Nature Island

First View of Dominica from the Plane

While serving as a two year volunteer, Dominica and I spent much of our time in a love hate relationship. Working in compared to visiting a country is two totally different things.  About a week ago I went to Dominica to visit for 6 days.  I went during the Independence Season and was able to attend Creole in the Park 3 of the 4 days. You will hear more about Creole in the Park in the next few weeks!

This visit was exactly what I needed. The cool crisp air was refreshing, the lush greens were breathtaking, and the memories the trip brought back warmed my soul. For me, Dominica makes sense, Dominica is Home.  It was great to hear individual tell me, ‘Welcome Home!’ or ‘You know enough people you can lime (go out) by yourself!’  I have a connection to the people and the country.

As discussed in a previous blog, it is hard for me to measure success.  After this trip, I have realized, I have made an impact on the individuals I worked with.  The individual I saw were just as excited to see me as I was to see them.  The school children reminded me of activities we did and many asked when I was coming back.  I did not build a library, there is not a painting I did in a school, and only one of my projects is still functioning.  With that being said, I made an impact on the people of Dominica as they helped me to grow as an individual. I planted lasted seeds of growth and memories in them.

For the next few weeks, I will post some pictures and explain what I did each day! I hope I am able to paint you a picture of how beautiful my ‘untouched’ Dominica is. 

180 Days!

One of my Favorite views in Dominica

60 More Days... 

60 More Activities 

Some of the PCVs who Left

17 Sex Workers have received ESL classes

14 Letters Written

11 Outreach events to sex workers

11 Blogs Entries

10 Posters printed and handed out to local business to bring awareness to eliminating violence against women and children

8 Volleyball Practices

7 ESL classes with Spanish-Speaking Women

6 Different Beaches

5 New Friends

5 Islands Represented in those New Friends

5 Bars which outreach takes place

5 Jobs Applied for

5 Peace Corps Volunteers completed their services

4 Days of Creole in the Park

4 Members on the outreach team 

4 Visitors

4 Newspaper Article about the Outreach Event

3 Prison Life-Skill Sessions

3 Peace Corps Response Volunteers who swore-in with me 

3 Beach Days

3 Day Long Regional Training on HIV and Sexual Violence

2 Orange Events to bring awareness around the elimination of gender-based violence

3 Movies Watched at Cinema

1 Flash Mob

1 Front Page Cover Story

1 New Friend Left 

1 PCRV who I share my High/Low each day

1 'Volunteer Work Form' Completed

1 Picture of myself on the Internet website for the Orange Day Event

1 New Stamp in my Passport

1 Walking Partner

1 Sleep Over with my Nephew

1 Meeting with Antigua Planned Parenthood Association

1 Grant Written

1 Zip Lining Experience

1 Opening Parade for Carnival

1 Carnival Jouvert 

1 Chair, which offers millions of moments of breathing

1 Grant Budget Updated

1 Grant Summary Updated

1 Meeting with the Men I will be doing Life Skill Training with in the prison

1 East Coast Tour

1 Meeting focused on Lyric Guidelines

1 Meeting to regarding doing therapy in the Prison

1 Workshop regarding Human Trafficking

1 Mango Fest 

1 Tropical Storm 

1 Intervention with a victim of Domestic Violence 

1 Amazing Skype date with my two best friends from graduate school

1 Submitted Grant with many corrections needed

1 Time Swimming with Sting Rays

1 Beach Birthday Party

1 Soul Refreshing Jam Session with new and old friends

1 Meeting Regarding World AIDS Day

1 Antigua Vs. USA Football Match

1 Orange Day Meeting/16 Days of Activism Meeting

1 Meeting with the Manger and Dancers of an outreach site

1 Refreshing trip to Dominica

1 Fundraising BBQ

1 More Trip to the Boiling Lake in Dominica

1 Week of reminders that I made an impact in Dominica

1 Meeting with the Country Director of the Peace Corps

1 Soul is now resting in Peace, Gone but never forgotten Uncle Tom

1 Solo Hike on the National Trail in Dominica

1 Radio Interview for Orange Day

1 TV Interview for Orange Day

1 New Island that is feeling a little more like home each day

1 Amazing Experience 

USA Vs Antigua

On 12^th October 2012, I went to watch the Antigua vs. USA Football Match!  It was such a thrill to be there and watch two teams who I felt connected to.  I am an underdog girl and wanted Antigua to win because there are an up and coming football team at the National level and it was a great accomplishment that they even were able to play the USA.  

