Tuesdays

I think Tuesdays are some of my hardest days, but also some of the best! On Tuesdays I switch it up a little and work at the Infant School (grades K-2). There I teach computer class that helps reinforce what they are learning in class to 115 kids. It's crazy and fun! They're so cute and full of energy, a completely different type of energy than the kids at the Primary School. Today I taught one class of grade K's how to turn the computer off after they got to play the game on the computer for the day(because they have class at the end of the day!), and then we had extra time so I got to read them two stories. At the end of the day I always feel drained, but it's well worth it. I love the day that I work at the Infant School!

The story of us

If you want just the engagement story it starts after the big bold letters (and for those of you who might recognize the ring yes we're using my grandmother's ring set, her and my grandfather were married for over 50 years, a legacy we want to continue)

March of 2011 I was riding the bus home from training like I did every Friday, wondering what the weekend would bring me. It was late and I was tired and just ready to get home! When we got near my stop I asked the bus driver to go up the hill, however he did not hear me and kept going. The guy who was sitting right next to me got the bus drivers attention and had him go up the hill to my stop. He then turned to me and said, “You live up here?” I replied that yes I was living up the hill with Ms. Cleo. He told me he was staying with his aunt that weekend right next to where I was living, so he might see me. On my way home from church on Sunday I saw this same guy. He offered to take me to the beach (which I had not been to in my community and didn’t know where it was). I said yes and we set up a time. I told my host mom I was going to go to the beach and she wanted to know who with, I didn’t remember the guys name but said that he was staying next door. She told me to go get him. I brought him over and as soon as my host mom saw it was Luthur, she was ok with me going to the beach, but she still questioned him about when he was bringing me back and told him to keep me safe!

We went to the beach and had a lot of fun! I saw him a couple of other times in passing while I was staying with my host family. When I moved into my house in the village he continued to check up on me. We would talk, go for walks, he would teach me Kweyol and how to play pool, I taught him where the big dipper was and Orian’s belt. We just had fun! Around the beginning of June, I began to realize that this wasn’t just a friendship. He officially asked me to be his girlfriend on July 1^st! When my host mom found out we were dating, she sat Luthur down and gave him a lecture about how he needed to take care of me and not hurt me! We continued hanging out getting to know each other better. I started including him in Peace Corps activities (such as pot lucks). The more I got to know him and see him in different situations, the more I grew to love him and the man that he is.

The unique thing about PC is that it’s a time limited thing. We knew I only had two years here, so we started talking about the future and what we wanted. It became clear that we were both heading in a similar direction and wanted to be a part of each other’s lives.

Engagement story starts here On February 22 (Independence Day in St. Lucia—which is kind of ironic because I’ve always been really independent) we had decided to go to the beach since we both had the day off of work. We packed up a bag with towels, a Frisbee, water, and sunscreen we headed off to the beach. Our timing was perfect and we got a ride up the hill. We walked down to the beach and talked about how perfect of a day it was. We got to the main beach and then climbed over a bunch of rocks to a smaller beach that we like better. We were standing underneath the almond tree, he puts his arms around me and tells me that he loves me and wants to spend the rest of his life with me. He then asked me to marry him, “for real this time” because he asks me all time just for fun (I always say yes), but tells me one day he’ll ask me for real. That was the day! I said of course yes! We hung out at the beach for a while and had a blast! When we got back to the house we got out the ring and he got down on one knee and asked if I Sara Jean Faison, would marry him. I, of course, said yes again, and he put the ring on my finger and made me the happiest girl alive  J

So excited!

