We had an amazing week with the work team, but the last week has not been so great. First of all, our car got bashed. This happened when Richard was going to pick up Roxy and Olivia at their school on Monday. He was turning onto the highway and there was some traffic that went past, so he stopped and the car behind him didn't. Fortunately, no one was hurt and the car is still drivable. In the aftermath of that, however, Richard's had to go to the police station and report what happened, get an estimate on how much it's going to cost to repair the car, tape on the back light when it was falling off, and try to get the trunk opened and closed every time we need to, which has required wiring it shut. Roxy and Olivia's school has been having some issues as well. The teachers came even less than usual last week, and you could just tell that everyone was ready for Easter Break. Also, the tests that Olivia and Roxy had been planning to take on Monday didn't happen all week. On Thursday they went in and saw that, 15 minutes after school started, there were no teachers there, and less than 10 students. Even the security guard said they should have just stayed home. Fortunately, Richard had been waiting to see if they were staying, and was able to turn around and take them home. Barb spent a while on the phone with the principal on Friday, trying to figure out a way that the girls could take their tests, but ultimately figured out that they didn't really need to. We are trying to figure out what we will be doing next term. On top of all that, K-State lost their basketball game last night.
There were also, of course, good things that happened this week. At WITC, where Richard and Barb teach classes, there was a celebration yesterday called Harambee. They had barbecue pigtail from Barbados, pepper pot from Guyana, jerk pork and festival from Jamaica, and barbecue chicken and chips (fries) which we think was just from Trinidad. We tried some of all of this except the chicken and chips, which didn't seem as exciting. The barbecue pigtail was long and slightly curved. It was very salty and fairly chewy. Roxy thought it tasted a little too much like what it used to be. Olivia enjoyed the spices it had, but was a little grossed out by the bristly hairs. The pepper pot had cow heel, ox tail, and beef in it, and it came with rice and bread which tasted home-made. The jerk pork and festival was our family's favourite. Festival is like deep-fried dough in a little nugget shape. The outside is crunchy and the inside soft. There was face-painting and football going on then as well, and just as we were leaving, the people for the dog show were arriving. We might have stayed around longer, but there was a program at the Charlieville Church downstairs. There was an Easter play done by a Trini theatre company, and then there were four people/groups who did special music. Our family did two songs, and we were also with the Diego Martin worship team, who did two more songs.
This morning, Richard and Barb went to the airport to pick up some family of ours who will be spending a week with us! This week is Easter break at WITC and at the girls school, so we look forward to spending some time playing with our guests.
~Roxy, Olivia, Richard & Barb
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Work Team Reflections
Tonight is the last night our work team from Kansas is here. (Pictured from left to right: Janet, Sarah, Troy, Sara & Hannah) We had anticipated more guest blogging throughout the week, but we must have kept them too busy. Even now as I begin this, it is 7:00pm and several members are finishing painting the church downstairs. So tonight we will post a sort of collage of group comments.
What was your favorite part of the week?
I think my favorite part was going to the market. There are all sorts of different foods that I have never seen before or smelled before. It was one of those places where I really felt like I was somewhere other than Kansas - Hannah.
Getting to know the members of our church better: like when you're driving in the car or sitting around the table and you suddenly break into a song or something. Those are just really memorable moments-Sarah
I'm torn between the food and the people. Here is even more of a melting pot than the US. -Troy
The bats and the scarlet ibis- Sara
Oh, add the scarlet ibis to mine - Hannah
Meals with local families, the market, spending time with the Gehrings!!! - Janet
What surprised you most this week?
