Spice Mas 2k9

Here it is a week after Grenada's Carnival season and my body is still not fully recovered. As I get older I notice that it takes me longer and longer to recover from massive sleep deprivation, which in this case, came in the form of Spice Mas 2k9! In July of 2009, the carnival season was launched in all the parishes around the island and this year I wanted to be sure to soak up all the goodness that Carnival offers since it's to be my last for awhile. Carnival is actually two days, the second Monday and Tuesday of August, but there are various events and concerts leading up to these two days including Soca Monarch, White in the Moonlight, Panarama, and Dimache Gras.

This year, a few girls (other volunteers) talked about wanting to participate in Fancy Mas which is a masquerade that takes place with various bands competing to win the title of King and Queen. Each band has various sections, each with their own theme and costume. After much hesitation, I decided to suck it up and partake in this once in a lifetime opportunity even though it meant wearing a very risque costume for at least five hours. I figured that if there were anywhere in the world to dance down the road in a bedazzled bikini with a few extra pounds jiggling like the star of a Jello commercial, it's the Caribbean. The men here have an appreciation for larger women and, in general, the people don't seem to give a crap about body image like Americans do. Usually, this mas takes place on Carnival Tuesday in the afternoon, but luckily for me, it rained and was postponed until the following weekend which allowed me to fully partake in Sauteurs' infamous jouvert celebration.

Even though it rained on Tuesday and Fancy Mas was postponed, the girls still got dressed up and played mas while I was in Sauteurs, which is why I'm not in the group photo below. . .:( Sad.

Jouvert is a celebration that occurs on the Monday and Tuesday of Carnival in various villages all over the island. It begins early in the morning, about 5:00a.m. and ends whenever the music stops. Each band consists of it's own truck, d.j., music, and specific color of paint that is then slathered all over your body, usually by a stranger. If you play Jab Jab, then your job is to be covered head to toe in black tar/oil, and look as intimidating and bizarre as possible. This comes in the form of cross dressing, having dead frogs in your mouth, holding snakes, wearing horns and chains, carrying around severed pigs heads, and just about anything else you can think of. This year, the girls and I played jouvert in St. George's on Monday and, of course, I went back to my home, Sauteurs, to play jouvert on Tuesday morning. For years, Sauteurs has been known for having the biggest and best jouvert on the island and this year was no exception! I had a good friend, and ex-party friend/PCV in town which made it even more amazingly fun. We stayed out until 3:00 in the afternoon and finally threw in the towel deciding that sleep and hydration were imperative.

I cannot tell you the fantastic time I had and what made it even more bittersweet was knowing that this would be my last Carnival experience for quite some time. I wish I could be in a state of Carnival five days a week. . .complete and utter bacchanal!! :) I love it and I wish that everyone could experience it at least once in their life. I will be back Grenada! You haven't seen the last of me!!

So Long. . .Farewell!!

After an exhausting six day camp with the boys at the home (see last blog) we decided it would be an opportune time for the E.C.77 farewell party. We were able to foresee, as anyone would know if they've ever been a camp couselor, that we would be completely and utterly exhausted. . .too tired to party. Ha! Not a chance. We said good bye the boys, took a nap, and off we were again into the bush (a.k.a. woods) of Victoria. The E.C.79 group organized our farewell and it was a pleasant occassion highlighted by a bonfire, food, drinks, shish-ka-bobs, and a clever roast that included each volunteers lasting legacy. The highlight of my night was playing "Waah" which is a rousing game that takes not only deep concentration, but the skills of a ninja. Okay, so really. . .we were a group of 20-something year old Peace Corps Volunteers standing in a circle deep in the bush, pointing at each saying "Waaaaaaaahhhhhh" and laughing hysterically. I'm sure the two Grenadians present for this display of childlike glee must have thought us quite strange, but what's new? Though the party ended a bit early, the 77's were able to say a few words about their time in Grenada and what it has meant to them. I won't get into here, but overall it was a humbling reminder of just how much we have all grown as individuals and just how lucky we were to have had such an awesome group of volunteers to call friends.

On August 1st, we said good-bye to Kris who was the first volunteer to return home. Soon enough E.C.77 will be a thing of the past and Peace Corps will be but a fond memory.

I'd Like to TAP That!

This blog entry will probably not be as exciting as the title would make you believe. . .but that is kind of the point. The ol' bait and switch routine!! TAP is an acronym for the Tufton Adventure Project which is the outdated name for the Father Mallaghan's Home for Boys. A few years ago, Peace Corps volunteers created and organized what would become an annual camp for the boys living at the home. It is an event that the boys look forward to all year long and usually, before the camp week is even halfway over, they're asking when the next camp will be. Various companies on the island sponsor and donate in order to make these six days possible and without them the camp would've died out long ago.

This year, PCV Kristopher Crown had the enormous task of organizing the camp from soliciting sponsors to organizing the schedule. Kris is a man who likes to do things himself and we let him, although we paid for it dearly throughout the week of camp by falling victim to his sleep deprivation-induced tantrums. Don't worry. . .I can talk smack about Kris like this because we're buddies. :)

This year TAP Camp took place the third week of July and lasted six days. There were 21 boys and 14 counselors, plus a few members of staff who decided to partake in certain activities. We filled the schedule with various activities like kite making, a scavenger hunt, soccer, cricket, egg drop, arts and crafts, river and sea baths, and a talent show, (which usually involves a male counselor cross dressing and embarassing himself by demonstrating various technical dances such as "the sprinkler." ) Best of all, however, was the counselors' contribution to the talent show; a rendition of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" dance. We learned the basic moves and put together a routine, and within 30 minutes we were in the middle of the main road performing for the boys who love MJ! I would say it went well considering that we are not at all professional dancers, as was evident upon reviewing the video of our performance. Haha! We had a great time doing it though and the boys loved it. . .I think.

As is tradition, we took the boys camping at Bathway Beach on the very last night. As is also tradition, we made Oil Down, Tania Log, Bakes, and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. This is by far the highlight of the week for the counselors as it gives us a day to relax and be with the boys in a less structured environment. The best part of this night was laying on the grass with the other counselors and some of the boys. We made a belly chain where each person laid their head on someone else's belly. The sky was really clear so we all just laid in the grass staring up at the stars. All I could think about was how much I am going to miss the boys when I leave Grenada in September but how lucky I was to have had them in my life at all.

By the last day of camp we were all exhausted and in desperate need of sleep and shish-ka-bobs (inside joke) but I would not trade this week for anything. It warmed my heart in unspeakable ways to see the boys showered with so much love and attention during camp. They deserve this kind of affection everyday of the year but unfortunately, more often than not, they do not receive it. The boys came up with the camp theme for this year which was "Yes We Can!" and I cannot say enough how fitting this is for the circumstances in which I find myself in relation to the home. Everything I know and feel about these amazing boys was reaffirmed during this week and because of this. . .I will march on.