April 1st 2015

As of April 1st I was no longer a Peace Corps Volunteer,

It was a strange feeling to wake up that morning and realize that I didn't have to follow any more Rules!!!! Their are a lot of rules that we had to follow such as you can't drive, ride motor cycles or sleep out of your sight more than twice a month. I don't have to report anything anymore and I can go where I won't when I want. I know that it sounds strange but some times you feel like you where a toddler trying to live in a grown up world under peace Corps rules. Most of the rules were made because so many people abused sleeping out or traveling during the school year, taking boats who were unlicensed. Some of these rules came with reasons, safety reasons but I find a lot of people don't care.

Any ways its just nice to be free, even though I did not have any problems following the rules.

Today I woke up, and made breakfast without feeling the rush to leave and go t work. I know what my grandma is thinking as I type these words. Don't worry I know it will be different in a few weeks so spare me please.

I still have a lot to do in the next few weeks, clean my apartment that has three generations of peace corps stuff inside of it, go threw cloths, the wedding, moving my soon to be husbands stuff to his families, packing my own stuff and saying GOODBYE!!!  Ohhh gosh thats a lotos stuff.

I am trying to go back around to all of the places that I love and eat as many rotes as possible before I leave. I'm collecting memories that I didn't at first have time to gather.

All keep you all posted on how things are continuing to go, be prepared to here a lot about my wedding planing and how emotional I am getting.

talk  to you all soon

17 days left before I go back to the U.S.

The count down began a long time ago lets say 47 days ago and I was so exited and scared to go back to the U.S and leave this amazing island and my soon to be husband.

As time got closer to me leaving I started to think about all of the things that I miss back home in the US, Food, driving, my washing machine, a microwave, good shopping, friends and my family.

I also started noticing and having many more pet peeves about Grenada, the way men talk to me on the street, or people assuming I came off a cruse ship, the slow pace and hand washing my cloths. Its so bitter and sweet at the same time to be leaving this amazing, loving different place where I would like to say I found a new me.  

I find myself to be very emotional, angry, sad, confused, happy, and exited. I think that because I went back to the states each year it will make my readjusting to the US much better, in the Peace Corps we are offered counseling to help us readjust I found that interesting but now I understand why some people would need that.

The wedding planning is going grate everything is in order and the first family member has arrived. Just one problem I went from 47days left to 17 in the blink of an eye. This weekend is almost over next weekend I have an interview for a summer camp back in Grenada in August, my mom coming Thursday and the rehearsal Friday and the wedding Saturday.  Then I leave on the 20^th. WOW.

I wish that I understood when I was younger when my mom said tack your time enjoy your childhood because you only get one. Now I am 26 Years old and getting ready to start a new chapter in life and I just want to freeze time and enjoy whats going on around me but I cant!!

Time will tell and things will work out but its just amazing you have one life to live and it really  does fly by.

Clarification

One thing I always wanted to tell people about being a Peace Corps in the Caribbean!!!!!

Although the Caribbean is a beautiful place and some of the islands (Grenada ) are known for being a tourist destination their is still a lot of poverty and lack of education that needs assistance. 

I completely agree that your service is what you as an individual make it to be. It is not fair that just because we live on a tropical island we are considered to be in a fairytale, or it's not the real world, because actually it is the really work. We do not live on a made up planet the beautiful islands are on earth just like the US or France. 

It is quite painful to here people say Ohh wait till you came back to real world. Just because it is not your world does not mean it's none existent. We worked hard to get here and we did not pick were we were placed! 

Be respectful of peace corps volunteers!!! We hand wash cloths , carry 50lb gas tanks up hills you probably could not walk up yourself, live in poverty and make friendships with people who we can't always help. We integrate into a brand new life that we did not grow up in and the move back to the U.S. And integrate back into that society. It's stressful.  

As I said you can not make my service or know everything I get from my service YOU do not make my service I DO!!!!!!!

My island Grenada is beautiful, complex, spicy, outgoing compassionate, an eye opener, my family and one of my homes!!!!!! A part of me is now Grenadian and all never forget that! 

It has been an amazing two years testing my abilities, integrating into a society where not everyone wants me here or think I am off a ship, or where everyone wants me and I can't stretch myself enough. I have learned a lot about myself and this amazing place I was placed on. I became apart of this island a saw the true side of it. I saw the real green dot ( it does exist outside of the movies) . 

