Writings of Saint Lucia, Ghana and life in general. A Peace Corps Volunteer in St. Lucia, visiting faculty in Ghana and grandma for life.
This is a look back at the details of my travels and a document for my grandchildren. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.
This blog does not express views of U.S. Peace Corps, Webster University, my family, dog or any institutions named or linked to these pages. It's life observation as I interpret it.
I
keep meaning to write a bucket list.The
trouble is the only time I think about bucket lists are when I’m doing
bucket-worthy things.
By
bucket-worthy, I’m not talking about a country I want to visit.To me a bucket-worthy line is more specific
than that.The problem is that I’m not
sure I would have known to put them on the bucket list until after I’ve
accomplished these line items.
So
if I knew then, what I know now here are a few things I would definitely put on
that list.It is unfortunate that I
don’t know now what I will know then or this list would obviously be longer!
1.WITNESS A LEATHERBACK TURTLE COMING ON SHORE AT TWO IN THE MORNING Watching
a leatherback turtle come up on shore to lay eggs is amazing.I was no more than a couple of feet from
her.
2.HIKE ACROSS AN ISLAND THROUGH THE RAIN FOREST I walked across Saint
Lucia rain forest and listened to the parrots, tree frogs and cicadas singing
in unison.It was grand until we became
lost in the forest; then a nightmare, today a great memory.
3.SLEEP IN A GRASS HUTS AND LEARN ABOUT STRANGE RELIGIOUS PRACTICES I
rode a boat across Lake Atitlan in Guatemala with two of my sons.We stayed in a grass hut.We went to pay homage to Maximon, the God who
is tied to a string.But first, we had
to look for a boy and a girl.The girl
would be holding a chicken in her arms.They were our guides to witness Maximom on an alter with a few men
drinking “spirit”.While we were there,
the people who we paid to stay in the grass hut fished for our dinner.
4.EAT GIANT MANGOS Costa Rica and Honduras (and probably others) have
“real” Mangos that are the size of a small watermelon.I am sure I will never find that quality
again, unless I return to Central America during Mango season.
5.LEARN THE VALUE OF THE TEAK TREE I probably would not have thought to
add a line to learn how people make palm oil.I learned that in Costa Rica.I
learned that Teak Trees produce an oil to temporarily die skin.They are a major source of die for the Henna
industry.
6.WASH A STRANGERS FEETI never
would have added washing the feet of a complete stranger in a foreign
country.This is something I did in
Saint Lucia at the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
7.BECOME A PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERI was inspired to become a Peace Corps Volunteer while
visiting son in Honduras. Until my visit to Honduras I did not know that my life would
not have been complete without it!
8.EAT SOUP WITH MY HANDIn my
wildest imagination, I can’t think of any reason I would have added "eat a
strange soup the big dough balls – and eat it with my right hand".That was definitely a great Ghanaian
experience.
9.EAT SOUP THAT MOVES Another food story would be to eat soup that
appears to be moving in a country where few speak English and the ingredients
are unknown; an experience in Kyoto, Japan.
10.ATTEND A PENTECOSTAL CHURCH I would not have gone to the Pentecostal
Church with the Pastor and his family but the people were warm and welcoming
making the experience rich.I’m so happy
to check that off my list in progress.
11.FLY INTO ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS AIRPORTS Flying into what many call
the “world’s most tricky” airport where the pilot admits before landing that
the landing strip is not long enough to be safe, further explaining that the
mountainous range makes it even more difficult.Passengers ritually clap when the plane stops safely, but sometimes it
doesn’t.
12.SIT IN A BOAT SURROUNDED BY ALLIGATORS Spend an afternoon on an airboat
surrounded by alligators being coaxed closer with the lure of marshmallows.
13.LISTEN TO JAZZ GREAT ELLIS MARCELLIS Attending a set at Snug Harbor and
listening to the great Ellis Marcellis who is over eighty years old while thinking
of my dad who loved both Jazz and New Orleans.
14.REALLY HAVE DIVERSE FRIENDSHIPSHaving met people from all over the world and learning we are different and the same.
As Janyn and I pass through the streets lined with hitching
posts, I comment, “It doesn’t feel like I’m in the United States”. But we are. We are in New Orleans.
The buildings are ornate and old.Some architecture has a French flair and
Greek Revival.Then there are some
buildings that beg the question: how they are still standing?
There are many homeless sitting on the sidewalks, asking for
handouts; some are passed out in doorways.The smell reminds me of many foreign countries I’ve travelled through.
The Cathedral is a tall and ornate church in Jackson Square.It is the oldest cathedral in the United
States. It is the third church on this site and dates in the mid 1800s.The docents boast of Pope Paul VI visit to
the cathedral in 1964 where he designated it a minor basilica.It’s always a treat to look inside
Cathedrals, but once again I feel like I’m in another country.
Jackson Square is a great place to hang out, listen to
music, see local artisan work, relax and take in a couple of moments.
We change the navigation direction slightly and move to an
area that feels more like the United States. Expensive restaurants and big
hotels with artistically lighted palm tree lined streets gives me the feeling
of visiting Florida.Janyn and I enter a
building and are immediately hit with bright lights and a stale cigarette odor.
Some people are standing around tables waiting for dice to reveal an answer,
some cheering at the result at another table. Others, with a drink in one hand
and a cigarette in their mouth, quietly feed hungry machines that gobble up
coins.The clanging of coins and musical
melodies coming from slot machines gives me the feeling that we are back in Las
Vegas.Neither Janyn nor I feel this is
a good use of time and quickly leave away from this modern perfect world and
back to the area that we have come to visit.
