How do you know when you get in the groove?

Today I had an appointment in St Kitts at 2:30. My plan was to have a little break from my schedule, do some exercise and then leisurely catch the 1pm ferry. At 11 my boyfriend called to tell me he was going to work. It was at this time that I realized my computer clock had set itself back and it was in fact noon. This was bad, very bad! I need at least an hour to wait for the bus to make sure I reach at 1pm. I lunged into the shower, dressed as quickly as my clothes would unfold and gathered my forms and belongings. At 12:22 I was waiting for the bus, calling one of the drivers. He was on his way to my village. Soon a bus pulled up and I hopped in, then realized it wasn't Don! We stopped a bunch to drop people off and Don called to ask where I was, then his bus flew by! Drat...I was praying the whole time, visualizing reaching in time to catch the ferry. I repeated "I will make the one o'clock ferry, I will make the one o'clock ferry!" over and over, even though it seemed impossible as time was ticking away and we snaked through Nevis dropping people off. I did not want to deal with the implications of rescheduling. Everything is much more complicated when you have to deal with two separate islands and somewhat unscheduled modes of transportation (relying on other people completely!) At 1 pm we were still driving, reaching Charlestown. At about 7 past, I hopped off the bus, thanked the driver, waved to Don who was relaxing in his bus (should have waited!) and started running as fast as I could to the ferry terminal. A large group of people were liming near the docks, they started making noise, urging me to hurry. "Run! They are still there! No, run straight to the boat!" As I veered towards the ticket booth. I changed course and went straight for the boat, which had pulled up the ramp and swiveled slightly away from the dock. They pulled closer and helped me aboard, the adrenaline pumping and a huge smile brightening my glistening face. I did it! A small accomplishment maybe, but when everything just happens in your favor life feels great. Especially something that seems impossible at first.

Dogs & Death

Nov. 8, 2007

Today started out as a pretty ordinary day. I have been going to the Craft House every day this week except today I had to stay home to wait for the APCD and scurity officer to come by to check out my house. I wrote to Maggie and told her I couldn’t find a ride to the vet with the sick and injured puppies (long story short: the puppies have been dying and getting hit by cars, we were down to three. Jeff and Maggie work for Animal Rescue and said I could take them to the vet and get them dewormed and looked at.) They offered to come pick me up and we could take them together. When we got there, the vet picked Fluffy out of the basket, the one who had gotten hit by the bread van. He started vomiting. He had hardly been moving all morning and wouldn’t eat. She looked at his fractured leg and was telling me what to do to care for him when he started to die on the table. His head was turned at an odd angle and he was shuddering as the life slowly drained from the broken little body. Maggie was crying and we were both petting him. I was surprised it hit her so hard since she deals with this so often, but there she was, tears reddening her eyes, voice cracking as she tried to say something comforting to us, to herself. “Sometimes the best gift you can give someone is to help them pass on.” And we watched as his warm, furry body became still and it was just an empty shell on the table. It’s amazing how you can tell when life ends. The body looks and feels different, empty. Then the vet lifted the small, meager puppy out of the basket, the one who had disappeared for several days. He was nearly dead too. She advised that we put him down so we layed him next to the body of his brother, petted him and walked away with only one pup in the basket. It was hard to leave him but it was the kindest thing to do and really the only solution, I don’t think he would have made it through the night.
And we drove back, talking about the future and how to make a difference in a positive way. I clutched the worm medicine and the little syringe. It was a hard blow, one I hadn’t really expected. Life in the Caribbean is much more real than the tourist brochures suggest. The kids didn’t take it very well. Imani was angry and smacked Maggie's arm, it seemed like he blamed her for some reason. That was really heartbreaking but his three-year old mind connected the loss with the new stranger. Quetta wanted to know all the details and decided to rename Patches, the remaining puppy after her favorite: Fluffy (the one with the broken leg.) It has been a draining day and hopefully something good has come of it, a little knowledge, education, health care for the animals and an end to suffering.
Right after I settled in and threw the sheet in the washing machine, Renney and Mavis came over to ask how I was and look at my place. They were happy with the way I was “comfortable” and “settled” (must have meant that I gained weight.) Renney was happy to see me in better spirits than the last time (after a thievery incident.)
Now I must leave for a meeting at the church. They are having a presentation on alkalized water. I don’t really feel like being around anyone right now but I think it will be good for me.

