Pot Hounds

A street dog, stray or what Grenadian's call a pot hound.

Animals are not considered pets here in Grenada, most of the animals are FOOD!!! Anything you can think of small and big.  I think animals here are considered pests not pets or a part of the family like they are in the US and I think that its sad. No one here understands the concept of spaying and neutering their dogs or cats. One man I know told me that he has 20 cats and the drops (gives birth) every month. Well what does that say to you, I asked him? He did not have an answer. Another belief here is that if they get a boy dog or cat it won't have babes. Well to my knowledge you need a boy and a girl to make babes. Although the mail dogs and cats do not carry them inside and give birth to them they help make reproduction possible. I have seen two dogs get hit by cars, no one stopped or even slowed down, emaciation, dehydration and wounded animals is what you see a lot of here. 

Anyways the man next door to me abandoned this beautiful gold dog with huge tall ears. I had watched her how threw 2 litters of puppies none survived or where given away to early. Some of here babies died because she could not feed herself let alone produce enough breast milk for the babes. 

He left and I started to feed her, she had two litters before I finally brought the 3rd litter inside because she had them in a bush. Lots of people think that I am crazy. But in all honesty I can't handle watching animals die from abuse. So my goal is to get all of the puppies to good home, I think i found good homes for all 7 already with some of the students at the South St. George University. and then get the mother who I call BabyGirl fixed. 

Some of my local friends want the BOYS!! I asked them "what are you going to do with it?" Response "ohhhh um tie it up outside"!! I think to myself give it to SGU for a pet a part of the family or an un fixed chained dog, hummmmm SGU no questions asked. They are two sweet, clean and healthy to become beaten hungry and mean.

    I had three boys, Cookie, Chew, Bear

four girls, Cinnamon, Daisy, Juva, SweetP

It was so interesting to watch them grow up deaf and blind to barking and sliding around. Once they get to be about 4 weeks they are messy and a handful let me tell you, but I love them all and they will be missed.  

Lets talk about getting sick

As a Peace Corps volunteer we have unlimited sick days, if you are off the job more than three months than you are medically released from the Peace corps.

When I was in the stats any little thing that wen around I cough it, after concerts I would get stress colds you name it I got it. I will say I am thankful I never broke or twisted any bones.

Even when I went to Africa I got food poisoning and thew up in a doctors house and new car.

Now that I am eating better, more raw things and way way less processed foods I feel like I have a higher build up for most things that come around in Grenada. Also because I work at a school around kids with drippy noses, ring worm, and sneezing every direction  you would think that I would catch everything they have. I dont!!

When I first got here they gave us this big water filter, did I use it?? No I did not i wanted to get used to the water one time. I had a runs and an upset stomach for a day and I was fine. One girl drank the water at her school and had worms coming out of her nose. That did not happen to me I drink the water at my school, home and most other places if other people are drinking it.

However I  get  dengue fever that was not fun but not to bad, sore eyes head ache, fever and other cold like symptoms. As we know I survived.

Next is chikungunya virus, I was so lucky I did not get it to bad. I had a rash, fever, sore toes, back, and shoulder. I was walking around and still playing w puppies. On a side note if you didn't know I have seven puppies and one street dog living on my veranda. I have had then 4 weeks now.

Any ways some people get the chick-g so bad that they cant walk or move their fingers. I am taking one daily vitamin and one extra vitamin C hopping that I dont catch the relapse as they say happens a month latter.

I know that people in the US are scared of the  ebola virus but you cant not live your life. I wont stop living mine due to fear of getting sick.

Got to live your life to the fullest


here is the Chick-g info

http://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/   

New volunteers

The new volunteers have been here since August, and I find that we have all meshed well together. Before they got here I was set on not wanting to have much to do with the new volunteers because I wanted to work on my work and myself. But to my surprise I get along better with the new group better than the group I came with. I don't know why. But any ways I have found new joy in spending time with them on the weekends if they come to town.

Its amazing to me that I have lived here a year and a half and yet I still have not tried a lot of things around me. The new b's have already shown me some new restaurants, tricks to get American Netflix (yes I had the Spanish version) and new incite to their schools.

We had one person leave already from their group, so I think we have lost two from the EC 86 group one in Grenada and one in Dominica. It takes so long to get into the Peace Corps I think its sad when they have to leave early. I am just thankful that I am happy here, and nothing makes me want to go home right now.

I look forward to the rest of my months here in Grenada with my new friends, boyfriend, school teachers and kids, and White Cane friends!      

September - October semester

School has been going well I changed my approach to my classes and the teachers. I decided to tell all of the teachers that I am not going to come up with all of the arts and crafts projects but I am still going to help them when they come up with ideas. It has an as expected result a lot of the upper level classes have not asked me to do anything, that's normal they have had their own arts and crafts classes for the longest time and have not included me at all. But it has given the other teachers who need and want help more of my time. I have started working on a weather chart, big alphabet caterpillar, under the sea classroom, and glass bottle painting.

Level 1 is working on redoing their weather chart, and making a big felt caterpillar with all of the upper and  lowercase letters on it. We are going to use pipe cleaners and big googly eyes to make the head. The classroom are working on making the rooms brighter and more educational for the kids to look at.

I am so exited that the level 2 classroom is transforming into an under the sea them. Last we we took scrap book paper that my grandmother sent, as well as gold and sliver Christmas ribbon, big googly yes and we made big jelly fish that hang from the ceiling and spin when the wind blows. They look grate sparkling and spinning.

In level four decided that they wanted to paint bottles so we had a grate two classes prepping and painting the bottles. I tried something new as well that was fun. In that class we have a bunch of creative kids but they like to copy one another so i decided to separate everyone so that they had no pressure from anyone ells and it worked grate, so I will continue to do that. Some of the kids glued on tissue paper and others painted.

In upcoming lessons we will be working on Halloween, thanksgiving and edible crafts. I am hoping to have the kids decorate cookies, cupcakes and more to make spooky treats.

This semesters is much more laid back and thats nice because I can start a class and finish a project the next day.