So most of the Grenada projects in the classes are being finished up and I am working to get ready for valentines day cards. Each class has a different card based on the students abilities and level so I have been working hard to get all of the stuff cut out so thats ready.
I had a grate site visit with my country director from St.Lucia and we got all cough up so that was awesome. Friday we had a big group meeting with all of the Peace Corps volunteers on the island about the new changes for sexual harassment and the ways that PC has improved what they can do to help us if something happens. She also bought us pizza so it was a good laid back meeting.
I have continued to go to my new work out class, i love it and I can already see a change in my health and body. I need to get a scale for my appt. It was a grate productive week.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Week two - 3rd Semester at the Limes
Week two
Lets start with independence day crafts, oh by I have requests coming out over every direction and it feels grate. So we have the level one class painting rocks in red, yellow, and green so they can make the flag and that is taking a lot of hard work from are kids. Some love it and others are having a little bit of a hard time but their is three teachers including myself on mondays for that class so we work together . Level two colored strips of red, green, and yellow and then we cut them up so they could make a collage with it. I was surprised at how well some of the little little guys could past down the colored squares, they loved it some just kept coming back to do more. Level three worked on coloring a Grenada map with the parishes and we turned that into a puzzle. Level three is working on a book of Grenada so I am working on coloring pages for each parish, for example St. Geroge is known for shopping. Level four did grenada colored woven mats out of construction paper and decorated them with the coloring sheet I made for them that had the local fruit and spices on it. Level five, six, and seven did a huge outline of Grenada and colored each parish and then we put a star and their name where each one of them lived. That was fun because no one had done that before so I thought that was cool. It was a good second week at school, and I have White Cane on Tuesdays and a half day on Wednesday. We are also working on Grenada map bottles bit nutmegs and the flag on them. Boy everything is moving along. I am so happy here with what I am doing.
Lets start with independence day crafts, oh by I have requests coming out over every direction and it feels grate. So we have the level one class painting rocks in red, yellow, and green so they can make the flag and that is taking a lot of hard work from are kids. Some love it and others are having a little bit of a hard time but their is three teachers including myself on mondays for that class so we work together . Level two colored strips of red, green, and yellow and then we cut them up so they could make a collage with it. I was surprised at how well some of the little little guys could past down the colored squares, they loved it some just kept coming back to do more. Level three worked on coloring a Grenada map with the parishes and we turned that into a puzzle. Level three is working on a book of Grenada so I am working on coloring pages for each parish, for example St. Geroge is known for shopping. Level four did grenada colored woven mats out of construction paper and decorated them with the coloring sheet I made for them that had the local fruit and spices on it. Level five, six, and seven did a huge outline of Grenada and colored each parish and then we put a star and their name where each one of them lived. That was fun because no one had done that before so I thought that was cool. It was a good second week at school, and I have White Cane on Tuesdays and a half day on Wednesday. We are also working on Grenada map bottles bit nutmegs and the flag on them. Boy everything is moving along. I am so happy here with what I am doing.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Week one - 3rd Semester at the Limes
Week one
Last semester I discovered that some changes needed to be made not only by me but by the teachers as well to improve my arts and crafts class. On the first day of school I talked to ever teacher about what changes they want to see, projects they where interested in doing, supplies they had and needed. I took notes and I told them that they hd to be more a part of my classes because if they are not happy we need to fix the problem. I spent a lot of week one talking to the teachers and organizing. I need to work on being more festive when it comes to local holidays, thats one thing that I need to work on.
I also re organized my days I am working two and a half days at the school one day at White cane and one day at Dorothy Hopkins. its a much better planed week for me because I fell more useful and not just sitting around at the school in between classes. I also feel like I am being used to my full potential teaching people at white cane how to paint, doing arts and crafts at a group home for special needs and teaching at the school.
Outside of school I got back to dancing, and now that I have nice dance shoes for practice it feels better to dance so I am set, I have practice ones and going out latin shoes thanks to my mom. I am also going to start a work out class with my friend. Instead of joining a gym for $150ec I can go three times a week for one hour a day for $5ec a month. I hope that works out.
Last semester I discovered that some changes needed to be made not only by me but by the teachers as well to improve my arts and crafts class. On the first day of school I talked to ever teacher about what changes they want to see, projects they where interested in doing, supplies they had and needed. I took notes and I told them that they hd to be more a part of my classes because if they are not happy we need to fix the problem. I spent a lot of week one talking to the teachers and organizing. I need to work on being more festive when it comes to local holidays, thats one thing that I need to work on.
I also re organized my days I am working two and a half days at the school one day at White cane and one day at Dorothy Hopkins. its a much better planed week for me because I fell more useful and not just sitting around at the school in between classes. I also feel like I am being used to my full potential teaching people at white cane how to paint, doing arts and crafts at a group home for special needs and teaching at the school.