Conquering the Piton

8-4-07 Piton Hike
I did it!!! I hiked the larger of the two Pitons. At 5:45 am I met a bus at the training school in Micoud, St Lucia with 30 other sleepy volunteers. We drove to Vieu Forte at the base of the Piton. It was much more rigorous than I thought it would be and it was pretty much straight up. About 10 minutes into the hike I felt like I was ready to call it quits and had no idea how I was possibly going to make it to the top. Climbing straight up seemed impossible and I didn’t think I was in good enough physical condition. I was breathing hard the whole time and sweated so much I was wringing out my ponytail. It was basically climbing stairs 2,600 feet. The steps were made of rocks and roots. The rocks at the top were slippery from the rain and moss so I slipped once between some rocks but miraculously I was hardly even scratched. It really brought the group together to test ourselves in such an excruciating way. As a small group of 7 or 8 we split off from the other groups who were going at their own paces. We picked our way carefully albeit quickly straight down the way we came up. I am glad you couldn’t see all the way to the bottom or the vertigo would have been terrible. We found a dead tarantula along the way and what looked like a bright orange hermit crab. About ¾ of the way down my legs (and by all accounts everyone else was feeling the same) felt like Jello. I was half afraid they might give out and came close to falling once or twice. The bottom couldn’t come fast enough. I got a false sense that we were close long before we actually were and we all pretty much ran out of water. I was incredibly thirsty so I asked around and we found that Kit still had a whole bottle of water so she graciously divided it up between everyone. The last 20 minutes was sheer willpower and muscle memory because I don’t know how I was moving my legs, they were so shaky and tired.

Craft House in the house!

I have found a new way to spend my time: Basket weaving! I have been working with the Nevis Craft House this week and they are teaching me this ancient and useful skill. Later I will learn to sew, make grass mats, leather sandals and pottery and I will teach them some of my art skills. I feel right at home here! They let me bring home my first basket (seen here.) I'd like to think it's because you can't put a price tag on it (for all the right reasons.)

My birthday was a glorious celebration

Fountain had a big day coming. It was my birthday and they didn't know it yet but it was about to hit like a twenty-six year old hurricane. It also happened to be the Fountain/My Lily Community Improvement Club's 5th anniversary. Posters were being pinned, invitation were being photocopied and dresses were being pressed. So happy birthday to me, I put on a new Island Hopper skirt and oxy-white shirt and picked my way up the road to the church. We were to each perform some sort of content for the concert. At first they asked me to sing but I assured them that they wouldn't be pleased if I did. So I settled on reading a poem. I was called up and I announced into the microphone that I had written a poem about my experience in Nevis. Silence blanketed the audience like fresh snow as my poem wove it's way from one ear to another. I felt like I had extra eyes, some to read my scratches and some to watch the audience. I saw the warm and curious eyes of everyone in the audience, eager to hear what the "clear" girl, the Peace Corps had to say. Applause rippled though the air as I swept back to my chair, but not before the announcer called me right back to the stage.
"Where are you going? Come back here!" And my birthday was announced. The keyboard beat out the notes and the audience sang, clapped, swayed! "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!" As I clasped my hands to my chest and grinned, blushing and self-conscious about how to react to such a momentous occasion. It was such a beautiful birthday.
My wonderful boyfriend arranged a surprise with one of my friends, Allyson, to buy me a lucky Chinese cat that I had my eye on. The thing is exactly what I always wanted. It is so gaudy, sparkling gold and battery-operated waving arm; the grand finale to the lucky cat I always wanted but could never find. Somehow Nevis got it's paws on it first. And now I have lucky cat! True it's battery-operated arm doesn't work, but lucky cat is so glorious it doesn't matter. And all because my boyfriend cares so much! $80 EC may seem too high a price but one can't put a price on love.