Today is Thanksgiving, and tomorrow I fly back to California.
I will miss many things about St. Kitts and Nevis, and of course, many things about my 28 months of service as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Mavis, Vicki, Theodora, Michelle, Diane, the two Siana's or Siene's, Pierre, Ian, Kristen, K'neesh, Maluska, Rudell, Daryl Lloyd, Elveza Cuffy, Mrs. Issac, Lisa Pistana, Diana Pemberton, Kayanda, Mrs. Wilson, Mr. Lewis, Honorable Minister Glenn Phillip, Honorable Deputy Prime Minister Sam Condor, Honorable Parliamentary Representative Nevis Vance Amory, Mrs. Liburd from the Printery and all the women who work there, Miss Matthew from Maurice Hillier and my third grade creative writing students, Laurie, Roy, Max, and Mr. Hull, Gloria, King Socrates, Jedidiah, Dwight, Allison from Ballyhoo, the Smoothie King and the Coconut Man, and many, many more.
But mostly, I will miss the kids. All 50 who were selected as Remarkable Teens since the program was implemented in 2011, all 230 who were nominated and interviewed for consideration, and all the SKNYPA members who helped with whatever I asked for along the way. I will miss you!
And I will especially miss the first 25 Remarkable Teen honorees, young people I have worked with and mentored for the past year. Desi, Davon, Zaiesha, Pernelle, Raheem, Patrick. Zahir, Aldeen, Josiah, Kayla, Dylan, Shazill, Delonte, Rae Dawn, Sheldon, Taveda, Trevaun, Jacintha, Kailah, Leahcim, Tishanna, Glenston, N'Kosi, Shaquille, and Renicia. Thank you for sharing your lives with me, even for this short time. As I leave your beautiful island, I will take with me more than I had when I came because I was able to know each of you.
On this day of thanks, from my country to yours, I am most grateful to have had this amazing opportunity to teach, to learn, and to share our cultures, our experiences, and our many life lessons. Tomorrow, I will be homeward bound.
And so it goes, Thanksgiving Day 2012, on my third and last Thanksgiving in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
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