It's Been a Year!

Time has flown by. These last couple weeks have been a bit more relaxing as all of the Eastern Caribbean volunteers gathered for our mid-service conference here on St. Lucia. We were able to re-connect for some workshops, sharing experiences, and definitely having a blast just seeing each other again. A few came back to visit their home-stay families in Mon Repos and stayed by my place for a few days as well.



The last few days I have been getting back into the groove of village life. Working on small projects for my pole vault program, catching up with community partners on other programs, and generally enjoying the last week or so before the kids go back to school, or as they say in kweyol , “ti bef ale’ an pak-la” (The little cows go back inside the fence).





Yesterday I finally got around to trying out something I’d seen a few times over the past year here in Mon Repos: Coffee roasting. I had seen a few locals making their own coffee over the past few months and was eager to make my own St. Lucian version of “Behl’s Brew” as my college friends knew it as. After only 3 hours of “parching” (roasting) and pounding coffee beans in a “mortar” with a “pila”, I was able to produce my first can of coffee which I am now enjoying as I write this blog.
It’s been a great year, challenging and fulfilling. I’ve learned quite a bit and suspect that my perspective has changed more than I realize. I’m stoked for the year ahead.