Christmas in the Caribbean

Merry Christmas everybody! I spent my first Christmas in the Caribbean! It was the first one I've ever spent eating dinner outdoors under the shade of a golden apple tree (golden apples look to be in the mango family). We had turkey, ham, boiled vegetables, rice and peas, salad, mac and cheese, sweet potatoes (not the same as the ones we eat at home and not cloaked in brown sugar and marshmallows), pork (the pork they usually serve here is a hunk that was sliced straight off the pig, it includes the skin, a layer or fat and a layer of muscle.) I am not a fan of that kind of pork but there were plenty of other things for me to enjoy. Besides, I wondered if it was my unfortunate friend from outside and when I inquired everyone laughed! Probably not a good sign. We all ate until "our belly's full" and then ate cake for dessert. You can see in the photo my little sis stuffed her belly very full! The night before I had carolers and one of them I recognized as a member of the community group I belong to. The leader of the group was playing a guitar made from a coconut. The songs they played were tropical and nice and I was touched they came to my house. I didn't have any money left except bus fare so I gave them all I had, hoping my host mom would loan me the $3.50 it takes to ride to town. It was a bittersweet holiday. Surrounded by new people who love me and take care of me but on the other hand missing my boyfriend terribly.

Last minute Christmas cards!

I vowed never to get involved with Christmas cards after listening to people complain about having to send them out year after year, however, it never seems to get me out of doing them! This year my friend Netta asked me to help her make some for the Trinity Youth Group so last night I designed 30 cards and wrote 30 greetings inside until my hand cramped up. We worked late into the night and my darling host mom couldn't keep her eyes open but insisted she heard every part of the conversation. The unfortunate part is that everyone now sees me as the Go-To-Gal for card making so I have a feeling I will be very busy from now on!

Also I'd like to thank my parents for sending the craft supplies and markers and my boyfriend for bringing everything to me! Also for sending their camera (mine was stolen in St Lucia) and bringing it to me, this blog wouldn't be anything without it.

Christmas Party #2

The Fountain/Mt Lily Community Improvement Club had our Christmas tree lighting celebration last night and my host dad was the guest of honor! It was such a beautiful thing and I can't think of anybody who deserved it more. My brother gave a speech detailing the different things he's done in his life so Mr Daniel could be honored while he's still alive and be here to appreciate it. It was a real eye opener to hear all the different things my humble host father has done and been a part of. I think everybody had a nice time and it was a great follow up to a dinner the night before with the ladies of NTCOG. We stayed out late, driving around and looking at decorations and then got up early the following morning to set up the tree and clean up the grounds for the celebration. (My little pup Nuffy helped out a lot with the setup, untangling the lights, chewing on ornaments, giving moral support). Might I add that Nuffy went to the party before me and also stayed later...Can you see the animals I made under the tree?

extra protein

I ate bugs in my curry last night. I'm not proud of it but I'm not not proud either. My squeemish attitude regarding food has been a lifelong journey. As a child, I didn't like all the standard things: mushrooms, smelly cheese, beans, brussel sprouts, etc. (As I grew up those things inevitably became my favorite foods!) I've always had a careful attitude towards the food I will put in my mouth. If a bug so much as sniffed a bag of flour I would throw it away. I would sometimes wash my vegetables in bleach water and usually throw out food that had sat outside of the fridge for 4 hours or longer. Things are a little different now. I am living on a small budget and food is a long way away so it's not always viable to be so selective. I have kept an open mind. As I entered training in St Lucia, I was scared to find ants all over the kitchen. I was disgusted to find the chickens were allowed in the house, because those birds carry a lot of diseases. But as my host mom plucked a ripe sugar apple from the tree, the skin crawling with ants, ripped it in half and pushed the soft, custardy flesh up to her mouth I took a deep breath and nibbled my half, trying to avoid thinking of the ants. The sugar apple tasted good and tropical and I didn't taste any ants. Later on I noticed people left food out all day and I was beyond scared. I don't want food poisoning! But I ate what was made for me and trusted that I would be ok. Time went on and similar experiences came up, each time softening my picky attitude. Last night I was preparing a curry and I dumped a measure of lentils into the spiced, boiling pot and then noticed a few beetles in the sack. I also had cumin seed in my curry so they also looked like little bugs. I decided not to throw away the whole pot but to see if my stomach would allow me to eat it, I was really hungry! And it did. I forgot about the bugs until I picked one out. Yay for me! Perhaps there is a tv deal in my future.

making cards

Today we made Olin cards because he isn't feeling well. Of course he doesn't live here in this country, but we made them anyway because we love him.

One community Christmas party down, one to go!

Here are a few pictures from the Rising Stars Community Club Christmas Party. It was a fun day full of games, food and friendship.

woodwork animals

I volunteered to make some wood animals for the Fountain Christmas display. First I asked around at TDC to get prices on wood and paint. The wood was going to be over $100 and there really wasn't much paint except for wall paint. After a little legwork and talking I managed to get it donated by Mr. Merchant at TDC! He donated a 1/2"x10"x14' pine board and 4 pints of wall paint (white, brown, orange and blue.) He had them delivered to the Craft House before I could even walk back there! My boyfriend (who was visiting from the States) was impressed. I designed the animals and cut them out using a band saw and scroll saw, then sanded them with a belt sander and hand sanded them with help from my boyfriend. I base coated them all white and then painted the details with my One Stroke acrylic paints that were delivered from my mom (in Idaho) to my boyfriend (in North Carolina) and finally brought to Nevis. A few of my little friends helped me by painting the stands blue. The animals took a lot of work but it was worth it because everybody loved them.

A white (flour) christmas!

I have been asked to help decorate Trinity Methodist Church for Christmas. I racked my brain, wondering how I could decorate without all the standard paraphernalia I'm used to seeing in December: Santa Clauses, reindeer, tinsel, bows, wreaths and glass balls. I ventured all throughout Charlestown to nearly every store and returned with white glue, kool-aid, flour, salt, cinnamon and tea lights. Not exactly everything I had hoped for. But what could I possibly do with all that?

I worked all night like Jekyll and Hyde concocting various mixtures and doughs and colored glitter pastes. I awoke the next morning to what looked like a freshly fallen snow; in reality it was last night's floury mess. I cleaned up, gathered a few kids and enlisted their help in making salt-dough ornaments. They had a blast and can't wait for the next craft session! They did a great job and were extremely creative.

life is nothing more than a string of moments