Friday, August 17, 2007
Hurricane Dean
Well Hurricane season has officially started with its first threat to the island. It seems as if Hurricane Dean is headed to visit my lovely home in the southwest peninsula. Don't worry, I've just recieved word that us pcvs here in the sw are being 'consoludated' in a hotel in a city inland. pc takes care of us. Now I just hope that my community and dog are alright. Many houses in my community are, well, less than stable. made of flimsy wood and zinc roofs that could be torn off. I just read about what Dean did to the islands in eastern carribean. hopefully Dean just skims us and my Peace Corps service doesn't turn into disaster recovery.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
A highly requested blog entry after my first trip home
I had my first trip home and it was lovely. Kansas is still intact, gracias a dios.
BEFORE my trip however I made a quick trip back to the batey to visit my old peps.
I was quite nervous to go back. worried that people would be wondering why I was back. possibly bitter that i did not leave them anything (and possibly left something for their neighbors). bitter that i had a site change. bitter that my 2 year promise to them was broken after 6 months.
The Neyba guagua, like always, dropped me off along the carretera infront of the colmado. I greeted the colmado lady who was concerned that i hadn't been in in 2 months. we had a nice little chat, I bought a bottle of pepsi took a deep breath crossed the carretera and entered the batey.
Pass by saludar-ing (greeting) the people who live at the entrance. glance over at the world map mural, my one visible accomplishment during my stay. Kids on main street start noticing my presence, high-fiving me like old times. I enter my host family's colmado. Josefina, my old host sis, is working. she imediately drops what shes working on and jumps up and down. She is so happy to see me and this is releaving as I did not get to say goodbye to her. we spend some time catching up before i head out to Yeismir's house. Yeismir is my 6-year-old host-cousin, but was more like my daughter during my stay. her real mother lives and works in Antigua and they only see eachother about every 2 years. The second I left my host fam's house Im greeted by about a dozen kids chanting my name waiting for me by their gate. As we walk more kids gather. They are wanting to hold my hand. They are wanting to talk about memories from my time there. I see Yeismir and the world is right. she sits in my lap and we lead the 2o/30 some other kids in song and games that I taught them.
Incredible! And I was convinced that I didn't do much there. It probably my most inspiring moment in country so far (few volunteers get a taste of the impact they made while still in country.) A very close second for most inspiring moment in country- visiting other volunteers in site, as its easier to see the impact they are making than your own. One instance in particular- I was visiting volunteer Kaveh in a nearby batey, helping him give an english class. Kaveh was in my 1st spanish class in training and I was having flash-backs to our class where we were students learning clothing names in spanish, Now i was helping him teach that in English. I believe Oprah would call that a full circle moment. Oh us volunteers and the work we do...
BEFORE my trip however I made a quick trip back to the batey to visit my old peps.
I was quite nervous to go back. worried that people would be wondering why I was back. possibly bitter that i did not leave them anything (and possibly left something for their neighbors). bitter that i had a site change. bitter that my 2 year promise to them was broken after 6 months.
The Neyba guagua, like always, dropped me off along the carretera infront of the colmado. I greeted the colmado lady who was concerned that i hadn't been in in 2 months. we had a nice little chat, I bought a bottle of pepsi took a deep breath crossed the carretera and entered the batey.
Pass by saludar-ing (greeting) the people who live at the entrance. glance over at the world map mural, my one visible accomplishment during my stay. Kids on main street start noticing my presence, high-fiving me like old times. I enter my host family's colmado. Josefina, my old host sis, is working. she imediately drops what shes working on and jumps up and down. She is so happy to see me and this is releaving as I did not get to say goodbye to her. we spend some time catching up before i head out to Yeismir's house. Yeismir is my 6-year-old host-cousin, but was more like my daughter during my stay. her real mother lives and works in Antigua and they only see eachother about every 2 years. The second I left my host fam's house Im greeted by about a dozen kids chanting my name waiting for me by their gate. As we walk more kids gather. They are wanting to hold my hand. They are wanting to talk about memories from my time there. I see Yeismir and the world is right. she sits in my lap and we lead the 2o/30 some other kids in song and games that I taught them.
Incredible! And I was convinced that I didn't do much there. It probably my most inspiring moment in country so far (few volunteers get a taste of the impact they made while still in country.) A very close second for most inspiring moment in country- visiting other volunteers in site, as its easier to see the impact they are making than your own. One instance in particular- I was visiting volunteer Kaveh in a nearby batey, helping him give an english class. Kaveh was in my 1st spanish class in training and I was having flash-backs to our class where we were students learning clothing names in spanish, Now i was helping him teach that in English. I believe Oprah would call that a full circle moment. Oh us volunteers and the work we do...
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