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