Visual and Verbal Update

So a lot has happened since my last update, even though the last update was only in picture form. Thanksgiving left me speechless, i guess. There was more food than I have ever seen in an apartment kitchen and we even left the Kittitian guests unable to eat dessert, which is a noteworthy feat considering how impressively ravenous Kittitians are in buffet situations.

After my post-Thanksgiving stupor, I had to finish up my work with the Ministry of Health. Ive been working with NACHA, which is the National Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. December 1st was World AIDS Day, and a lot of the pictures I've uploaded were taken from the parade. I was assigned to go to several primary schools and give a talk/answer questions on HIV/AIDS. It was quite an interesting experience talking to kids as young as 5 about the virus.

Some of the questions that were brought up:
Can a person get HIV from the rain?
Is HIV the same thing as Dengue?
If someone with HIV uses my phone and then I touch it, will I get it?
And my favorite...
If i get bit by a snake and someone sucks the venom out but they have HIV, will I get it?

You have to give the kids credit for allowing their imaginations to reach such heights in the brief time I was speaking with them. But I guess that's what sets kids apart from us adults who have been programmed and mentally gridlocked. As much as I felt frustrated that I only had 30 minutes to warn these kids about a virus that is on the increase in their very communities, I felt even more frustrated at how many questions they had regarding all aspects of HIV/AIDS. Particularly within the realm of sex, they were curious on all the right topics, like where to get protection, how to use a condom, where to get tested, and they were very straight-forward and mature in delivering their questions, yet the teachers wouldn't let me elaborate on any of these truly important questions. The kids see the billboards that say "use a condom" and they see commercials on MTV saying for them to get tested, yet in the schools, where it's supposed to be their central domain for learning, they're hindered. I think the country is realizing the importance of education, and more importantly, the de-stigmatization of AIDS, and there is no denying the fact that kids at the primary school level are exposed to all things sex and HIV related, so hopefully in time they will meet this need with adequate levels of education.

After World AIDS Day, my work with NACHA was put on hold for the holidays. I am now planning my projects for after winter break, since everything basically shuts down for the holidays. Two of the volunteers that have been here for a year have been working with the Ministry of Sustainable Development to bring recycling to the island. Thanks to the morally conscious and environmentally responsible corporation that is Coca Cola, the St. Kitts bottling company switched from glass to plastic bottles last year. This has caused the landfill to reach it's capacity 2 years short. Because the two volunteers are leaving they wanted someone to help pick up the project, so I eagerly agreed. For a country that depends on the tourism industry, preserving the rich natural beauty of the island is imperative. Not to mention the broader picture that is our impending environmental degradation on a global scale. I am definitely excited to carry on this project.

I am also working to start up a theater program for the high school in my village. I have begun networking to find some people that will bring this project into motion, because I sure as hell cant do it on my own. Hopefully I will have positive updates on that topic soon.

In other areas of my life, I am trying to find balance and routine, as well as get as integrated as possible. I feel like Ive spent too much time away from my community, so I am trying to ameliorate that situation by making friends in any way possible. This includes getting up at 5:30 to jog with my landlady's neice, Keesa. Not something I ever saw myself doing, but if it means making local friends, I am 100% willing. Ive also been playing the violin for a lot of Christmas programs that various churches are putting on. It started with one, and then I got phone calls from people who were there and suddenly realized they needed a violinist at their church. Apparently, string players are scarce on this island. The whole thing is making me quite homesick, because it is the sole reminder of an impending holiday that I will not be home for. Particularly with Christmas programs, I have so many memories of playing "Little Drummer Boy" and "Silent Night" with my mom and Nathan. Fortunately, the sun is still burning out any other opportunities for reminiscing. My body still thinks it's September, and often times my mind is right there with it. If it was snowy and Basseterre suddenly had "Nuts 4 Nuts"vendors selling roasted cashews that smell exponentially better than they taste, then I would be in trouble.

Hope you all are healthy and happy and I still miss everyone like crazy.

PAZ

Life without street signs

Still haven't moved into my place yet.