Outside of school I got back to dancing, and now that I have nice dance shoes for practice it feels better to dance so I am set, I have practice ones and going out latin shoes thanks to my mom. I am also going to start a work out class with my friend. Instead of joining a gym for $150ec I can go three times a week for one hour a day for $5ec a month. I hope that works out.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Day #340-343 Airport & Final arrival in Grenada
Saying goodbye to my mom at the airport Thursday was really hard but I was exited to go home at the same time. We spent some tim in the airport looking at the art work and getting some souvenirs from AZ, I got a magnet cactus for the fridge and I got some coyote and rattle snake poop also know as chocolate covered peanuts, also got a lollypop with a scorpion in it. I was so exited to be getting on plane that thats when i realized this trip home was not going to be fun. I got on the first plane in Phoenix AZ just fine before they delayed that flight by 3 hours so they made us get off. Then when I went to get back on the plane they told me that I no longer had a seat on the plane because my flight to Grenada was canceled, I was so mad. Any ways they gave me four food vouchers one fro dinner that night, breakfast lunch and dinner the next day and put me up in a hotel in Phoenix. Then I got up early the next morning to find that the flight I was supposed to get on was delayed six hours but I was on. When I finally left we had to emergency land in Washington because their was an electrical fire in the oven. When we landed on the runway and it looked like forth of July 3 fire trucks 2 cop cars and 1 ambulance. They inspected the outside and then when we puled up to the gate the fire men came inside and checked the oven before we had to take are bags off the plane. The hole plane was waiting in a dead airport when they announced that we could either take a greyhound buss to New York or wait until the afternoon and take another plane out. They said that we should collect all of are bags down stairs that we had checked. I had checked a my carry on because I was going to have 10min to race to my connecting flight to Grenada. So I raced to the desk and asked if that was including things I had checked coming from Phoenix they didn't know but uncounted that the buss was going to leave in 15min so I ran down stairs and looked for all of my bags just my carry on came down the belt. My group of people from the plane all had their bags and where heading for the buss, I was starting to greek out and said screw it my bags will find me latter and raced for the bus. We all stood outside in below freezing weather and waited for the bus. We all waited in and outside right next to the door for like 45 min before the bus finally came and people raced and pushed to get a seat and get luggage under the bus. I just waited until someone who worked at the airport asked how many people I was traveling and pointed me to the bus. I got on and went all the way to the back. The bus started to crowd and fog up the windows. I was freezing, so I tucked my purse behind my back so that I would not be touching the cold wall. I got some sleep threw the drive but not to much. When I got to New york finally I had to wait for my bag to come off the buss and when it did I blasted inside. When I reached inside the check in line was all the way around the inside of the delta terminal. Thank goodness that they had placed me on a back up flight with Caribbean air, but I did not know the name of the company so I had to have someone take my passport and check. When I found out I had to go across the street and get on the air train, I was not exited I thought my nose was going to fall off the air as so cold outside. It got worse from their no one knew what was going on or where I was supposed to check in for Caribbean air. They check people in at certain times so I must have waited 2hrs in different lines trying to find out what to do. When I finally got the right information I had about an hour before I could go to check in so I went to see if anyone could help me with my luggage, that took me a hole hour but that was the best news that i had gotten on my trip home, all my stuff was waiting for me in Grenada already. I was so exited that made my day. So I finally got to check in and then went threw security man those people are mean. any ways I found my gate and saw that it was delayed of corse. So I went to a pub for lunch, I asked for an ice tea they didn't have that, I asked for soda they didn't have that. so I got orange juice. I had no internet so i tried to make a collect call to my mom and grandpa and that didn't work so I was hopping that they knew that I was ok. Finally I found someone who could let me use their phone to tell my boy friend that I would be home at 8:30pm that night. I was so exited to be going home, but I met a nice doctor lady and we got to know each other very well. She took me threw the citizens line when we got to Grenada so I flew past all of the SGU students. I grabbed my bags and we headed threw customes, They didn't even open my bags. I was so exited. I called my friend to come and get me and as soon as I hit the nice humid air he was their waiting to help me with my bags thank goodness. When I got home was so tiered that I didn't even unpack I went strait to bed. I had that sunday to relax unpack and eat before school started. Definitely not enough time to recover from all of the travel. oh well its a new year.
