24 January 2010
Minority Experience
Part 1
Last Monday, January 18th, I checked with the music teacher at the school to see if he could take the children for music at 4pm. He was packing up to go home already, so I needed to come up with a music and theatre combo for the group.
A few minutes later, as children started coming in for the After School Programme, Zoya came up and showed me that she finished a half-page I asked the kids to write about what it means to be a good leader. She wrote about Dr. Martin Luther King, and had even done a little more research about him. I looked it over, then told her that today was in fact MLK day in the US. Her smile got bigger and her eyes lit up. "Really?" I'm sure my eyes lit up at the same time, because I saw an immediate solution.
I asked her if she would like to read it for the group when it was time for the theatre session, since we had to change plans a little. She agreed, and I made a mental note to come up with some songs we could sing.
When 4pm (the scheduled time for creative activities) rolled around, I introduced the topic. Many of them had heard of Dr. King, and a few even knew what he did. Zoya read her piece, followed by applause. I then talked a little more about what Dr. King meant for people in America. It was difficult and improvised, but I did my best to connect the story back to their understanding of their own history.
The US and St. Lucia both experienced slavery. I talked about how Lincoln set the slaves free with the Emancipation Proclamation. Here they celebrate Emancipation Day on August 1, when the UK freed its slaves. I talked about the struggle of blacks and animosity between races, and how Dr. King and other civil rights leaders used peaceful protests to demand their rights.
One boy said that the white people shot Dr. King. At this point it was extremely important to me to clarify the extent and limitations of racism in the US. I told them that there were white abolitionists before slavery was over, and that there were many white people supporting and working for civil rights for all races in the 20th century. I knew it would be a touchy topic, but it worked and the kids saw how strongly I felt about it. We ended by singing "This Little Light of Mine."
Goal 2 achieved.
Part 2
I've mentioned this before on the blog, but serving as a PCV has given me the kind of perspectives I was seeking. One that I hadn't given much thought to before leaving but that hit me in the face as soon as I arrived was a real minority perspective.
Some of you reading know that I identify as Hispanic, but I'm such a guera that practically nobody would describe me as such. Even my claim to it is tenuous, especially when I'm not in the Southwest. My mom was not from Mexico as it is known today, but rather from south Texas. She is also a guera, meaning she has fair skin and her hair is not pitch black like the typical image of the ethnicity. When I say my mom is Mexican, I suppose I mean Chicana--a word not used in Texas. She and her siblings grew up speaking English because her father wanted them to have that advantage, but that fair skin and no Spanish accent didn't mean she was (or is) never discriminated against. While I haven't had to overcome racial inequalities myself, I embrace my family's history and culture.
In that sense and that sense only I am a minority in the United States. In St. Lucia I am absolutely a minority. I live here, and endure assumptions about me from all sides. People who don't know me or haven't seen me often enough assume I'm a tourist. If I'm lucky they think I'm a medical student. They assume I don't know prices for things, that I don't know their Kweyol language (which is mostly true), that I don't know how to get around, and worst of all that I have a lot of money.
I'm also met with a lot of interest from people who wouldn't naturally ask questions of a Lucian they didn't know. Yesterday Berney and I went to Sandy Beach. As we were packing up to go, a girl of about 16 (I guess) came over and asked us our names. Well, she asked Berney his name, and then me mine. We each hesitated but told her. She wandered back to her friends who continued walking along. No reason, it seemed, just curiosity.
By the time we got to into VF, it was after 6, so we stood out by the beginning of the Vieux Fort-Laborie highway instead of the bus stand. About ten minutes went by before an Augier bus came by for us to get on, and as sometimes happens on weekends, the back of the bus was filled with rowdy young men on their way home after a day of drinks.
The gason (dude) sitting next to Berney had let rum get the better of him, and he loudly harassed us. Nothing really aggressive, and nothing to the extent that I expected bodily or property harm, but it was pretty irritating. His friends tried to get him off the topic, but he would have none of it. One gason behind us tried to apologize to us by saying "I love tourists" a few times. By the time we were by the mall, the soule (drunkard) next to us was lightly knocking (in the American sense of the word) Berney on the shoulder as he got madder.
