The 'Faces' of J'ourvet - Cond.

The 'Faces' of J'ourvet

J'ourvet!

What can I say besides it over! A picture says much more than words so I've posted a bunch to give you a overall view of what it was like in the way of the number of people. Nothing can describe the sound!

I was awakened at 5 a.m. as the the first double-decker flatbed, hauled by a tractor, rolled passed my apartment. Let's see if I can describe it. The top half holds the singers and extras. The bottom half is the band and enough sets of loud speakers to blow out Yankee stadium - and that's just one band! "Troupes" of Kittians are formed from area communities. They meet up starting about 1 a.m. at a predetermined location and the party starts. They get their troupe t-shirts and all the free booze they want. At about 4 a.m. they start 'dancin' their way into the 'Circus', Basseterre's city center. I lay in my bed and felt it actually rise off the floor with the bass reverberations. Even with my ear plugs firmly in place, it was if they were singing at the foot of the bed!

After a quick shower, I grabbed my camera and headed to the Circus to get a seat at Ballyhoo overlooking the festivities. The waitress couldn't begin to hear what you ordered for breakfast so you just point and gesture! By 6 a.m. troupes and flatbeds were coming about every 10-15 minutes, every band singing a different song, the troupes yelling, singing, dancing. It was amazing, overpowering and totally deafening! I stayed for about 2 hours and then just gave up - thinking I had completely lost my hearing, plus my camera batteries were running low. I came back home but with the circus only 3 blocks away and the flatbed bands doing a continuous circle of downtown, it was like I never left. Forget turning on the TV or radio or even an iPod. All you hear was the bands. My windows shook, my floors bounced and this continued until 5 p.m.

Need I say that the revilers got progressively more inebriated and joyful...and louder? The police were out in full force and at one point water hoses and billy clubs came out. But all in all, the entire day was a celebration of the Kittian people and I think every single one on the island participated! What does J'ourvet actually mean? What are they celebrating? I asked numerous locals and got numerous answers - all different. The start of Carnival seems to be the most common, along with the Caribbean celebration of Boxing Day. Whatever it is - it certainly was a PARTY!

I've uploaded a bunch of the 'faces of J'ourvet' to give you just a taste of what being here was like. Enjoy - I did.

ReAnn

Pictures:
1) If you look at the front of the flatbed you'll see the entire thing is speakers!
2) This picture was take from my balcony about 2 p.m. when a big troupe went by.
3) The flatbed band just outside my apartment
4) A troupe coming into the circus as the sun came up!

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

Two very different days and celebrations. Our youngest volunteer has the unfortunate birthdate of 12/24. My cousin Nancy has the same date of birth and I know how much she felt her birthday got sorta passed over during all the Christmas rush and good cheer. So for Lauren, I agreed to fix her favorite meal - lasagna! Ed and Georgia made homemade meatballs and sauce, George brought the fixings for a huge tossed salad (avacados are in season - yum) and Kelly & Mike brought 2 huge loaves of garlic bread. Jim brought 'holiday cheer' and my Kittian friend Grace baked her island-famous rum cake for desert - and we were all set, if not for your typical Christmas dinner, one that delighted everyone and was delicious. Love the picture of Lauren with one big fat candle stuck in the middle of the lasagna and as you see, the rest of the group was very merry indeed.

Christmas morning dawned a little cloudy and very windy. I had been invited to the ex-pat community Christmas Day Brunch on the Beach by Linda and Fred Nottingham, folks who live here full-time, but originally from Wisconsin. She brought her chedder-head hat and he his Packer beer coozie and many darts and arrows went back and forth about da Bears and the Pack! I met so many nice people, enjoyed the Bloody Mary taste-off, turkey with all the fixing, delicious salads, home-baked cakes and pies. The weather cooperated and though very different, thoroughly enjoyed sand in my toes instead of snow. We had the party at Shipwreck beach mid-way out Frigate Bay. The restaurant that is normally open was closed for the day so we got the benefit of their tables, beach chairs, and thatched potta-potties! From the pictures you'll see that there were several nice-sized yachts and one beautiful 3-masted schooner sharing the beach with us. Met people from France, St. Martins, Germany, the States, Barbados - a truly international Christmas.

