John's Next Step

Saturday Morning Market Goodbye St. Lucia I returned from St. Lucia on Friday, got back to my site by 2 pm – and I pretty much fell asleep until 5. After a small dinner I went back to sleep. I’m feeling better now. Saturday morning is market day in Grenville. The shops and the markets are open during the week, but Saturday is the major day. It is like a farmer’s market everyday, because it is. I got some laundry done first and headed off to restock my supplies. There is a fish market in town, but fishermen also sell by the side of the road before Grenville. The bus will stop so you can buy some. I’ve not done that yet, but sometime… Really fresh fish My first stop in town was the seed store to get sweet corn seeds. The popcorn that I planted to be poles for the beans didn’t show signs of sprouting. I’m looking forward to freshly picked sweet corn. After the seed store I went to the fresh market. I normally get plantains, eggs, and other things that loo...

Off on another flight - chewing gum to help with the ears   As I have said before, Peace Corps takes medical issues rather seriously. My ear problem got me a trip to St. Lucia on Friday. I arrived late on Friday and sent a message to the Peace Corps doctor. I was hoping to see the ENT on Saturday, but that didn’t happen, so it will be Monday. I don’t know what he will say or recommend but I’m initially scheduled to be return early Wednesday morning.  It is possible, although unlikely, that I’ll be sent back to the states to fix the problem. The ear issue is not horrible. It is a weary low level background pain and some minor hearing issues.  Still it needs to be resolved. So I’m back at the Palm Haven hotel. My first night here I met another 50+ volunteer. He is a response volunteer serving St. Vincent and had previously served as a response and twice as a traditional volunteer, including in South Africa. The local Director of Management and Operations (...

Mornings Morning assembly This was my first full week of school working with the students. The principal has scheduled me and another teacher to work with the children in the mornings and library time in the afternoon Monday through Thursday. Fridays are set aside for any Peace Corps activities and planning as required. Fridays are also scheduled for sports and other activities. This past Friday I needed to go to St. George’s to hand off my passport so I could get a work permit.  During the first week of school we evaluated the reading proficiency of the forth and fifth graders identified by the principal and teachers as needing additional help. There are two primary reasons for the evaluation. First, and most obvious, is to identify the skills needing support. The second reason will come after the end of the third term when we reevaluate to quantify any improvement and assess our work. The metrics are used for periodic metrics reporting required of all Peace Corps...

When you are packing for two years in the Peace Corps you should include reminders of home – pictures and items that connect you to family and friends. I had those with me in Ghana and in Dominica – until Maria took the roof off my bedroom. The family who owns the house in Dominica worked very hard to save as much of my stuff as possible but still most of my memories, well the physical stuff of memories were ruined under the deluge. I am grateful that most of my things were salvaged – without their quick work I would have likely lost most everything. Since I was home for a time before returning to service I  brought a few things and I loaded more family pictures on my computer. But I will confess that I wanted a bit more of a connection with my life in America. I was not missing my Prius, house, or air conditioning (well not much). I was missing really good fried okra (a lot). I think that is why I made a rather strange purchase with some of my settling in allowance. Th...