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!!!
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
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
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
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Camp Glow 2014
Tie Dyeing
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
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
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
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.
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.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
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!
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
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!!!!
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!!!!
Monday, June 16, 2014
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!!!!!
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!!!!!
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