My village is quaint and beautiful with a village square where people congregate outside of the store and church. People and children are always out and about saying their good mornings, afternoons, and nights. Everyone knows each other and almost everyone is distantly related.
In the evenings, I play cards with the kids, attend local BBQs, and explore the town with the current PCV. I am constantly asked if I am the current volunteer or the volunteer Amanda who served six years ago (I guess she was tall?).
On Wednesday night, I attended the monthly meeting of the banana farmers association. They are one of sixteen fair trade groups in St Vincent and are preparing for an audit by a British company later this month. Even though there is much talk in the US regarding the lax requirements for fair trade produce, it is no easy task to the people of St Vincent . The community members must take annual classes and seminars on financing loans, first aid/cpr, etc. While the measures are helpful and make logical sense, they are seen as a burden for these small family farms. The banana market crumbled in 1995 when St Vincent and other Caribbean islands entered the WTO, eliminating preferential treatment of banana exports to the US and UK. Fortunately, the induction of fair trade produce allows these small island nations to compete in the global sphere. Anyways, it was interesting to see how fair trade works at the local level. I hope to help harvest in the mountain in the next couple of weeks.
Sunday was a day of rest. My host aunt and I attended the church on the hill. It was a long walk but it was great to meet the people in the community and be welcomed. After church, we had a huge lunch of breadfruit, baked macaroni, potato salad, and fresh guava juice. The food here is delicious and the rastas make great vegetarian food. I can’t wait to taste roti later this week.
The little things that people do for me in St Vincent make all the difference. On Tuesday night I had difficulty catching a bus out of town and one lady made room for me. The bus even drove me into my village so that I would make it home safe after dark. I hope that I can provide little means of assistance over my next two years in the EC just like the people have helped me find my way here on St Vincent.
School started today! Last night, the children were getting their hair done and uniforms tailored. I will visit tomorrow and observe classes (:
Take care and have a great week.
PS: If you have time listen to Busy Signal. They are big here in St. Vincent.
God’s willing,
Julie