Been a long time

Well it has been a long time since I have written on my blog wall. I have been busy and not been so motivated.

Well I want to inform you all that I have decided to not extend!! Originally I was going to start a ceramics program but that did not end up happening and things began to slow down at White Cane and GNCD. 

It is amazing the small tings in life that you get that can change whats next to come. A month before Christmas my mom sent me an email with an update on the University Of Arizona and the undergrad program that I was in. The news letter explained the new changes and benefits of doing the Masters Rehab program. That one letter sparked my mind. All of a sudden I was looking at masters programs and getting ready to apply.

When I went home for Christmas I got everything in order for when I come back April 2015. I applied for my masters, found an apartment between my moms house and school. I was so busy cleaning out old things and getting rid of the old. My life was going to change and my Peace corps service was flying by. 

I think that it is true that you have ups and downs threw ought your service, they can be huge drops in depression or teeny tinny lows in your service. I found that my service was never a full drop I had a consistent emotional ride threw my service. I have a lot of people to thank for that, some of the teachers at my school, my boyfriend, family, my newly met friends, and dancing. Of course my family back home helped me a lot when I need someone to talk to or getting me supplies for my projects.  

Now that it has been two years and re evaluated what is currently going on and what’s to come I have decided to go home and not extend. The school was interesting but White Cane and Grenada Council of the Disabled was by far what I considered my first assignment. I feel like I have accomplished a lot with them. Although I love them things have slowed down a lot, the ceramics project never really got started and I decided that its time to start my masters. So I am declaring that I am moving home April 20, 2015. I already have my apartment all set up and I have applied for the Fellows program at the University of Arizona, and the masters program in Rehabilitation for Special Education with counseling. 

I am also exited to announce that in April I will be getting married. It’s an exiting new chapter in my life and I cant wait to start it. Grenada will always be a part of me and a passion. I was so happy to be here the last two years. 

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.  

     
 

7 more months

wow I can't believe I have 7 more months of my two year three month tour in the Peace Corps Grenada. It has been an amazing trip and I have learned a lot about the hidden secrets in the world and about myself.

I guess its still surreal that when I open my door in the morning I am not in the US but surrounded by water, boats and amazing people. At the same time I started to notice that things where changing and service was coming to an end at a rather amazing speed. I know that 7 months seams like a lot to you but here in my wonderland, my vacation as my mother would say, is flying by. Soon I will have to make the decision!!! Will I stay longer or will I pack up and leave my fairy tail???

So many amazing people I have met along the way, Peace Corps Volunteers on my island, staff, local people, such an amazing opportunity I have had here. I have made some grate friends and they have helped me threw the beginning of my service and with grate teachings will get me threw the end. Now they have all left and new volunteers have just arrived. I am their come to person, their security blanket,   and when I leave they will become the go to person. Its really an amazing feeling sad, happy, and grateful that I am to have had those people when I first got here!!!

Thank you to my family for supporting me in my goals and dreams I would never have made it here without you, and to my good friends who are still theirs making jokes with me from across the sea, and thank you Grenada for welcoming me with open arms and leading me threw this time in my life.

Love you all!!!  

Back to school September 2014

Yesterday was the first day back to school. To make a new and healthy challenge for myself this year I decided to try and walk to my school. Now I am only at my school three days a week so lets hope I can stick to this. It takes me about an hour and a half to walk to work. I don't know how many miles it is but I would say at least two many more. I tried it for the first time Monday September 1, 2014 and it felt really good I have to say it was nice and cool out, and I got to say hi to a lot of different people, plus I saved $2.50!!! I know right thats a lot of money???? Just kidding any ways so that was good and my school has a shower so when I get their I can take a quick shower and get dressed for work. I didn't know that I was allowed to use the shower so I smelled kind of sweaty all day but now I know better and can be more prepared for next time.

Over break some of the students where mixed up more to better suite their abilities so I have my normal classes like I did last year they just have some different kids. My Level one class is still the lowest functioning kids in the school. They are the hardest to get motivated, follow instructions and keep on task. We now have two level ones we have one A and one B. Level one B has the lowest functioning kids with down syndrome and level one A has mostly kids with Autism. Then I have level four they are low functioning as well but a little bit easer to keep on task and follow instructions all though they need a lot of one on one and supervision. All of my classes worked on the cut out fish and turtles that my Grandma Betty sent me. I was so exited to get those cut outs let me tell you. It takes me so much time to cut out things for each one of my classes so that was a fun first day activity. Some of my kids used crayons, and level 4 used paint. They had a good time with them and now they have some new art to hang up in the classroom.

