October 30, 2005
Well this week has certainly been fairly busy. I completed my practice project on Thursday. Basically, I gave a lesson on visual impairments to Secondary School students in Form 1. In American school, this translates to about 12-13 year olds. This particular class has a student with visual impairments, so I figured it would be beneficial for us to discuss the topic in depth. We talked about what it means to be visually-impaired, the different classifications, the anatomy of the eye in terms of the way light is processed/how we see, reasons for visual impairments, tools used for visual impairments, and ways that the students could assist and be sensitive with individuals that are visually impaired. Overall, it was a very productive class, and the students seemed very receptive. I had a group of them stay after class to learn how to Braille their names, or see what their names look like in Braille. I am hoping that this helps to bridge the gap between their peer with visual impairments and them. Since I found it successful, I hope to do more workshops like it in the future!
For some reason, the small 1-inch toads have decided that they like to crawl under my side door and prance around my apartment. Yes, the door is closed, and yes, they can fit in the miniscule crack underneath the door. Of course, I then have to rain on the parade and capture them and set them back outside. If anyone knows any toad deterrents, please let me know! It's usually not bad unless I'm washing dishes and they jump up at me. It definitely makes your heart skip a beat!
October 24, 2005
Today we had a presentation about the Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg Association. For those of you that do not know. Grenada is known for its nutmeg production. It is second in the world, only to Indonesia. Interestingly enough, nutmeg is not indigenous to Grenada. It originates in Indonesia. However, Grenada is the only Caribbean island on which nutmeg trees can survive. Because the trees are fairly self-sufficient, it does not involve as much labor as some other agricultural crops. The trees do not need fertilizer, and they thrive easily on the island. Many of the trees are inherited from other generations, and have been around for hundreds of years. Once a new nutmeg tree is planted, it takes about 7 years until the tree starts producing nutmeg. Only the "female" plants produce the nuts, so even when trees are planted, there is no guarantee they'll produce. When the nutmeg nuts are ripe, they fall from the tree and the farmers collect them. They must separate the plastic-like mace casing in order to be dried for its spice value. The nuts are then taken to a receiving plant to be further processed for sale around the world.
After Hurricane Ivan, 80% of its nutmeg trees were destroyed. Hurricane Emily, only months later, further devastated more trees. This was a horrible loss for Grenada. Previously, the nutmeg industry had provided about $2 million EC into Grenada's economy. Since it takes the new trees very long to grow, this has affected the business strongly. We visited the largest receiving station on the island. Usually, there would be over 100 workers throughout the facility, collecting the nuts, testing them, drying them, packaging, and shipping. We were told there are currently 9 employees. The stations were empty, and the factory looked like a ghost town...very deserted, and somewhat eerie. Everywhere were empty bins where nutmeg nuts once overflowed. Granted, they still have some nutmeg production. However, this year, they will most like produce around 200 tons, as opposed to about 3,000 in past years. Agricultural organizations have been working with farmers to start new crops such as bananas, however, the average age of a farmer out here is 60 years old. It's hard to imagine one's livelihood being uprooted completely at that age. It's also difficult, because many young people are not interested in harvesting nutmeg. There isn't the strong push of agriculture that existed in the past. Unfortunately, in 7 years, when the first trees planted after the hurricanes start producing, those farmers will not be any younger. It is also very difficult to switch to a different, more labor-intensive crop. In general, it's very sad to see so many people out of work, from an industry that makes Grenada the "Isle of Spice". Our tours were great, and we learned a lot about the culture behind using nutmeg, as well as about Grenada from an economic standpoint. I highly recommend buying Grenadian nutmeg, it's incredible. I use it almost daily, and grate it fresh. Some products made from nutmeg include: jams, jellies, candy, Coca-Cola, syrup, rum, liqueur, oil, perfume, medicinal purposes, and its obvious uses in cooking and baking. It's also interesting to know that mace, the byproduct of nutmeg is used not only for cooking and baking, but also as a preservative for meats and sausages. Most of the mace production in Grenada is exported to Germany for sausage production. Who knew?
October 22, 2005
I moved into an apartment a few days ago.
It's a cute little one bedroom place in a community on the border of the St.
George's and St. David's Parishes. It's not the same community I was living in
with my host family. It's about a 15 minute drive from there, and a lot closer
to town. I'm very excited to explore this new area, as well as start to cook
West Indian foods on my own. I am planning on making pumpkin soup this
weekend--very popular in Grenada. In general, everything is still moving along.