At the mall two girls got on the bus, and one of the young men told Soule to knock it off while the girls were on the bus. That didn't last long. He continued to threaten us and tap (again, American meaning) Berney on the arm and head, speaking in Kweyol with the key words I was waiting for: fanm, blan, etc. I leaned over and told him "Eh gason, ki te nou bat mi se nou!"
"What?" He leaned over to hear me better.
I told him very firmly and angrily, "Ki te nou, bat mi se nou!"
That shut him up for a bit, muttering under his breath sexual threats against me and violent threats against Berney. At least he stopped tapping Berney. His friends were freaked out, one of them saying "Dey undastand ah language, gason!"
Soule turned his attention to the girl in front of him. I'm not sure exactly what precipitated, but he started a small fight between them and the girls shouted for the bus driver to pull over. They declared they would not pay, they must get off. The driver, caring more about his pay than the safety or comfort of his passengers, got out and demanded that they or the fellows on the bus pay for them, but the girls were already walking up the road.
While the door was still open, Soule's friends tried to get him out of the van. He resisted strongly, and one of the guys with him took a 4 foot long two-by-four from a pile nearby. Not even a real scuffle, and the drunk man was finally pulled out and a couple of his friends stayed with him. The driver got back to his seat, picked up the girls, and continued on.
Not too far down, the leader of the young men, called Blacks, said "Stopping at de gap, driva," and the remaining group went down from the bus. Blacks apologized to us as he got out, but I told him "Thank you." We were safely at my house not much longer.
Talking about it afterward, Berney said he was glad he was the one sitting next to Soule, but I felt awful that he had to go through it. There had been two other seats on the bus we could have taken, not next to each other; we decided it was better that we were seated together even though we were closer to the rowdy bunch.
We know, though, that the aggression wasn't because it was us, but because he was drunk and we were different. Had two Lucian girls been sitting in our seats, I expect something similar would happen. I'm very thankful that nothing further precipitated, but I also know that there's not really a way to avoid the same situation in the future.
I wish I could blend in anywhere I go, but I'm not a chameleon. Here I will continue to stick out like a big pasty sore thumb.
Last Monday, January 18th, I checked with the music teacher at the school to see if he could take the children for music at 4pm. He was packing up to go home already, so I needed to come up with a music and theatre combo for the group.
A few minutes later, as children started coming in for the After School Programme, Zoya came up and showed me that she finished a half-page I asked the kids to write about what it means to be a good leader. She wrote about Dr. Martin Luther King, and had even done a little more research about him. I looked it over, then told her that today was in fact MLK day in the US. Her smile got bigger and her eyes lit up. "Really?" I'm sure my eyes lit up at the same time, because I saw an immediate solution.
I asked her if she would like to read it for the group when it was time for the theatre session, since we had to change plans a little. She agreed, and I made a mental note to come up with some songs we could sing.
When 4pm (the scheduled time for creative activities) rolled around, I introduced the topic. Many of them had heard of Dr. King, and a few even knew what he did. Zoya read her piece, followed by applause. I then talked a little more about what Dr. King meant for people in America. It was difficult and improvised, but I did my best to connect the story back to their understanding of their own history.
The US and St. Lucia both experienced slavery. I talked about how Lincoln set the slaves free with the Emancipation Proclamation. Here they celebrate Emancipation Day on August 1, when the UK freed its slaves. I talked about the struggle of blacks and animosity between races, and how Dr. King and other civil rights leaders used peaceful protests to demand their rights.
One boy said that the white people shot Dr. King. At this point it was extremely important to me to clarify the extent and limitations of racism in the US. I told them that there were white abolitionists before slavery was over, and that there were many white people supporting and working for civil rights for all races in the 20th century. I knew it would be a touchy topic, but it worked and the kids saw how strongly I felt about it. We ended by singing "This Little Light of Mine."
Goal 2 achieved.
Part 2
I've mentioned this before on the blog, but serving as a PCV has given me the kind of perspectives I was seeking. One that I hadn't given much thought to before leaving but that hit me in the face as soon as I arrived was a real minority perspective.
