Wednesday, February 24, 2010

I Found my Groove

Did I ever say that I love this experience? Did I ever say that this was the perfect thing to do at this time of my life? Did I ever say that, for me, missing this would have been missing life? Well, I should have. This is a long post, but I don’t know how to shorten it…so I put a lot of pictures in it to make it more interesting.


Monday was the 31st anniversary of Saint Lucia’s Independence. The families and children of the After-School Program went to Latille Falls for a picnic. It’s a few miles from my house and I decided to walk there. I packed up my backpack filled with requested chocolate chip cookies and headed down the road.



The road is beautiful and I pass by one of my favorite trees, banana farms and greet farmers as I pass. A few farmers pass in their trucks and ask if I want a ride. I thank them and decline, not because it’s dangerous, but because it’s a beautiful day.



Sly, or “Rasta Man”, the owner of Latille Falls, gathered the families together to talk about history and wish everyone a good time. The picnic was nice and gave me time to spend with the parents of the children I am with four days a week. After a few hours, I walked home. Cardio exercise is never an issue here.


Early the next morning, I finished making yet another batch of chocolate chip cookies I mixed last night when I got home. I had to get up early to do this because they need to be frozen before I pack them up and take them to the school. If they aren’t frozen, they will end up a melted mess. Oh, the things I’ve learned during my time in a tropical climate.

I made a cup of the new Instant Starbucks Coffee; it’s better than any fresh brewed I can make here. It’s mango season and my breakfast of choice.

One of the facilitators arrived for private computer class. I’m teaching her Microsoft Office and also the art of blogging. I am hopeful that she will take over the blogsite I have just set up for the After School Program.

I straightened the house, made the bed, did a few dishes, got dressed and packed up the cookies. I picked up the materials for the Junior Achievement last lesson and headed for the primary school in my village. Since this is my last class, I will hand them certificates and a small bag of cookies.


I arrived after a ten minute walk feeling like I needed another shower. We are in a drought and it’s hot. I greet the children and walk down the isles and they all touch my arm or my hair and some give me hugs. Some squeeze so tight I wonder if I will survive it. They are all screaming “Miss Karen”.




I went over the last few weeks and what we learned. Then we went through the lesson. When I was done and the certificates were handed out, they surprised me with a party. One little girl read a poem written by the children. Another sang a song for me. She wrote it: “Thank you for being our teacher. We love you and don’t want you to leave. Thank you for being our teacher.” It was a child-like song with little melody and lots of love. It was touching. They gave me a gift bag, with a t-shirt and a card.




Then the teacher brought out a large platter of cheese sandwiches. She proclaimed, “we used the mass production method you taught them to make the sandwiches”. We took lots of pictures together. They love pictures. Before I left everyone wanted a hug. There was a line for hugs. One child nearly knocked the wind out of me with his bear hug. The party they planned for me was amazing and something I will always remember. I assure them I will be in the village for the next few months and this goodbye is only a Junior Achievement goodbye.


My next stop is a bus ride away to the after-school program. At the picnic, I promised a child’s father that I would work with his child. He explained to me that everyone on both sides of the family, with the exception of one daughter, is illiterate.

His son is ten years old and can’t read. I will assess his skill level and then put some materials together for the boy’s sister to help him. I will work with him as much as I can, but he needs help at home too. So many people here are illiterate.

I arrived at the village and walked down the road to the school. I found the Kindergarten teacher, a friend, and she helped me make some flash cards and other things to help him.

Then I learned the IT Facilitator is ill and I needed to teach IT. So much for assessing the boy today. This will have to wait. Now I have to figure out what I will do with this class. Fortunately, the facilitators are submitting Lesson Plans. I ask for the plan, read it and remember the Jelly Belly’s and flavor guides that are in my backpack. A perfect day for a behavior tool!



I began the session with a discussion on how they were feeling. I have found many children cannot identify feelings beyond anger. I talked to the children about what we had learned about Saint Lucia Independence.


During the break, Brenda and I talked. She asked if I would put a PowerPoint presentation together to showcase the After-School Program successes. Of course I agreed, although I was thinking of the four full-day workshops I am currently designing late each evening.


When the children returned from break, I asked them to write five questions down. What is the capitol of Saint Lucia? What is the national bird? What is Saint Lucia’s Motto? Who is the Prime Minister? What is the tallest peak on the island? They were required to go to the computer and find the answers. They had fun with the exercise and wanted more.


As a reward for a job well done, the children and I sat down, flavor guides in hand and commenced to tasting the bursting flavors of Jelly Beans.

When they became hyper, bouncing off the ceiling and so active that they were becoming obnoxious, I declared the day had ended and sent them home to their poor unsuspecting parents.

I'm exhausted by now...does it show?

I jumped on a bus back to my village. I called “stopping” early, getting off at the far end of my village to walk the long way home. Once home I ate another mango, turned on the computer and finished Brenda’s PowerPoint slides shortly before midnight while watching the Winter Olympics.

This morning I’m finishing up a load of laundry, writing this journal piece before I flag down a bus to the next village to meet with teachers to continue creating individual assessments for the forty after-school children.


Hopefully, I will find the time to assess the little boy’s reading ability today and then get back in time to work on some of those workshops. As I speed down the road to the end of my service, my plate is full. This is the way I like it. I’ve got my groove on.

3 comments:

Two Mamas said...

Hi Karen! It's Kate from the L.A. office. This was a great post. I'm so happy to hear that you're so engaged and finding rewarding projects. I love the Jelly Belly idea -- I can't imagine what my students in China would have thought of those flavors!

Two Mamas said...

Great post, Karen! I'm so happy to read that you are so engaged and happy in your work. I love thinking about the kids trying out the Jelly Belly flavors -- kind of like being at Willy Wonka's chocolate factory!

Karen's Planet said...

How nice to hear from you Kate! The Jelly Belly thing is amazing fun. My sister is coming this summer. I asked her if she wanted some cheap fun. She will be bringing sour candy with her. There is something to be said for this second Peace Corps goal!