So as Christmas ends and the New Year approaches, from a little island, with the waves of the Atlantic crashing on one side and the Caribbean jewel-tone waters lapping on the other, I send to you my warmest wishes for a very blessed, peaceful and joyous holiday season. No matter what our varied religious beliefs, for all of us it is a time of year for reflection; time to spend with those we love and hold dear; time to look up at a midnight sky and realize the same stars twinkle on all of us. It's the time of year to give thanks for what we have, and share with those than don't. It's the time of year to look forward to what could be, and plan for what will be. It's the time of year to hug those we know well, and hug those who really need one. It's the time of year to open our eyes, our minds, and our hearts to the wonders that surround us each and every day. It's the time of the year to embrace life, love, joy and happiness, and be grateful for the peace and blessings, no matter how big or small, that come our way.

Take care of each other....

ReAnn

How can it almost be Christmas?

Saturday morning and because of the holidays, no golf lessons this morning. The kids have been out of school for the past week and roaming the streets along with thousands of tourists off the cruise ships.

Last week we had 3 ships docked at one time - that's 9000 sunburned, bored, under-dressed tourists. Why do older men think they can wear 'mussel shirts' or no shirt at all, and roam around a capital city's main square? Or women parade around in bikini tops and really, really short shorts? First, big bellies without a proper covering is really ridiculous-looking. And would these vacationers dress like this on a summer day visiting NYC or Chicago or LA? No! Just because they are on vacation doesn't give them the right to not respect the capitol city of a Caribbean island or it's people, who really are quite conservative and cover themselves in long sleeves, suits and ties even during the hottest times of year. Sorry for the rant, but I am embarrassed for my fellow countrymen and women and try to stay far, far away from the 'Circus' when the ships come to town as I don't want be thought as a 'tourist.'

That said, HELLO. Last night was the official opening of Carnival. I'll say this only once - LOUD! A huge party for children was held just outside my door and about a 1/2 block down. About 300 kids and parents, music, screaming, laughter rolling through the air until midnight. Tonight is Calypso Night at Warner Park. George has invited me to attend a private 'rum punch' party at Ballyhoo and so I am getting the my chores done early today. I was invited to the luncheon hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister, Sam Condor, for the island's talented youth on the 28th and we'll be celebrating Lauren's 'unfortunate date of birth - Christmas Eve' with a lasagna and homemade spaghetti and meatballs dinner (her choice) here. Christmas Day nothing is planned, but the 26th is J'ouvet so I will most certainly have lots to tell and pictures to show next week.

Now I want to tell you about one of the really fun things I'm doing. Through the Peace Corps, we can sign-up to 'correspond' during our 2 years of service, with a classroom back in the States, sharing our adventures and answering their wonderful questions. I have been assigned Nancy Dowdy's English III (aka American lit) class in Barren County, KY. They are a small group of students - struggling readers – but great kids and the majority have never been outside of Kentucky. Barren County is in Glasgow, Kentucky (named the # 1 Rural County to live in America in 2007). Their questions are funny, insightful and it's so nice to be able to tell them about what life is like living on a tiny island in the middle of the Caribbean - which they had to look up on an Atlas - very hard for them to comprehend!

After being 'yelled at' for not including any pictures last week, I'm attaching one that George took from the street up to my balcony (Kelly, me & Lauren) and one a fellow diner took at a delicious, traditional English Roast Beef dinner we had at Ballyhoo a few weeks ago. (Lauren, Ed, Georgia, George and me). That's all for this week, but get prepared for the coming 'tales of Carnival.'

Let me take this opportunity to wish each and everyone who reads this blog a very blessed and Merry Christmas and a joyous and prosperous New Year! This will be my very first holiday season not spent in the company of at least one of my boys and my friends. It's going to be really hard but the phone will ring and we can share our joy and happiness and love with our voices.

Until next week - take care of each other!

