Were you born that color?

Children are amazing. Especially the young ones. Honest and without judgment, they say what's on their mind.  Not sure we're always ready to hear them, but if we take the time to listen we're bound to learn something new.


"Were you born that color?" Zalika asked me during one of our creative writing sessions last week.  
"What color?" I answered not sure where this was going.
"That color," she said, pointing at my face.
"You mean white?"
"Yes," she said.
"Yes, I was born white."
"Do you like being white?"
"Yeah, but I have to be careful when I'm in the sun, because my skin gets burned and I don't like it when it gets red."
"Do you like black people?"  Zalika asked.
"Sure I do."
"Why?" she asked.
"I like all people," I answered in my 1960's way.
"I thought white people hated black people in America."
"Some do I guess, but it's a lot more complicated than that."
"You must love black people then?"
"Why?"
"Because you're living here with us."
"I"m living here with you, because I like you," I said, and threw my arm over her shoulder to bring her close to me.
She hugged back and the conversation moved on to other things, but the replay of what she said has been with me all week.


Today is Christmas and I want to wish you all a Merry Merry day surrounded by love and joy and family, music and laughter, but above all the replay of those little moments that touch the heart most of all.

And then there are the buses...

Running Man, Rush, Hi Tension, Fighting Cock, Back Again, Raging Bull, Desperado, Tiger, Big Banana, Higher Level, Me Da Man; these are just a few of the names painted on the buses that take me to and from the village where I live. Powerful monikers conjuring up images jam packed with testosterone. A bit intimidating when you consider the blind turns and narrow roadways we are about to share, and there is no Click It Or Ticket law here. In fact, there are few seat belts. Buses are 12-15 passenger vans, and other than taxis or walking, they are the only transportation available to Peace Corps volunteers.  (Taxis are also 12-15 passenger vans, but are mostly hired by tourists as a way for a guided visit of the island during their one day cruise ship ports of call.)  I've been here long enough now to become familiar with the names of these buses recognizing them from up the road as they careen around the corner to where I am waiting to board. I've also come to know the distractions of the drivers of each vehicle, whether it be talking with the passenger in the front seat - gesturing wildly, immersed in conversation, usually political - or singing along with music blasting from the radio, mostly spiritual songs of praise, demonstratively sung by the driver with a bold zeal and only one hand on the wheel.  In spite of the immediate fervency of these chosen distractions, I am convinced that all drivers possess a secret dream of one day being featured at Nascar, a sport and a venue I have yet to learn to appreciate.

The road from Cayon to Basseterre follows mostly parallel to the Atlantic, but unlike the ocean shore it's path is windy and sometimes treacherous imploring good sense. moderate speeds and caution.  With legendary curves and hairpin turns there are parts that are reminiscent of the canyons that lead from Malibu and the Pacific Coast Highway to the valleys of San Fernando and Ventura. It is a beautiful drive following the ocean vista, but too often it turns into an anguishing experience as impatient drivers blow on by more cautious travelers with a honk and a wave, maneuvers that would send me to my knees if I were the kind to genuflect in fear.  The funny thing is, there are several points in this 10 mile stretch of road that require a driver to almost come to a stop as gates warn of impending train tracks or extreme dips in the otherwise level surface.  And then there are the passengers to pick up or drop off along the way - a hand suddenly flagging roadside for a lift or a voice shouting from inside, "stay here" - the driver reacting in an instant; pulling over, slamming on brakes, while passengers shift to make room for someone new or to let someone off, all this is common and happens on every route. In the end speed has little effect on time.  Not for the faint of heart riding buses in St. Kitts, but I've learned to view this part of my day as an E ticket roller coaster ride where the more harrowing the curve, the more blind the turn, the more extreme the drop, the louder the screams of thrill can be heard calling others to the experience. 

I picked guavas from the tree in the backyard at my house this weekend.  It was an interesting taste - refreshing though a bit sour.  I'm waiting patiently for the papaya to ripen.  There are at least a dozen of them hanging on the tree outside my bedroom window, green and not yet fully grown, but I check on them every morning, just in case the birds are also waiting for them to mature.  There is also a mango tree, a breadfruit tree, a sugar apple tree, and a Noni tree - a tropical fruit used for medicinal purposes and said to regenerate the body. While that tree seems to be overgrown with ripe offerings, I think I'll stick with 2 Tylenol and bed rest.  Max has also planted an herb garden full of chives. I have added basil and thyme - two plants which I acquired on my visit to the farm last month, and herbs which I use often in cooking.

