I have said it before, blogging is hard! While here in St. Kitts, something happens every day to change my mood from high, to low, and back again. It is very difficult for me to capture it all in words, but I am going to try.
I believe May 2010 was my last legit post, and SO much has happened since then. I have met and passed my one year mark with the Peace Corps, and now have only 8 months left in this beautiful paradise! It is such a weird feeling to see the end in sight. There have been so many days where I felt like tearing my hair out, or giving up a pinkie toe to get off this freakin' rock! It is such a tiny little country, and the sameness of everything can become so overwhelming. But with the realization that it will all be over before I know it, I (generally) have a renewed passion for my Caribbean home. I still love to wake up every morning and look across the sparkling blue sea, then turn a 180* and stare up at the Volcanic peak; or walk through my village as all of my neighbors call out my name and wish me good morning; and the ultimate day brightener is still arriving at school and being BOMBARDED by dozens of 1st & 2nd grade students all trying to get their turn at hugging me. Just to reflect on it now, forces me to acknowledge how very much I love this place, and how terribly I will miss it. I have found a second home in St. Kitts, and a piece of my heart will
always be here.
In addition to surpassing my 1/2 way mark, there have been other highlights. Old PCVs left, and new PCVs arrived between Sept. & Oct. 2010. For me personally, it could not have happened at a better time. The new volunteers brought with them a fun & positive energy that I really needed to be exposed to. They are a group of extremely hard working, genuine, intelligent people. I am so thankful for the opportunity to work with and get to know the EC82 volunteers.
EC 82 (Nat, Chris, Drew, Tiff), Zah, and me
I also turned 30 in October! Some of my family members back home thought I might FREAK OUT at the death of my twenties. In truth, it has been an easy transition. I feel really blessed to be at this stage of my life. I love what I'm doing! I love traveling, I love meeting new people, I love being of service, I love my lifestyle! So I am proud to turn 30. I don't have everything I want just yet, but I feel like if I just keep on this path, it will all come in due time. My good friend Philippe came to visit for our birthdays (his 6/10, mine 7/10), and we had a mixture of fun adventures while he was here. Including getting stranded by flooding in the capital city on the night of his birthday. Some of the other fun things we did were a 5k run along the beach, a catamaran snorkeling trip, plenty of bar hoping, dancing, and mingling-and Philippe even made his way over to Nevis for a full Federation experience. It had been years since Philippe I had seen each other, and I am so glad that he took the time to come visit me here in St. Kitts.
 |
| Birthday Partiers-Philippe, Kimson, Ramish, Tiffany, Natalie, Chris, Me, CK, Andrew |
3 weeks after Philippe returned to Amsterdam, Hurricane Viejas Locas hit St. Kitts aka My mother Rose, my godmother Denise, and my aunt Mona arrived. It was a very quick trip, and we had A LOT to do in a short amount of time! I loved having my family me here, and I was SO SO proud to show off my island, especially my village St. Paul's. Having my mom come with me to the school and watching me work with my girls was definitely a Peace Corps highlight. I don't live near my parents, like my other two sisters do (not even when I am back in the States). So my family doesn't always get a well rounded picture of what my life is truly like. But I feel like when my mom saw me interact with my girls, she could tell how much they mean to me, and how much working with them really drives me. I feel like she knows better now, and I am very glad for that. Plus she LOVED my kids, and totally spoiled them, even when I told her not to! I guess its just the grandmother in her.
 |
| My mother & godmother with students from St. Paul's Primary |
Other highlights include Carnival, J'Ouvert Morning, NYE at the Marriott, bonfire bbqs, hikes,etc., etc. I definitely want to share my J'Ouvert experience. It was incredible, so I will let that be my inspiration for my next blog. Hopefully to come sooner, rather than later.
 |
| NYE weekend with my girls at the Marriott-we flexin' hard! |
 |
| CARNIVAL! |
 |
| Response PCV David Resetar & me on his last night in SK :-( |
 |
| Our farewell bbq for David |
 |
| I still dream about this spread, lol |