I guess I haven't mentioned much regarding this topic in the ol' blog. Basically we were all supposed to move into our own places on October 18th, but because my house is still being built, my move-in date was postponed. While I have grown to love my host mother and I feel comfortable living with her, I am still eager to move into my own space and actually get situated and settled in. I was told I would move in on October 23rd, and I am still not in my house. I hate to personify the unescapable American stereotype of impatience and insensitivity, BUT I REALLY WANT TO MOVE INTO MY OWN HOUSE. Imagine everyone else being in their own houses with the freedom to listen to music that is not gospel radio and have their own refridgerator and bathroom etc. etc. It brings me back to the days of Christmastime in Richardson, Texas (just kidding!..sort of.) I feel like the only one not participating in the joyous fun.
This 3-week long saga that may seem like a sneeze in comparison to the hardships many people have had to overcome is truly sucking the life out of me. I probably sound very dramatic, but this has been a deterioration that has transpired for almost three months now. I'm trying my very best to maintain optimistic, though. It's really all I have. It is my universal armor against anything that comes my way, and it has kept me sane since I got here. Even if I'm optimistic and I'm let down, I can respond to said let-down with optimism. An optimism sandwich with a half full glass of optimism. It's a brilliant cycle, but paradoxically it is one of the most difficult to commit to and feel natural doing so. I hate to get all Mary Poppins on you all with my life lesson on the treasurous potentials of optimism, but I was worried this blog was veering towards a complaining whine-fest, and I really dont want to do that to you.
So because my land lady said I could move in last night, I brought over all my stuff, went to church with the promise that my bed would be brought in by the time I got back, then returned to no bed. I am now back to living with my host mom with..none of my things. I stopped by the new house this morning to gather some things and I was greeted by a lizard who had made a home out of my suitcase. At least someone's moving in!

Love and paz,
Alisa

POST-ELECTION STUPOR

A new chapter has begun in the chronicles of American history that will uplift and invigorate the souls of those who for so long have imagined today’s reality as something to strive for tomorrow. We are now living in a completely new age. No longer are the progressive ideals of racial equality and egalitarianism an idealistic notion that is pressed upon an unready and unwilling society. The country has come together to popularly elect an African American family into the White House by an undeniable majority showing that we are indeed ready to step out of the shadows of America’s past.

In efforts to feel American on this monumental occasion, a few volunteers and I decided to get a room at the Marriott resort so that we could stay over and see the full election with no power outages to inhibit us. We were also invited by a member from the embassy in Barbados to sit with him and the Prime Minister during the broadcast of the election which was an offer we couldn’t pass up. We spent the day lavishing in the luxuries of a typical American vacationer..basking in the air conditioning, utilizing the fancy gym equipment, and asking housekeeping for extra shampoo that we could hoard like the crafty Peace Corps volunteers that we are. Not to mention the extra roll of toilet paper that one genius volunteer decided to take home.

We spent the beginning of the night stuffing ourselves to our most gluttonous limits with free sushi appetizers. We knew we wouldn’t be able to afford such a delicacy during our time here, so we were pretty much ensconced by that area of the room for the beginning of the election. But when we finally realized that Obama was elected President of the United States, our excitement overflowed the already acoustically primed lobby of the Marriott like it was New Years Eve in Times Square. Tourists, Kittitians, Marriott staff, and students from the local universities were all crowded around the projection screen blanketed by our shared exhilaration for this revolutionary moment.

We woke up the next morning feeling like it was Christmas Day and there were presents waiting for us, wrapped so neatly and with such great care, alluding to the precious gift that waits inside. Barack Obama is that shiny, new, and exciting gift that our country needs in a time of such apathy and disappointment. He swept this election away with dignity and poise, and he will be the Neosporin to the still open wounds caused by the Bush Administration.

