Monday, October 25, 2010

40 Day Dream



I was having a bad week last week for whatever reason. Reality was setting in and I was actually feeling a little homesick for the first time since being here. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing at my worksite or my school attachment and was getting a little frustrated at myself for various reasons. The 40-minute bus rides to and from town were starting to get annoying, not being able to buy more than a few items at a time because I had to carry them back in the bus was getting to me, and the heat was just pushing me over the edge. Monday was our swearing-in ceremony, which made things that much more permanent. On Thursday I went on a run to get my mind straight and clear all of these thoughts out of my head. When I was almost home and running by the ball courts by my apartment, I was stopped by a boy that I have gotten to know named QuShawn (at least, that's how I picture it spelled). He wanted to listen to my music, so I scrolled to the song at the top of my post, 40-Day Dream by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, knowing that he definitely hadn't heard anything like it before. He walked with me back to my home, humming along to the song with a smile on his face.  And for some reason, that's all I needed to get out of my funk and back on track.

Like I said, Monday we were sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers, which elicited a variety of emotions from myself. I was happy to finally be done with training, and on the broader scheme of things it was the culmination of over a years' worth of work, starting with the application process. It has definitely been an exciting trip so far, and the thought that it is now just beginning is a great feeling.

I have had the good fortune of also meeting some amazing people in the past 2 months, both volunteers and locals. We've all had the opportunity to do some great things, from taking a catamaran/snorkeling trip to participating and being "baptized" into the local Hash House Harriers. Also, karaoke. Locals love karaoke. And their song choices are really not too adventurous, but it's pretty amusing as to the choices of some classic songs. (Check out examples of these classics Here and Here, I have not gone a day without hearing either of these two gems that make me feel like I'm trapped in a prom from 1992. Seriously, where are the puffy-sleeved dresses?) I broke the mold by dropping a little David Bowie knowledge on the locals, but I got a lot of strange looks halfway through Space Oddity


Really, as you can see, we are working hard. This is on-the-clock integration time shown above, on our catamaran trip. Things haven't really been so bad. One reason the Caribbean is great for being in the Peace Corps is that, as a volunteer, you're expected to go through some lows as well as highs. And how low can things really get if you're in the Caribbean? Honestly...