Tuesday is my White Cane / Gncd (Grenada National Council of the Disabled)

When I got their all of group was cleaning some donated bottles. I was so happy that they are starting to understand what needs to be done and they do it without my supervision. Makes me proud!!!! Any ways and then they went to town on scoring the bottles and after lunch I took one of my kids to get some more candles and we could get to cutting. Man one candle here is $3.50 thats insane for a little thing. I wish oh how I wish we had a $0.99 store here. Nay ways that was a lot of fun. OHHH and to add the shelf at White Cane is getting bare, people are buying bottles I am so exited. I can't wait to be 100% committed to White Cane and GNCD if my extenuation gets approved. I won't know anything about that until after April 2015.

Be back soon
Love ya All          

Camp Glow 2014

Tie Dyeing

  

This will have been my second year being a concealer at camp GLOW! This year was way better than last year although I am still not a camp person! This year we had real beds and the councilors slept in their own rooms away from the campers! So I got much much more sleep so I was in a much better mood every day! The campers we're still watched every night by the staff that we had assigned to them! 

Each day we had something different things for the girls to do! It was planed out for a mixture of fun and education. We had an HIV/AIDS day, a condemn race, a fashion show on how to dress and not dress for interviews, body image, yoga, hiking, beach day, tie dieing and so much more. The girls loved it!

Condem Race 

This year I got a lot closer to my campers, and learned their stories. Its very hard sometimes to here how their personal life is outside of camp. Some of them are starved, left alone, abused, raped and the list goes on. Its interesting because when they first come to camp they want to run back home to what they are used to. When the realize that they are in a safe place, healthy space, making friends, and realizing that we are their for them they grow so attached to us and the people around them. 

Last year we had I think five men counselors and that shows that girls that not every man is going to harass them. It also shows them what a healthy friendship between a man and a woman is like. This year we only had two men at camp but the girls loved them just the same. 

Yoga

I think one of my favorite moments was when we had a bonfire on the beach and made smores, laying in the sand watching for shooting stars and listening to the girls laugh and talk. 

It was a good year, and i think it will be interesting watching the last years campers who were selected to become JR. counselors. its a grate opportunity for them to grow as young leaders and provide support for campers next year.  

Cake decorating 

Marti Expeditions Murals

Marti Expeditions is a group from Trinidad that goes around to different countries and does community service. One of the other Peace Corps Volunteers found out that Marti Expeditions was going to be doing some murals at the special ED schools in Grenada and passed along their information. I was to exited to leave my mark on Grenada finally in a visual way. So I got together with the group of teens for dinner so that I could meet everyone and we could start working on are design for the murals. We came up with two really cool ideas one was a market seen that were going to turn into Ispy with local objects for example A for Apple. The second idea was a map of the hole Caribbean and each country was going to have soothing that represented it such as the national colors, fruits, animals.

When it was time to paint at the first special ed school in Victoria the principle explained to us that the kids at that school are not that advanced and they would prefer something more usable for the teachers lessons. This made perfect sense and I felt bad because I work at a special ed school and my kids would probably not have benefited from are first ideas but I though that the kids at the Victoria special ed school were more advanced. Any ways on short notice we changed the wall into sections of usable things for the teachers to use. One of the sections was days of the week with a symbols for the first letter so they could make the connection, for example Wednesday wave! We also had a numbers section with the word, and a symbol for the amount so the number 5 FIVE ***** so they could have something to reference to. One of the other sections was a clock and symbols all around it shapes, and such, the last wall was a rain forest with a monkey hanging from bamboo and hidden animals! It was a grate day and the kids got to work with some of the boys from the Father Moligun home. The same boys that I did camp Tufton with. They also got to see some of Grenada's carnival people who passed so that was fun.

I was not involved with everything that Marti expedition did but they did amazing things, they cleaned up one of the beaches, did some sight seeing and also worked at some of the schools I think. I was at camp GLOW.

The last thing that I did with Marti expeditions was paint another mural inside of the Child Protective services, we went with a rainforest that covered the hole wall and animals were hidden threw out the hole thing. It made the hole room so much brighter and friendlier as well. I had a grate time with all of the kids and the staff I am so happy that I got to be apart of Marti Expeditions trip to Grenada and I am so happy that I could provide support, paint brushes, stencils and friendship.

