Celebrating 31 Years of Independence!

October 27th marks 31 years of independence for the lovely island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It has been a jam-packed few days as the students have been getting ready to celebrate. Last week all of the classes made Vincentian flags and rehearsed their national anthem. I am happy to report that I know all the words! On Monday of this week, the students had a game day where they played football, cricket and netball. On Tuesday, all of the students were asked to wear their Independence colors so that we could march through town. The video on the blog entry below is of the morning assembly where students were practicing their songs for the march. We marched right through town (and down some streets I had not visited yet!) and sang the whole way or at least gave a good effort to sing the whole way. After the march, the students were dismissed early except for 25 who had been selected to participate in the national student rally.

Miss John and I took 25 children to Victoria Park in Kingstown. We were met by hundreds of other students. At the rally, a variety of dignitaries gave speeches and some students from various schools performed old folk dances and songs. The highlight for most of the students was the Capoeira performance by a group from Brazil. We also enjoyed popcorn, Busta (fruit sodas most closely related to Fanta) and lots of sweeties. It was great to see these students get out of Layou and see what other kids are doing. I am also proud to say that the Layou Government School was very well behaved!

Wednesday was Independence Day and the town was abuzz. In the morning, most people watched the national parade on their TV (or their neighbor’s). I know this because I do not have a TV and could hear it all around me as I sat on my porch. In the afternoon, the school held its annual Independence Day Fair. It was wonderful! They had a bouncing castle, DJ, chicken, ice cream and pizza. The classrooms were set up like booths and the students could play darts, pin the tail on the donkey, bottle toss or get their face painted by Miss Smith. They also had games that I had never heard of though I figured out that we do have similar games in the US. Dips is a big bucket full of sawdust and for one dollar, the student gets to dip their hand in to find a prize. Punchboard is a large board with hundreds of holes stuffed with paper. The students pay a dollar to select a piece of paper. If the paper has a number on it, they get the corresponding prize. There were some awesome prizes including a huge cake decorated like the St. Vincent flag. The dance floor was the biggest hit. These kids can MOVE!!! Seriously, the dance floor looked like a hip dance club except no one was above 4’5”. After the fair, all of the adults get together and lime on the block (hang out). We have Thursday and Friday off from school so all the children can recover from the festivities! Happy Independence SVG!

Video from Independence Day

Welcome to the Peace Corps!

It’s official! Today I become a Peace Corps volunteer which is really just the beginning of this 24 month adventure. Overall, training was a success. There were a few afternoons where adjusting to the heat and humidity got the better of me and my brain was off but other than that I feel like I have gained a lot of valuable information. We covered a range of subjects from Vincentian history to corporal punishment and HIV/AIDS. I have become fascinated by the ins and outs of literacy and how to adapt the philosophies to my classroom. It looks like the next two years will be filled with constant research so if anyone has suggestions please send them along! Literacy is a big challenge with most of the primary school students in Layou and I know that I will need a variety of approaches to work with a variety of students. It is exciting to know that I will soon be in the classroom full time and becoming a community member of Layou.

I wanted to take this time to note some of the assumptions that I had prior to coming to St. Vincent and how they all played out. I think the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of the Peace Corps is living a life in the “bush.” I know that some volunteers really do have that experience but that is not the case in SVG. That’s not to say that we are living at the Ritz but I think the biggest challenges here are more cultural. Here’s a run down of the “creature comforts” that I was worried about:

• Water: Layou’s water is wonderful! The Canadian government actually wanted to bottle it. I can drink it straight from the tap which I consider a blessing.
• Electricity, Hot Showers, etc.: Electricity is readily available at my house but it is expensive. I limit my usage by turning off the power switch on the outlets (wish they had this in the states!) and using a limited amount. Showers are cold and refreshing!
• Food: There is a wide variety of fruits and vegetables available in the market and the grocery stores have many familiar products. The challenge with food is the cost so I am learning where to find bargains and what I can live without.

