Right Where I Need to Be...

Well then, I have been on St. Lucia for about a week now and honestly, as the days go by I have never felt more right about any decision that I have ever made. I have met some amazing people, seen some of the most beautiful scenery, and have sweat more than I ever have in my life (as hard as that is to imagine), and I haven't even made it to my island of service yet!

Before I go any farther, here is a video that my brother John did about my last weekend in the states. I watched it and it made me very happy to see members of my family, but it also goes over some of the reasons I joined the Peace Corps, which will be a good reminder to me when things inevitably get tough.




Now, on to the exciting stuff... the all-encompassing assignment! I was always nervous about the fact that I have gone through this whole process of applying, being accepted, and then actually flying to the Caribbean before I knew what my job would entail. I mean, it's not like any other job. How many interviews have you done where they don't tell you what you're going to do, extend you an invitation, and then expect you to take that job? I guess that goes with the territory. But anyways, I'll be working in the capital of St. Kitts, Basseterre, which has quite the colorful history of colonialism and being destroyed by natural disasters and rebuilt. Exciting! I will be working with the Department of Sports for the government strengthening some current programs they have going, as well as starting some new projects that they have requested. One of these projects is helping to design a webpage for the Department, which, I have to admit, is the second-most intimidating feature of my post (second to, of course, learning the rules of cricket). So, I have a request... anybody who has any good advice on either webpage design OR learning cricket are encouraged to contact me. I took an html class my freshman year of high school, but those were back in the days of more hair on my head and zits on my face.

On a more personal note, I am accomplishing my goals of trying new things as they come up on a regular basis. I have been doing yoga (!) almost every day with the fantastic instructor Camille, and if we were volunteers on the same island I would be knocking on her door 3 times a week for sessions. And fried plantains = deliciousness. In fact, every way I have had them is great. chips, fried, baked, whatever. I really hope my homestead host is a good cook, because I hope to be in the kitchen every night learning how to cook up these fantastic looking fruits and vegetables on the island.

Well, that about does it for me this evening. I realized I really need to take more pictures, so perhaps I will make that a priority tomorrow before *gulp* Tropical Storm Earl might make the sky a little cloudy. It is time to commence the evening guitar circle with earlier-mentioned Camille and Christa, the latter of whom might be better than me at guitar after only 8 months of playing, which I doubt more and more. Until then, the next post will be from St. Kitts!