How there is a really high crime rate, and it's a really small area and how often I hear the ambulance go by. Our work project at WITC in which we catalogued old newspaper articles really made that more real. Also, that day we were supposed to be plastering at Hope church and we heard the roosters crowing. It is a sound I hadn't heard since I was on my friend's farm when I was little. - Hannah
That I didn't feel white - Sara
KFC and narrow, mountainous roads - Janet
official one word reflections of the week:
ouch (sunburn), yum, hot, spicy - Hannah
20-incomplete-social-work-hours-and-cultural-awareness - Sarah
mind-opening -Janet
Wow - Sara
Driving - Troy
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Janet's Guest Blog
Greetings from guest blogger Janet! Hey, I've never blogged before! Anyway, our group of 5, Troy, Sara, Sarah, Hannah, & myself safely reached Trinidad Friday evening on time. We left Manhattan at 4:45 am on our way to KC for an 8:35 am takeoff. Our flights were really pretty smooth & the transition in Houston went very well. We had time to explore the airport and eat. Right after we got in the air from Houston they announced they'd be serving the meal shortly - we thought the plan was just a snack. But the airplane food was so good I think we pretty much ate it all. Everyone made it through customs just fine & we found the Gehrings waiting for us all in Camp Mennoscah t-shirts!!! Of course lots of hugs followed (and some tears at least for my part!). One step outside of the airport & we knew we weren't in KS anymore, no more 40 (F) weather for sure!
Yesterday was our 1st full day here. We made a trip to the supermarket for some immediate supplies (we'll hit the open air market tomorrow). I really enjoyed going to the store! I was surprised to see how many brands I recognized. Their rice section is huge! In the afternoon we joined a Diego Martin youth activity. There ended up being about 34 youth and adults. We drove a couple of hours up into the mountains (that alone was a very interesting experience!) then took a hike up to the top to see the view. There was a cave part way up that we stopped at on the way back down. At dusk the bats began to leave - there seemed to be millions - it was so amazing!
This morning we are splitting up and headed to 3 different Mennonite churches, Charlieville, Diego Martin, and Hope. We'll all gather at Hope for lunch and then begin our service this afternoon working on the Hope church building.
In closing, I'd just like to say how good it is to be here and want to thank all who helped make it be possible. We'll share more as the week goes along.
P.S. Roxy is as tall as she looks in the pictures!!!
Yesterday was our 1st full day here. We made a trip to the supermarket for some immediate supplies (we'll hit the open air market tomorrow). I really enjoyed going to the store! I was surprised to see how many brands I recognized. Their rice section is huge! In the afternoon we joined a Diego Martin youth activity. There ended up being about 34 youth and adults. We drove a couple of hours up into the mountains (that alone was a very interesting experience!) then took a hike up to the top to see the view. There was a cave part way up that we stopped at on the way back down. At dusk the bats began to leave - there seemed to be millions - it was so amazing!
This morning we are splitting up and headed to 3 different Mennonite churches, Charlieville, Diego Martin, and Hope. We'll all gather at Hope for lunch and then begin our service this afternoon working on the Hope church building.
In closing, I'd just like to say how good it is to be here and want to thank all who helped make it be possible. We'll share more as the week goes along.
P.S. Roxy is as tall as she looks in the pictures!!!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
March Begins!
We go to a private school, so therefore, there is a fee all students have to pay to get in. All payments were supposed to be due in January. However, there are some students who have not paid that fee. This means that there has not been money to pay the teachers. Last week, the teachers went on strike. Usually one or two would come to school, but most teachers weren't there. So, for most of the day there wasn't really anything to do. Then, on Thursday and Friday the teachers all came and had meetings. Yesterday seemed better. There was only one teacher who didn't come I think, but then today there were a bunch gone again. Not as many as last week, but still a number of them weren't there. I'm hoping that this situation will resolve soon, but we'll just have to see. It's very frustrating, though.
The other day a student handed out a survey for a project he was working on, and it was the first time I've ever filled out a survey and had to put 'other' for my ethnicity! I thought that was kind of interesting.