day 327-339 Christmas in California and back home to AZ
My first christmas at home during my peace corps service was grate. When I got to grandma and grandpas the ham was ready to be eaten and the house looked like christmas. I love that time of year at my Grandparents house, sounds, looks and smells like christmas. We got to decorate the tree as a family and the boys helped point out spots that needed more tinsel or an ornament. We have some old ornaments and some new ones I brought home a ball that had some sense fro Grenada on it. The day before christmas we have my grandpas home made clam chowder with bread, oh by is it good creamy and full of potatoes. We spent most of the days just hanging out and talking about whats new with all of us, just the way I like it relaxed. Christmas eve we all cooked together the traditional meal, flaming game hens, cream of spinach, and wild rice. Flaming the birds is my grandpas job and he loves to do it even though we are all worried some day the kitchen might catch on fire, sure hope not. It was a grate meal together after a toast of world peace. Lone nights lead to hanging out in front of the fire place with chocolate muse that grandma makes, soooooo good. The boys smoke cigars and drink conic if thats how you spell that. I had a rub night after that all of the food was so rich that it all came back up at about 2am, I had to wake my mom up to help me. I was worried that I was going to gain wait during christmas break but I lost some. Christmas morning normally I give out the gifts from under the tree but I decided that because my tummy was still upset that I would have my mom do it. I got some grate stuff, a Magic Built blender, a cute red puppet for the kids at my school and some other stuff. It was so nice to spend time with family after not seeing or herring some of their voices for almost a year. It was hard to say good buy but it had to happen.
On to another 8hr drive home, but i slept so it was not to bad, and then we picked up Dicota, she didn't get to come because her and Buddy my grandparents dog don't get along. Any ways the rest of my time home was shopping and eating food, Mexican, Philly cheeses stake, and Sinubun. I missed out on chines, pizza and tatter tots. I got some cloths that fit me and some workout cloths.
On to another 8hr drive home, but i slept so it was not to bad, and then we picked up Dicota, she didn't get to come because her and Buddy my grandparents dog don't get along. Any ways the rest of my time home was shopping and eating food, Mexican, Philly cheeses stake, and Sinubun. I missed out on chines, pizza and tatter tots. I got some cloths that fit me and some workout cloths.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Day #325- #326 Family of 11 and drive home
Sunday
It was an exiting day, we where cooking, finishing cleaning and anticipating 11 people at any time. My grandparent friends had a doughtier that was a younger than my mom so she used to baby sit her. To this day they have been best friends. My mom loved that story so I thought I would throw that in their. Any ways when the family came it was exiting we had 5 young kids and 5 old family friends. We ate cheese and meat and talked for a while before my mom started are 11lb lasagna that we had made the night before. It was so cute we had a kids table all set up and the dining room was beautifully set as well. I think that every one had a grate time chit chatting and talking about old times. The kids had a wonderful time playing with bubbles, running around outside and coloring. My mom absolutely loves having old friends over, she loves being a host and she's grate at it. It was a good night before everyone went to bed.
Monday
Rise and shine, we had coffee, juice, bagels, and coffee cake layer out on the table because everyone was heading out that day including us. We said are goodbyes and finished packing up the car and house. I laid in the back of car like normal where I like to be so I can sleep and I did I slept the 8hr drive. I was so happy to be at my grandmas & grandpas house. As soon as I walked in I could smell the pine tree and here the christmas music. I love christmas at my grandmas its my absolute favorite, we have so many traditions that some day I will be having at my house. Fresh ham with brandy and apricot caramelization. I love being home. We sat around the fire place and had dinner and cough up on all things new before bed.
It was an exiting day, we where cooking, finishing cleaning and anticipating 11 people at any time. My grandparent friends had a doughtier that was a younger than my mom so she used to baby sit her. To this day they have been best friends. My mom loved that story so I thought I would throw that in their. Any ways when the family came it was exiting we had 5 young kids and 5 old family friends. We ate cheese and meat and talked for a while before my mom started are 11lb lasagna that we had made the night before. It was so cute we had a kids table all set up and the dining room was beautifully set as well. I think that every one had a grate time chit chatting and talking about old times. The kids had a wonderful time playing with bubbles, running around outside and coloring. My mom absolutely loves having old friends over, she loves being a host and she's grate at it. It was a good night before everyone went to bed.
Monday
Rise and shine, we had coffee, juice, bagels, and coffee cake layer out on the table because everyone was heading out that day including us. We said are goodbyes and finished packing up the car and house. I laid in the back of car like normal where I like to be so I can sleep and I did I slept the 8hr drive. I was so happy to be at my grandmas & grandpas house. As soon as I walked in I could smell the pine tree and here the christmas music. I love christmas at my grandmas its my absolute favorite, we have so many traditions that some day I will be having at my house. Fresh ham with brandy and apricot caramelization. I love being home. We sat around the fire place and had dinner and cough up on all things new before bed.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Day #324 Home sweet home AZ
Friday
Last night I got into Phoenix Arizona at like midnight, I met my family outside of the security check it was a grate feeling to see and feel my mom and step dad. Everything was closed food wise so we just went to the hotel and talked for a little while before we went to bed. My mom decided that she needed to sleep with her baby.
