John's Next Step

As I mentioned before Mount Carmel is a short walk, about 3 miles, from my house. Sunday afternoon Haley and I finally made it to the falls. We were going to go on Saturday after I finished shopping in the market, but decided on Sunday after church. So we had to walk both ways as buses don’t run on Sunday. On the walk down But the falls is very nice and worth the exercise. Haley liked the cold water and the falls and she returned Monday when I was at school. A couple of kids near the falls Cool water Haley left Tuesday morning on her own via the local buses while I went off to school. She was boarding the plane to leave Grenada for St. Vincent while my next visitor was boarding the plane from Miami to come to Grenada. My visitor this week, Lisa, is a fellow Returned Peace Corps volunteer friend who served in Ghana. She is leaving today. As I have school she has been on her own for the most part of her short visit. I’m glad that she found a local guide and...

Finished the second week of school. In the first week I reviewed topics from the previous term – such things as the basic math operations. This term I need to cover, among other things, the ways math can be used in everyday lives – such as measuring distance. Back to assemblies and setting down in school Teaching this can be a little confusing on the islands because we use both the English/Imperial and the Metric systems. After setting the stage on Monday with terms I got into the practical business of measuring inches with a rule and later measuring centimeters with a metric tape. Happily, I listened to their answers as a class and individually and happily watched their progress. My method of teaching math to my small class is to provide the basic lesson details to the entire class, give extra material to those who have mastered a topic, and then check in with homework, sometimes a worksheet, and commonly a quiz. Based on feedback I adjust my teaching for topics that st...

We are at the start of a new term and we find ourselves back in the old school. “There is just some finishing work that should be done in about a month.” However, as that is the same line given for the past few months – it might be a few more months… The new school is still far away The principal, realizing the demotivational situation of not moving to the new school as expected did some repairs to the building and a bit a paint to freshen up the place for students and teachers. Some repairs to the holes in the plywood walls And some new paint So we are making the best of it and had a good week of planning for the term and reviewing with the children in this first week. Turn it around not over when you show me the word please Visitor On a group chat some time ago a volunteer on St. Vincent asked if anyone could “host a US traveler sometime in February for a week or two?” Peace Corps volunteers experience hospitality during homestay training and as we i...

Back to Grenada I’m back on the island after my very short trip to the states. The first thing I noticed when I returned to my site was the candle on my table – indicating that when I closed the windows for two weeks it got a bit toasty inside. I’m also back with those flying blood suckers – a bit different that the chill in Missouri and Arkansas in December. So maybe a little warm in the house I went home to see family for the holidays and to get the house partially ready to sell. I did what I absolutely had to do – set up the paper work so my son can sign closing papers, sort important Christmas decorations, move my stuff into my other son’s house, and a few others things. I was not able to see everyone or do everything that I wanted. In two weeks – that is not surprising, but disappointing. Visiting home during service I absolutely love seeing family and friends. The biggest joy I get is being with my children, grandchildren, mom, and siblings as wel...