Some of you reading know that I identify as Hispanic, but I'm such a guera that practically nobody would describe me as such. Even my claim to it is tenuous, especially when I'm not in the Southwest. My mom was not from Mexico as it is known today, but rather from south Texas. She is also a guera, meaning she has fair skin and her hair is not pitch black like the typical image of the ethnicity. When I say my mom is Mexican, I suppose I mean Chicana--a word not used in Texas. She and her siblings grew up speaking English because her father wanted them to have that advantage, but that fair skin and no Spanish accent didn't mean she was (or is) never discriminated against. While I haven't had to overcome racial inequalities myself, I embrace my family's history and culture.
In that sense and that sense only I am a minority in the United States. In St. Lucia I am absolutely a minority. I live here, and endure assumptions about me from all sides. People who don't know me or haven't seen me often enough assume I'm a tourist. If I'm lucky they think I'm a medical student. They assume I don't know prices for things, that I don't know their Kweyol language (which is mostly true), that I don't know how to get around, and worst of all that I have a lot of money.
I'm also met with a lot of interest from people who wouldn't naturally ask questions of a Lucian they didn't know. Yesterday Berney and I went to Sandy Beach. As we were packing up to go, a girl of about 16 (I guess) came over and asked us our names. Well, she asked Berney his name, and then me mine. We each hesitated but told her. She wandered back to her friends who continued walking along. No reason, it seemed, just curiosity.
By the time we got to into VF, it was after 6, so we stood out by the beginning of the Vieux Fort-Laborie highway instead of the bus stand. About ten minutes went by before an Augier bus came by for us to get on, and as sometimes happens on weekends, the back of the bus was filled with rowdy young men on their way home after a day of drinks.
The gason (dude) sitting next to Berney had let rum get the better of him, and he loudly harassed us. Nothing really aggressive, and nothing to the extent that I expected bodily or property harm, but it was pretty irritating. His friends tried to get him off the topic, but he would have none of it. One gason behind us tried to apologize to us by saying "I love tourists" a few times. By the time we were by the mall, the soule (drunkard) next to us was lightly knocking (in the American sense of the word) Berney on the shoulder as he got madder.
At the mall two girls got on the bus, and one of the young men told Soule to knock it off while the girls were on the bus. That didn't last long. He continued to threaten us and tap (again, American meaning) Berney on the arm and head, speaking in Kweyol with the key words I was waiting for: fanm, blan, etc. I leaned over and told him "Eh gason, ki te nou bat mi se nou!"
"What?" He leaned over to hear me better.
I told him very firmly and angrily, "Ki te nou, bat mi se nou!"
That shut him up for a bit, muttering under his breath sexual threats against me and violent threats against Berney. At least he stopped tapping Berney. His friends were freaked out, one of them saying "Dey undastand ah language, gason!"
Soule turned his attention to the girl in front of him. I'm not sure exactly what precipitated, but he started a small fight between them and the girls shouted for the bus driver to pull over. They declared they would not pay, they must get off. The driver, caring more about his pay than the safety or comfort of his passengers, got out and demanded that they or the fellows on the bus pay for them, but the girls were already walking up the road.
While the door was still open, Soule's friends tried to get him out of the van. He resisted strongly, and one of the guys with him took a 4 foot long two-by-four from a pile nearby. Not even a real scuffle, and the drunk man was finally pulled out and a couple of his friends stayed with him. The driver got back to his seat, picked up the girls, and continued on.
Not too far down, the leader of the young men, called Blacks, said "Stopping at de gap, driva," and the remaining group went down from the bus. Blacks apologized to us as he got out, but I told him "Thank you." We were safely at my house not much longer.
Talking about it afterward, Berney said he was glad he was the one sitting next to Soule, but I felt awful that he had to go through it. There had been two other seats on the bus we could have taken, not next to each other; we decided it was better that we were seated together even though we were closer to the rowdy bunch.
We know, though, that the aggression wasn't because it was us, but because he was drunk and we were different. Had two Lucian girls been sitting in our seats, I expect something similar would happen. I'm very thankful that nothing further precipitated, but I also know that there's not really a way to avoid the same situation in the future.
I wish I could blend in anywhere I go, but I'm not a chameleon. Here I will continue to stick out like a big pasty sore thumb.
17 January 2010
Best Compliment Ever
I was leaving the After School Programme and a group of girls were ahead of me. Three from the programme, one was not.