I've been very busy with meetings lately, as well as trying to get in contact
with other organizations on island that interest me. It's really great to be
given the freedom to explore aspects of community development of personal
interest. Of course, when you like the work you do, not only are you better at
it, but it doesn't feel like work! We had a meeting with the Department of
Culture through the Ministry of Tourism. They're trying to expand their music
education island-wide. They are looking to incorporate more music in everyday
academic life, and they are looking for help. Obviously, this is an area that I
would love to get involved in. Being that I play piano, guitar, and sing, I feel
like maybe I could help out in some way or another. I bought a guitar here a
couple weeks ago from another volunteer. I'm very excited, because I feel I can
make time to really enjoy old hobbies. My Braille workshop is still going well,
I've learned the alphabet, punctuation, contractions, and now learning
conjunctions. It's crazy how many combinations 6 dots can make! I've also been
working on a presentation about visual-impairments. I will present it next week
in a Secondary school. I will explain more after it is completed.
Last night we had an all-night birthday "fet", or party on the beach for a couple PCVs. A
bunch of Grenadians made "fish waters" which is basically a fish soup with
potatoes, onions, green fig, dumplings, and seasoning. It was great. The weather
was nice and breezy, although the insects were out and preying. Fortunately, I
have some great bug spray that was sent by my mom (Thanks mom!), so I was pretty
much bite-free. Because it was pitch-black, we had to set up our 18-person tent
with little flashlight. It was definitely interesting, and somehow it worked
out. It's moments like sitting on the sand with friends that I stop and think,
"Is this real?". This morning, I was up a little after sunrise to come home. Many
people stayed through today too, but I had to get sleep before my choir
rehearsal this afternoon. The Grenadian group I am in, Crescendo, is really
great. We rehearse on Saturday afternoons, and we have a Christmas concert
coming up in December, and we're busy at work. Being involved has given me a
great opportunity to meet people and get involved community-wise. It also helps
me to make friends!
So that's a quick update, I hope to have some new pictures up soon!
October 9, 2005
Yesterday was the 20th Anniversary Hash. If you want to know more about what a hash is, see my entry from September 18th. Because it was such a big event, there were many more people than usual (definitely over 100), and it was more difficult than usual. We were in the Bon Accord Estate area of St. George's, near Mt. Gay and Ravine. It took us about 2.5 hours, and we were literally climbing mountains. It looked as if someone had come through with a cutlass (machete) and barely cleared a small amount of bush. We had to rely on the vines, branches, and bush to keep our grip, and even then we were somewhat unsuccessful. I went sliding down ravines and fell about 10-12 times. We all have the scratches and cuts to prove it! At one point, we were basically repelling off the side of one of the ravines. All we had to hold were branches and vines, and it was a straight drop to the bottom. No, we were not wearing harnesses or gear of any kind. Yes, you would think this would be incredibly dangerous. I would have to agree. We also had to climb across a creek on a log about 10 ft. above the ground. That was a bit scary. Wading through the river was great, and I ended up getting soaked to my waist...gym shoes and all. About 40 minutes before we finished, it began pouring rain, so what wasn't soaked from the river, was soaked then! It also turned dark while we were hiking. However, we did it! I'm sure I used muscles I never knew I had, and I definitely accomplished a lot. There were people that have been hashing for years and years that could not finish this one. I was also covered in mud, it was a beautiful sight! Meg has pictures to prove it, which eventually, I will get. In general, this seemed more like an outward bound adventure, than a hash. My dad expressed interest in going on a hash when he comes to visit. Dad, if you're reading this...now what do you think?
Next climbing adventure? Mt. Everest....ok...not really.
October 6, 2005
Happy New Year! The Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashana) was the past couple of days. It is now the year of 5766. It's one of the holiest days within the Jewish religion, and a very special time. I was somewhat concerned moving to the Caribbean, knowing that it would be hard to find other Jews with whom I could celebrate holidays. However, I was extremely fortunate to find a Jewish Students Association on the campus of St. George's University. It's a pretty lively and involved group, and I first met them last Friday night. I was very excited to hear that two Chabad Rabbis were flying in from New York to lead services. Rosh Hashana is a very important time of year for me, and it was hard thinking that not only would I be thousands of miles away from home, but that there would be no other Jews. As you can imagine, finding the campus group made my month! I went to a couple of great services, and was so kindly invited for Rosh Hashana dinner the first night by some incredible and warm people. I cannot say enough great things. They made my Rosh Hashana extremely memorable, and I was so honored to be included. Everyone was exceptionally welcoming, and it will be a holiday season that I will never forget...
October 2, 2005
Well, it's Sunday, and not much happens on Sundays. The buses stop running, shops are closed, town is empty. Just about the only activity that occurs on a Sunday is Church, and believe me, there are many in Grenada. We have Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Baptists, Pentecostals, Seventh Day Adventists, Evangelicals, Southern Baptists, and possibly a few more that I am not mentioning. Overall, there is a large Christian population. Some other known religions in Grenada are Rastafarian and Muslim. That is about all in terms of visible places of worship. I saw a Ba'hai Center that had been mashed up by Ivan, so I'm not sure what their population is.
