is friendship! Today is Miss Jennifer Ewart's birthday and I have to take this moment to give a big shout out to the woman that has helped make my Peace Corps experience so downright enjoyable. Jenn hails from Northern California and is always full of fresh ideas about social justice and the ways of the world. She is truly a social anthropologist, constantly engaging people from a variety of backgrounds to deepen her understanding of human existence. As a volunteer, she has a quiet, measured pace. She isn't pushy, she is just herself living in Spring Village offering a helping hand and a cup of coffee. I can tell when we ride through the village in the van and children break into bright smiles when they see her, that SVG needs more people like her. Her Vincy "grandfather" reminds me every time I see him that Jenn is not going home to the states-- he wants to keep her here! Her quiet determination and fierce compassion are the recipe for change in Spring. As a friend, she makes me laugh, helps me through hard times and is my co-pilot in island adventures. We have taken to spending time together getting to know friends around the island (and I do mean around the island! Even though we both live on the Leeward side, it is not strange to see us Winward on Sundays, stirring up smiles!). Just the other day, I was at a government event and I ran into a friend, first question out of his mouth was "Where's Jennifer?" Every once in a while, we are lucky to find people who make us better just by being with them and I believe his question goes to show that in Vincy, Miss Jennifer and I go together like salt fish and rice.
Happy Birthday to a lovely, lovely friend and a wonderful member of the United States Peace Corps!
Picture above of Jennifer and Justlyn, my host sister!
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