Update time. The project I have been working on for a couple of months finally started this past Monday. The project is rather simple and the time it has taken to conduct it has driven me insane. Monday and Tuesday I taught the fifth grade class about the Peace Corps, hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis. Next week, different professionals will come in and speak about respect and responsibility, health and hygiene, and the environment. Simple, yea? That's why I've been frustrated and crazy eyed the past couple of months, because there was no need for the project to take so long to start. Yea yea, there isn't really a sense of time or urgency in the Caribbean like in America. I've already learned that and abide by that rule, but still, we started planning this project and I was ready to start it in September 2011... Whatevs. My part is done, the kids loved it, and I am happy. Other then that, I've been great. The schools are back in session. Football is going great and I now have a new role on the field, making everyone laugh--my favorite thing to do. The kitchen is stocked with an absurd amount of oatmeal, thanks dad. My neighbors come over all the time now. My host mom, Lorice, has two new puppies now. What's not to like about life at the moment?? I did get sick one day though, not the typical upset stomach that is so common in the Peace Corps. I had a fever one day which is strange because I usually never get sick. I feel guilty though because I totally felt the fever creep up on me while I was at school but chose to stay, I could have started an epidemic. Luckily, it was gone in the morning thanks to some bush tea.
Right, so the meaning of this post--"tell em tanks!". The phrase comes from the football field. I've learned a lot of lingo there, but this one is popular at the moment. One of the fellas on the field started this, I guess it was his catch phrase. He would say "tell em tanks!" (or "tell him thanks" for you non-ebonics speakers) anytime someone on the other team made a mistake and the ball came into our possession, or any time he thought this would happen. Well the phrase caught on, now we hear it about twenty times during our games, and not just from the originator. I like it, it's funny, but I've also noticed it being used by myself and others outside of the football pitch. When I actually want to tell someone "thank you" and not mock their football skill, I find myself saying "tell em tanks". Needless to say, I've had a lot to say tanks to lately.
Tanks to Hands Across the Sea; this organization works primarily with Peace Corps Volunteers in the Caribbean to provide library books to primary schools and help start libraries in schools that do not have them currently. I don't think I mentioned the organization to y'all because I submitted a request for my school rather late, and it was a specific request. My school wanted to Spanish teaching books, so that's what I asked for. I accidentally submitted the request a month late so I didn't expect us to receive much, and also Spanish books... But I was wrong and completely blown away when Harriet with Hands Across the Sea called me up and told me that my school would be receiving eight boxes of children's books! They were awesome books. No Spanish ones which was perfectly okay because our Spanish teacher had to take on the role of kindergarten teacher instead. The kids and teachers are so super excited about the books. We are in the process of sending our Thank You letters and pictures back to Hands Across the Sea so that they can pass them along to their sponsors and donors. Don't worry, if this sounds like something you wanted to be a part of, the organization does it every year and takes donations all the time. http://www.handsacrossthesea.net/
Tanks to all of y'all that have sent Christmas packages and letters to me in the past two months. I think they all have arrived here and I just wanted to let y'all know they made it safely and they helped me through the holidays away from friends and family. I'm sending more appropriate Thank You letters to you via snail mail.
Tanks to my family for keeping my spirits up around the holidays and sending me lots of goodies. I would have been a wreck without you. Your package should be sent off this week, I had to take something out that would have not made it through customs and instead add some other nice things.
Tanks to the grade 5 class for being obedient and super smart during my presentations this week. Tanks to my counterparts for finally letting that project get under way. And a super tanks to my principal for already having ideas for my next project at the school. I'm excited! I promise to put some pictures up of the grade 5 class next week when we finish the project.
Tanks to my neighbors for giving me some privacy the past couple of days. I said earlier they have been hanging around a lot more, which is true and I also enjoy. But one of the reasons they do this is because they have recently acquired an internet addiction. They are constantly on the computer they share listening to music and what have you. Mostly, they are just on facebook all the time. Why is this a problem? Other then it being an addiction, they use me for wireless internet and computer know-how. Which means they are alllways over at my place. And like I said, I usually don't mind. But when it comes to be 10 at night and I have the older ones on the computer and the younger kids running around my place touching all my belongings, it gets to be too much. For whatever reason, they didn't bother me this past week when I had a ton of work to do, and they didn't complain when I locked them out or tell them they couldn't inside (I had good reason). So for that, tanks.
Tanks to all my students and coworkers for not laughing when I showed up last week with no hair. So I had this awesome plan, right? I was going to grow my hair out real long, like heinous ponytail long, and then come back to America and have everyone thing I had turned into some crazy hippie. Then Ashton Kutcher would jump out and tell everyone they have been Punk'd. Hilarious, I know. Well my hair was down to my eyes (when I pulled the curls straight) when I decided that was a silly plan and it is hot as balls here with long hair. I proceeded to give myself a haircut. I had done it a couple of months ago with relative success, so why not try again? I didn't want anything crazy, just a shorter length. Boy was that a terrible idea... Everything was going great until I switched methods up and ruined things. In order to fix that mistake, I had to go shorter. Then, another mistake happened. I heard Leonardo DiCaprio in my head saying "We must go shorter". You don't disobey Leo, so I went shorter. Five minutes later I found myself laughing hysterically in the mirror as I was using a straight razor to cut my hair. Yep. I went as short as you can get. Like Vin Diesel short. It was a terrible mistake, one that couldn't be fixed. Most of you are laughing at this point and rightly so, a lot of you are asking why? My excuse is that a) I wanted short hair again, and b) I was curious. I've never had hair THAT short, I was practically bald. I wanted to know what it felt and looked like and this is the perfect place to fulfill that curiosity. I would not have done this in America, no way no how. But I don't care about people's opinions here and my two years here is supposed to be full of new experiences right? Besides, even though this is a common excuse for idiotic people with no direction in life who often get in trouble, life is experience and how much can you know about yourself or the world around you unless you experience everything. Yea, so tanks to everyone for not freaking out when I showed up to work the next day. And no, you cannot see pictures..
Tanks to EC 81, the group of PCVs that arrived a year before me and my group. This week they have their Close of Service ceremony in St. Lucia. They don't finish their service and leave us until April, thankfully. But this event in St. Lucia is like their wrap up and unwinding meeting. Plus they get to stay in a hotel with a pool, AC, and good FREE food. Lucky bastards... I borrowed these pictures from Mackenzie, it is a list of the stuff that EC 81 has accomplished in Grenada thus far. I hope EC 83 can live up to their standards and legacy. Tanks y'all!
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| The business end of their time in Grenada. |
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| The fun and personal stuff they accomplished. |
Well that should do it for now. If this wasn't enough for you, I've got a reeeeeeeally good story. Just say the word.
tell em tanks,
Brice
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