Being a PCV is not like what I thought it was going to be. There are more ups and downs, moral decisions, completely bored straight to completely craziness, more building children in ways that I didn't even imagine when I was signing up for PC. I'm beginning to realize that I cannot express all that happens to me in a blog. Peace Corps is one of those things you have to live to fully understand. Even each Peace Corps experience is different!
This week of school has been amazing, busy, crazy, and awesome! First of all I got to celebrate my 26th birthday in St. Lucia on Monday! I was so ready for 26. This week I have been working on the computer lab, getting ready for computer club, setting up more computers, getting the kids to sign up for the boys and girls club, as library assistants, and begging them for patience about the computer club :)
Two of the kids asked me for help with math, so right now we're working on addition flash cards after school. So many projects so little time! It has made this first week fly!!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Victories!
Thank you to everyone who gave to the project for the school library! We met the goal of $500, but Hands spent $1000.00 on books for my school, so if you didn't give and would still like to please do!
It's the little things that make everything worth it here. Last night I was hanging out with one of the PCVs from Castries that came down for the evening with some friends. When she was getting ready to leave we went and met the person she came with who was talking to some people from the village. Her friend introduced her to the guy, then the guy from my village looked at me and said that he didn't know my name but he knew that I was theirs. AKA I live here :) It was great!
Things are coming together for the 50th anniversary celebration and the other projects I've been working on these past couple of months. September is crazy because most of them are getting in full force or wrapping up this month. The magazine I've been working on is getting printed, the 50th celebration occurs, the project to come up with a project histroy on St. Lucia kicks off on Friday, VAC elections are Friday (which I'm running in against one of my friends), and those are just side projects that have nothign to do with my real job at the school! School starts, we're stating computer club, we're hoping to start a school newspaper, the library is going to get up and running again (which means new library assistants to interview and train), the library is going to get cleaned and we have Literacy day next week!!
But as for tomorrow, I'm going to the beach to celebrate my birthday, and I'm having two of my friends over on Monday for my birthday dinner (tacos!!).
I hope September is good to all of you as well!
It's the little things that make everything worth it here. Last night I was hanging out with one of the PCVs from Castries that came down for the evening with some friends. When she was getting ready to leave we went and met the person she came with who was talking to some people from the village. Her friend introduced her to the guy, then the guy from my village looked at me and said that he didn't know my name but he knew that I was theirs. AKA I live here :) It was great!
Things are coming together for the 50th anniversary celebration and the other projects I've been working on these past couple of months. September is crazy because most of them are getting in full force or wrapping up this month. The magazine I've been working on is getting printed, the 50th celebration occurs, the project to come up with a project histroy on St. Lucia kicks off on Friday, VAC elections are Friday (which I'm running in against one of my friends), and those are just side projects that have nothign to do with my real job at the school! School starts, we're stating computer club, we're hoping to start a school newspaper, the library is going to get up and running again (which means new library assistants to interview and train), the library is going to get cleaned and we have Literacy day next week!!
But as for tomorrow, I'm going to the beach to celebrate my birthday, and I'm having two of my friends over on Monday for my birthday dinner (tacos!!).
I hope September is good to all of you as well!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
HELP!!
Wow! The school year is here and I can't believe it! We start school on Monday (my birthday by the way). So in honor of my birthday, the kids I'm working with, and the new school year, I am asking you (yes you) if you to HELP!! I have been working hard here for next to nothing (it's called being a volunteer, in fact I was looking at camp jobs and there I would make almost as much in a week as I do in a whole month here). Because of my sacrifice, I am asking you to sacrifice as well. I have posted a couple of times about the library that I'm working on here at the school. Well, we need books!! Books are super expensive down here and a lot of the books we have are not age appropriate (trust me 4th grades don't care about Madeleine Albright).
If you just give the amount of your favorite book, that would help me so much in my work here! I now have a we pay page: https://www.wepay.com/donate/141730 It is easy to give and would help the kids here. I was listening to some of the teachers talk the other day and they were talking about a 4th grader who cannot read. If I can get books in that the kids are excited about, I can help them learn how to read those books and improve the reading levels of those kids that can read. Check out Hand's Across the Sea's website http://www.handsacrossthesea.net/ They're an awesome organization!
Please donate, and consider it my birthday present.
If you just give the amount of your favorite book, that would help me so much in my work here! I now have a we pay page: https://www.wepay.com/donate/141730 It is easy to give and would help the kids here. I was listening to some of the teachers talk the other day and they were talking about a 4th grader who cannot read. If I can get books in that the kids are excited about, I can help them learn how to read those books and improve the reading levels of those kids that can read. Check out Hand's Across the Sea's website http://www.handsacrossthesea.net/ They're an awesome organization!
