Long Over Due

Welcome to the whoops too much is going on post.  (Also there was a period where my internet was out)
Very eventful few weeks.  We started meeting with the students the past two weeks and everything has been very exciting.  Many of the kids are excited to go out in the environment and work on some sort of project!  The clubs are still in their infancy stage, but there are tons of great projects already in the works.  The weekend of May 12th we went down to Soufriere and hiked Gros Piton.  It was quite a ways up there and lots of heat to make you tired.   I drank 3 liters of water and it took us 4 and a half hours to go up and down, but once we reached the beach at the bottom to cool off the hard work and beautiful views were definitely worth it.

Southern Coast of Saint Lucia

Petit Piton from the top of Gros Piton

Success!

View of the peak from the beach

Anse L'Ivorgne Beach @ the base of Gros Piton

The following week we sat on Point Seraphine and enjoyed some craft beer from Antillia Brewery in Castries and enjoyed the sunset.  Definitely some of the better beer I have had on Island because most people drink Heineken or some form of Piton.  They also have Guiness which doesn't seem to be hugely popular.

Sunset on the Castries Waterfront

This past Monday was Whit Monday so we had a long weekend.  We definitely took advantage.  Sunday we did a beach restoration where they had a few sea turtles nest at Pigeon Island.  It was hard work, but we were rewarded with a nice beach and some good food!  Monday we did touristy stuff and took a snorkeling tour down to Chastanet, Soufriere.  We saw a lot of cool things even tho we noticed the coral was not as colorful as it could be due to lots of silt runoff.  We saw sea urchins (sea eggs), pufferfish, Lobsters, flounder, sea crabs, angel fish, several species of parrot fish and many many more.  It was very awesome.  Next thing on the list of sea adventures is to get scuba certified.

The past few weeks I've also joined a karate class to stay active.  It has been very exhausting every Tuesday and Thursday but very rewarding.  We meet at the local sports complex and have done a lot of technique and self defense.  It is taking me some time to get back and shape and change styles yet again.  It is more of a street fighting style and we do a lot of close combat stuff and trade punches and kicks.  It is slowly getting easier and shaking some of the rust off.  Now I just need to get back into the routine of running again! Almost forgot that finally in my free time I went to the cinema on island and finally watched Avengers.  It was .....interesting even after all the spoilers everyone put on Facebook.  Staying busy and active and hopefully I will remember to record more things.  Some of the things I do on Island are just second nature to me now and even though they are extremely exciting I just enjoy every moment.  Continue to enjoy life and take joy in even the small things.  Sometimes the small things are the things most cherished! 

So long for now!

Everything is Irie!

After finishing up our initial school meetings and enjoying Labor Day off on May 1st, our work week consisted of trying to schedule the planning meeting.  All the fun of trying to plan around busy people with busy schedules.  I cooked a nice Turkey Chili on my day off and had a great week.  Thursday I joined a local karate class and it was quite a bit of cardio.  All the exercise I had hoped for!!!!  Friday we enjoyed the Friday Night Fish Fry in Gros Islet.  The night was filled with lots of partying and dancing.....(yes I danced...well sorta)  Because this area is between a lot of hotels it was quite the crowd.  Saturday I recouped and enjoyed a little beach time....because the beach is amazing and I walk everywhere.   One thing I am not used to is the fact that everyone is surprised at the amount I walk.  If it wasn't always a beautiful 80 degrees here I would literally walk everywhere as long as I had the time.  Saturday night I stumbled upon a street Party in Castries that they are trying to start back up.  It was a little slow, but always get to meet some fun people and enjoy time with my friends that I made here. Today, My wild guy buddy invited me over for lunch.  Had some nice curry goat and all the fixins.  I definitely will not get used to how everyone keeps telling me I won't stay single long here.   Definitely a culture shock on that account. This week is kicking off the jazz festival before Calypso.  Should have a lot of stories. 

I didn't really take any pictures this week. So I will have to do better on that account next week.  Lots of fun being a Lucian.  Gotta keep on exploring!!!

Week 7

After a long week preparing for school visits the end of the week went very quickly.  Friday we visited three schools in the North and on Monday we finished up with our final two schools further South.  All five of our schools are a combination of primary and secondary schools with a wide range of previous involvement with environmental type activities.  The one thing they all share is a group of staff very enthusiastic about the "Conservation Clubs."  This first meeting was just an introduction and we are scheduling the follow up structuring meetings the coming weeks.  The more we actually meet with the stakeholders the more this project will gain some momentum.  The weekend was spent hiking down a nature trail maintained by the Forestry Department where they keep a few animals in a mini zoo on Saturday and visiting our fellow volunteer more in the center of the Island.  I did finally find some hot peppers that grow on the island and am excited to make some good sauces with them.  Unfortunately, the day after my stomach was a little upset.  Going to have to be a little more careful what food I ingest for a bit. The comings weeks are going to be full of excitement and more exploring..... I even found a martial arts class to join!  Stay tuned Peeps!

Towards the end of our Hike on the Union Nature Trail

Anse La Raye Beach (a small fishing village)