Saturday Morning

It’s Saturday and I hear the car drive up. It’s my driver. Since I’m a volunteer and cannot be paid, Monroe College has agreed to provide my transportation to the capitol where I teach. Jay and Kevin climb into the back seat of the car for the 45 minute drive to the capitol where they will wait until I’ve finished teaching. Why do you think they would do this? Jet lagged, they get up at 7:00 a.m. No time for coffee - just out the door. The answer is simple. Men are simple. Food. My favorite Rasta Restaurant.

Traveling Light...NOT

My sons are light travelers. They have traveled extensively and have been to too many countries to count. Passport stamps are worn like badges and it’s always nice to remind them of the pasted “stamp” I received from Japan as neither of them have this type of stamp.

As I look down I notice the small travel backpacks they brought. They pack just enough to be efficient. But there is more. Two more to be exact. Two more bags slung over their shoulders. There had “essentials” to bring: several pounds of See’s Candy, semi-sweet and white chocolate chips, bags of almonds, special toothpaste, a laptop, a wireless router and a projector were just a few things packed in the two extra bags they brought along with their efficient lightweight packs.

They gather their things and we pile into the pre-negotiated taxi to take us to my village. There is simply too much stuff to even think about boarding a bus. Twenty minutes later we are home, the bags are dropped and we are out the door. Although they have just arrived from a grueling fourteen hour flight, they still have a bit of energy to tour my village. They meet Egbert, the Librarian and Darnley, my counterpart, they see the “business center”, and are greeted by every passer-by as we walk through the village. People in the village are curious and so friendly that it warms my heart as we walk through the streets.

We walk to Viege Point and I show them the rock that resembles the map of Saint Lucia. Everyone knows about this phenomenon. They convince me to navigate the rocks climbing down to get a closer view of the sea. It really is a magnificent site. It’s nice to have them here to share the beauty of the island. Our family has a love affair with nature. It was a bond John and I shared and passed on to our children. It always feels special when we share nature together.

When we returned to my house I looked out my back balcony to see if Binta’s was open. If the window in the brown wood building is propped open it is the signal that she's open for business. It is. She makes bakes, salt fish and local juice and I know they will will like this food and will return for this snack every chance they get.

By the way, Kevin told me they would leave the extra bags behind. Sadly for him, this was not the case. There was a coal pot for BBQing, two dresses for Ava, some rum, hot sauce, pencil boxes, purses and various gifts that filled the bags and accompanied my sons on their return flight from California.

Breaking from the Routine

They left today. The house is empty. There were a few tears today, but also a lot of love. My neglected blog is overdue for a post or maybe a few posts. The next few posts will compile my experience over the past few days.

I woke early. I knew there was no possibility of going back to sleep. I made coffee and cleaned my house. Cleaning the house was difficult. I’d already done it and there was no dirt anywhere. Thankfully, making coffee made a small mess that required clean-up. I just needed to keep busy until they came. They would be here at 2:00.

Promptly, at 1:15 I headed out the door and walked up the path to the bus stop. I waited for a few minutes until the Vieux Fort Bus stopped. I opened the door, climbed in the seat and asked the driver to stop at the Hewanorra Airport. He stopped and I handed him the $3EC required for the ride. I walked up to the arrival gate. As I waited, every taxi driver asked me if they could drive me somewhere. I will always look like a tourist here. I picked one of the drivers and negotiated a fee; then I waited some more.

As instructed by the sign above, I stood behind the line . . . waiting. People came through the doors one at a time. Finally, I saw one and then the other. Two of my sons were here. We are so close and it’s been hard to have our family separated. I made a drastic departure from the rule-bound perfect little person behind the barrier and ran around it to the forbidden territory for a sandwich hug.

While we exchanged words and talked about what we would be doing and how nice it was to be together, the taxi driver took charge and loaded their bags into his car.

For the next several days we would cook together, see the sights, visit my new friends and I would teach them things I learned about the country. They vowed to teach me how to eat. My steady diet of peanut butter sandwiches is not a well-kept secret. We explored beyond the beaches of Saint Lucia to the shores of Martinique and Dominica.

I will post our travels in a series over the next days. Oh, by the way, I brought Flat Erika to the airport. My sons brought Flat Autumn, Erika’s sister with them. So, as I tell the story of our fabulous visit, you will likely see our flat friends hidden, not so discretely, in many of the pictures I will post over the next few days.

Guess where we are!

Life is Good

But even better the last few days...

A Sandals Conference

I was called to the village secondary school for a meeting about Junior Achievement. One of the volunteers in my group, Elaine, is assigned to build a Junior Achievement Program and when she asked if I would be interested in helping the students in my village with the program I said, “Of course”. Inside, I was actually thinking, “what are you doing, Karen?!?” Working with children is hardly something I feel comfortable with, but Peace Corps is about moving from the familiar comfort zone.

I remember being part of Junior Achievement in high school. I was a freshman and I never felt particularly good at anything until I joined this after school activity. I was an elected officer, the Vice President of Finance. We made candles and sold them at Christmastime. I remember my dad taking them to work. I overheard Dad tell my mother, “this is payback for all the things I have had to purchase from their kids”. It was years later when my boys were selling candy and various items for Little League and school that I could fully appreciate that comment.

My Junior Achievement experience was positive because I wanted to work in business from the time I was ten. It was the second “sign” that this would be my career path. The first sign was the 1950s sitcom “Private Secretary” with Ann Southern who played the secretary Suzie McNemara. I wanted to be her. There was another woman. I think her name was Vi. I didn’t want to be her. Suzie looked important as she answered Mr. Sand’s telephone and worked his schedule. Growing up in the 50s, I accepted the walls and limitations that held my gender. Even though I held the same values espoused by the woman’s movement, I wasn’t able to break free until I was in my 30s.

So when the teacher asked me if I would escort seven girls to the Junior Achievement Conference in Castries, I agreed . . . reluctantly. Seven girls! But, as usual, in the end I was glad I agreed to do it.

None of them had ever been at Sandals which is considered a nice resort by many. They were extremely excited about having their picture taken by the pool. Of course Flat Erika attended the conference and the girls were curious and then happy to pose with her.

Developing new skills

Anyone need asphalt painted?