Please donate, and consider it my birthday present.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Who would have thought?
During PST (pre-service training) we were given a lot of information. One thing we were given was a sheet that talked about the ups and downs of being a volunteer and the different stages. I thought, "I won't follow this, I'm the exception." I only bring this up because of something that has happened lately. One of the stages on that sheet was somthing that you thought you'd gotten over and wouldn't bother you really getting to you. These past couple of weeks, that has happened! It's something little that has just been able to get under my skin over and over. Who would have thought how valuable that little piece of information was in realizing that this is normal :)
Computer lessons are finished for the summer! It was great fun, but I'm glad to get started with the school year! This September is going to be CRAZY! It starts with school and my birthday (on the same day), continues with Luthur's birthday, getting the PC EC magazine printed, more meetings than I've been in ever, and the 50th celebration of the Peace Corps. It's going to be a lot of fun, but I'll be glad when it is over and life can return to normal, whatever that is!
Computer lessons are finished for the summer! It was great fun, but I'm glad to get started with the school year! This September is going to be CRAZY! It starts with school and my birthday (on the same day), continues with Luthur's birthday, getting the PC EC magazine printed, more meetings than I've been in ever, and the 50th celebration of the Peace Corps. It's going to be a lot of fun, but I'll be glad when it is over and life can return to normal, whatever that is!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Summer, Summer, where did you go?
The summer is coming to a close. While the weather is still the same, school is about to start...well, September 5th (on a side note-how dare my birthday not be a holiday in St. Lucia while it is one in the US? I mean really!?! And the first day of school as well lol!!) so it's coming. We have one week of computer lessons left (which went very well!! The kids showed up for them and learned a lot!), one week for teacher planning, and then SCHOOL!!
It's kind of nerve wracking starting a new school year.We're starting new projects, continuing old ones (like getting the library books in October from Hands Across the Sea http://www.handsacrossthesea.net/ please check them out and consider helping us if you haven't already), and changing some things up! We'll see how it goes!
I have a bunch of meetings coming up (I don't think I've ever been to this many meetings in my life!!) about our 50th celebration for PC and other projects.
I'm continuing my war on ants (not Aunts, because I love my Aunts), and I will win! So if you have any ideas on what I can do to kill them all please let me know!!
And...for those of you who think alls I do is go to the beach, I've been swimming once this entire summer! (And I live 1 1/2 blocks from the Caribbean.) Oh, well! I can always make that a goal for the winter :)
It's kind of nerve wracking starting a new school year.We're starting new projects, continuing old ones (like getting the library books in October from Hands Across the Sea http://www.handsacrossthesea.net/ please check them out and consider helping us if you haven't already), and changing some things up! We'll see how it goes!
I have a bunch of meetings coming up (I don't think I've ever been to this many meetings in my life!!) about our 50th celebration for PC and other projects.
I'm continuing my war on ants (not Aunts, because I love my Aunts), and I will win! So if you have any ideas on what I can do to kill them all please let me know!!
And...for those of you who think alls I do is go to the beach, I've been swimming once this entire summer! (And I live 1 1/2 blocks from the Caribbean.) Oh, well! I can always make that a goal for the winter :)
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Short Term Missions
I've never really been a fan of short term mission trips. That's not saying they don't do any good. I've just never really liked the concept. (Now my older sister met her husband on a short term mission trip and for that I'm glad!) Maybe I have a little too much of my father in me. As he has always said, and this is paraphrased, why not just send the money over, use local people to do the building projects, and then reach the local people by giving them jobs and ministering to them while they are working and how you treat them instead of asking someone else to pay for your vacation. This concept has only been strengthened while I've been living in St. Lucia.
Now you could say, why Sara, you're living in St. Lucia and working on tax payers dollers, how can you even say this? We're paying for you to be there. Notice, I did not say long term missions. I said short term. I'm here long term. One of Peace Corps Policies is that they don't place a volunteer in a place that a local could be employed in. If I wasn't here, no one would be assigned and getting paid to be doing the work I am doing.
The longer I am here the more I think it is important to understand the culture you are in. If you do go on a missions trip and preaching, ask the missionary or a local to go through your sermon with you to make sure it is sensitive to the culture you are going into. That it is applicable to that culture. Learn as much as you can about the culture you're going into.
I live in one of the poorest villages in the country. I've seen people here jump at the chance to work (there has been a lot of construction going on the last few days and people have been working hard). So, examine the reasons you're going on this trip. Would the money be better spent hiring local people? What are you going to do? Is it taking a job away from a local? Running camps is a great thing because what I find most is that we need voluntary manpower for activities for the kids.