ReAnn

The Holidays are coming...

Which means that everything on-island(s) just shut down! It's Carnival, J'ouvert, Christmas, New Years, Boxing Day - all rolled into one big Party Time! Mostof the locals take vacation time that lasts for 4 weeks, returning to work a couple of days after the last big parade on January 2nd. Did I mention that it's party time? That means the consumption of large amounts of alcoholic beverages, VERY loud music played off the back of flat-bed trucks from speakers that are taller than a very tall man and reverberate the windows in houses that they pass by. And every single parade route goes right beneath my balcony. It's been suggested that I pack-up and move out-of-town as sleep will not be an option as the music goes 24/7.

As to my health, which so many of you have been so kind to email me asking about, I've recovered from my bout of Dengue Fever. Still tried and take 'little naps' to get through the day, but feel fine and managed to lose another 8 pounds - down almost 25 since joining the PC. My landlord has installed a huge lock on my bedroom door that locks from the inside and everyone is making a huge effort to lock the downstairs entry when coming and going, so I feel much safer.

Today is my weekly lunch with Wingfield Estate owner, Maurice Widdowson, and afterwards he has agreed to take me out to Christmas shop at his Caribelle Batik store at Romney Manor. It won't replace my dreams of shopping for hours at TJ Maxx or a mall, but it will help!

That's it for this week. No pictures this week as I really haven't been out-and-about but will be sure to include lots the next couple of weeks as I chronicle the holiday season here on St. Kitts.

Take care of each other....

ReAnn

What Next?

After the break-in and then a great Thanksgiving, you would have thought my life would have been back to normal, right? Wrong! Sometime in the not-so-distant past it seems I was bitten by the nasty, white-footed mosquito that carries Dengue Fever. I'm the 5th Peace Corps volunteer to come down with this really nasty fever in the past month.

But before I got sick, I finally had a day at the beach! Can you believe last Sunday was the very first time I've spent the day in the water snorkeling and sunning on the sand and drinking a few Carib's under the palm trees? The pics are of Cockleshell beach which is the north end of St. Kitts. Very nice, great restaurant, good snorkeling. And I finally saw my first Green Velvet monkey that roam the islands here. Everyone talks about them, but I had never seen one until driving back from the beach one casually walked across the road. No picture opportunity - pooh!

So back to the dreaded Dengue. After a very busy day on Nevis on Monday and a beautiful sunset on the ferry ride back, I'm sitting working Tuesday afternoon with another PCV when my teeth start chattering. And things got worse from there. Headache so bad you want to just take it off! Your whole body aches - every bone and joint feels like it's broken. Fever runs about 102, your get an itchy rash, you don't even want to look at food and so tired all you want to do is sleep - but you can't - because it hurts to lay down. There is really no treatment except a strong dose of Tylenol, cold showers, lots of liquids and rest. It supposedly runs it course in about 2 weeks and I'm on day 4 1/2.

The PC nurse calls and stops by daily, runs me to the hospital for daily blood tests (if your white count starts to drop drastically, into the hospital you go.) George made me home-made soup and the younger crowd came over and did my dishes. So I'm being taken care of, but I HATE BEING SICK!

Haven't been able to do much work either, as just too tired. But the big project I'm working on on Nevis is progressing and the website I've helped design went live yesterday http://www.nevisfilmfestival.com. So life does keep on going. And I will get better - hopefully sooner rather than later!

Well, this is about all the energy I have to write this week. Until next time...

Take care of each other.

ReAnn

Pictures:
1. Sunset seen from ferry on the ride back from Nevis
2. The north end of St. Kitts, with great salt pond and Nevis in the back ground
3. Aaron, Chris & George enjoying a day at the beach
4. Cockelshell Beach

More Thanksgivng Day Pics

A Very Long Week That Thankfully Ended Well

I guess you should never take anything for granted when living in what seems like paradise, but is just as dangerous as any city in the world. On Monday morning, about 1:30 a.m., my apartment was broken into, while I was soundly sleeping in the back bedroom. My purse, with cash, credit cards, cell phone and of all things, prescription sunglasses were taken.