   

Camp Tufton 2014

     

 


camp tufton

Camp tufton is an all boys camp for the boys at the Father Moligun home in Victoria. Some of the people from my group went to the camp last year as camp councilor! I had herd some good things and some bad things about the camp and I was nervous to do the camp!

On the first day of camp we went on a hike, not just any hike a terrible long four hours up a 90 degree angel with rain falling making mud so your feel barely griped the ground! On the way aback down another 3 hours I spent slipping and sliding on my butt. I was having a terrible time, and I was non use to the boys at all!

On the second day it was a seven mile hike up the back roads of Victoria to Gwave. It was better because the roads where concrete and it was nice and cool out, the hole time we hiked the boys picked the wild fruits mangos, wax apples and skin ups, they had a grate time and at the end of the day we took them to a hidden pond to thy could swim and jump off if rocks.

On the third day I did not go on the hike because it was going to be like the first day so I found myself at home stenciling out the camp t shirts . At the end of the day I had completed eleven of the shirts!!

The last day we took the boys to bath way beach and had a camp out! We had so much food! We made the  local dish oil down and had sandwiches! In the evening we built a fire and made s'mores before bed! It was a long right it rained and the tent got soaked on the inside and I did not have berry much to stay warm! But I did get some sleep. The next day we took the boys to the beach and played soccer, some if the boys flew kites and others decorated their camp shirts with fabric markers! It was a good day before clean up and then heading home!

Year two changes

I think in the beginning of my service I wrote a blog about how the busses work here and how they decorate the inside and out. I also was told at the beginning of my service that I would eventually like and dislike certain busses and know the right ones to take. It has taken me more than a year to understand the meaning of what past peace corps told me about the busses. For example some of the busses drive crazier than others, some are cleaner, you also learn the behaviours of the conductors. Now that I have been here a while the busses and conductors are starting to recognize me, some have started to offer phone numbers. I have learned over time how to handle people much better now. So any ways I realize the that knowing certain busses makes your life and transport a bit easer while you are on island. Making friends is nice to but you have to make sure is on a professional basis and nothing more!!!!!!


I will tell you a short story. When I first got to Grenada I would go up to another village about and hour away and I always took the same bus. The conductor asked if we could exchange phone numbers. I did not see any harm in that, I thought it might be a good idea, if I got stuck in that village I could call him. Well to my surprise I started getting phone calls all the time every day. I finally had to send him a message and tell him (I gave you my phone number on a professional basis, and that is it!!! You can not call me all the time) I never herd from him again. Its sad to me that you can not make friends or talk to the opposite sex without them assuming that you are interested in them. It took me a long time to be able to read signs and be conferrable talking to men without escalating the situation. I always tried to make a friend out of the situation.


Something ells that has changed is in my work site. It is way different to start a job in Grenada than it is in the U.S. People don't want to here about what you can do, they don't want to get to know you. They want to see what you can do, observe you. My job site I think is different thought because I hit a wall of resistance as soon as I walked into the school I even have a nick name (Pail Face) I hate it. Any ways I was very passive for the first year that I was at the school hopping that things would change and people would become more open but to my surprise people became sallow and unwilling to work with me, compromise or even help me get recyclables from home. Not every teacher is like that, their is a few that I can handle but others I don't want anything to do with. My school is to small for the problems I see happening.


Any ways as an activity I had the level 2 and 2a outside drawing on the sidewalk in their sports cloths. A teacher the main one who gossips, starts most of the problems, and no one really likes started telling my kids to get off of the ground. I looked at her and said that's the activity and its chalk, it comes off of the cloths with a damp rag. She walked away rolling her eyes. I know professional and  mature of her right well it gets better. The level 2 teacher asked what she said and as I started to tell her the other teacher came stomping in "I don't have any problem with the project but your destroying their cloths". I told her once again that come off and this is the second time in three weeks that she has interrupted my class and I do not appreciate it. I got a suck of teeth, rolling eyes and she didn't even get to finish what I was saying before her back was turned.


It was hard and a very fats decision to stand up to her. Last time I did it she told the principle because she can not communicate with adults. I think it is sad that she is working with students with disability's and yet she herself can not handle people around her without creating problems. She is a horrible influence for the children. Their is so much more I could say about her and things she has done but the moral of this blog is CHANGE. I stood up to her and I was proud of myself. Yes she wont say good morning to me but that's nothing, as long as she knows she can not treat me with disrespect!!!! 