School closed nationwide last Friday and will remain closed until January 10.  The official start of Carnival is this weekend, with Calypso finals being held December 16th and 17th. Then it's Christmas on the 25th, Boxing Day on the 26th, J'Ouvert on the 27th, the Grand Carnival on January 1st, the Carnival Cooldown on January 2nd, and the Last Lap on January 3rd. Kittitians love their Carnival. You can feel it when you walk down the street, and see it in the body language of the locals; there is a whole lot of partying being planned!

Cruise ship season is also here and since tourism is at the heart of the economy on St. Kitts, it will be a long season with officials projecting some 600,000 visitors between now and May 1. I'm not sure how much the tourists of 2010 - 2011 will contribute though, even their purse strings are drawn tight with the world economy still in recession. Traditionally, St. Kitts depended on the growing and processing of sugar cane for their economic stability, but when the industry reacted to shifts in decreasing world prices, tourism became the focus. I think it's sad that this island nation and its people depend so much on the revenue of tourism for their survival, especially when you consider that tourism contributes little to the long term economy.  It seems a fickle foundation when both hurricanes and crime can effectively bring it to a halt with little warning.  But I understand the government is trying their best to diversify and I hope to see those positive developments take place while I'm here. 

Pictures of my house:



Living Room

 

Dining Area

 

Bedroom - Master

 

Guest Bedroom

 

Shower 

 

Kitchen Sink

 

Kitchen



And now my Christmas tree - courtesy of my friend Elizabeth who sent it to me from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.  

 

Merry Merry



And so it goes.  I'll write again before Christmas to wish you all a merry one and to catch up on the time between now and then.

Latkes for me and Pumpkin Pie for Max

It's Hannukah, not a holiday I've actively celebrated since the girls were young and I decided that 8 days of gifts plus Christmas plus Maggie and Caitlin's birthdays all in the month of December made the "holiday's" a bit too indulgent even for someone who loves to play Santa Claus/Hanuklaus as I do.  I continued to make latkes from time to time however, and Tuesday when I realized it was the first night of Hannukah, I decided to celebrate as in the old days and make potato latkes. They were delicious! I also had some pumpkin pie filling left over from the week before and since I was in a mood to cook, I made a pumpkin pie for my neighbor Max.  Max is 80, a cousin of the woman who owns the house I live in. Surrounding houses are also owned by relatives of Max and most have been in the family for almost as long as he has.  Max does errands and "fix it" stuff around the neighborhood, but he is especially known for the herb garden he tends right next to my house.  Last month he planted basil and thyme for me, both of which I've used several times already.  (Pictures proving my expertise as a culinary artist and a laundress!)

I have been thinking a lot about "home" this past week, missing my girls, my friends, the life I've lived and wondering if my time here is being well spent. But then I remember that the life I've lived up to now has taken me on many roads, some even stranger than this, and while this road may feel more isolated and difficult because I am older and have more emotional ties, it is a challenge with the fundamental purpose of helping people, and a challenge that I want to continue to embrace for as long as I am needed and making a difference.  Besides, 27 months isn't so long. One day at a time, and remember to breathe in between!

Today is my baby girl Maggie's birthday.  24, beautiful, smart, and working hard trying to figure out her tomorrow.  I do question how my decisions have affected her future and I pray she understands how much I love her. My children are my heart, all 3 of them. It is clearly a day sprinkled with melancholy.  The sun is shining though, and the wind is perfect for hanging my clothes on the line to dry. Listening to Frank Sinatra croon old tunes, feeling a little lonely and thinking of all of you.

My friend, the Rooster...

Turkey Day passed uneventfully and while I did not enjoy the traditional dinner with my family and friends, I did  make mini pumpkin pies thanks to a package sent to me by my friend Nancy containing all the ingredients for pumpkin pie, including 6 mini graham cracker pie crusts.