The thief also went into my kitchen and took food and drink out of my fridge, leaving it half eaten and drunk on the table. I didn't wake up or know about it until the next morning when I stumbled into the kitchen to make coffee and knew I hadn't left a bottle of cranberry juice on the table or a loaf of bread. He also ate my yogurt, which is really expensive and made me really mad.

When I walked into the dining room I found the burglar bars, which are on the inside of my windows, had been unscrewed and pushed in. The outside little window was cracked open, so he was able to push this up and maneuver in. He had to be one skinny robber! (see picture.)

I called the landlord, he called the police, I made a report. The people in the building let it be known they know who is was, but there is a 'no tell on others' policy here on the island, so they won't tell. The scary part is the "What if.....?" It's a situation that could have changed or ended my life - and after the adrenalin and nerves wore off, I was shaking like a leaf!

My PCV friends came over and wouldn't leave me for 2 nights, refusing to let me stay here alone. Abdul-Karim Ahmed, the wonderful man I work for on Nevis demanded I pack up and move over there immediately. Which was really the sweetest thing but impossible until I have some response from the staff of the PC - which as yet, 6 days later, has not happened. But I'm fine, the bars have now been reinstalled with large bolts and the downstairs gate, which was to be locked at all times after 9 p.m. (and wasn't) is now locked almost all day and night, my credit cards have been overnighted and replaced and my insurance will cover replacing my much needed sunglasses.

And what happened next? Thanksgiving!!! I hosted dinner for 10 friends, both PCV and locals, and had a blast. Found a 'real Butterball' at the IGA, 18lbs and almost $60, but worth every bite! Everyone else brought everything else and we had enough food to feed all of downtown Basseterre. And to top off an amazing dinner menu, we had 5 pies, 1 cake and a loaf of banana bread.

As is normal, by the time dinner was over, the males in the group were plopped and snoring in front of the TV with a terrible football game playing in the background. The ladies cleared and cleaned and got my house back into order. Had only to mop the floor the next day - then sleep for almost 12 hours! It is holidays like this though that really make me miss all my good dishes, serving pieces AND dishwasher.

I hope each and everyone of you enjoyed your Thanksgiving. Each of us here gave thanks for our new-found friendships and another beautiful day in St. Kitts. That's all for this week. Sure hope that next week isn't as exciting!

Take care of each other.

ReAnn

Time just flies...when you're having fun!

And life as a Peace Corps volunteer on the islands of St. Kitts/Nevis is fun. It's also hard work, frustrating, exciting, dusty, dirty, loud (very loud), filled with surprises, meaningful and mundane... but it is never boring.

Friends and family from back home keep asking me if I'm happy? And the answer is a resounding yes! Do I miss my friends and family? Of course I do! What else to do I miss? TJ Maxx (come on - those that know me know I miss shopping at my favorite store!) We have very little selection here and less selection in sizes or colors. Most stores only carry 1 style of garment in one size, and if it ain't yours, you're out of luck. I miss Burger King. I know, silly, but a Whopper right now would taste great. I miss the ability to 'get things done now!' which just isn't the way life is done here. It's slow, easy, considerate, much more formal in both attitude and talk. This was a British country for many years - and it's a hot, tropical country. Combine the too and you have a slow-moving, polite and proper, let's talk our time to make any decision country that is still struggling to find it's place in the world. And like all countries, the divide between the very rich and the very poor is very wide.

Many of my fellow PCV's teach remedial reading in the schools. One was 'given' a group of 6 young men, all in the 6th grade, to teach. Well that turned out to mean 'teach them to read.' These 6 boys did not even know the letters of the alphabet or the phonetic sounds those letter made, let along know how to string those letters together to make words.