It was a great game and the score was tied for the end of the first half and almost the entire second half.  USA scored with about 30 seconds left of 

regular time.  It was exhilarating each time a team 

scored or almost scored.  I always get such a sense of pride when I am watching USA or hearing the National Anthem outside of the USA.  I can feel myself getting the chills and a cheesy smile forming across my face. 

Teachable Moments

If someone would have asked me last year where or what I would be doing in a year, I would not of answered, in Antigua working with Sex Workers and Male Prisoners. A year ago, I was just trying to make it through grad school, find my roots in Denver, and get use to the cold weather. 

Now, I would not want to be doing anything except for exactly what I am doing.  Everyday I am faced with challenges, my character is tested, but I frequently have teachable moments.  Those moments cannot be planned or scripted.  They just happen naturally in a personal conversation, in a group session, or the back of a bar.  Those are the moments I must grab with both hands and use to educate.

I started teaching Life Skills classes in the Prison for the Males.  A population, I told myself I did not want to work with.  I have and will continue to find fulfillment when working with Prisoner but I thought I would only work with females.  Now, I find myself week #2 standing in front of 20 males and we are about to talk about sexual health, diseases, and most importantly protection.  At that moment before I began the session, I thought, ‘How did I get here?’ and ‘When did I get so comfortable talking about a topic I would normally not talk about to a population I told myself I would not work with?’ Life just works in these amazing ways.

There was intense conversation around the topics with the males in the room.  As I continued to have to remind them of the rule of ‘One person talks at a time,’ teachable moments were coming from individuals.  These moments are their experiences, which they were willing to share.  The education was around false truths the males have heard. 

The teachable moments presented themselves as myths about wearing two condoms, using plastic wrap or a balloon if you do not have a condom, what do if a condom burst, and how to prevent the spreading of diseases.  During the moments, I grabbed the opportunity to redirect the facts about the situation.

Personally, those moments makes facilitating the group a worthy cause. Those moments make me appreciate opportunities I have to expand my comfort zone and are able to reach a different population.  Those are the moments I am glad I received support and encouragement to join the Peace Corps one more time.  

Reasons

About a month ago now, I was talking with a Peace Corps Response Volunteer (PCRV) who is serving in St. Lucia but we trained together.  We were chatting about what I was going to do next, what kind of work I was looking for, where I was going to live, and the list continues.  At that time, I did not have any solid answers to any of those questions.  Like everything else in my life, things seem to work out int the best way possible with perfecting timing.  I have found if I work hard and put myself out there, opportunities present themselves.  My hope is the same thing will happen with my career. 

Anyways, as I was towing back and forth about what I was envisioning for 2013, questions of why I wanted to be a Social Worker, why I was looking at the areas I was looking at, and what areas of Social Worker I was looking into were being brought up. At the end of it, the reasons for the above questions have to do with love and passion.  After expressing myself, the PCRV offered me advice that I will carry close to my heart whenever I have decisions to make.  He simply told me, "I do not see what better reason to do anything in life than for love!" I sat back and reflected on the statement and realized I need to relax and follow my heart with this transitional stage I am beginning to enter.  My heart and soul have been the captains of the life I have lived thus far. In my short 26 years of life, I have been presented with some life forming opportunities. 

What if we all lived in a world where we did things because of love.  Love for a purpose, love for a person, love for a motive, love for an area, or love for your career.   What if we trusted our hearts more and the hearts of others when we were making decisions,  what an amazing world that would be! A world filled with individuals who were passioniate and in love with the careers and the lives they had.  I am not saying the world would be  with out hate or hardship but it would be filled with individuals who were truly in happy places in their lives and wanted to be exactly where they are.