"Miss, Miss, Naomi saying you have flak backside!"
Naomi says crossly, "Miss I not saying that, uh."
"Miss, she saying it foh true!"
"Miss not true uh!"
I tell them, "Hey hold on let's talk about this. I'm not mad."
"Miss, Naomi say you have flak backside."
"Did you say that?"
"Yes miss."
"What does it mean?" I ask.
"Miss it meaning 'flat.'"
"Miss like not round backside."
"Ok, well it's true. I have flak backside then. Why is that?"
"Miss when you bend down you have flak backside."
"Well there are two reasons for that. One is that I wearing pants that ah a little too big for me, they not tight on me like some women weh."
"Miss yuh pants too big on you?"
"Yes, but also I'm white and many white people have smaller backside than many Lucians."
"Miss, Asians having flak backside too eh!" I was surprised the girl did not say "chiny," as most people here refer to Asians.
"Miss, where you from?"
"I'm from the United States."
A few ask at the same time, "New York?!"
"No, I'm from Texas."
"Miss, how you having so many moles?" The same girl that said "Asians." I was surprised she knew the word for mole, too. I've often heard younger children call them "buttons."
"Well I was born like that, with feh skin and moles."
Naomi looks up and asks, "Miss, are you a tourism?"
"Eh eh, tourist, Naomi!" the other girls correct her, "Tourist, tourist!"
"I'm not a tourist; I live heh and I wuhk heh."
"Miss wheh you livin'?"
"I livin' Augier."
"Miss looking like tourist, eh."
"But that's only because I'm white. Do I dress like a tourist?" I want to challenge their assumptions about white people.
"No, miss."
"What do tourists weh?" I ask.
"Miss dey wearing shoht skuhts an' fing."
Naomi asks, "But Miss if you from United State how come you not talking yahnking?"
"Talking yahnking?" I ask, "What that mean?"
"Miss you not sounding like you from United States ey." Naomi explains.
I smile. This is what I've been working on, a secret to me as much as anyone. "Well I livin' St. Lucia ovuh a yeh now, I pick up the accent."
They asked a few more questions, but our conversation was cut short because a teacher that livin' near me came outside and was starting her car. I got a ride home.
I work with children ages 5-11 on basic literacy. Much of this involves learning and reviewing the sounds letters make. I found out over a year ago it was useless to try and teach them the sounds they have in American English. So the sounds are easy to get right. The dialect came later. Slowly I tried incorporating different phrases and words that would make me better understood by the young children. My classroom management skills are improving, but a lot of it is just the fact that kids understand what I'm saying now.
I look white, and maybe it's something that my students think about often. I don't, however, but I do take advantage of cultural education. Maybe I need to introduce real flour tortillas to my students so I can explain my moles better.
"Miss, Miss, Naomi saying you have flak backside!"
Naomi says crossly, "Miss I not saying that, uh."
"Miss, she saying it foh true!"
"Miss not true uh!"
I tell them, "Hey hold on let's talk about this. I'm not mad."
"Miss, Naomi say you have flak backside."
"Did you say that?"
"Yes miss."
"What does it mean?" I ask.
"Miss it meaning 'flat.'"
"Miss like not round backside."
"Ok, well it's true. I have flak backside then. Why is that?"
"Miss when you bend down you have flak backside."
"Well there are two reasons for that. One is that I wearing pants that ah a little too big for me, they not tight on me like some women weh."
"Miss yuh pants too big on you?"
"Yes, but also I'm white and many white people have smaller backside than many Lucians."
"Miss, Asians having flak backside too eh!" I was surprised the girl did not say "chiny," as most people here refer to Asians.
"Miss, where you from?"
"I'm from the United States."
A few ask at the same time, "New York?!"
"No, I'm from Texas."
"Miss, how you having so many moles?" The same girl that said "Asians." I was surprised she knew the word for mole, too. I've often heard younger children call them "buttons."
"Well I was born like that, with feh skin and moles."
Naomi looks up and asks, "Miss, are you a tourism?"
"Eh eh, tourist, Naomi!" the other girls correct her, "Tourist, tourist!"
"I'm not a tourist; I live heh and I wuhk heh."
"Miss wheh you livin'?"
"I livin' Augier."
"Miss looking like tourist, eh."
"But that's only because I'm white. Do I dress like a tourist?" I want to challenge their assumptions about white people.
"No, miss."
"What do tourists weh?" I ask.
"Miss dey wearing shoht skuhts an' fing."
Naomi asks, "But Miss if you from United State how come you not talking yahnking?"
"Talking yahnking?" I ask, "What that mean?"
"Miss you not sounding like you from United States ey." Naomi explains.
I smile. This is what I've been working on, a secret to me as much as anyone. "Well I livin' St. Lucia ovuh a yeh now, I pick up the accent."
They asked a few more questions, but our conversation was cut short because a teacher that livin' near me came outside and was starting her car. I got a ride home.
I work with children ages 5-11 on basic literacy. Much of this involves learning and reviewing the sounds letters make. I found out over a year ago it was useless to try and teach them the sounds they have in American English. So the sounds are easy to get right. The dialect came later. Slowly I tried incorporating different phrases and words that would make me better understood by the young children. My classroom management skills are improving, but a lot of it is just the fact that kids understand what I'm saying now.
I look white, and maybe it's something that my students think about often. I don't, however, but I do take advantage of cultural education. Maybe I need to introduce real flour tortillas to my students so I can explain my moles better.
02 January 2010
Wow I suck at updating
So I'm nearly at the end of my Christmas break, and I'll return to school next week. During the break I've gotten a lot of things done, especially in the kitchen.
Berney and I put presents under my tree, although we haven't received any of the other packages sent from family and such.
I've been staying in my apartment most of the break, goofing around but also getting some things done that advance some of the goals I listed in the last post. Unfortunately my mom won't be able to visit, so I need to come up with something else for that bit.
Though it's been nice to have lots of free time and have friends over and visit friends during the week, I'm (as usual) looking forward to getting back into a work schedule.
Berney and I put presents under my tree, although we haven't received any of the other packages sent from family and such.
I've been staying in my apartment most of the break, goofing around but also getting some things done that advance some of the goals I listed in the last post. Unfortunately my mom won't be able to visit, so I need to come up with something else for that bit.
Though it's been nice to have lots of free time and have friends over and visit friends during the week, I'm (as usual) looking forward to getting back into a work schedule.
20 November 2009
Goals for the next year:
1. Compile a couple binders to guide others in continuing VFASP
2. Complete & have reviewed & made available curriculum for Computer Skills for Non-Readers (aka cathearding) for BVCS and PC office
3. Visit another island
4. Go to Jouvert w/ Fae
5. Have my mom visit
6. Make sure Joel is strong enough in phonics to read at a Grade 1 level
7. Climb either Petit Piton or M. Gimie (or both!)
8. Facilitate or plan (or whatever) one holiday camp
2. Complete & have reviewed & made available curriculum for Computer Skills for Non-Readers (aka cathearding) for BVCS and PC office
3. Visit another island
4. Go to Jouvert w/ Fae
5. Have my mom visit
6. Make sure Joel is strong enough in phonics to read at a Grade 1 level
7. Climb either Petit Piton or M. Gimie (or both!)
8. Facilitate or plan (or whatever) one holiday camp
28 October 2009
Work and play
So many things, so busy since the beginning of this month! I'm home sick right now, but feeling a little better, I'll probably be able to attend the literacy workshop tomorrow. Hello vinegar and LLB, goodbye stomach pains (hopefully)!
The Vieux-Fort After School Programme is running! We have two dedicated regular volunteers, and Sister Mary
Lee will be able to help out more regularly, as well as having generously donated some great maths flash cards and books. The participants have regularized, and the attendance has dropped a little and leveled off, so now when more children want to be in the programme, I can finally tell them yes! We have activities everyday after homework or academic work, including music, theatre, arts & craft, chess, and athletics. Speaking of theatre, the girls I worked with on Monday was the first group of kids here that really understood Charades and played it well once I explained it. We're also participating in an International Art Exchange, so over the next few weeks we'll create full color drawings of holidays celebrated in St. Lucia, then send them off and receive art from other students all around the world!