So this particular Sunday is very quiet. My host family did not attend Church this morning, and it's been especially hot today. It certainly helps that I'm transforming into a morning person, because you really cannot sleep past 6-6:30AM. It starts to get very hot. No, I'm not kidding about becoming a morning person. I'm usually up very early, and usually in bed very early. It may alter slightly when I move into my own place. We'll see.
So, yesterday, I was having lunch with another new volunteer, Meg, and we were talking a lot about integrating, and adjusting. It's interesting, because I can look around and see what could be a somewhat familiar life here: I have running water, electricity, in town I can access internet at either a cafe, or the Peace Corps office, I can take a bus into town to shop for what I need. On paper, it sounds like the States. However, sometimes even I forget how much does not meet the eye. The Grenadian way of life is much different than anywhere I've ever been. It can be considered laid-back in the sense that people tend to really appreciate their time away from work. In all honesty, "sitting" is a pastime. (Poppy would have loved it here!) People love to sit on their verandas, in chairs outside their shops, wherever and whenever. It can be the single activity on a day off from work, or a holiday. It's usually the way of life after sunset, or in the early light of morning. Now let me clarify that it's not at all a sign of laziness, life just moves at a different pace here. People are very closely connected with family, and spend almost all their time together. Another interesting point is the way we go about getting what we need. What I mean, is that assertiveness does not fare well here, really. It's looked at as rude or aggressive. For instance, if you are at the bank here, and you're with a teller accessing your account, they might not give you the answer you want. So you wait in line and speak to someone else. It's not about getting the manager or filing formal complaints. Grenada is like a small town, essentially. Everyone basically knows eachother, or if not one degree of separation, maybe two. You may be dealing with your friend's cousin, or his uncle, or brother. One must tread lightly in situations, because that person could very easily resurface again in your future, you just never know. Another interesting notion about Grenada, is that it is a very conservative country. I know that many people think beaches and resorts when they think of Grenada. Yes, I have heard that we have some of the finest of both, but once you get into St. George's it's an active place of commerce. People are always dressed their best, teachers always wear fully-tailored suits and heels, even for primary school. Grenadians get very offended when tourists walk through town with their bathing suits on, sarongs or towels around their waists. It makes sense, would that be appropriate in Chicago, or New York? Apparently, when the cruise ships start coming in, it's quite a sight!
The food in Grenada is also really interesting to talk about. Almost all food is cooked, and similar to St. Lucia, people do not like cold food. It almost seems painful to think that in a country where it's between the 80's and 90's daily, hot soup is extremely common here. One of my favorites is pumpkin, into which they add chicken, potatoes, dumplings, carrots, onions, and seasoning. Some other Grenadian foods include:
Oil Down: Grenada's national dish. Basically, you chop up breadfruit, potatoes, green fig, chicken, carrots, and any other vegetables. You add a bit of water, let it boil down, and add seasoning.
Palau: A meal where you cook chicken down in brown sugar and seasoning and mix it with rice.
Bakes: Flour, sugar, butter, salt, baking powder, water. You mix it up, form a dough, and roll them into flat biscuits. They are typically fried in oil on the stove, but can also be baked.
Green fig: Green bananas, fig is what they call banana here, and this is not plaintain.
Callaloo: The leaves from the dasheen root. They can be chopped up, stems and all, and cooked down with carrot, garlic, salt, onion, and other seasoning and it becomes like spinach. I consider it Grenadian spinach and it's my favorite!
Roti: These are burrito-type foods. The shells are made with ground black-eyed peas mixed into a dough. They look similar to tortillas. Inside they are filled with either curried vegetables, fish, soya, beef, or chicken.
Rice and peas: Pretty self explanatory. I should also say that rice is served with about 90% of meals.
Stew Chicken/Fish: Cooked down with usually spices and sugar, served with rice.
Callaloo soup: Soup made with dasheen leaves, meat (sometimes pig snout), vegetables, and spices.
Coo-Coo: A fried cornmeal cake.
Jacks: Little fish that are caught all over Grenada, they are usually fried and eaten head to tail.
Jelly Water/Flesh: One type of coconut has the water inside and what they call flesh. It is different from the kind that produces coconut flakes. The coconut water is not the same as the coconut milk from the other type of fruit.
So basically, these are some of the local foods that I encounter on a regular basis. Grenadian food is great, and I'm slowly learning how to cook it for myself! Does this mean that I do not miss certain U.S. foods on a regular basis? Of course not! Think of me next time you're eating various ethnic foods. I cannot find many of them here.
July/August 2005 September 2005 October 2005