Pages

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

And now, time for intermission…

Last Sunday marked the fifth week Sarah and I have been in St. Lucia working on projects to create attitude and behavior changes on climate change. It also means that in terms of our project we’re no longer ascending the mountain, but descending it, as we’re half-way done! I can hardly believe it. It feels like just yesterday we landed here and were excited about all the different breakfast juices St. Lucia has to offer (Tamarind, Orange, Cherry, Lime, Mango, Papaya just to name a few).

So, if you don’t mind indulging me by allowing me to prattle on – below are a few thoughts on the project and environment thus far.

The Country – it’s very apparent what a long lasting impact exists when a country was once under colonial rule by another country. Though St. Lucia has many conveniences of the states and is relatively close in proximity, it really has more in common with England than the U.S. Most notably is that cars drive on the left side of the road, which still confuses me to all get out. I’m trying to cross the street and looking in the wrong direction for an oncoming car. It’s amazing I haven’t been run over! The government structure, BBC news, and love for cricket, are all byproducts of England’s influence over St. Lucia. Fun fact: did you know St. Lucia was ruled 7 times by France and 7 times by England as the two European powers fought for control over the island?

The Project – my work plan has changed at least twice, in unexpected yet interesting twists, since arriving here. It’s become increasingly apparent that in my short time here I’ll not be able to even scratch the surface. More like gently touch the surface. I’m ok with this, but it’s been a good practice in learning how to figure out what I can realistically do in a given time frame and that no matter what, there’s always more work to be done on a service project and I’ll always wish I had more time. It’s a little bit like getting ready in the morning. Back in Little Rock I would wake up hours before class began while Julie my housemate (HI JULIE!) would wake up a mere 30… sometimes 10 minutes before class began. She somehow always managed to be ready before I was. I just had too many things I wanted to complete before class begins. (Dean Rutherford, please note that while it may appear to be a sign that I was unprofessional in arriving late to class, it was really an issue of being an overachiever because I wanted to get as much done as possible before the day starts. ; ) So you see it’s really a good problem.)

The Connections – what I will walk away appreciating most and remembering well after this project is complete are the connections that I’ve made. It’s been great hearing Sarah’s many ideas about involving youth, and I’ve no doubt she’s going to do some big things post-Clinton School with theatre, youth, and social change. Our time here with our supervisor Alleyne Regis has been wonderful. He’s a great boss and client in all areas. Not only does his expertise working in Entertainment Education provide us with great insight and direction, but he’s someone we genuinely enjoy spending our time with. We’re so lucky! Below is a picture of us taken not long after we arrived.

Sarah Leer, Alleyne Regis and me


5 comments:

sl said...

I remember that! We were so young, so naive! So idealistic!! Oh, the memories. Thanks for the love, Captain; you were a great number One. -s

Anonymous said...

really? overachieving?

by making coffee, and doing yoga, and making cards, and finding your keys....

Captain Judy said...

Julie, I'd call that a day's work done in 1 hour! ; )

Hallie said...

Wow, five weeks?! I'll be two weeks in tomorrow. Time goes so fast...

blue dragonfly said...

Hi Captain Judy, how's the 1/2 way point feel? I totally hear you about taking/needing awhile to get ready in the morning...i'm always amazed by folks who can wake up & get out the door in 30 minutes or less, so not possible for me!

Post a Comment