After spending a full 24 hours at the Marriott, I felt like I was crawling out of my own skin. I needed to get back to St. Kitts. The air conditioning was unnaturally cold, the hotel facilities were uncomfortably sterile, and the boozed up vacationers who were trying to escape the stresses of their everyday lives were becoming too much for me to handle. After hearing a handful of karaoke songs being sung by drunken tourists, I decided it was time to go home. As the taxi brought me to my bus stop and I boarded the crowded bus with reggae playing so loudly the seats rattled, I felt myself sinking back into my newly formed element.

Driving into my village, I noticed that the thunderstorm had caused yet another power outage. It was completely pitch black at the bottom of the hill I have to walk up, aside from the occasional blinding flashes of lightening that felt like someone was flashing their headlights directly in front of my face. I was without flashlight or umbrella, until I saw a beam of light moving in front of me. It was one of my neighbors, Basil, who I had only spoken to a few times. He was sitting on his porch with some friends, and they all insisted that he walk me up to my house, and that it would be crazy for me to walk alone in the dark during a thunderstorm. Because we live in front of a mountain, the water was cascading down the hill like a waterfall, but Basil walked me all the way to my door.

The genuine hospitality that these people offer is something that I am becoming increasingly attached to and comforted by. We were even told by Peace Corps staff that in St. Kitts, the first person you call when you hear someone breaking into your house is your neighbor, because they will immediately run over and scare the intruder away. In the states, my immediate reaction would be to call the police, because they are the only people I know would really risk their lives for me, but not here in St. Kitts. The people here don’t embody the offensively cheesy stereotype of West Indians that is shown in rum or sunscreen commercials, but they are real when it comes to their emotions and moods. There is no need to be fake or equivocating with their feelings; pretending to be joyful and carefree when something may actually be weighing them down seems unnecessary to Kittitians. Because of this, the frequent bouts of friendliness, the “good mornings” people issue to everyone sitting on the bus, or the smiles strangers exchange on the streets, possess actual value and are completely and utterly real.

At the Marriott, where people are supposed to be vacationing and relieving themselves of the stresses they’ve acquired throughout the year, the number of those pure and genuine smiles were few and far between. I knew that they weren’t genuine because they weren’t contagious, and I didn’t feel my mood elevated like when I walk the streets of my village. Maybe I am being too judgmental, or maybe I was just there on the wrong day. Maybe I am just not compatible with the resort lifestyle. But after being in St. Kitts for over two months, I can safely say that I am full of love for this place, and for I am noticing myself feeling completely comfortable living on this treasure of an island.

Election is coming!!

I am so excited to experience a presidential election in a foreign country, especially one where there is OVERWHELMING, unanimous support for one specific candidate: Barack Obama. I have an interesting article that you all should look at :
http://www.truthout.org/102808J

In case you dont have the time to read it, I will cliff-notes it for you. basically, a password protected website that is used to disseminate propaganda to the Al Qaeda has declared support for McCain (this may be old new for some of you). The support stems from McCain's policies, and more importantly those of the political and diplomatic genius that is the Bush Administration, which allow for easy recruitment into the Al Qaeda. Think of it as what the movie Animal House did for fraternities. Everything McCain stands for causes a polarization of opposition from our "enemies" that is manifested as Anti-Americanism. America is not Bush and American will not be McCain. McCain's campaign banter that includes talk of 100+ years more of occupation, Islam and terrorism fear tactics, and calcifying the residual capitalistic warfare and imperialism that was started by the Bush Administration allows for current members of Al Qaeda to perpetuate their Anti-American sentiment. Ultimately, Barack Obama's methods of diplomacy is simply not appealing for some.

I received my absentee ballot yesterday and I'm sending it in today. Hopefully it reaches the U.S. in time. We are going to the Marriott to watch the election, as advised by the Peace Corps. However i would love to go to a local bar and see how the locals respond to this momentous occasion. I cant count the many bars, restaurants, and public spaces that have election T.V. on. And every street vendor sells Obama shirts that usually juxtapose his image with monumental American figures like MLK. For the first time i feel truly invested and hopeful during a presidential election, and Obama just may be the lifeboat that saves this sinking ship.

Official Peace Corps volunteer post

Wow!

