Homegrown

Rainy season is upon us. There are many things I could complain about during the rainy season: too muddy (no paved surfaces to walk on), being trapped inside, many, many, many more mosquitoes and other bugs, and maleria. But there are benefits, including: plenty of water (duh), cooler temperatures, less dust. The water has also served to jump start our garden. We're finally able to get most of our greens from our own garden. We are currently growing: pumpkin, sugar cane, tomatoes, peppers, banana, pineapple, spinach, okra, greenbeans, basil, chives, and maybe more.... Chris has done such a great job on the garden, it's so nice to eat homegrown food. Anyone else gardening?

We're famous!

Alright, Guyana is not exactly a well known country. In fact, when Peace Corps told us we were coming to Guyana, I was not sure where Guyana was. (Do YOU know where I am right now?)

The New York Times picked up on a story that is near and dear to my heart. An article was written concerning the major road that connects the coast of Guyana with my part of the country - the hinterland Savannah. I'll be travelling this road tonight (Leave Georgetown 9pm, arrive Lethem next day.... noon-ish). It is a hell of a ride - quite literally over the river and through the woods - unpaved. I can't say much more, get informed, folks!

Watch the video, see where I live!

Midservice Training

No pictures for this post, but I thought we should report we've been at a Peace Corps conference this week, "Midservice Training". We celebrate finishing one year of service, and look forward to the next year. It comes at a crucial time, because many of us want to make our 2nd year of Peace Corps the best year, but we also have to really think about post-Peace Corps plans. This can be a conflict of... focus.

However, I feel pretty good, between this conference, my amazing vacation, and visiting several other volunteers, I feel I have enough inspiration to bring me a jam-packed year 2.

1. I want to start a health and exercise group with some Aishalton ladies. (Work it out!)
2. We have been trained in a radio program to combat HIV/AIDS, we hope to start listening groups. (Abstain or Be Faithful, folks!)
3. I want to start doing teacher training in the area of literacy and making teaching aids. (Yay for pocket charts and bingo games!)
4. I will start working with Red Cross, going house to house promoting environmental sanitation. (I get to tell people to burn their trash!)
5. I'm going to write a grant and turn my Learning Resource Centre into something. (Dig deep folks, I'm going to be looking to you for $!)

So, yay for year 2.

Post-PC plans? Well, we're working on it, but nothing definite. Any ideas where we should live? Grad schools we should go to? Jobs we should get?

Guyana's President, Bharat Jagdeo

I was able to visit another volunteer, Lindsay, at her site. She lives on a giant island in the middle of one of South America's most powerful rivers, the Essequibo. Living on her island are Guyanese of mostly Indian descent farming rice for a living. The day we visited, the school was preparing for a visit by Guyana's president" Bharat Jagdeo. Some have called him "The Champion of the Earth" because of his Low Carbon Development Strategy. His plan is based on carbon credits - keeping Guyana's forests standing in exchange for money from developed countries, mainly Norway. I can't say much more because it is quite political, but here is more information.

Anyway, his visit to Wakenaam Island was very exciting for the students of Maria's Pleasure Primary School, we got to see them working hard to clean and decorate the school. (For the record, we left a few hours before he arrived, but were greeted by his security.)

In addition to the smaller, more relaxed, beach-y island of Tobago, we spent some time in Trinidad. Trinidad is the larger, more industrial, more populated sister island. Here, we ate some great food, walked the city, had some AMAZING drinks in some swanky bars. (One day I will stay at The Carlton Savannah, not just have a cocktail.)

We also walked the Botanical Gardens. Granted, they weren’t at their best because it was dry season, but some nice plants nonetheless.

The tree of the tropics - the palm. There were dozens of types of palm trees in the gardens.

My favorite tree - Guyana has them too.
Me and Ashley on the tree, right before we were yelled at for sitting on the tree. Should have read the sign.
Holly and Chris dutifully standing beside the tree, not sitting on it.
Well, that's about as much as I can share from this holiday. We had a fabulous time and I already can't wait to go back. Or, go to a next place. Where should we go? Where are you planning to go?

Snorkeling in Tobago!

Snorkel! We went to view one of the most amazing places on our planet: Coral. We took a glass bottom boat out into the water, soaked up some sun (In our SPF 50 and hats), saw some fishes, and swam around in the ridiculous-looking goggles and snorkel. It was a ridiculously touristy thing to do, but quite fun with insanely gorgeous views.

Holly in the water:

Kristin on top of the boat:

Ashley on top of the boat:

Chris 'snorkeling' under the boat:

Ashley and I rocking our snorkeling gear:

My favorite activity of our trip: we rented a car and drove around the island. Tobago is a small island, but we took most of the day, stopping and enjoying the island’s beaches. The island is quite mountainous, so driving requires quite a lot of switchbacks, steep hills, and blind curves. Our chauffer, Ashley, was a beast of a driver. Thanks Ashley!

Each beach came into view as we came around a corner. The road would be up high on the coastline, so we’d be looking down a steep vegetated slope to the deep blue ocean, turquoise waters, and white crashing waves. There would be a thin strip of sand soon swallowed by coconut trees then tropical forest. The beach came closer as we drove down the hill. Soon, we were parked by the beach and getting out to put our feet (or more) into the water. It was warm, vibrantly clear, and quite salty.

A beach is such an intense place to feel the power of the ocean, sun, and wind simultaneously. Step out of the car, feel the warmth of the sun (We religiously wore SPF 50 and our hats!). Stand in the ocean, the waves pull at the sand under your feet. Soon, we were back in the car to climb a next hill to find a next beach. And more beaches there were – a whole island of them! My favorite part of the trip was the beauty – simply, a gorgeous place. God had fun when he created Tobago.

Us on the beach:

The ocean from up high:

A beach below:

On the beach near our villa:

Holiday

7 days of glory.

Trinidad and Tobago, heaven on earth. Our wonderful week was spent with Ashley and Holly, friends from Berea. It was so nice to travel with Bereans - and something more than roadtrips to sleep in each other's apartments. A real, live vacation. We stayed in a villa with our own pool, washing machine (Hallelujah!), kitchen, everything....

Everything was gorgeous. The water was the brightest blue and the clearest turquoise. The flowers a vibrant pink. The air was crisp and clean. The villa was stylish. The restaurants trendy and served cheese. It felt free. I felt beautiful. We felt felt liberated.

I don’t know how to explain it. Being with Bereans, travelling with Bereans… it feels so different, like somehow we’ve made ourselves into something, that our ability to experience and enjoy life proves something. We just finished college in 2007, yet collectively we’ve spent over 3 years as volunteers, finished a Master’s degree, travelled far and wide, worked in jobs with troubled youth, underserved immigrants, and obnoxious customers. We plan further travels, further studies, more important jobs. I want to be friends with these girls forever. I want to see and be a part of where they go and what they do.

We talked (American), Gaffed (Guyanese), and Limed (Trinidadian). We enjoyed the island. We loved the kind, polite, totally awesome islanders. We ate at great restaurants, made our own breakfasts, and skinny dipped in the pool (Well, some of us). More to come!

Me on Castara Beach, fishing village:

Holly, Kristin, Ashley: