De plane, De plane!

Friday is still my teaching day at Maurice Hillier and I'm enjoying getting to know the kids again after the long winter break.  Last week I planned a lesson on expository writing since the creative writing sessions of the past month hadn't turned out as I'd hoped.  I decided to tackle the "how to" of writing directions, a skill they will be tested on at the end of term, and an important skill in organizing thoughts for written expression.

First, we talked about the steps they need to consider when writing directions that explain how something works, how to make something, or how to get from one place to another.  Then I distributed a hand out on "how to make a paper airplane" for them to review, and gave each student a piece of paper to practice with.  A hands-on opportunity to experience what they would later be required to write about on their own.  Each and every one of them made great airplanes and couldn't wait to fly them outside as I'd promised.  The problem in the lesson came when I collected the cheat sheets and instructed them to write the "how to" directions in their composition books on their own.  Only 4 children in the class could successfully use words to explain what they had just done with their hands.

Needless to say, I had to repeat the "directions" lesson again this week; this time asking them to write directions on "how to make lemonade" with a promise that we would use the clearest directions to make lemonade the following week.  I also tried a different teaching approach by creating a list of 15 helping words from class suggestions which I wrote on the blackboard.  Students were told to copy the words in their composition books and organize them in the order they would appear in their step by step directions.  The only rule was that they had to use all 15 words. This extra organization helped them think through what they were writing before they started, and seemed to work.  At least everyone completed the assignment, and most everyone was still smiling at the end.

A few pictures of the kids with their paper airplanes:

Going up the road to come back...

Can someone please explain to me what "I'm going up the road to come back" actually means?  I've asked this same question of my coworkers who use the phrase at least 10 times a day, and they both laugh at me.  Am I being punked?

"Why would you go up the road to come back?" I ask. "Are you going to the store, to a meeting, to the beach? Where is up the road?"

"Connie, you're killing me," Diane answers.

"Me going up the road," Rudell adds and walks out the door. "Me come back."

Clearly there's a lot of coming and going at my office.


I met with the Minister of Youth, Sports, Technology, and Post yesterday in an attempt to bring focus to the larger picture of what I will be doing during my service here on St. Kitts.  Youth crime and violence is a major issue for Kittitians, not just gang crime and violence, which is prevalent, but also petty theft, fighting, graffiti, vandalism, the "testing of waters" offenses that can too often lead to crime as a vocation.  Did I just say that?  Liberal me?  Am I speaking in tongue? Does that mean I now think that smoking marijuana will lead to a heroin addiction? A beer to a daily fifth of Scotch and a lifetime of alcoholism?  Do I suddenly believe in the death penalty as a deterrent to murder?  Have I slipped the tenuous edges of politically correct sanity and become an advocate for reactionary judgment?  A supporter of the zero tolerance policy?

No. But I do think that in a country with an economy as challenged for sustainability as this one; where advanced education is not expected, especially for males; and where few resources are available for the many in need, that there is a substantial hole in the boat with little tether to anchor a promising future.  


Weaknesses in public systems can exacerbate problems for youth and lead to risky behavior and bad decisions. Young people need to be engaged and responsible. This is a universal truth.  I believe a youth court program will provide that opportunity and it is one of the reasons I would like to introduce and implement the program here on St. Kitts. Through direct participation in youth court, juveniles accept responsibility for their behavior and are held accountable  The program is envisioned as a partnership between Ministries, law enforcement, schools, businesses and community organizations.  The concept is to challenge the entire community to take an active role in solving juvenile crime. 


Participation in the youth court program, either as a volunteer or as a respondent, will not only interrupt a potential pattern of criminal behavior, enhance respect for the justice system and promote restorative justice, but will also educate, encourage volunteerism, develop good citizenship and empower youth. I believe it would be a valuable use of my time in service.


And so it goes.  Thanks for reading.

Ahhh, the breeze...

What can I say about the cool down of December and January?   I am grateful.  Happy for the return of once a day showers and sleep time that requires a top sheet to take the soft chill from the night. The days still bring a high of 82 with little variation in the temperature from morning until evening but without the oppressive humidity and breezeless sky that I experienced while living in Basseterre during September and October.


The house that I live in now sits atop a hill in Spooners, a blink of an eye Parrish above a valley of homes in  Lower Cayon, a village located across from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.   Opening the slats of the many hurricane windows throughout the house creates an invigorating breeze.  So invigorating is the breeze here on my hill that I have actually begun taking daily walks climbing upward toward the abandoned sugar cane fields that used to be part of a large plantation before the government shut down the industry in 2005.  At the crest of these fields the view is breathtaking, reminding me how lucky I am to be spending the winter in a tropical paradise, away from the cold and gray grip of winter that claims most of the United States.


It seems as though things have returned to normal here in the Federation. Kittitians are back to work or school or gathering in groups on earlier claimed street corners catching each other up and filling time gossiping. They seem content to be people watchers and street poets, biding their time between sunrise and sunset, weaving fish stories of grand yesterdays and greater tomorrows.  I guess for some this is a purpose, insulating from the reality of relentless hours, navigating the "how to" of filling endless days.  "Liming" is the word assigned to the many wasted days and wasted nights of the unemployed or indolent.  Depression, recession, dependence on tourism, government indifference, personal apathy; all are cited as reasons and excuses depending on who is doing the citing.

