Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head....

The rain is falling and I am without an umbrella.  I do have one, but it's at home and I'm at the office.  It never fails. I have bought three umbrellas since I arrived in St. Kitts and I never seem to have one with me when I need it. As many of you know, I grew up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, specifically Seattle, or more specifically, Des Moines.  In all the years I lived there, I never once used an umbrella; not even during my two year return home as an adult.  Walking in the rain was just something you did, like knowing all the different species of moss carpeting the earth as you hiked in the woods.  Frizzy hair and damp clothes were part of the package, a small price to pay to live in nature's paradise.


The very first coffee shop opened in Basseterre last week.  It's called Rituals and it seems to have been designed to resemble Starbucks - even down to the pastry choices and the green and tan color scheme.  I stood in line with everyone else on opening day and ordered a tall cappuccino to go. When I took my first sip, I felt like a little piece of home had come to visit.


The Department of Youth is hosting it's 28th Annual Residential Summer Camp for the next two weeks.  Two hundred children between the ages of 8 and 16 will be sleeping at the Beach Allen Primary School where they will enjoy a variety of educational and enrichment activities organized by my office.  It is the first widespread community volunteer effort I have experienced while on island with 100 adults serving as group leaders and supervisors.  While the organization for this event was at times chaotic, the staff was especially professional and worked well as a team.  I am glad to have been a part of it.  I will post some pictures of both the campers and the staff sometime next week.


The school year ended last Friday and I said goodbye to my third grade students.  I'm not sure if I will resume teaching at Maurice Hillier in September; that mostly depends on whether Miss Matthew returns.  While I enjoyed the kids and the opportunity to share creative writing with them, it was largely because of the teacher that the experience was so positive.  She and I worked well together, better than most, and the children benefited from that relationship.  If she doesn't return, I will find something else to try.  I am committed to make the most of my two years here and working directly with the youth is one of the areas I most enjoy.


I'm borrowing a picture to share with you that my friend Chris posted on his blog.  I think it was one of the ornaments made for the Peace Tree during the Peace Corps 50th Anniversary celebration in June, and it is also a well known Peace Corps slogan. 

Peace Corps Slogan

And so it goes on July 19, 2011, the 199th day of the year.  Enjoy the moment.  I am.