This week has been extremely busy.  National Youth Month continued with a breakfast fundraiser on Friday organized by my office to raise money for the Residential Summer Camp sponsored by the Department of Youth.  We offered 3 meal choices in a pre-order sale to people who work in the various Ministries.   Option 1:  Salt fish, hard boiled egg, fruit, muffin, rolls, salad and potatoes.  Option 2:  Sausage, hard boiled egg, johnny cakes, pancakes, fruit and salad.  Option 3: Whatever was left over that didn't contain meat or fish.  Food was prepared by volunteers and brought to the office by 6:00 a.m. so that we could put it together in containers for pick up.  About 100 meals were served and $1,000 was raised.  Later that afternoon I was a volunteer worker at the World Aids Day March.  This time I was on garbage pick up, following the walkers and retrieving their discarded water bottles, food wrappers and unwanted condoms passed out only moments before. I will confess mine was not an especially sought after assignment, most volunteers opted for information/condom distribution or banner holding, but then again it wasn't as bad as the person who has to follow the elephants in a Circus parade.

And finally on Saturday morning, I participated in a building project similar to Habitat for Humanity, where a team of volunteers built a house in one day for an 85 year old displaced man who had worked for Public Works here on St. Kitts for some 55 years.  Now a squatter living in a one room shanty without doors, electricity, plumbing or water, the man watched patiently sitting in a folding chair across the street while we gathered his belongings and set them aside before the caterpillar arrived to raze the place he'd called home for 17 years.  Working from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. we were able to demolish, clear debris, build and furnish a new home that will hopefully bring the comfort and peace this man deserves in his remaining years. After the initial demolition, the caterpillar and backhoe left the site and the carpenters arrived to erect the structure.  Once the floor was laid and the sides were in place, I knew that the many hands of caring people gathered together would transform this dream into reality for a fellow human being who had somehow become one of the many neglected and forsaken elderly.  I am grateful for the experience and for the opportunity to be a part of this team.

I have become quite fond of the rooster who sleeps in the tree outside my kitchen window. He is a handsome specimen, with black feathers, a greenish sheen, and green blue legs.  He has excellent lungs and uses them often, flocking calls to gather his hens. He has become my touch stone, climbing into his spot at the same time everyday around sunset and crowing at the break of day whether I'm ready to listen to him or not.  Actually he crows all day, an especially vociferous bird and very territorial it seems.

Getting up early has become one of my favorite things to do here. Coffee in hand of course, I love to look out the window at dawn as the sun rises over the Atlantic Ocean.  It is especially breathtaking and a powerful moment of nature at its best. It is a time that makes me feel blessed.

Finally....

I've been in the Peace Corps since August 24 and am finally writing my first blog.  It would seem that I have become a real procrastinator.  So, a quick review to catch up is in order, and I will try to be more prolific in the months ahead. 

The two day overview training held in Miami accomplished it's goal; a resting place with familiar surroundings to calm the anxiety and give us all a chance to become acquainted. It also left two volunteers behind as we headed to the Eastern Caribbean program headquarters in St. Lucia for a scheduled 5 day training. 

From there we were to separate and go to our assigned islands, 10 to St. Vincent, 6 to Antigua, and 10 to St. Kitts and Nevis.  Hurricane Earl had other plans, however.  While the group bound for St. Vincent did leave, the rest of us were delayed, which for the first day was no hardship considering we were staying in the beautiful Bel Jou hotel in Castries.  Besides, it offered an element of unexpected adventure to our beginning and promised a break from the already tedious training.  


Not so fast.  The delay was extended for more than one night and our stay at the Bel Jou was not - they were sold out.  We were moved to the Pastoral Center for the remainder of our time on St. Lucia, where training resumed, and the reality was much more what you would expect of the Peace Corps experience - no air conditioning, no hot water, minimal food and plenty of mosquitoes.  After two more days of trying to navigate through our no longer neatly packed suitcases, piles of dirty clothes, growling stomachs and sagging spirits we were ready to go.  And finally, on Thursday Earl had moved on and so did we. 