IN the morning it was time fore the drive home to Tucson, thats about 2h. We stopped and got some coffee and started are drive. It felt so long because I was so exited to get to my room and go shopping in my closet. When I got home I got to see my dog for the first time in a year and she was so exited to see me and she seamed like she had grown so much but she had just gotten fatter.
Then I flung open my closet doors and started ripping open garbage bags of my close, I found all of my old outfits It was such a good feeling some things that didn't fit now fit and other things where to big, that was kind of sad but more of a reason to go shopping.
Then it was off to getting ready for the company thats coming tomorrow, we made an 11lb lasagna, and finished some last min cleaning. Long night before I crawled into my bed.
Last night I got into Phoenix Arizona at like midnight, I met my family outside of the security check it was a grate feeling to see and feel my mom and step dad. Everything was closed food wise so we just went to the hotel and talked for a little while before we went to bed. My mom decided that she needed to sleep with her baby.
IN the morning it was time fore the drive home to Tucson, thats about 2h. We stopped and got some coffee and started are drive. It felt so long because I was so exited to get to my room and go shopping in my closet. When I got home I got to see my dog for the first time in a year and she was so exited to see me and she seamed like she had grown so much but she had just gotten fatter.
Then I flung open my closet doors and started ripping open garbage bags of my close, I found all of my old outfits It was such a good feeling some things that didn't fit now fit and other things where to big, that was kind of sad but more of a reason to go shopping.
Then it was off to getting ready for the company thats coming tomorrow, we made an 11lb lasagna, and finished some last min cleaning. Long night before I crawled into my bed.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Day #323 Dorothy Hopkins Christmas staff lunch
Wednesday
I started off the day at White Cane but the had a huge order of 18 baskets before christmas for Sandals Resort so we didn't end up painting. It has been a while since we have painted any bottles but I understand because White Canes main income is the woven baskets. When I was done at White Cane I went to the buss terminal so I could go to Tempi where Dorothy Hopkins is. Today is their Christmas employee lunch. When I got their they were still seeing up but we ate shortly after. They had turkey, ham, ground provisions, salad, sparkling alcohol free champagne and fruit cake. It was really good, all of the staff was talking and dancing. Every year they do this, I got invited because I am hopping to work at Dorothy Hopkins more often, me and steph thought it mint be a good way for me to get to know the staff a little better. I was not planning on walking home but Steph was going to the Peace Corps office so I decided to get one good walk in before I left. When I got home I basically made sure I was all packed and crashed early.
I started off the day at White Cane but the had a huge order of 18 baskets before christmas for Sandals Resort so we didn't end up painting. It has been a while since we have painted any bottles but I understand because White Canes main income is the woven baskets. When I was done at White Cane I went to the buss terminal so I could go to Tempi where Dorothy Hopkins is. Today is their Christmas employee lunch. When I got their they were still seeing up but we ate shortly after. They had turkey, ham, ground provisions, salad, sparkling alcohol free champagne and fruit cake. It was really good, all of the staff was talking and dancing. Every year they do this, I got invited because I am hopping to work at Dorothy Hopkins more often, me and steph thought it mint be a good way for me to get to know the staff a little better. I was not planning on walking home but Steph was going to the Peace Corps office so I decided to get one good walk in before I left. When I got home I basically made sure I was all packed and crashed early.
Day # 322 Begin packing
Tuesday
Today was a fun day, I had to gather some of my last minuet christmas shopping. I tracked down some fresh nutmegs although its not nutmeg season anymore. I also needed to pick up my basket from White Cane. As I was sitting their looking around I found a map of Grenada and I thought that might be a nice gift for my grandpa. I ran it home and tried to put it in my carry on and it was to big, but they have another one off the Caribbean that a bit smaller so I went back and picked that one up. Then When I got home I started to organize all of my gifts. I decided that I am not packing a single thing from Grenada home I am doing all new shopping. Im exited to go home and getting ready mentally.
Today was a fun day, I had to gather some of my last minuet christmas shopping. I tracked down some fresh nutmegs although its not nutmeg season anymore. I also needed to pick up my basket from White Cane. As I was sitting their looking around I found a map of Grenada and I thought that might be a nice gift for my grandpa. I ran it home and tried to put it in my carry on and it was to big, but they have another one off the Caribbean that a bit smaller so I went back and picked that one up. Then When I got home I started to organize all of my gifts. I decided that I am not packing a single thing from Grenada home I am doing all new shopping. Im exited to go home and getting ready mentally.
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