I am really terrible at updating this thing. I’ve never had a blog before so I’m going to be a little slow with remembering to be consistent. It is also feels a little strange writing all of my experiences and emotions online, but hopefully I’ll get used to it. I still feel this is the easiest way to keep you all updated and I want you to know what I’m doing while I’m down here without feeling obligated to send me e-mails all the time (although those are whole-heartedly encouraged).

So I survived my first ever hurricane!! It was really not as exciting as I expected, especially after seeing how all of St. Kitts basically shuts down in preparation for storm. This makes a lot of sense considering the fragility of this tiny island. Many of the houses are susceptible to damage and the population relies entirely upon exports from places like the United States and Canada. Also, these people have experienced some pretty tragic storms that have taken many lives and left homes irreparably destroyed. On Wednesday, during our training session, we were moved from the Gender Affairs office where our training usually takes place to the NEMA headquarters. NEMA is the St. Kitts equivalent of FEMA, except that they are actually efficient. They told us to go to the stores and get whatever we may need for a few days, and then go into consolidation at our safe houses. Peace Corps assigns one safe house for every 5 volunteers that is adequately built for storms as well as stocked with non-perishables. Of course this sent us into an excited flurry because we were already experiencing safety protocol before we had even sworn in. I spent the night playing cards with my safe house until we lost power. We then stayed up until 2:00 a.m. waiting for the storm, until we heard the forceful gusts of winds and sporadic torrential downpours of rain. That was Hurricane Omar. And then it went away.

The actual damage has fortunately been quite sparse. A few roads were washed out, and we have spoken to some people whose houses were “mashed up”, as they say here. We’re hoping to get volunteers together and help some people clean out broken glass from their yards and clear any debris. The main road here runs along the waterfront and there is a blanket of garbage littering the shore. Most of the garbage is plastic-plastic water bottles to be specific-which has most likely traveled quite a distance. A few boats were washed ashore and benches were overturned, but other than that, St. Kitts remains well intact.

Friday, October 17^th we were officially sworn into service, over the phone, because our Director was unable to fly in. Most of the volunteers are moving into their housing today, but my house isn’t finished yet. It is a brand new house that is being built, which is exciting, yet simultaneously disconcerting. I feel that I will be uncomfortably comfortable in my home. There are just so many conveniences in this developing country that I did not expect to be confronted with. Not to say that I wish anything else upon St. Kitts; I think the amount of technological advancements this country has made is incredibly noteworthy. The volunteers and I have just had many discussions about how our Peace Corps service is going to be nothing like what we had envisioned. For me personally, I had hoped to be living in a mud hut with no running water or electricity. I have now realized that I shouldn’t weigh the value of my service on the basis of how much suffering I go through. There are parts of the United States that need volunteer service just as much as the places that have Peace Corps posts, and they wouldn’t require me to go to the local watering hole for my drinking water either.

Our contributions, on a person-to-person basis, are universally precious, and we have the power to make a positive change wherever we go, whether it may be New York or New Guinea. The image I had conjured up in my mind for so long may be an experience that would change my life forever, but I can already predict that I will undergo the same internal realignment even though I have a microwave and running water. As long as I exert myself in the most progressive and sustainable way, in my mind I will have completed a successful service, regardless of whether I contracted malaria or not. I can’t wait to see what adventures I will experience during my stay here and I will try my best to keep you all updated every step of the way. I am continually missing you and I hope that everyday you are all intoxicated by the beauties this world has to offer.

Paz,

Alisa

HIIIIII!!!

