The Beginning of the End

It is July and the end of my Peace Corps adventure is drawing near although it really hasn't sunk in quite yet. The first event in closing this chapter of my life occurred in June which was our Close of Service conference, commonly referred to as "COS." It is a time when all EC77 volunteers from all the Eastern Caribbean islands are flown in together for one last hoorah before everyone disperses to begin the next adventure in their life. Our original group of volunteers numbered in the 70's to begin with, but two years later it has dwindled to somewhere in the 50's range proving that, even in the Caribbean, life isn't always as easy as it may seem. It seemed fitting that our group was able to say good bye in the very place where we all trained together; St. Lucia. For three days we had various sessions designed to help us cope with readjusting to life in the United States, allowing to reflect on the work we've accomplished over the last couple of years, and other various odds and ends.

E.C.77 One last time!!

The St. Vincent 4 and the Grenada 4

During one of the sessions, Helen, our Program and Training Officer, read a letter that one of the EC78 St.Lucia volunteers had received from a man who had served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in her same St. Lucian village back in the 1960's. I believe the man said he was part of EC3 or something like that which, not to make this person feel like a fossil, but that was a long time ago! Anyway, the gist of the letter was relaying his PCV experience in the 60's and how it still remains as one of the best experiences of his life even to this day. Nearly 40+ years later he and the other volunteers he served with have decided to reunite in St. Lucia to reminisce and meet with the current PCV's. While the letter was being read I began to think about what a wonderful thing it would be to come back decades later to the place where you spent two years and see the progress that has been (hopefully) made. Not only that, but it really made my spirits lift to bear witness to the fact that these PCV's had such a strong bond that it allowed them to stay in contact after all these years. I can only hope that the same is true of our group in Grenada and I can only dream of a day when, decades from now, we can all reunite and reminisce about those crazy times in the Spice Isle!

The Original Mon Repos Crew

This year, one of Grenada's finest volunteers implemented the first ever Peace Corps Olympics which had all the islands, and sometimes staff, competing for the Tom and Kitty Memorial Chalice. Haha! Telling you why it was named that would be a whole other blog entry. The events included Chess, a staring contest, speed walking, Geography bee, eating contest, swim relay, ultimate frisbee, a leap frog/piggyback/3-legged relay, and finally the more college like events of beer chugging and flip cup. It was a great way to end COS and Grenada lost their 1st place position to St. Lucia in the last event, ultimate frisbee. There were good times had during the last few days and the beginning of two months of good-byes began.

Team Grenada

To end my trip to St. Lucia with a bang, I traveled to Mon Repos where I had spent my first three weeks of training with a host family. Upon my arrival it threw me into a state of shock to realize that here I was again, two years later. I was a bit worried because I hadn't given my host mom much notice about my visiting so I was basically showing up on her doorstep hoping she'd take me in for a night. Luckily, there was no problem and she and her family were more than welcoming. I have to admit I was surprised how happy they were to see me and after spending some time talking with my host mom I realized how much I have grown over the last two years. I recall how when I first got to St. Lucia I wasn't very understanding of certain cultural aspects, and how odd they seemed to me. How these things sometimes made me feel uncomfortable, unsure, and homesick, but now, these things have become part of the fabric of everyday life. I am so glad that I decided to visit one last time, the place where it all began. It really allowed me to feel that I have come full circle.

Me, my host mom's sister Irene, their mom, and my host mom Prisca.