Another was placed at the home for mentally disabled. If you can remember what state mental hospitals were like back in the 50's, every type of patient with a mental disorder thrown together, with no regard for the patients rights or abilities or sex, you have only a small glimpse of what this place is like. Though the staff tries, it is terribly over-burdened and under-qualified to do the work they are charged to do. This PCV, with a Master's in Social Development went into work with high hopes of somehow helping. After 2 weeks they told her she would be in charge of teaching and working with the autistic children. She informed them that she was not even close to being qualified to do this type of work. They gave her a small book on the subject that had been published 20 years ago and assured her that once she read it, she would be! She was horrified and, to give her credit, she said no - something you learn that a PCV is not suppose to say. She was afraid she would do more harm that good.

And these are just 2 examples of what PCVs face where the local population is understaffed, under-qualified and has no where else to turn. Many have found that they are put in a situation where they are expected to literally 'take over' in place of their point person. That person sees having a PCV in their work place as an opportunity to take 2-3 hours 'off the job' and let the PCV do their work. We are here to assist - to help in any way we can - but we are specifically not here to lead.

So after being on-island for almost 3 months, we are beginning to see the problems and difficulties we will be facing. We sometimes wonder if the PC staff, either here or in DC bothered to read the extensive resumes we had to submit before being accepted. Too many have been put 'to work' in situations where they are not qualified or have very little interest in the work they are assigned to do by the PC. It would be so much better for all if a little more time was spent when assignments are given to match the PCVs qualifications and interests with the job they are given to do for the next 2 years. Everyone knows that when you enjoy and learn from the work you are doing, when you are doing something you know how to do and love doing, everyone involved benefits. It will be interesting to see what changes, if any, are made as President-elect Obama takes over. He has promised to overhaul and double the number of PCVs by 2011. But he must take into consideration that the Peace Corps is a 'government-run' organization and totally under-funded for the staff and number of volunteers it now has. We are all going to be watching closely during our 2 years of service to see what, and if he can actually achieve what he wants and needs to be done raise the Peace Corps to higher standards.

Okay - enough said on that subject. As for my last week - busy, busy, busy! Work on my major projects continues. The boxes of sewing supplies have started to pour in from all over the US, thanks for my industry friends who 'put the word out' and sewers from everywhere answered. Really exciting was meeting a RPCV (returned Peace Corps Volunteer) at Royal St. Kitts Golf Club a little over a month ago (Joe had served here on St. Kitts 20 years ago). After telling him about our island-youth golf program, he asked what he could do to help? This past Saturday 12 brand new sets of golf clubs, with bags, arrived for the kids! They range in sizes for our littlest players, all the way up to our oldest. If you could have seen the look on their faces! Santa Claus just came to St. Kitts early. And he tells us there is more 'stuff' on the way - shirts, gloves, balls, bag tags the kids can put on their backpacks! You never know who you might meet on a rainy day on a driving range. That person can turn out to be just who you need to help make life a whole lot better and more fun for a group of great kids! Thank you Joe!

This weeks pictures: The one of the lovely blonde is our American Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Mary Ourisman. I was fortunate to spend Thursday afternoon on Nevis with she and her staff (there for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Emergency Disaster Relief Headquarters), while Abdul had to attend and then interview her on his TV show. Then on Friday, she came over to St. Kitt's specifically to take we new PCVs to lunch. What a lovely, gracious lady. She's leaving us soon, as all ambassadorship's are political appointments, but she will be missed. The next is of the glorious Ottley's Plantation where I had breakfast with Dave & Theresa from MN. And the last is of our entire group having lunch with Ambassador Ourisman on Friday. Aren't we a good lookin bunch of PCVs!

The first concert of the season by the St. Christopher Chorale is tomorrow evening which is specifically for the island's children. Many of the school choruses will be performing, besides our group. I'm meeting with the head of the SKN Credit Bureau today to discuss how and if they can offer small-business start-up loans to qualified people here on the island, and later a meeting with the board members at Royal St. Kitts to talk about Joe's great gift and where we go from here. Another busy day. So for now...

That's all from here, talk again next week. Take care of each other.

ReAnn

I'm Late!

I just had a wonderful breakfast with Dave & Theresa from MN today and was reminded that I hadn't posted to my blog as yet this week! I met this lovely couple via the St. Kitts/Nevis Forum online and hooked-up when the arrived over the weekend for vacation. How nice to make new friends using this fantastic medium of communication.