All in all, just make sure you're doing more good than harm, building the community (both the one you're going into and the community of believers), and not just a good feeling for yourself.
Feel free to disagree and leave comments as to why :)
Now you could say, why Sara, you're living in St. Lucia and working on tax payers dollers, how can you even say this? We're paying for you to be there. Notice, I did not say long term missions. I said short term. I'm here long term. One of Peace Corps Policies is that they don't place a volunteer in a place that a local could be employed in. If I wasn't here, no one would be assigned and getting paid to be doing the work I am doing.
The longer I am here the more I think it is important to understand the culture you are in. If you do go on a missions trip and preaching, ask the missionary or a local to go through your sermon with you to make sure it is sensitive to the culture you are going into. That it is applicable to that culture. Learn as much as you can about the culture you're going into.
I live in one of the poorest villages in the country. I've seen people here jump at the chance to work (there has been a lot of construction going on the last few days and people have been working hard). So, examine the reasons you're going on this trip. Would the money be better spent hiring local people? What are you going to do? Is it taking a job away from a local? Running camps is a great thing because what I find most is that we need voluntary manpower for activities for the kids.
All in all, just make sure you're doing more good than harm, building the community (both the one you're going into and the community of believers), and not just a good feeling for yourself.
Feel free to disagree and leave comments as to why :)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
What I'm still getting used to...
So living in a new country (or any new place) there are certain things that you have to get used to. While some things I've pretty much gotten used to and don't really phase me anymore, there are still quite a few things that still throw me off. Here are a few of them:
1. NEMO (I don't know who they are) can shut down the whole country. Ok, so we've been having storms these last couple of days and today NEMO shut everything down. No one is going to work or doing anything (I basically feel like I'm grounded!). I'm used to the county being shut down, but a whole country still blows my mind!
2. Van can mean van or it can mean a pick up truck. A pick up can also be called a flat van. It is NEVER called a truck, a pick up, or any combo of the two!
3. A nylon is a plastic bag. This is one I'm getting used to, but at times I still have to think twice about it!
4. Pyrited movies are ok. (I'm not saying that they are morally ok and to go ahead and make all the copies you want, I'm making a statement about the culture here.) Not only are they sold everywhere, but they are also shown on tv.
5. Soup is not a winter food! Well there is no winter, and we eat soup/one pots all the time.
6. Along the same lines, hot chocolate is not for after you've played in the snow. You can drink it anytime!
7. You watch storms coming for days. For the storm system that just came through/is still coming through, we started getting warnings about it and watching it on Friday/Saturday. Part of this is because I'm in Peace Corps and they are concerned about our safety, but I also got texts from my phone company about the storm coming.
8. The water can get shut off. I'm used to the electricity going occasionally, but the water? I'm still trying to figure out when it's going to get taken and when I can expect it to stay. I just determined to always save water :) I'm actually lucky at my site and have water a lot more than some of the other volunteers!
So this is what I'm still working on getting used to right now. I love it here and don't mind changing/adapting some of my wording/behaviors to live in this awesome new culture!
1. NEMO (I don't know who they are) can shut down the whole country. Ok, so we've been having storms these last couple of days and today NEMO shut everything down. No one is going to work or doing anything (I basically feel like I'm grounded!). I'm used to the county being shut down, but a whole country still blows my mind!
2. Van can mean van or it can mean a pick up truck. A pick up can also be called a flat van. It is NEVER called a truck, a pick up, or any combo of the two!
3. A nylon is a plastic bag. This is one I'm getting used to, but at times I still have to think twice about it!
4. Pyrited movies are ok. (I'm not saying that they are morally ok and to go ahead and make all the copies you want, I'm making a statement about the culture here.) Not only are they sold everywhere, but they are also shown on tv.
5. Soup is not a winter food! Well there is no winter, and we eat soup/one pots all the time.
6. Along the same lines, hot chocolate is not for after you've played in the snow. You can drink it anytime!
7. You watch storms coming for days. For the storm system that just came through/is still coming through, we started getting warnings about it and watching it on Friday/Saturday. Part of this is because I'm in Peace Corps and they are concerned about our safety, but I also got texts from my phone company about the storm coming.
8. The water can get shut off. I'm used to the electricity going occasionally, but the water? I'm still trying to figure out when it's going to get taken and when I can expect it to stay. I just determined to always save water :) I'm actually lucky at my site and have water a lot more than some of the other volunteers!
So this is what I'm still working on getting used to right now. I love it here and don't mind changing/adapting some of my wording/behaviors to live in this awesome new culture!
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