Life Keeps Movin' Mon

Bonjou from St. Lucia everyone!

Things are going well here under the sunny skies of St. Lucia. I will give you an update as to the latest happenings.

First – I am moving from Babonneau to Marisul! After 4 months of living in a house that is part of a tire shop, has men around a lot, is continuous mosquito infestations from the mosquitoes breeding in the tires, always has water problems, and is never quiet I am finally relocating to a more comfortable location! Sad thing is…. Now I am a little attached to Babonneau! The little kids holler out “Ms. Ashley, Ms. Ashley” as I walk by sometimes; there are several projects in the Babonneau community that are of interest to me; and it just feels like home now. Of course I will miss my lovely sunset spot too! Since I am up in the hills, I get to see the sun rise and fall. There is a log at the edge of the field by my house and it has become my sunset spot on many occasions now.
On a positive note, my new place is not only walking distance from work, BUT the beach is only a 5 minute walk away as well!! Isn’t that super fantastic!
I will give you the pros and cons of my of leaving my current place
Pros:
Get out of tire shop
- smell
- men
- noise
- mosquitoes
more privacy at new place
will be near work
- save money on bus fare
- get more exercise
will be near beach
- get more exercise
will be on a main bus line
- easier to get home at night
- save money on bus fare
Can have a dog at new place

Cons:
Lose fruits on property
Lose microwave
Lose hot water
Lose TV
Not as convenient to work in Babonneau

From all of that, I chose to move.

Second Ting – I am still doing steel pan on Saturdays and hiking on Sundays. Last week I hiked a mountain called Piton Flore and this past Sunday we went snorkeling. I finally got to use the snorkel gear mommy and daddy sent, and it was GREAT! Now, you all know how curious I am about EVERYTHING, yeah? Well, during our first 7 weeks of Peace Corps training we had a whole session on “Things That Sting”. Of course, sea urchins were on that list. Sea Urchins are those cute prickly black things that grow between the coral rocks in the ocean. They look kinda like those prickly toy scrunch balls… yet pokeyer (don’t you just love making up new words?). Well, I made the crazy decision to pet, yes I say PET, a sea urchin while snorkeling this past Sunday. The first one I tried to pet was a little guy and I got a feel on him but nothing I was satisfied with. I found me a larger fella and swam down for a soft brush over his spines. “OUCH! HE BITES” The larger guy wasn’t so happy to have me messin’ with his arms and legs. So, a sea urchin sting hurts a bit, but it’s not gonna kill ya. One of my friends responses to the sting was, “I like that about you, you truly live” She said, “It’s like that saying, denying yourself any part of life through fear is not living.” For true, for ture!

Third Ting – My projects… My “Why Try?” Program is making much progress. I hope to have the funding proposal submitted by the end of the week. Junior Achievement with the younger kids is fantastic. They get so excited to see me; stickers really do go a long way! My HIV/AIDS project is progressing in Babonneau. For the ropes course thing, I hope to be work more on that in the near future.
I am really starting to settle into my work. Although there are days that are frustrating and I ask myself, “and why am I doing this for free,” most days are rewarding. I know that I am having an impact on the men, women, and children around me. Through working here in St. Lucia, I have realized though that the impact of the work I do back home as a social worker is no less valuable than the work I do here. All places have their struggles. People everywhere need support from others and assistance making it to the next level. It looks the same here and there, and people respond the same to the help here as they do there. We are one!

Fourth and Final Ting – This entry wouldn’t be complete without another random story right? The other night 4 of us were driving down the road when we spotted an opossum crossing the road. The driver slams on his break and my other friend is jumping out of the car before it’s even come to a complete stop. In one snatch, he grabs up the opossum by the end of its tail. I’m right on his heals because I had never seen an opossum up close before. Then as cars drive by my two Lucian friends start shouting things in Patois. It took me a moment to realize that they were trying to see the opossum! My friend, who is also an American girl, and I watched while laughing hysterically at the situation. I wish I had my camera on me. My friend took a couple of photos with her pocket camera. No one wanted to buy the opossum for $80 EC so the boys decide they are going to try and sell the little guy to the shop down the road. My friend gets in the car, arm hanging out the window, holding fast to the opossum. I couldn’t get over myself! It was the funniest sight, indeed! Nonetheless… the shop owner wasn’t in and some other guy ended up taking him with a promise to pay for him later.