On the other end of the spectrum there have been some surprising challenges that I would not have expected. What I have learned repeatedly during the first two months is that 1. People are generally friendly and want to connect with you and 2. You cannot control anything but yourself. Don’t be fooled into thinking otherwise. The first lesson has been reinforced over and over again. When I come upon a challenging situation, it is nice to know that I am not alone. My neighbors are wonderful, my home stay was a great experience and everyone is willing to help out when I am lost in town or trying to figure out which bus to catch. They don’t laugh that I don’t know how to do/ eat certain things, they just show me the Vincentian way. Life in SVG is about community, everyone is here to help others out and I feel lucky to be on the receiving end of this charitable attitude. The second lesson has been a challenging one to swallow. I guess I knew that I was not “in control” in the states but I had many illusions to make us think otherwise. If something is not working, you call somebody, it doesn’t matter what day of the week it is and if you need something, you can jump in your car to get it or order it online. If you want to be on time, you go by the schedule. This isn’t really the case in St. Vincent. You learn to take a step back and be patient. Things will work out. My hard drive crashed, it worked out. My neighbor figured out the internet after many frustrated hours of trying on my own. The bus driver recognizes me and pulls me onto the van so that I am not late. I bring a book with me and enjoy the minutes (or hours) before the meeting starts. As they would say down here, “I am getting through.” I am enjoying this learning adventure.

I would like to say a big “Thank you!!!!” to all of my friends and family that have been so supportive through this first two months. Honestly, it would be a much harder experience without all the “cheerleaders” back home. I also have my computer back up and running so you can expect more regular blog updates in the future!

Her Majesty's Prison

I know it sounds like I fell into a time warp and landed myself near the towers of London in the 1800s but alas I am still in St. Vincent. Today was my first trip to Her Majesty’s Prison, an archaic building with a strictly stated dress code painted to the wall; no shirt, no shoes, big problem. The bricks did not line up properly, the top of the walls were armed with barb wire and a big green gate met my good intentions head on. As soon as I arrived, I thought “What in the world are you doing here? Seriously, check your skin, check your gender, check your heart. What makes you so confident that there is a place for you here?” I can’t explain it but I knew facing down those big green gates that I couldn’t turn away so just as friendly as I could, I walked up to the guard to tell them that I was there for a meeting with Miss Samuel, the prison welfare officer. Eyes of disbelief looked back at me and pointed in the direction of the waiting area.

I sat in a room that could best be described as a bus stop in the US. Benches lined the little room where women sat with babies on their laps and tired in their eyes. The ceiling was a mish-mash of plywood and the walls were covered with notices about what could pass through the gate; no cell phones, only two pieces of fruit, small amounts of money to purchase canned cheese through the prison canteen. After 5 minutes, the guard came to the door and called my name. I was met at the gate by Miss Annette Samuel. She was refined, beautiful and not at all what I expected. After a whirlwind tour of the administrative area, we arrived in her office where the wall was painted with a picture of a man at the bottom of a hill with encouraging words, “The rock bottom is a good place to start going up.”

For the next hour, Miss Samuel detailed the prison system in St. Vincent. There are approximately 400 males and 10 females in custody. Many of the inmates have lived in the US, where they committed a crime, were deported and returned to St. Vincent only to commit another crime and end up in Her Majesty’s prison. There is a work program where inmates can learn skills such as tailoring, carpentry, welding and farming. There is a school in the prison but there are not many inmates that choose to participate since they would not be able to participate in the work programs. Miss Samuel is the only welfare officer for all of the prisoners and there are no counselors available to inmates. The road does not get easier for the men and women when they complete their sentences. SVG does not have any halfway house style programs and prisoners are not welcomed back to society. It is not a surprise that many of them return to Her Majesty’s many times.

Despite all of the challenges that Miss Samuel faces on a daily basis, she was amazingly upbeat. She shared stories of prisoners who she had kept in touch with after many years and others who after being released would “walk” with her child to school. I say “walk” because he would stay on the other side of the street, keeping vigilance from a distance so as not to scare or embarrass her but to ensure her safety nonetheless. In these stories, I found a bright ray of hope that she shares with inmates.

Sitting in the peach colored office of Miss Samuel, I realized that I had just met my first Vincentian hero. A woman who truly believes in the goodness of mankind and the ability each of us has to love others. It gets better, I also have signed up to help the prisons with remedial reading and IT classes as soon as I am officially sworn in as a volunteer, so I will continue to learn from this amazing woman and the inmates at Her Majesty’s Prison. We ended our meeting with a prayer which I thought was appropriate as I was feeling especially blessed to be smack dab in the middle of prison on a beautiful, sunny day.