While things have been going pretty well recently in VFASP, for a few days a couple weeks ago things were kind of unstable. Ms. Casilda James, a teacher who had worked at the school 29 years, passed away. It was a very difficult time for everyone at the school and the family, so last week Vieux-Fort Primary put on an amazing Memorial Service. It was so touching, and I got to see sides of Ms. Cas and the impact she had that I hadn't yet learned in the year I'd known her. Rest in peace, Ms. Cas.
When not at work, Berney and I have been expanding our horizons. We have some new friends a couple towns away, where we've visited for dinner a couple times. The woman is French and a translator, so she and Bern have plenty to talk about with language experiences. The children are lively and instant friends.
Last weekend Bern and I climbed Gros Piton, the second tallest mountain on the island at a height of 2,619 feet. The cost was quite off-putting, though, and even though it was a good workout with better views, I'd rather not spend $70 EC for two of us to walk and have sore legs and feet. I can do that for free most places.
Last Sunday was Jounen Kweyol, so we dressed in our madwas and went into VF Town for some food and music. All the locals loved that we were wearing their national dress, and while it seemed like pestering at first, we realized soon that they were flattered at the compliment we were paying them.
Soon I'll have Mid-Service Training, where all of us on St. Lucia will get to see everyone in our group who flew off to other islands after staging. I'm looking forward to the reconnect, though I'll definitely be sad when I don't see some familiar faces. You know who you are.
The Vieux-Fort After School Programme is running! We have two dedicated regular volunteers, and Sister Mary
Lee will be able to help out more regularly, as well as having generously donated some great maths flash cards and books. The participants have regularized, and the attendance has dropped a little and leveled off, so now when more children want to be in the programme, I can finally tell them yes! We have activities everyday after homework or academic work, including music, theatre, arts & craft, chess, and athletics. Speaking of theatre, the girls I worked with on Monday was the first group of kids here that really understood Charades and played it well once I explained it. We're also participating in an International Art Exchange, so over the next few weeks we'll create full color drawings of holidays celebrated in St. Lucia, then send them off and receive art from other students all around the world!While things have been going pretty well recently in VFASP, for a few days a couple weeks ago things were kind of unstable. Ms. Casilda James, a teacher who had worked at the school 29 years, passed away. It was a very difficult time for everyone at the school and the family, so last week Vieux-Fort Primary put on an amazing Memorial Service. It was so touching, and I got to see sides of Ms. Cas and the impact she had that I hadn't yet learned in the year I'd known her. Rest in peace, Ms. Cas.
When not at work, Berney and I have been expanding our horizons. We have some new friends a couple towns away, where we've visited for dinner a couple times. The woman is French and a translator, so she and Bern have plenty to talk about with language experiences. The children are lively and instant friends.
Last weekend Bern and I climbed Gros Piton, the second tallest mountain on the island at a height of 2,619 feet. The cost was quite off-putting, though, and even though it was a good workout with better views, I'd rather not spend $70 EC for two of us to walk and have sore legs and feet. I can do that for free most places.
Last Sunday was Jounen Kweyol, so we dressed in our madwas and went into VF Town for some food and music. All the locals loved that we were wearing their national dress, and while it seemed like pestering at first, we realized soon that they were flattered at the compliment we were paying them.
Soon I'll have Mid-Service Training, where all of us on St. Lucia will get to see everyone in our group who flew off to other islands after staging. I'm looking forward to the reconnect, though I'll definitely be sad when I don't see some familiar faces. You know who you are.
04 October 2009
Busy busy busy
I've been having trouble sleeping, I've been so busy! Before last week a lot of effort went into preparing for the Vieux Fort After School Programme (VFASP), and this past week a lot of effort went into making sure it got off the ground.
Well, it did! We had about 30 students each of the three days it runs, which is of course more manageable when there are more teachers and volunteers present. I'm especially excited that it started last week, because I could include it in my trimesterly report for PC. We still need to get some things in place, like more volunteers, regular club activities for half an hour after homework, etc., but it's great that the basic purpose is being fulfilled. Children are getting help with homework. When there are enough volunteers they get help from adults who already know the stuff, and when there aren't they get help from one another with key guidance from the adults that are around.