Nearby the homes are a wide range of bright hue, long and
skinny.They are dubbed “shot gun
houses”.
The cemeteries are amazing. We walk among the above ground tombs that house hundreds of people in each tomb. Those that buy a package to preserve the tomb are well kept, others are just bricks in a rubble. They are referred to as Cities of the Dead.
Walking through the cemeteries is a walk through New Orleans culture. And, of course, funerals are part of the diverse culture. Kerwin James, a Jazz Great Tuba Player was escorted out in a celebratory manner.
Mornings are reminders of the night before.A curious routine of hosing down the streets
is an activity taken for granted by residents but horrifying to any Californian
whose lawns are baking in the sun and begging for a drop of water.
Traveling outside the French Quarter and away from the
modern city to where people make their lives, things look more “American”.Typical fast food restaurants, in/out oil
change businesses and grocery stores are ever-present..
Back in the French Quarter we notice that many businesses have taken on the Voodoo name. The liquor store on the corner is aptly named “Voodoo
Liquor”. Among the many oddball museums is the Voodoo Museum.The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans is Marie
Laveau.Her pictures canbe seen in may places.Born in 1801, Ms. Laveau was a free woman who
practiced healing and Voodoo.Her
specialty was love potions.
There is the Pharmacy Museum – yes, I said, Pharmacy.Louis Dufiho, Jr. was America’s First
Licensed Pharmacist and pushed to ensure that his profession obtained
licensing.The Pharmacy, complete with
contents and is on the National Register of Historic Places was donated to
preserve history.Go figure.Who would have thunk it!
As I wonder through the museum looking at old bottles,
instruments and the cash register, I also see the “birthing room” where
mid-wives ushered in new life.But there
is a curious object in the Optics Department.There are lots of old glasses and Janyn points out that this must be
where the idea of Steve Martin’s The Jerk Opti-Grab Glasses was born.
The Old Mint has a Jazz exhibition.Pictures fill the hall and include the famous
Preservation Hall was founded in 1961 to preserve jazz.Their music is an important aspect of their
culture.As Louis Armstrong said “This
is where you will find the greats”.We
meet a little boy there who lives in Texas.He moved there after Katrina and the sadness in his eyes said it all.
This is Preservation Hall - Imagine this is where the greats play.
Just down the street we run into the Preseytere, part of the
National Museum.By chance we walk in
and come face to face with a first person emotional account of Hurricane
Katrina. The graffiti is a piece of a house marked after it was searched. The picture of the man chronicled his day-to-day survival on the walls of a building where he took refuge.
As if to bring the audience out of the sobering mood of Hurricane Katrina, the museum pairs a Mardi Gras Exhibit; the antithesis of Katrina, yet the spirit of the people.
Outside the French Quarter is the National World War II Museum. Reluctantly, Janyn and I decided to see it. It didn't sound like something we want to do, but Janyn said, "We are going to be glad we did this because it will be good." We just cannot imagine it to be that interesting. We park our rental car. On the side of a building was "Before I die" with chalk on the ground. We pick up chalk and write our messages.
Janyn was right - oh do I hate writing that! The museum was amazing. It takes us through a timeline of the entire war, bringing more meaning to the immense struggle in this world than I had previously known. I think about my dad, a Marine, throughout this experience. I am glad I did not miss this experience.
Then we decided to visit the museum adjacent to the WWII museum. We have mixed feelings about being in here and feel embarrassed at what we find. The letter goes with a Confederate Flag that was preserved from battle and refers to it as "a priceless relic from our dear lost cause". Yikes.
We will only be in New Orleans five days but we established a food routine quite early. Cafe Du Monde Beignets and black chicory coffee for breakfast, Pralines
for snacks found everywhere and Oysters at Acme for dinner.
There are many places to listen to jazz.Snug Harbor is one of them.This venue is an unassuming storefront that
provides entertainment by many greats.I
feel like I’m entering a Speakeasy.Upon
entering a receptionist is seen escorting people to their tables for
dinner.But given the right code words: “we
have a reservation for the show tonight”, we are escorted to the back of the
building.Once again we give them the
right code words and are given the okay to enter.
We witness a great show featuring the great Ellis Marsalis,
now in his 80s.He is, of course, good,
but the trumpet player is the prize.For anyone who loves jazz, Ashlin Parker is a name to keep in mind. If you listen to the video above, Ashlin starts at 2:10 minutes.He can also be found on Facebook, Trumpet
Mafia.
I love public
transportation.I’m always envious when
I go to places where they do it well.California just doesn’t get it and probably never will.The city is just poorly planned.But talking with New Orleans people, I learn the public
transportation system is an illusion.The street cars are nice, but don’t accommodate people who commute, many
of which must get a taxi on Sundays to work in the city.But for us it is great.We are able to take the trolly from the
hotel all the way to Louis Armstrong Park.
Louis Armstrong park is huge. There is a lake, cafe, an art museum, a place to rent boats or just relax. It is peaceful and a great place to spend an afternoon. The best part is that a trolly ride to the park is forty cents. What a bargain!
Some tourists opt for horse and buggy touring rides. Although it looked interesting, we relied mostly on our feet. There's just more to notice when walking.
A highlight of this trip is riding in a small air boat
in the swamps in search of alligators. It is quiet, beautiful and reflective. At times we are surrounded by these ancient creatures and the experience of being with a handful of people in a swamp is one of those times when I recognized how wonderful it is to be alive.
And so, I leave this packed five days and this blog post by reminding you that "when the moon hits your eye like a big piece of pie that's amore".