Besides working on my two main projects - researching the history of Wingfield Estate which means spending many hours in the dusty archives of the Museum of History and Historical Society; working on Nevis designing a marketing campaign for their first international film festival next May; I am also helping to turn their Community Cohesion group into a full-fledged NGO (non-governmental organization). Lots of paper work, mission statements, constitution in 'legal-ese' which must be approved by the government to become 'official.'

The island is now plastered with 'Good Luck President Obama' posters. The locals were all thrilled with the outcome of the election. It's interesting that with all these Caribbean islands being so close to our shoreline, there is hardly any American presence on them. The Chinese and Taiwanese are everywhere and fund a large majority of projects throughout the Caribbean. Interesting.

The St. Christopher Chorale has it's first performance next week, so extra rehearsals for that, sewing class continues and I just signed on to teach a one-on-one small business class on Friday evenings. Maybe retirement wasn't so boring after all! But yes, I'm having a blast.

The most exciting thing that happened this week was a torrential rain storm that turned my street (the ghut - or main drain) into a raging river in minutes. I was coming back on the Nevis ferry when the storm broke downtown, but it had been raining all day in the mountains. Torrents of water come rushing down the mountainside, sweeping everything in sight along with it. Cars, washing machines, large pieces of metal, tons of garbage - all go rushing down the hills, down my street and into the sea. I walked home in rain so hard I couldn't see. When I got to my street, I was in water up to my knees and had to hang onto the rod-iron fences to make it to the raised portion of the sidewalk in front of my door. I heard the next day that a woman got caught in the water and was saved just before being swept out into the ocean. I stood on my balcony for hours just watching. The sound of all that 'stuff' tumbling down a road was so loud. And the silt and sand that came with it took 3 days of bull-dozers and men with shovels just to clean it up. My apartment was and still is covered with dust and grit, even though I've scrubbed the floors and furnishings twice.

So, life is never dull. I am absolutely loving every minute of my life as a Peace Corps volunteer and the local Kittians and Nevisians are wonderful to work with. The holidays are fast approaching and I am hosting a small group of 9 for Thanksgiving. don't have a clue if my oven is accurate as far as temperature, so will be an adventure to cook my Butterball and see if it gets done! And this will be the very first Christmas I will spend without at least one of the boys. It's going to be hard, but it will also be Carnivale that entire week and I understand that will be an experience not to be missed.

Until next week - take care of each other.

ReAnn

PS - I almost forgot! I played my first full round of golf since the 16th of August, back in North Carolina. After teaching the kids all morning (and we had 12 brand new ones, not one had ever held a golf club in their hand!) the members asked us if we would like to join them for their every-Saturday afternoon event. I played like crap - but the course is so beautiful as it hugs the sea, who cared?! I used a set of Cobra off-sets that drove me crazy and I couldn't hit worth ca-ca. But is sure was great swinging a club again. We all then went to the beach and had a great dinner and great conversation. A wonderful way to spend a Saturday.

Beautiful, Enchanted Nevis

1) Approaching River Walk Coconut Plantation Historic Site
2) Location of the Red Carpet Opening Night Event for the Caribbean Film Festival
3) One of the individual villa at Golden Rock
4) Nesbitt Plantation's beach - all beaches are open to the public
5) The main peak on Nevis with it's halo of constant volcanic gases (hasn't errupted in the last 1000 or so years.

It's Official - All Over Again

Hurricane Omar blew out to sea and both St. Kitts and Nevis have repaired most of the damage it caused. The weather is once again 'perfect' every single day, with the average temperature in the mid-80's and with the humidity about the same.

This week was spent meeting with some of the folks I will be working closely with, finding out-of-the-way stores and exploring downtown Basseterre, and filling my refrigerator with food to last more than 2 days. Being surprised by a large, totally naked local man standing on the sidewalk on the way to the IGA (I think he was a wee bit intoxicated) was not exactly what I thought I would find at the local grocer but it sure added a little bit to a typical day!