But even though this awesome thing is going on, it's been hard. Last weekend was so full of activity, from a fundraising concert in Laborie for St. Jude's to dinner in Balembouche (not the estate!) with a French family to another fundraising concert on Piaye beach--and all the house work and prep work that had to get done anyways! I haven't been getting much sleep for various reasons, and even twice last week I woke up from dreaming about writing lists and sorting out names and words, with children all around trying to help but being a distraction instead. Each day I come home (late, as you'll see in a bit) exhausted, but if I nap during the day I have an even harder time falling asleep at night.
So this three-day weekend was exactly what I needed. Berney and I went to Castries yesterday for a chess-training session, got a little shopping done in the market (mint! vanilla bean! miwi! roti!), and came back home for a quiet night. Today I made some vegan sloppy joes to take for our own cheap Oktoberfest at Sandy Beach, where we limed with Fae for a few hours. Tomorrow I'm looking forward to not leaving the house all day, and catching up on Heroes (since I didn't see the first three episodes of the season--I didn't have a working TV). Then it's back to some long days, but I'll be much more refreshed.
VFASP runs Mondays through Wednesdays until 4:30, so I get home around 5 or 5:30pm. Thursdays and Fridays, though, I still have to stay in Vieux Fort Town until about 4:30 because they're tearing down the remains of the hospital, and it's dangerous to be around the neighborhood with the asbestos in the air. They're working during the day, and then wetting everything down before people come home. So I need to find good reasons to stay around VF Town now. Or at least good places.
Finally, Berney and I recently celebrated two years of annoying each other constantly, regardless of proximity. :) I made a dinner that was special but not nearly as good as the lamb a month ago, along with a chocolate chip cookie cake with mint icing. Today we wrapped up the celebration with the rest of the lobster someone gave us as a consolation prize for getting ice thrown at us at the beach.
Oh. And both pairs of my work shoes broke. :(
Well, it did! We had about 30 students each of the three days it runs, which is of course more manageable when there are more teachers and volunteers present. I'm especially excited that it started last week, because I could include it in my trimesterly report for PC. We still need to get some things in place, like more volunteers, regular club activities for half an hour after homework, etc., but it's great that the basic purpose is being fulfilled. Children are getting help with homework. When there are enough volunteers they get help from adults who already know the stuff, and when there aren't they get help from one another with key guidance from the adults that are around.
But even though this awesome thing is going on, it's been hard. Last weekend was so full of activity, from a fundraising concert in Laborie for St. Jude's to dinner in Balembouche (not the estate!) with a French family to another fundraising concert on Piaye beach--and all the house work and prep work that had to get done anyways! I haven't been getting much sleep for various reasons, and even twice last week I woke up from dreaming about writing lists and sorting out names and words, with children all around trying to help but being a distraction instead. Each day I come home (late, as you'll see in a bit) exhausted, but if I nap during the day I have an even harder time falling asleep at night.
So this three-day weekend was exactly what I needed. Berney and I went to Castries yesterday for a chess-training session, got a little shopping done in the market (mint! vanilla bean! miwi! roti!), and came back home for a quiet night. Today I made some vegan sloppy joes to take for our own cheap Oktoberfest at Sandy Beach, where we limed with Fae for a few hours. Tomorrow I'm looking forward to not leaving the house all day, and catching up on Heroes (since I didn't see the first three episodes of the season--I didn't have a working TV). Then it's back to some long days, but I'll be much more refreshed.
VFASP runs Mondays through Wednesdays until 4:30, so I get home around 5 or 5:30pm. Thursdays and Fridays, though, I still have to stay in Vieux Fort Town until about 4:30 because they're tearing down the remains of the hospital, and it's dangerous to be around the neighborhood with the asbestos in the air. They're working during the day, and then wetting everything down before people come home. So I need to find good reasons to stay around VF Town now. Or at least good places.
Finally, Berney and I recently celebrated two years of annoying each other constantly, regardless of proximity. :) I made a dinner that was special but not nearly as good as the lamb a month ago, along with a chocolate chip cookie cake with mint icing. Today we wrapped up the celebration with the rest of the lobster someone gave us as a consolation prize for getting ice thrown at us at the beach.
Oh. And both pairs of my work shoes broke. :(
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
