in Portsmouth the following weekend. Both parades are full of music, dancing, costumes, flags and much more. Most people watch the parade go by just like we do in the States, however the last group is always a popular band here on the island (WCK band) and most people get behind the band at the end of the parade and walk/dance their way along the parade route jumping up to the music. Of course I participated in both these parades and jump ups  crazy crowds and crazy fun!

Between the opening parade and Carnival Tuesday are various events that include the Calypso Quarter and Semi finals, various Queen shows throughout the island, concerts almost every night, and lots of other fun events. CALLS even had their own Queen show and we crowned the first ever Miss CALLS! It was really entertaining and great to spend time with the students outside of class. One of my students even made an appearance cross dressing, a normal practice here for men at Carnival time, and the sad thing was.. he actually looked better than most women in the bathing suit he was wearing! I told you its crazy here around Carnival!

The weekend before Carnival Tuesday kicks off the big events starting with the island wide Queen Show were Miss Dominica is crowned. I didnt go to this event I can only take so many Queen shows (they are your typical beauty pageant, and not really my thing). Never-the-less the women here in Dominica love this event and it is very popular, and I do have to say some of the costumes that the women make are pretty cool. The next night is the Calypso finals where the Calypso King or Monarch is crowned! Now let me tell you a bit about what Calypso is Calypso is a type of music that is very popular here in the Caribbean. Each singer makes up a song about a popular subject or political statement, it can be funny or serious but they all make a strong statement about current events here in Dominica. Most contestants wear a costume and put on a show for the crowd (we even had fireworks this year) the better the show and song, the better your chance of winning. The nig twist this year a women won for the first time ever! How crazy is that! So people were not happy considering its the Calypso King but her song was by far the best and she deserved to win Im not bias or anything! :)

Then its finally time for Carnival proper! And what better way to start it off then a J'Ouvert (Jump Up in the streets of Roseau) at 3:00 am! Yep that is right we got up at 2:00 am got into our costumes and danced the morning away behind WCK! 3:00 to 10:00 am! There were all kinds of costumes there, cross dressing men and scantily clad women, a whole group of women dressed as Annie (red fro wigs and all) and I even saw an Avatar! We played it safe and a little more modest with our costumes black and white with neon accents! Very fun and the best event in my humble opinion!
After the J'Ouvert  its home for a nap before returning for the T-Shirt bands! Same basic concept bands drive around the city streets with people jumping up behind them. The point of T-shirt band is to buy the shirt our your favorite band and follow behind them. WCK had thousands of followers! This is by far the most crazy event lots of fights and way too many people! After a fight almost pushed us into a chicken grill on the side of the road we had to retreat to Rashawnas parents hotel room for a while till it calmed down a bit.
Tuesday is the official day of Carnival and is celebrated with an all day costume parade. Groups of people come together and wear the same costumes and parade around the city with, you guessed it bands! The contestants from the Queens Show come out and show off their costumes, there were steel drum groups, flags and much more! It is a very exciting atmosphere and feels very Caribbean and Carnival like! After the parade is the final lap the last jump up before Lent begins. I left Roseau for this event and went to Portsmouths last lap. They had a band from Antigua and a lot of my friends were up there so it was a good time, until the band ran over someones foot and they had to shut down of a while. But by that point I was so tired I went home and slept pretty much slept all day Wednesday too. Now before you go thinking I am a terrible volunteer let me assure you that everything and I do mean everything shuts down here for Carnival so there was no work to be done so I am in the clear!

So there you have it I made it through and I am so glad I have another year to recover before I experience another Carnival! You are pretty much gonna have to check out the photos to understand the craziness of what I was talking about, cause you know what they say a picture is worth a thousand words and this entry has too many already.

Happy One Year Anniversary!

So guess what I have been gone from the United States for a year now! Happy one year anniversary! Its so crazy to me, the time had just flown by so fast and I have had some many amazing experiences and I have grown so much as person in the past year its crazy to me. I have known my one year anniversary was coming up, but I really think it hit me this weekend when we welcome the new batch of PCVs! Thats right, I am no longer the new group but they older group? When did that happen!?
I cannot even begin to explain what I was feeling as we meet the new volunteers just coming off the plane. I even got a ride home from the airport from my host dad and we were reminiscing about that same trip we made a year ago together. And that night as I was falling asleep I couldnt help but think about the new volunteers in their host families house spending their first night in Dominica, and I remember how I felt I had felt so alone, but so excited now I live on my own and have no problem being alone, leaving my house at night, meeting new people, working at numerous organizations, doing hikes I never thought I could, and so many other amazing things have been able to do thanks to my PC experience!