My hobby for the Peace corps

I have been wanting to write this blog for a while now but just didn't have the time. I would recommend to anyone that is coming into the Peace Corps to have a hobby in mind before they hit their location of service.

I decided that I wanted to improve my health and joining the Peace Corps was not only an excuse to help people using what I was trained to do but a reason to start a new chapter in life and make a life change!

I have successfully lost 55lbs and I think I am 3 dress sizes. People ask what I did? Well I did a few simple things and added to them as time passed.

1-  watching what I eat, reduce not take away things that are not good for me  such as, carbs (pasta, potato's, white rice, sugar, and soda). These are the main things that  food nutritionists and dieters talk about. But I DID NOT just follow everything that people say to do and cut it out I did RESEARCH on WHY!!!! That has been the best thing for me to find the answer and the reasoning behind the answer.

2- Starts a food log. I have kept track of everything that comes in and out, when I slept, when I work out ,how I am feeling (over slept, tiered, mad, thirsty) and so on. I also marked underneath in red if it was something bad that I was eating and blue if it was good. Eventually I became a where of what was going in and all of the lines for the most part became blue!!! So I stopped underlining. I did not take away everything that I love  just used moderation. Hell yes I still have fried chicken and French fries and every now and then I have a Coke. BUT I do notice how I feel after I consume what ever it is.

example (might be to much info for some ) I only got 6hr of sleep and I had chicken and chips, before I went to bed. The next morning I was so constipated and sleepy and cranky. You really can get in touch with your body and understand why you feel certain ways. its kind of incredible if you ask me.

I also write down recipes, and what the nutrition's say that make cense and have evidence behind them. Good proteins, good carbs, good sugars, snacks, workouts that are good. Anything you can add to your log. I decorated mine, added calendars, challenges, what the muscle's look like, what my plate should look like, I added quotes and reflections as well. Make it fun make it something you want t fill out every day.

3- Switched to whole wheat and cut out one meal of crabs a day. They make everything in whole wheat its just hard to get a hold of down here. I cant find brown rice to save my life. I also have been making recipes healthier switching out white flower with whole wheat and honey instead of sugar. it makes for a fun evening of cooking.

4- What you cook, you know what's going into your body. Their is not that many places to eat out in  Grenada but we do have KFC, Subway and the chicken and chips truck. Mostly everything you eat that's considered a junk is fried, or a carb! You cant escape it some times. So I started cooking more and changing things like I mentioned in number 3. It makes me feel better that I know what I am eating. I also started besides more whole what eating more fruits and veggies, low fat yogurt, counting calories, sugar, sodium and asking questions when I go out. Do you have a calorie pamphlet? Most places will say no!! Is their a website I can go to? Again most places will say no but I ask any ways. 

5- Walk everywhere and pick harder ruts to walk. If its longer has a hill and stairs then I will walk that way. I don't take the bus everywhere I WALK!!! That has made all of the difference in the world. Also working out.. You can YouTube HITT work out and get a million and one results. You need Cardio, Circuit Tanning, HITT , and Waits to tone. Also Netflix has some work out videos that you can follow. People cant say they don't have time anymore to get in shape because the HITT workouts are 10min in some cases.

6- I have hit my Plato and needed an extra boost. I joined the gym. Some days I got for 3hrs at a time. Spinning class, dance fit, waits, step aerobics, yoga,!!!!! You name it we have it. Its fun and I am making some new friends. I know some people are saying three hours no way. Well YES WAY!!!!! I do two one our classes and then work in the gym on waits with a personal trainer friend that I have. Its been amazing and I can already see the differences in my body.

I can tell that it has become a life change because my  wardrobe is mostly work out cloths and I would rather look good for the gym than work at this point.. Every one has noticed a change in me. I am happier, I have more self confidence I feel good about myself and it has been a long time since I have felt that way about myself. I just have some tummy left to lose and about 20lb more.

So point being if you have a hobby that you think you want to start be ready and bring what you need because most things will be expensive and hard to find. I hope I didn't bore people to much but also of people wanted to know the secret well their it is. This is what I chose to help me change myself for the better get rid of stress and feel heather!!!!!  

