Officially 1/2 Way Through Training!!

That's right, we are now 1/2 way through our 7 weeks of training classes. We had mid-training reviews with our Country Director on Friday. It was nice to learn that she thinks I'm doing okay.

This past Tuesday I finally got to meet with the guidance counselor at the high school whom I will be working with for at least the first 6 months of my stay. She is a fabulous young lady. Born, raised and educated in Toronto by a Kittian mother who is now one of this country's ambassadors. When she finished her education, she chose to return to the island, to not only be near her mother, but to also put her education to work in the schools here. She not only does one-on-one counseling (which here is a whole lot more than trying to decide what you want to do once you've graduated) but also work with youth in crisis, monitor teenage mothers returning to the classroom, and even step in to break up physical fights that break out on a regular basis.

I spent my time with her taking a tour of the school which includes a pat-down and bag check at the gated entrance and new, high brick barricades to keep gang members from -scaling the walls and getting in. Sounds like any big-city school in the US. I met the teachers who head up the business track students and even the principal. I will eventually be working with their Junior Achievement group, which at the moment is on hiatus because that teacher is due to deliver within the next few weeks.

On Thursday I met with Maurice Widdowsen, owner and founder of Caribelle Batik, rejuvinator of Romney Manor and the soon-to-be renovated, adjacent Wingfield Estate grounds. Be sure to click on their link on the side - the fabrics are fantastic! Oh - and he also owns Island Hopper, the islands only up-scale clothing store. What a treat. Once he realized that I was going to be here for 2 years, he asked if I would be interested in working on the new marketing plan for Wingfield. It's the oldest European-built settlement on the island. Mr. Widdowsen is excited about being able to open this wonderful piece of island history to the general public some point in 2009. He has lived in the Caribbean for 30 years and employs a large number of locals in all of his businesses. It would a great pleasure to be able to help him see this latest vision come into fruition. Wingfield Manor is the oldest (1685) European establishment on the island. Christopher Samuel Jefferson was first owner of Wingfield, deeded to him by King George, and is the great, great, great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson. Romney Manor first appears on a map in 1735 but was built earlier when Sam Jefferson sold off some of the land to the Earl of Romney and he built his own manor house.

On Saturday we had a great, big spaghetti dinner at Ed & Georgia's home in Bel Vue. It was a long, and terribly dangerous, taxi ride from downtown. Have I mentioned that taxi drivers think they're Jimmy Johnson or Mario Andretti? You really are taking your life in your own hands when you step into one of these 15-passenger mini-buses - our only transportation option other than our own feet for the next 2 years.

During the drive on the way out we missed a head-on collision with a huge truck by literally inches when our bus driver didn't want to go through a recent rain puddle and swerved around it - into the path of the truck. And coming back in the dark was even worse. Just as we are getting closer to town, a huge pig waddled across the road in front of our bus that was going at least 55-60 MPH. The driver swerved, I think caught the pig on the snout, and thank goodness, no one was coming at us in the opposite lane, otherwise...we and the pig would have been mush!


But back to dinner. All the on-island PCV's were there along with us 'newbies.' Ed and Georgia's house literally sits on an ocean-side cliff with a fantastic view and a great breeze. They are an older couple (50's) from the West coast. He ran an ER and she is a licensed acupuncturist. She works in the schools (just finished setting up a library at the local grade school) and he teaches ER nursing at the local college. It was nice to talk to everyone outside of class and the food was delicious. Spaghetti and meat balls, homemade red sauce, huge tossed salad, garlic bread - total yum. First really 'American' meal we've had since we arrived - unless you count the kids doing a Domino Pizza night or stopping into KFC for a piece of chicken.

Today is Sunday. Have I mentioned the church really isn't church unless the service runs from 2 - 2 1/2 hours? Today I skipped and stayed home to study for a big written test we have tomorrow afternoon. I can't remember the last time I had to take a written test, other than when I got my NC drivers license. I'm scared to death. I find I just don't retain details like I used to and haven't a clue what the PC will do if you flunk.