I really have come a long way since I first came here Im not really even the same person I was then. Well I am still me, I am just more strong and confident and I know what I believe in and what I want from life. I cannot wait to see how much more I grow in the following year!

A New Year

Well first let me say, sorry it has been so long since I last updated my blog I have been very busy with the holidays, visitors, and work. Also I am sad to report that my computer crashed during all this as well. But things are getting back on track, I have a new computer (!!!) and I am slowly getting back into my normal routine here.  So here goes trying to put into words what my last month has been like AMAZING!

I have to say that while it was a little hard not to be home for Christmas, being here in Dominica for the holidays was a really amazing experience. And I just have to say that it probably wouldnt have been as great if my sister wasnt here with me to celebrate. With her company and comfort I was truly able to enjoy a Dominican Christmas. Kristen and I had a really great time together, we explored the island and I got to show her some of my favorite sights  Emerald Pool, Trafalgar Falls, the Indian River and the list goes on and on. We spent time with some of the other PCVs, made lots of new Dominican friends, and had ourselves a very Merry Caribbean Christmas.

So here is the breakdown of our Dominican style Christmas We spent Christmas Eve day on the beach, with the other PCVs that stayed on island, relaxing and enjoying the Caribbean sun rather than the Colorado snow! Christmas Eve isnt really a beach day here in Dominica, so we were really the only ones there so later that night we decided to do what the locals do and head to town (Roseau) to participate in the traditional Dominican Christmas Eve. You know how in the States everyone goes shopping before Christmas and wraps the presents and puts them under the tree? Well not many people do that here, instead the whole family goes down to Roseau on Christmas Eve and picks out their gifts from the shops that stay open extra late. Then they hang out in town enjoying their purchases, listen to music, eating and drinking, and just hang out with everyone else that is down there. We ended up staying till about midnight or so and by that time it was getting a little crazy lots of partying and firecrackers going off in the middle of the streets, so it was a good time to head back home. Most Dominicans would have gone to midnight mass about this time then after it ended party till the sun came up.

Christmas morning Kristen and I woke up and made ourselves a Christmas breakfast! We even found Corned Beef Hash for me (one of my favorites!) You will notice the day pretty much revolved around food! Then we skyped home (pre computer crash) and opened our gifts the family had sent down!!! At this time most Dominicans were probably at home resting from the long night before and getting ready to do it all again that night. Kristen and I were then invited to a friends house (one of the teachers I work with at the primary school) for lunch, not just any lunch but a huge feast of local Dominican foods. There was beef, pork, and goat stews, rice, salad, mac and cheese, coleslaw, veggies, local juice, tons of alcohol, and much more.  Kristen and I were stuffed! It was really great to spend part of the day with good friends and got us out of my tiny apartment for a while.

When we got home we skyped some more :) and then made ourselves a tradition (American) Christmas dinner! And man did we do a good job or what! I was so proud of us. We made a 10 pound turkey (which I am still eating today) stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans! We even had some local Christmas juice called sorrel from my landlords. We pretty much used every dish I own to make dinner. We were so proud of our little Christmas meal! After that we just spent time together chatting and probably watched a movie before falling asleep. It was a great Christmas to be sure. And I am so glad Kristen was here to experience a Dominican Christmas with me. And we made some really great memories that will last a lifetime. Kristen has a future being an island girl that is for sure!

After Kristen left (sad sad day) it was time to celebrate New Years Eve only problem is Dominicans dont celebrate New Years Eve the night is spent in church and the celebration is on New Years Day  a beach day. So what did we PCVs do, well the only thing there was to do (other than church) we went to the American school here and partied with the ROSS students. It was a typical NYE party very fun though. Lets just say we spent the rest of the weekend doing nothing but sleeping and laying low. :)

And then a few days after that I had another visitor one of my best friends from high school, Nate, came to visit me.  We had a great time, I always love when people come to visit cause I get to play tourist while they are here. Nate and I had a great time and we even did some new things that I had never done before. One new thing was we hiked to Boiling lake, it is a 8 mile gorgeous hike to 1 of only 2 boiling lakes in the world. It was a really challenging hike, but so worth it, and it was something that has been on my to-do list since I got here.

Now that Nate is gone, and the holidays are over it is time for me to get back to my normal life. Only problem is I am having a little bit of a hard time doing so so well see all I can do right now is put one foot in front of the other and be grateful for the amazing holiday season I had and the priceless memories made.

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!