I'm already writing another blog...and i know you are excited. It has been raining on and off for a while now, which is a weird coincidence because it is the rainy season. we are all very confused as to what this odd sensation is, but i believe it is called "cold." The winds are stronger and the sun has been shielded by thick, dark rain clouds so we are less lethargic and miserable and more confused and underclothed.
Yesterday was Independence Day, so all of St. Kitts basically shut down in the name of 25 years of post-colonial success, which is something i will definitely dance to. i went with my host mother and brother to a "parade" which was just various public servants, boys/girls scouts, and a military band standing in their uniforms at the Cricket stadium. It was nice to see the pride and patriotism that the people have for their country which is one of the most economically and socially developed countries in the West Indies. They paid plenty of well-deserved homage to the long journey from slavery and British rule to an independent federation with a national identity and culture.
Afterwards I layed around at home for a while as the rain ran it's course, and then my host mother took me to the Baptist church for a barbecue. I love going there for social events because i feel a real sense of community and family interaction. The kids were playing cricket and a couple of them took me around the surrounding field to where there was a guava tree, and i proceeded to eat several too many. My host mother had cooked the national dish of saltfish, dumplings, and yams before we left so i was physically unable to indulge in the barbecue, but it looked and smelled amazing. I did get to drink starfruit juice which is exponentially more delicious as a drink rather than a fruit.
I am enjoying myself, but I feel incredibly transient. Our lives are basically in limbo until training is over and we are living on our own. I cant wait to feel like a member of a community, both in the way people see me and the way i see the people and places that are around me. I know it will take time, so until then, i'm trying my best to enjoy the journey. today i was walking and a monkey jumped down from a tree right in front of me which was pretty much the highlight of my week.

Hope youre doing well
paz

Changes?

Hi!
Week 3 of St. Kitts is making steady progress. I dont feel at all like i'm in the Peace Corps yet, although i'm starting to re-evaluate what that really even means. Over the years i guess i developed some very naiive images of Peace Corps volunteering that ignored the emotionally strenuous process of community integration and constant, unwanted attention. Regardless, i AM noticing some changes, whether they may be physical, emotional, mental, or just imagined. allow me to share them in attention deficit-friendly list form:

• I'm dirtier. Somehow, I have an unwavering ability to collect all sorts of dirt and unidentifiable bacteria under my fingernails. I am however not the only one, and yes, this makes me feel better about the whole situation. A few of us volunteers have hypothesized that it may be from scratching our skin because it accumilates so much dirt and grime,but maybe that's a question that's best left unanswered.

• I love cold showers. LOVE them. they never fail at making me happy.

• I'm confronted with different culinary dilemmas. Being a vegetarian isn't the most common thing here in st. kitts which doesnt lead to a very sympathetic understanding of why i forbid to eat meat. for example, my host mother, who is catering to my dietary demands like a saint, asked me to help her prepare dinner by scraping residual feathers off of the raw chicken wings. she then proceeded to show me how to BREAK THE BONES in half with a knife, releasing all of the remaining blood and blood-saturated bone marrow. but at least i wasnt ingesting it..?

• I'm itchy. someone once told me that digging your fingernail into a mosquito bite makes it itch less, and that someone was a dirty liar. i am still searching for the most satisfactory way of dealing with these unrelenting mosquito bites that doesnt involve fire, knives, forks, or hungry goats.

• I'm meeting my neighbors. GOATS. they have become my new neighbors, and if anyone knows me they know i am one of the most tolerant human beings when it comes to the scents that animals release. i love skunk smell, zoo smell, animal shelter smell..you name it. my host mother becomes incredibly vexed over the goats because they poop all over her yard, destroy her garden, and do other socially unacceptable goatish things. i, however, LOVE the goats, and i find great comfort in hearing them outside my bedroom window. you have to admit, theyre better than a peeping tom.

• The people are keeping me sane. the children here are absolutely positively unquestionably the coolest people i have ever met in my entire life (no offense to any readers that arent kittitian children). They love to touch my hair and they think for some reason that my kind of hair is better than theirs (THANK YOU WESTERN POP CULTURE INFLUENCE), so i am constantly having to tell them how beautiful they are and how much i wish i had hair and skin like theirs. and i do. i am pale and ghostly.

• I've learned how to be a friendly, well-mannered stranger. saying good morning, good afternoon, and goodnight to people i know and don't know is one of the most valuable lessons i will take back to the states, and i can say that with confidence, regardless of the fact that i havent even began my service.

hope all is well in your lives.

paz