Let's see - what else did I do this past week? Oh - Oliver took me along and I joined the St. Christopher Chorale. A wonderful, non-demoninational choir made up of men and women with beautiful voices, who perform at 3-5 large events throughout the year. The choir director is a Scottish woman who is extremely talented and has a great sense of humor. This will be fun!

And - I found out where I will be living once we leave our homestay families. I'll right downtown in one of the island's tallest buildings - 4 stories. I haven't seen the inside yet, but did walk around the entire building. Looks as if there are 4 apartments on each floor, each with their own balcony and lots and lots of windows. The front side overlooks the mountains and the backside the bay. No, don't know which one I'll have, but do know I'll be on the top floor. I got the biggest laugh, after chatting about my continuing fight with bugs and bites and constant itching with the PC medical officer, when she said once I move I won't have to worry about that any more because bugs don't fly up as high as I'll be! Okay:)

Well, time to study some more, watch a little golf and have another big Sunday dinner. Don't know if I mentioned I've lost 15 lbs. since I arrived on-island. Lots of walking, but even more sweating and most of the time, it's just too hot to be hungry. So all the clothes I brought with me are lose and some even falling off. So all in all, a great week.

Take care of each other -

ReAnn

Pixs this week, in order are:

-The 'kids' hanging out on Ed & Georgia's porch before dinner
-Me on the ledge over Black Rocks - just past Ed & Georgia's house
-A fun a colorful 'bar' on the edge of the cliffs of Black Rock
-A rain shower coming over the mountain
-A beauiful rainbow after the shower

Another week in Paradise

This has been an extremely relaxing week as, because of National Hero's Day and the Independence celebrations, we only had classes on 2 days. Right now, it's 12:39 a.m. and fireworks are exploding over Basseterre - the last big event to mark the end of this major holiday.

I spent much of my 'down time' with Elvira and Oliver, just limin' (which means relaxin', hangin' out, chillin'). The letter 'g' is almost never heard at the end of a word here. My 'ear' is starting to hear more of the creole-based dialect that is used throughout the Caribbean. It's lilting and lovely when spoken slow. But when the Kittians speak to each other, as fast as we do, I'm totally lost. I say 'excuse me?' and 'huh?' a lot.

The only big thing that happened this week is that I got bitten on my big toe by a fire ant and it got terribly infected. It swelled to almost double the size and red streaks were shooting up my foot. Elvira had me soaking in warm, saltwater foot baths and our PC nurse gave me a Benedryl to take during my least favorite class, with the warning to me and the instructor that I might get a little sleepy. I dozed the entire 4-hours and missed Ms. Cotten's lesson on teaching remedial reading and math for grade school children. Since I won't be working in a school, that's just fine with me to have missed it all. Oh, and my toe is back to normal size.

Oh - one thing I did that I've never done before. I gave myself a haircut! My wonderful beautician back on Carolina Beach got me a pair of texturizing scissors before I left. Supposedly they thin out your hair without cutting a lot of length. So I went out on the drive and whacked away. Well, they cut some length off as well but if I do say so myself, not bad. Not different that ususal - just shorter and not as thick.

Tomorrow (oops),today is Sunday, which means up and out to church - this week with Oliver at St. George's Anglican. He is trying to talk me into auditioning for the St. Christopher Chorale, a group which performs several times each year for special occasions, made-up of a mixed group of islanders. Well see.....

Well, think I'll say goodnight - or good morning.

Take care - until next week.

ReAnn

My Pictures of St. Kitts

St. Kitts & Nevis Celebrate their Independence

It's time to celebrate the 25-year independence and formation of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. The festivities got into full swing the middle of last week and continue all through this week with calypso concerts, cricket matches, marathons, art and history exhibits,beauty pageant and cultural events of all kinds. Sunday was the massive, ecumenical religious opening ceremonies, attended the the Prime Minister, and in which my host, Oliver sang in a mass choir. Service was held on the cricket field in Warner Park. It was 4-hours long with much praising, singing, speaking and sermonizing. I was grateful that Elvira had had a headache that morning and the evening was the only church service I had to attend that day!