So yesterday was Independence Day (if you want to learn more about that go to my blog on the US Embassy's official blog http://usembassybridgetown.blogspot.com/2012/02/independence-day-in-st-lucia-one-nation.html) However, it was an even more special day for me because Luthur (my then boyfriend) asked me to marry him! I said yes! (so now he's my fiancee!!) I'm so excited that I've been blessed with a man that is as amazing as he is. Someone that I'm able to always talk things out with and work through issues. Someone I have fun with, learn with, teach, share, and can just be myself around! It was special and a really fun day! Let's just say I love this guy and enjoy every minute with him. Gonna keep this one around :)

Lessons

So these past couple weeks I have been sick. While being sick I have learned some very valuable lessons. OK, one lesson. I learned that I have to take care of myself or I can't give to anyone else. I know simple lesson, but I'm probably going to have to learn it over and over in my life.
I have also learned these past couple of weeks (not due to being sick) that if I pile on too many projects, I shut down and avoid some of them. NEWS FLASH: avoiding projects does not make them go away! The deadline (because they always have them) will still approach and only make you panic more! Thankfully I did not avoid it until the last minute (I still have 2 weeks left).
It's like my blogging. Sometimes I think if I don't look at my blog, it's not really there and I don't have to update it:)
Someone once told me (when I first got here) that it's hard to keep writing a blog while you're here because it just turns into everyday life and doesn't seem that exciting. I find this to be true and getting harder and harder to find subjects to write about. So if you have something that you would like to know about my life here, my work, Peace Corps, or St. Lucia, feel free to mention it!

Learning

I feel as if I'm one of the "old guys." As in to say we just welcomed in a group of new PCVs which means I've officially been here for a year and in a couple of months will be the "oldest" PCVs here. Crazy! In some ways I feel like I've lived at least 5 years since I flew in last year, but in others I feel like it has only been a couple months! I think part of that is because of how busy I've kept with work, secondary projects, and with my social life; but most of all learning. I have learned so much in the last year about another culture, way of living, perspectives, way of cooking, coping, and most of all about myself. I know that this next year I am going to be learning a lot as well. I will be learning how to make this work go on after I leave. I will be learning more about computers so I can teach it to the children. I will be learning more about planning sporting activities in my community (I want to do an olympics this summer with a different sport every day during the olympics). I will learn more now than I can imagine. But learning is life, and I love living and love learning!

Getting back into the swing of things!

The school term is underway, computer club has start, prep for the next Serious Ting (PC EC magazine) is in full swing! It's been a busy month! The kids are still loving checking books out from the library! It's so much fun hearing about the books that they are reading and see what they like to check out! I have several different computer clubs through the week. They keep me busy in the evenings :) Next Friday we're welcoming in a new group of volunteers! It's crazy to think that a year ago that was me getting ready to leave.
Currently we have a group from Global Volunteers here. They're helping at both schools I'm at, the pre-schools and several other places in the community. They are a great help! Global Volunteers are sending several more groups this year and then next year even more! It's great to see all the good work that's going on here. Hopefully with the several groups through the year that they are sending the work they are doing can be sustainable.
Life is going great here! I'm loving my work and all that goes along with it. It makes the time go soo fast.

11 months and 3 days

No that's not a countdown for how much longer I have in PC (thankfully I have longer than that...but not much), or until my birthday, in fact it's not a countdown at all. 11 months and 3 days is the time between when I came to St. Lucia the first time (January 28, 2011) and the time I came back to St. Lucia from vacation (December 31, 2011). I never knew how much difference that little amount of time could make.

When I was first coming to St. Lucia last January, to put it bluntly, I was scared out of my mind. What did I do? Did I really just sign up to live in another country for 2 years? Who are these other Peace Corps people? What is this place like? Will I make any friends? Where am I going to be working? What will my host family be like? Will they feed me fish for dinner every night (btw I HATE fish)? These fears and more were going through my head.

11 months and 3 days later, instead of looking out of the airplane in fear, I was excited! Excited to get back to my life, my friends, my school, and my boyfriend! (Yes mom, I love you and had a lot of fun at home.) Instead of looking out the window in wonder of what did I get myself into, I was picking out the places that I know! (BTW the Pitons look super cool from the sky!)

And now, while we're getting ready to welcome a new group of volunteers to St. Lucia, I'm excited to encourage them to make this thier home for two years! There are struggles, with what good thing in life is there not? But it is worth it! The people in my village have welcomed me back, so have the teachers and staff at the school. I'm looking forward to this school term, working with the kids, getting to know them better, and getting beat like crazy in football (soccer) with the new ball my sister gave me for Christmas!