Two events really stood out and made this past week very special. Because of Omar, we had our 'official and very proper' swearing-in ceremony reduced to standing around a speakerphone in the PC office and repeating the Oath of Office to a voice from St. Lucia last week. This Friday, with all our home-stay families, high-ranking government officials, our training instructors, new work friends and bosses and the Eastern Caribbean PC Country Director in attendance, we 12 dressed to the 9's and once again had the Oath of Office for a Peace Corps Volunteer administered. I was asked to sing our National Anthem while Alyssia Sellman from Texas, who had brought her violin with her, played. We were entertained by a wonderful local musical group who sings Caribbean folk songs, bored by very long, political speeches, inspired by several of our trainers who took the time to get to know us, and made their speeches pertinent and meaningful, and finally overwhelmed realizing that 'this is the moment' that really makes us "official" PCV's and that for the next 2 years this is our home. Barry, who has been here for a year, volunteered to take photos of the ceremony with my camera. I winnowed 330 down to just under a 100 and have attached 5 to give you an idea of what the ceremony was like.

5) - Our EC Banner,
4) - Take the Oath
3) = the entire EC78 group with our PC Staff.
2) - Abdul-Karim Ahmed & Me (our very favorite trainer)
1) - The Deputy High Commissioner enjoying the free food!

The other fantastic event that occurred yesterday is that Abdul invited me over to spend the day on Nevis. We've been here 9 weeks and it was the first time we could officially go explore the other 1/2 of this 2-island nation which is only a 45-minute ferry ride away.

And what an island. It is so different than St. Kitts. Much smaller and much more beautiful. Because it has always been the home of the 'gentry', it is much cleaner, the living much more up-scale, the hotels (including the Four Seasons) much more posh, and the beaches are really glorious. I have been asked to work on the marketing and PR for the upcoming Caribbean Film Festival held in May as part of Nevis' Culturama and which Adbul is spearheading. That reason was a great excuse of a day of pure enjoyment as we explored the island, met many of the locals, enjoyed a wonderful lunch and just completely relaxed. Conversation was non-stop and topics bounced from work, to very serious island-related problems, to the silly and mundane. Adbul, born on Nevis, educated from the age of 10 in the UK and the States, returned home only 4 years ago with a goal of getting involved in his community and really making a difference for his people. He is now the government-appointed community cohesion director for the island and very seriously considering running for elected office. I took gobs of pictures and will post only a few but for anyone who comes here for a visit, a day or two on Nevis is mandatory!

Lastly - most of you had your clocks "Fall back" last night. We in the Caribbean don't participate in this very American tradition. So until the States 'Springs forward' I am now 1 hour ahead of the East Coast, 2 ahead of those in the Midwest, etc. etc. I'm going to try and remember that I am now 4 hours ahead of my son in CA and not wake him at some ungodly hour in the middle of the night the next time I call to check in!

Well, that was my week. Today is set aside for laundry and scrubbing the floors and straightening up the apartment and NFL football, which now won't start till mid-afternoon. TV prime time starts at 9 p.m. and runs till midnight. ARGH!

You all enjoy your day and I'll be in touch next week. Take care of each other!

ReAnn

For All those who read Marcy's Newsletter re Sewing Supplies

Thank you so much for sending your comments and questions about how you can send much needed sewing supplies to me here on St. Kitts.

If you will click on "My Complete Profile" and once on that page, under my 'tree hugging' picture you see a blue link for Email. Just click and you go directly to my email and I can answer each and every one of your questions personally.

FYI, anything sent to me at my Peace Corps address I do not have to pay duty. And the cheapest form of sending packages from the States is the good ol' post office. If several go together and fill a box, then you can split, yes, the very outrageous postage charge. Sorry, but there is not way to get around this - no deal other than duty free entry on packages for Peace Corps members.