But it was an interesting evening. The Kittian men and women were dressed in their Sunday best, including some magnificent hats. The little children were well behaved and when the Methodist minister asked everyone to stand, join hands and sing "We Will Overcome" it was very moving. There is a undercurrent of change going on here that isn't loudly spoken of, but is known - that Nevis has thoughts of succeeding from the Federation to become an independent country. If one listened closely to the words of the speeches, you heard hints and bits and pieces of political dissatisfaction. It's going to be an interesting 2 years.

Besides our on-going training classes (of which, because of the celebrations, we only have to endure for 2 days this week!)on Saturday all but 2 of our PC classmates lost our 'virginity' as Hash House Harriers! The 'Hash' as they are called, were started by the British in Indonesia during the days of the Raj, as a way to entertain themselves and provide a small sporting event whose main purpose was to party!

The main 'hare' lays a trail for both runners and walkers. The start and end of each Hash is a local bar or pub. This week's hash, whose course was designed by the diabolical John, wearing his Independence costume of black running shorts with a silver, metallic cod-piece, Viking cap sporting several national flags and colored vest, is well-known for laying out some of the most difficult courses on the island. Our first hash proved to be one of the hardest ever done (attested by long-time members). Imagine, if you will, looking at the attached picture where you can see bodies of water on each side of the island, the height of those small mountains, the depth of the powdery sand on the beaches and the amount of scrub brush on what only a maniac would call a trail, and you have the conditions of this week's Hash. (What you see is where the Atlantic (left) and the Caribbean Sea (right) meet and in the background is the island of Nevis, with her volcano obscured, as usual, by clouds).

The course for both runners and walkers is over 2 miles. You must look for chalk 'hashes' that have been stenciled along the route and beware - the Head Hash Hare has laid a few fake hashes along the way that can send you dashing down the wrong trail. The temperature is, of course, hovering at the daily 87 degrees with 80-90% humidity. How fun, you say. Exhausting and dehydrating - yeah!

When we had all straggled back onto the beach at Frier's Bay to meet back up at the starting point (Godfather's Beach Shack & Bar) we found plenty of cold Carib and grilled hamburgers and hot dogs waiting. All 'virgin' Hasher's had to kneel, recite the pledge, chug a full beer and then were anointed with whole bottles and sprays of cold Carib. As you can see from the pics, it was hilarious. After a plunge in the sea to wash some of the beer out of our eyes and hair, we sat around, getting to know our fellow Hashers. Students from the medical schools, quite a few locals and ex-pats make up the membership. It was fun, for the first time, to meet people outside our PC base of contacts. Hashes are held ever 3 weeks and we are all looking forward to our next as full-fledged members!

Today (Tuesday) is National Hero's Day. I could have run a 10K up Brimstone Hill starting at 5:30 or attended the 8 a.m. laying of the wreaths at the WWII memorial, but I chose to write this missive, spend the day in rest and contemplation, enjoy one of Oliver's delicious mid-afternoon meals and wander downtown tonight for the big concert. Ah life as a poor PC volunteer.

Until next time, as the saga continues......

1 Week Gone - Just 110 More to Go!

Wow, time flies when you're having fun - learning new things, meeting new people, stuck for hours in boring training sessions! The first week passed quickly and here I am again, sitting on Elvira and Oliver's porch, overlooking the sea as a storm cloud rolls in and telling tales of life on St. Kitts.

As you on the East Coast know, I was a wee bit worried as Hannah sped up the the coast and came in just 30 miles south of my house in Wilmington. But all is well and all NC
got was some strong winds and lots of much-needed rain. Here we ducked Ike, which veered north toward the Bahamas and Florida. Josephine is still a ways off but I added NOMA's website to my homepage and check it daily for hurricane updates.