We arrived in St. Kitts and were welcomed at the airport by a smiling group of current PCV's.  There were vans waiting to take us into Basseterre where we would meet our host families and get settled in our new homes, but first we had to claim our luggage. A slight glitch - most of the luggage wasn't there.  Eight of the 10 of us did not receive our luggage. After what seemed an eternity of filling out forms and trying to understand how to translate "just now" into real time, we finished the bureaucratic business and piled into the vans for the drive to Basseterre.  It was on this ride that I realized that 95 degrees, 100% humidity, and clothes worn too many times by people without the benefit of a washing machine were not the best combination for the olfactory glands while crammed into a car with 10 people. The ride turned out to be mercifully short, but the wait for luggage did not.  "Just now" was 36 hours.  


For most of us, during the next 6 weeks, integration into the Kittitian culture was made easier by living with host families; and the Peace Corps staff and trainers did an excellent job of preparing us for service, but everyone was glad when the day finally arrived to move into our own homes.  Personal space is definitely a priority for me, and I was grateful to have it back.  

The Peace Corps swearing in ceremony culminated the first year of official service training for the 10 of us, and though we will be back together as a group for mid service training in November of 2011, we will pretty much be going our separate ways until then.

                                                                               

My "home" for the next two years will be in Cayon, a village on the Atlantic side of the island and about a 15 minute bus ride to town.  It's a comfortable house in a quiet neighborhood, friendly neighbors who watch out for me, friendly chlorophyll colored lizards who think that when I open my front door it's an invitation for them to come in, and friendly goats grazing the many open grassy areas on the hillside.  I can set my watch by their passing - both in the morning and the afternoon.  Most days, walking up the hill on my way home from work, I come across a stray kid bleating like a lost child and nudge it to follow me while I take it back to the herd.


My school attachment is with the Maurice Hillier Memorial School where I have been assigned to a 3rd grade class.  After meeting with the principal of the school, I learned that diabetes and childhood obesity are major issues for the people of St. Kitts.  The Ministry of Health is encouraging schools to take the lead in teaching children how to make healthy choices. The Ministry of Youth Empowerment would like to prepare primary school students toward leadership with entrepreneurial efforts.  Thus the "Healthy Breakfast Cereal Entrepreneurial Project" was born.  The students were eager and responsive as each child created, packaged, made, marketed and sold their own healthy breakfast cereal. I also produced a television commercial/PSA which the children starred in.  My friend Chris, a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer, filmed and edited the piece and a man from the Ministry of Culture set the jingle I wrote to music. The children were excited and felt like celebrities when the piece aired on ZIZ, the local television station. The business part of the project was successful too, with the 200 portions students made almost selling out in pre-sales alone.  In an effort to make the project sustainable, proceeds from the sale were given to the school as seed money for future projects.  I am currently working on a creative writing project with the same class.  More on that later. 


My work assignment is with the Ministry of Youth Empowerment My counterpart, Geoffrey Hanley, is the Director of Youth. The people in the office, Diane, Chereca and Rudell are great to work with and very supportive.  I just "moved in" last week and am looking forward to tackling a number of projects during my time here.  In the meantime, November is National Youth Month and I've been busy helping the office implement the projects they planned for this month.  In fact, yesterday was the annual high school "Chef's Competition."  5 of the 7 high schools participated in the event. Each school was represented by 2 cooks who had an hour and a half to create two dishes using only ingredients from a box of food they were given.  Contents of the box were the same for each team and only the staff from the office of Youth Empowerment knew what the boxes contained.  3 judges, one a local chef, rated the teams in areas of organization, taste, creativity, and cleanliness.  Students were intense, focused and professional.  It was a lot of fun to watch. Last week was also Youth Agricultural Day and I joined everyone on a tour of the farms located in surrounding villages.  The day covered the 26 mile perimeter of the island and was not only interesting, but also productive for me.  By the end of the day, when I was dropped off at my house in Cayon, I had collected a bag of fresh vegetables and herbs which I used to make a stir fry for dinner.  To culminate the month of activities, there will be a 3-day long Youth Habitat project next weekend with youth and adult volunteers joining to build a house for an elderly man who has been displaced.  A very impressive undertaking.

Next installment will cover heat/humidity, tropical storms/hurricanes, dialect as in "everyone speaks English why can't I understand," bus rides/bus drivers, collapsing sidewalks, Peace Corps training modules/flip charts/group exercises, clothes lines where it would be lovely to watch your sheets flap in the ocean breeze if they weren't flapping into the cement wall, food, flip flops, integration, and a sense of humor.

Until then, Happy Thanksgiving.