On a lighter note, I met with the St. Kitts/Nevis ACPCD on Thursday morning and she was encouraging, positive and complimentary regarding my efforts here.  Important stuff when recognition is the compensatory return for commitment. I also enjoyed my first day back at the school, meeting with the class of 3rd graders I have come to regard as "my kids."  For the time being, I plan to continue working there once a week focusing on improving writing skills and encouraging creativity. 


I came upon a troop of green vervet monkeys this weekend and they were fascinating to watch. Fathers preening and posing on tree limbs, yawning in their indifference to the females, distinguished by their larger size and their turquoise blue scrotum.  Mothers are proprietary in the treatment of their babies and most won't allow young or even adult females to hold or carry them. Grooming is very important and mothers of infants spend hours picking parasites from fur and licking away dirt and other materials.  Cute is not necessarily friendly though.  Vervet monkeys have been known to attack people and their belongings, raid gardens, fruit trees and laundry lines.  Remarkably fast, they are also Houdini like escape artists, able to climb, swing through the forest branches and swim their way out of trouble. Disappearing into the camouflage of the foliage doesn't hurt either.


Monkey pictures and their beach hangout:




This shot will cost you 3 bananas.





Mother fussing over its baby. 



Father enjoying a complete body yawn.  Click on photo for closer look.



Sit ups monkey style.





Shipwreck beach, home to the monkey troop.



And so it goes on January 17, 2011. Are you jealous yet?  

Shutting Shop

I had some business to do at J&M Plumbing today and walked in to a shop crowded with customers.  Not exactly the kind of store for window shoppers, I knew it would be a while before I was served. As each person approached the counter they knew exactly what they wanted and the owner handled their requests quickly and efficiently until there were only two of us left.

"I'll take that," the man with the skinny little voice said pointing to a kitchen faucet set attached to the wall.

"Do you want the tubing too?"  Mr. J or M asked.

"How much it going to cost me?

"$126.00."

"When the price go up?"

"Been $126.00 for a year now."

"Got one cheaper?"

"They all more than $100.00 except the one at the end."

"It work good."

"Not that good."

"But me ain't got that kind of money."

"Nothing good is cheap, and nothing cheap is good," said Mr. J or M.

The man nodded his head in agreement, then looked in his wallet trying to remember the magic trick that could turn a 50 dollar bill into a 100 dollar bill. "Me come back later," he finally said.

"No problem, mon.  Better waiting to get what you want, than not wanting what you getting."

The man nodded his head in agreement again, and returned his wallet to his pocket.  As I watched him leave the phone rang.

"J&M Plumbing," boomed the voice of this dime store philosopher.

"Only one more customer," he said, "then I'm shutting shop." 

"Going fishing?" I asked, handing him a key to copy.

Mr. J or M broke into a hearty laugh, with the broadest smile I've seen in a long time.  A Caribbean version of Santa Claus at his most merry. He was a happy man and his joy was infectious.  It made my day.

A New Year Begins

2011 has arrived, full of promise and opportunity.  I've been lax about posting regularly and have as a resolution included more discipline when it comes to this - and other things.

The holidays on the island were celebratory, no doubt in my mind that Kittitians know how to party.  Starting with J'ouvert, the Carnival celebration went on for 8 days, finally ending on Monday, January 3 with the Last Lap parade.  Music, floats, colorful costumes, thousands of people singing, dancing and drinking, filled the streets of Basseterre for 3 days of grand parades.  If the Federation were like a boat and could capsize with too much weight on any one side, I would think the island would be submerged in water right now.  I did not participate in the Last Lap, but heard while in town yesterday that restaurants and officials had to finally shut down the festivities Monday night because people did not want to go home.  School doesn't start until the 10th and many offices are still on extended holiday hiatus, but I expect all things will be back to normal next week.


I did follow through on one of my resolutions already.  I joined a gym near my office.  The plan is to "work out" after work, another resolution requiring discipline.  So far, I've taken a tour of the facility and paid the first months fee.  I'm wondering if I don't need a new exercise outfit before I start, and maybe a pair of shoes made for this sort of thing.  Or....  Procrastination still reigns.


A little resolution history. "The tradition of New Year's Resolutions goes back to 143 B.C.  It was believed that Janus, a mythical king of early Rome with two faces, could look back on past events and forward to the future.  Janus was well known as the god of beginnings and endings and became the ancient symbol for resolutions.  Worshippers offered resolutions of good conduct - paying off debts, returning borrowed goods - to the double-faced Janus and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies at this time.  When the Roman calendar was reformed, the first month of the year was renamed January in honor of Janus, and January 1st became the day of new beginnings."


According to NPR, the 5 most common New Year's resolutions are:
1. Exercise/Lose weight
2. Spend more time with family and friends
3. Quit smoking
4. Get out of debt
5. Learn something new


While studies show that 52% of the people who make resolutions expect to be successful, they also show that only 15% are actually successful after the first month.  I am currently in the 52%.  


Pictures of J'ouvert.
  

Kittitians jamming

The crowd outside Ballahoo Restaurant

This partygoer decided he wanted to be an orange man.

Andrew, the tall white guy in the middle, is a fellow Peace Corps volunteer.

Note the military in the left of the photo, and how calmly they peruse the crowd.

And so it goes.  Resolved: I will write again next week.  Reality:  We shall see.