Besides training and more training (you would think they could at least give us old folks chairs with cushions on which to rest on during the daily 9-4:30 sessions!) I've gotten to know Elvira and Oliver much better. They are such a wonderful couple and I feel blessed to be living with them - compared to some of the stories the other PCV's tell about their host families. Today, Sunday, it was my turn to go to church with Oliver. He attends the high Anglican Church and sings in the choir. It's a much different service from Elvira's. Very staid and formal compared to the joyful singling and hand-clapping, foot-stompin', praise-the-Lord service at Wesleyan Holiness. Guess which one I like the best?

Every Friday Oliver bakes bread and rolls for his family on Nevis and, of course, for us. Just look at the picture I took of his final product. I got steaming hot rolls, dripping with butter, right out of the oven. Fantastic. He's promised I will get at least one loaf a week once I move into my own place. Yum.

On Friday afternoon our entire group headed out to Brimstone Hill, the site of the major fort on the island which was their main means of defense for centuries. It was, of course, built by slaves, and changed back-and-forth between British, Spanish and French numerous times during the turbulent Caribbean history. The Minister of Culture met us there and gave us a lesson on the Creole language that is spoken here along with teaching us circle dances and folk songs - during which I managed to plant my big foot in the middle of a fire-ant hill. Three days latter and I'm still itching and stinging. Ow!

And now the really fun part of my week. Yesterday, Saturday, I joined Arron Harris, another PCV who has been here a year, and we met up with about 15 boys and girls and headed out to the Royal St. Kitts Golf Course at the Marriott Resort on Friggit Bay. The membership of the course offer what they call 'golf camp' to local kids who would never have a chance to ever learn the game or play. The children must bring their homework and we and members of the club help them however we can before we head out to the range or to play a few holes and teach the fundamentals of the game.

Just look at the picture of the boys who I got to take out on the course for a lesson. I had twin 7-year olds, a 12-year old and a 13 year old. It was like having a cart full of monkeys. Between stopping and teaching with every shot, finding lost balls and trying to keep them from driving off with the cart, one hole took an hour and a half to play. It was a long, water-lined par 5 and they wanted me to play as well. They use donated clubs, which as you can imagine, leave much to be desired. I drove off with a driver that was the size of the very first driver I ever owned back in high school. Compared to my over-sized Cobra, it was tinnie-tiny. But managed to bang
it straight down the fairway about 150 yards. The boys just ooo'd and awh'd. I put a 4-iron close to the green and then my only choice of club was a sawed-off 7-iron that came up to about my knees - think putt-putt clubs! Somehow I managed to chip the ball within 2 feet of the cup and sink the putt. Between telling the boys they couldn't stand on their balls and sink them into the green; that clubs were for swinging at the ball, not their twin brother; and trying to teach them a few basic rules of the game, the time just sped by.

When we returned to the clubhouse, Arron had arranged for me to meet with the head pro, the president of the members association, a local British businessman and another employee of the club to discuss the possibility of bringing The First Tee program here to St. Kitt's and possibly all of the Eastern Caribbean. It was a great meeting and everyone thinks it would be a wonderful way to teach the children the Core Value System that The First Tee stresses and is much needed here on the island. Will keep you posted on the outcome.

As the bus with the kids headed back into Basseterre, Arron and I headed to the new, air-conditioned Marriott for a lunch of cold beer, burgers and fries! After this wonderful treat, we went into the casino which has a wall of TVs and Dish TV showing every football game, golf game and tennis match, along with EC football and cricket being played. As you can guess, a favorite hang-out of the PCV's on Sunday afternoons. We can even use their beautiful beach and pools.

So my hard, hard life in the Caribbean continues. Oh - the other pic I posted is of the main cricket field here in Basseterre which hosted a World Cup event just this past year. Haven't seen a game yet or learned what a batter or pitchers does in a games that can take days to conclude, but I'll be sure and share all that info with you when I learn:)

Take care of each other....

ReAnn