I just wanted to tell everyone I miss you and can't wait to see you when I visit in July!!!!
I cant wait to tell you all about the work I have been doing here, the beach, hiking, turtle watching, steel pan, and of course the guy I have been dating for the past 5 months. That is pretty much my life here in St. Lucia; Peace Corps work, beachin' it, hiking, Steel Pan lessons, boyfriend, and the general hangin' out!
Oh and by the way. I went with Lloyd the other day to visit his brother. He has this huge cashew nut tree by his house and they decided to roast some cashews. I had heard previous horror stories from volunteers already about eating cashews in st. lucia. The general consensus is "Don't eat the freshly roasted cashews, you will get a rash from the oils." Now not only is the cashew nut my favorite nut (next to the pistachio of course) but the boys also had their doubts about this 'mystery rash.' They were absolutely certain that you only get this rash if you eat the cashew if they are not roasted completely, because then all the oils dont come off the nut.
What do I have today... A cashew nut rash on my wrist. BOO!
However, I must say, the cashews were really yummy. It was definitely worth the mild irritation!
LOVE!
Showing posts with label Silly Happenings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Silly Happenings. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sailors Are Funny
2.24.09
This past weekend I met an interesting character. Meeting interesting people that have bizarre stories and adventures to share is all part of the fun of exploring a new nation. His name was Francisco, a tall gangly character with a scruffy chin and neck. His fingernails were dingy, his teeth revealed signs of chain smoking, and his hair seemed to be plastered with gel that hadn’t been washed our for several days… But, now that I think of it, his half spiked hair style must have been placed so by the natural oils that must have been accumulating on his scalp for weeks without washing. Even though his shorts were tattered and his vest faded he was chipper and jolly; clearly the rum flows freely on his ship. Anyway, he passed me as I was sitting eating a sandwich and asked if I would like to take a walk with him. I could tell immediately that this was an intriguing man, but honestly, I just accepted his offer because I wanted to bum a cigarette.
Turns out that Francisco is a sailor; I should have known, and somewhere between coffee and rum Francisco told me all about his live as a sailor. Briefly, he mentioned what he refers to as his ‘past life’. Before sailing the seas endlessly he was a professor of philosophy at a university in France. Six months ago he retired from his job, gave up all his possessions, family and friends and decided to start sailing. He bought a boat and has been sailing around the world for 6 months with no real plan on where to go next or for how long to stay. He only dreams of finding a sailor girl to join him on his adventure, find a cozy place on the sea shore to settle, build a house, fish and live out the rest of their days. Sounds romantic, huh?
Before St. Lucia, Francisco spent 2 months in different parts of Africa. He sounded like a character straight out of a story book; speaking about how mystical Africa was and how lovely and kind people are all over the world. His tales were incredibly marvelous. It’s incredible how some people are able to just take a risk and go anywhere their heart desires. After our chatter came to an end the sailor sipped down his last drop of rum and went back to the marina; I think he had a chess match to attend on one of the other ships.
This past weekend I met an interesting character. Meeting interesting people that have bizarre stories and adventures to share is all part of the fun of exploring a new nation. His name was Francisco, a tall gangly character with a scruffy chin and neck. His fingernails were dingy, his teeth revealed signs of chain smoking, and his hair seemed to be plastered with gel that hadn’t been washed our for several days… But, now that I think of it, his half spiked hair style must have been placed so by the natural oils that must have been accumulating on his scalp for weeks without washing. Even though his shorts were tattered and his vest faded he was chipper and jolly; clearly the rum flows freely on his ship. Anyway, he passed me as I was sitting eating a sandwich and asked if I would like to take a walk with him. I could tell immediately that this was an intriguing man, but honestly, I just accepted his offer because I wanted to bum a cigarette.
Turns out that Francisco is a sailor; I should have known, and somewhere between coffee and rum Francisco told me all about his live as a sailor. Briefly, he mentioned what he refers to as his ‘past life’. Before sailing the seas endlessly he was a professor of philosophy at a university in France. Six months ago he retired from his job, gave up all his possessions, family and friends and decided to start sailing. He bought a boat and has been sailing around the world for 6 months with no real plan on where to go next or for how long to stay. He only dreams of finding a sailor girl to join him on his adventure, find a cozy place on the sea shore to settle, build a house, fish and live out the rest of their days. Sounds romantic, huh?
Before St. Lucia, Francisco spent 2 months in different parts of Africa. He sounded like a character straight out of a story book; speaking about how mystical Africa was and how lovely and kind people are all over the world. His tales were incredibly marvelous. It’s incredible how some people are able to just take a risk and go anywhere their heart desires. After our chatter came to an end the sailor sipped down his last drop of rum and went back to the marina; I think he had a chess match to attend on one of the other ships.
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