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!

December

So, I just wanted to let you all know that this month is going to be sparce for blog posts. It's crazy busy and then I'm going to the states for 2 weeks, which is going to be even crazier! So just an update as to what has been going on.
We got our books from Hands Across the Sea! The kids love them! (I'm going to try and post pictures soon!) I just finished processing the last book yesterday! The kids got excited each time I finished a shelf. The kids are loving using the library, we just have to get them used to the concept that they read them and bring them back :)
I've been working on the PC cookbook for the EC. This project will be finished next week!! Computer club finishes this week! The kids asked me if I was going to have it over "summer break." I told them that we would have it again next summer, but then quickly caught on they were referring to Chrismas break (these next 3 weeks)! I told them that I'm going to the states for a couple weeks and am cleaning the computers next week, so we can't. One of the boys told me that when my two weeks in the states were over, to not even think about staying, but get right back on the plane and come back!
Next year Global Volunteers is bringing some groups (about 5 I think) down here. So this next week I'm doing some work for them to find out about supplies.
I'm working on the next issue of the Serious Ting, and getting ready to come to the states! When I'm in the states, I'm going to my old middle school and talking to a class that I've been talking to with the WWS (world wise school) Program.'
It's a busy December, but I love it! I can't wait for the new volunteers to get here the end of January, but I know that signals that a current class of volunteers is leaving (and that I only have a little over a year left). Time flies! Next we have to start working on a visa for that boyfriend of mine....I want to keep him after PC (with a different title though) but that's a story for a later date :)

And then it hit.

I don't think there is any other holiday that my family celebrates (that I have been gone for so far) like Thanksgiving. I think today was the first real time that it hit me that I'm away and I'm missing stuff. I was moody all week and it didn't really hit me until today what it was. I know that everyone back home is celebrating and I don't get to be with them. When I was at college, I could drive home and supprise them; I can't do that now. In order to get home, I have to fly. I miss stealing food from my mom, and sitting behind the counter talking to her. I miss chilling with my dad when he is driving my mom crazy (and talking about hockey with him)!! I miss sitting on my little sister and annoying her. I miss listening to the wisdom of my older sister. I miss just being with my younger sister. And of course I miss playing with my nephews (and I can't miss playing with my nieces because I've never gotten to play with them) and seeing my brother-in-laws. It's the family that I got used to seeing and now can't see that I miss the most. It's just one of those days. Alls I can say is December 17th. That's the day I fly home for Christmas.

Now don't get me wrong. I love my family here. My PC family is amazing. My host family I lived with during training I still talk to and love. My boyfriend, that thinks I'm going crazy this week because I've been moody and not myself but helps me get through it, I love dearly. And my friends that I have made here, who check on me, see how I'm doing, and who I love hanging out with, I feel very fortunate to have found. I am thankful for my life here, and I would not have changed my decision to be a PCV for anything, sometimes I just wish I could be two places at once.