Again, many thanks for your interest in helping me help these wonderful women. I just came back from class tonight where we learned that those that work (the majority) at the small American and foreign-owned manufacturing factories here on the island are being laid-off through the end of the year. We are suggesting, hoping and helping them as much as we can in their starting up home-based sewing business to tide them over through the holidays. Almost every one is a single-mother with several children at home to cloth and feed. So your gifts will be even more useful and appreciated during this very difficult time.

ReAnn

Sunday Afternoon in my own home!

Here I sit, gazing out over the Caribbean Sea, sweating and dreaming of fall, sweaters, jeans, hot chocolate and the smell of wood burning in the fireplace. I'm averaging at least 2, and sometimes 3, showers a day in my itty-bitty shower. But at least I have hot water and great pressure.

Let's see what's happened since last I wrote - had another meeting with Mr. Widdowson of Wingfield Estate and now have a long list where I can start researching the history of this wonderful historical site. Our first big ship of the winter cruise season docked downtown yesterday. I can see the top half of the ships and the stacks from my balcony. Downtown was busy with 'cruisers' filling all the shops and bars.

Thinking I would be less alone if I agreed to adopt 2 of our PC nurse's latest litter of kittens, I, a lifelong animal lover, discovered in some cases I'm not. She forgot to say that they were 8 weeks old, had never been held or loved by human hands, we're the kittens of feral cats and didn't have a clue how to use a litter box. They also howled and mewed constantly and with these high ceilings, you cannot even being to imagine the sound. After they had been here for less than a hour, running like mad all over the house and litterally bouncing off the walls, the gold & white one dove through the grate off the balcony, landed on top of a car parked on the street, shook itself off and went racing down the street. The black and white one spent the entire night screaming at the top of his/her very strong lungs, refusing to be petted or even allow me to get close. Then at 5:30 a.m. the sound increased and when I struggled out of bed to see what was happening, there was the 'balcony diver' sitting at the door wanting in. They both ate breakfast and then went together through the holes in the door, down the stairs and out the front door - I really hope never to return!

The Kittians do not do 'pets' as we know them. They also do not know the word 'neuter. Packs of homeless dogs and cats roam the streets with no homes to claim them, multiplying like bunnies. And the chickens roam through all the yards and alleys. I have a rooster next door who is sure that sunrise is at 2 a.m.!

I've spent several days cutting up my PC-issued mosquito netting that I can't install over my bed because of the height of the ceilings, and sewing them onto the 'burglar bars' which cover each window. They make excellent 'screens.' I have also spent 2 days trying to get the gecko that came in the guest bedroom window out from under the bed and down the toilet. The kitchen sink backed up - again, and when Jeffery (landlord's son) appeared with a hammer (instead of Drain-o) in hand I learned the best way to clear the jammed pipes was to bang on them. It works! Oh, and there was a big funeral at the church catty-corner across the street. This happens to be one of the 2 main streets through town. They set up a tent that covered the entire street, visitors and the choir sat down on chairs under the tent and the traffic for the entire 4 hours on a busy Saturday had to be diverted around them. The music of the gospel choir was fantastic as it came pouring through my windows.

And though I was looking forward after 7-weeks of training to some time alone, because of my very central downtown location, I have at least 2-3 of the young PCV's drop by daily. I was warned that I might become a substitute 'mom' and it looks like that is happening. I get calls for recipes and the latest was if bleach could be used to clean wood floors. My years of knowledge is really paying off!

I didn't take any new pictures this week but thought I would share with you all one of the 'men in my life.' From left to right are my oldest, Tobin, my nephew Justin, and my youngest, Sean. Our dear friend James Woodward invites the guys to an annual meet-up each Fall in Chicago for the Bears-Vikings game where he has season tickets. This was a tradition he started after John passed away and they guys have a blast - no matter which team wins. This was taken last Sunday at Soldier Field and all reports were a fantastic time was had by all!

We are going to be sworn-in once again on Friday with the complete official ceremony that was canceled because of Omar. And believe it or not, we have one last training session that also got canceled because of the weather. ARGH and just when we thought we were all done and 'official.'

Well, that's about all for this week. Take care of each other, "see you" next weekend.

ReAnn