White Cane Sign Feild Trip

I don't know if I have mentioned that I got asked to paint two signs one for White Cane on the Carnage and one for the new booth that is in town by the mall. Any ways I wanted to include my painters, so we went on a field trip as I called it into town, with the measuring tape and some paper. I had the boys look at different signs around then and explained to them what a logo was. I used common signs such as the grocery store, and the buss sign. Soon the boys where showing shapes, colors, symbols and having a grate time. So one of the boys was measuring the booth when he came up with a brilliant idea of making a folding standing sign. That was a grate idea because all of the booths are owned by the government and you can not change the color or add anything to the outside so a standing sign was perfect. The boys had a grate time.

When we got back I had the boys and the one girl brainstorm what they would like to see placed on on the sign. I had a crazy amount of ideas from nutmegs to penguins. When we had are list i started scotching and having them decided where the placement of everything would go, it looked grate and the head worker basket weever who has been their 30 plus years loved it as well so that made us all feel grate. So now we are weighting for the go a head and the bored to come in so I can start screeching and have the boys sand a do the background coat for me. It was a much needed change for the afternoon.

little things like that make up the peace corps experience. You definitely will have ups and downs and today was an UP for sure!!!!!!

Introducing Bottle cutting to White Cane

This week was a good week.

Monday in level one I cut out supper big paper ties and I outlined different design such as poke dots, zigzags and lines. I took each student one at a time and I had them use the puff paint to make the design stand out more. Then the paint dries it stays pronounced and you can feel where the paint is, I thought this would be grate because the kids in level one are the low functioning students. They really need more one on one help but there is not enough teachers to make this possible. Any ways they can use the ties we made for their fathers day cards.

In Level Five we worked on popsicle stick fish. Each student got six sticks and they had to paint them. When they where dry we had to assemble them so they would look like a fish, and add a goggle eye. They turned out cute.

After lunch is Level Four, and they had started a project all ready so we continued to work on that. They had gotten a nutmeg bag and cut up pieces of cloth so that they could make a doormat. Their class was only three students because the others went to a sports event. It really does amaze me how important sports are here. I also makes me sad because most of the students are to low functioning to even attend the Special Olympics that they are trying to get into place, so in my opinion they are loosing valuable education in the classroom when they are constantly being pulled away from school. It was a realizing class I can say that at least.

Tuesday

I was a bit nervous to bring the bottle cutter to White Cane because I have not gotten a hang of it yet myself, but I decided that it was time to introduce that to them. It turned out to be a fun breath of fresh air and a science class all in one. They had a grate time. Each of my students got a bottle of their own to score and cut. I first went over how the cutter worked and all of the different pieces. Then each one went threw and scored their bottles. It was a bot challenging for one of them because he only uses one hand, but for a first try he did grate. Then I lit the candle and they started one at a time heating up their scored bottles. It was so much fun to watch how exited they got when the bottle broke. It was like a new addiction to them. When it was time to go they could not wait for the next day to come so we could continue are lesson.

Wednesday

I started with Level Two I was testing them to see if they could follow along with a color by numbers sheet. It went better than I thought it would some of the smallest kids in the class where understanding what to do. I was disappointed that numbers where so small though on the sheets that made it hard for them as well.

Level Two A, we hung are big apple tree that we painted all together a few weeks ago and then I measured all of the kids on the trunk. This is a billion and one thing that we can use the tree for (Science, Math, Colors) and more. I want to get it laminated so that we can stick things onto it but its like six feet tall so it will be expensive. Any ways I also had the kids color their owls and birdhouses for the tree. It was fun. I am hopping that some day I can paint it on the wall and them maybe do an under the water seen that was requested by the teacher.

I also was exited to see that some of the upper level classes seven and eight where working on the project that we started last week. We where making newspaper rolls to put together for a picture frame. That was exiting to me because that shows that they were interested in what I was doing with them.

Wednesday is my half day so at lunch I headed down to White Cane and I wanted to test their skills with the bottle cutter that was so much fun to watch them try and remember what I had thought them the day before, and they did good so I think that means we can keep going with it.

Thursday I worked with level four on father’s day cards again, but they had different ones than the other classes they made little t-shirts and then cut color ties out of paint swatches. They loved it and when they where done I used a letter stencil to write Happy Father's Day inside that took a lot of time because I had them each one at a time identify each letter and then they traced it. It went well.

Level six, seven, and eight are working on rolling their news paper around the pencil to make tubs, and we will line them up to frame a picture frame. It was a good week all in all.