~Olivia
We are eagerly anticipating and preparing for the visit of several people from our home congregation in Kansas! Even before we came to Trinidad, there was interest in sending the youth group to visit us and do service during their spring break. In the months since then, plans changed somewhat as some of the youth who were hoping to come decided that it simply wasn't financially feasible for them. However, the group was opened up to the adults in the congregation, and several of them took advantage of the opportunity. The result is that, in just three days, we will be welcoming five of our old friends to Trinidad for a week.
We've been busy making arrangements for their stay here--planning outings, setting up service projects and working on various logistics. We are excited to renew these relationships, and to give them a taste of what our life in Trinidad is like. We hope that their presence and service will also be a blessing to the churches and other institutions to which we relate here. Perhaps next week we will have several of our visitors sign on as guest bloggers.
~Richard
We realized last week that we had been here 7 months. We do not see the weather or seasons change and it is amazing to realize how much of our time here is done. We have only a little more than 4 months remaining with a departure sometime in mid July. We are also beginning to hear from a couple of family members who may come and visit, which we are excited about. I think these last months will go by quickly.
~Barb
Last Saturday we went to the beach! It was a beach that we had not gone to, but had heard of. The most known beach here in Trinidad is Maracas beach, and Las Cuevas (the beach we went to on Saturday) is just beyond it. You actually have to drive right through the parking lot of Maracas to get to Las Cuevas. Anyways, we went in the morning when it was nearly lunchtime. There were a few things about this beach that we noticed made it very different from its neighbour. For one, the waves were much calmer. Also, the water is very clear, which sort of surprised us. It reminded us of the water in Tobago! And the land at Las Cuevas is very flat, so we could go pretty far out, like behind where the waves broke, and it was only up to my waist! Being flat is part of why the waves are calmer, probably. We spent a while there, playing in the sand and the waves. It was really fun, because you usually don't get to swim in the ocean because the waves are too rough. But if we got to a place past where the waves broke at Las Cuevas, we could just swim like fish! I definitely enjoyed my birthday on the beach!
On a different note, I had a class assignment to draw my house and label it in Spanish. The floor of our house (as well as many, many buildings in Trinidad) is made of large tiles. I assumed that all the tiles were square, and all the same size. I was wrong on both counts. First, I drew the house so that each line was a tile, but the rooms seemed kind of off, and the house very narrow. So I measured tiles in different rooms, and some of them were even 5 inches different from each other! Very few were square. I thought that was very strange.
~Roxy
The other day a student handed out a survey for a project he was working on, and it was the first time I've ever filled out a survey and had to put 'other' for my ethnicity! I thought that was kind of interesting.
~Olivia
We are eagerly anticipating and preparing for the visit of several people from our home congregation in Kansas! Even before we came to Trinidad, there was interest in sending the youth group to visit us and do service during their spring break. In the months since then, plans changed somewhat as some of the youth who were hoping to come decided that it simply wasn't financially feasible for them. However, the group was opened up to the adults in the congregation, and several of them took advantage of the opportunity. The result is that, in just three days, we will be welcoming five of our old friends to Trinidad for a week.
We've been busy making arrangements for their stay here--planning outings, setting up service projects and working on various logistics. We are excited to renew these relationships, and to give them a taste of what our life in Trinidad is like. We hope that their presence and service will also be a blessing to the churches and other institutions to which we relate here. Perhaps next week we will have several of our visitors sign on as guest bloggers.
~Richard
We realized last week that we had been here 7 months. We do not see the weather or seasons change and it is amazing to realize how much of our time here is done. We have only a little more than 4 months remaining with a departure sometime in mid July. We are also beginning to hear from a couple of family members who may come and visit, which we are excited about. I think these last months will go by quickly.
~Barb
Last Saturday we went to the beach! It was a beach that we had not gone to, but had heard of. The most known beach here in Trinidad is Maracas beach, and Las Cuevas (the beach we went to on Saturday) is just beyond it. You actually have to drive right through the parking lot of Maracas to get to Las Cuevas. Anyways, we went in the morning when it was nearly lunchtime. There were a few things about this beach that we noticed made it very different from its neighbour. For one, the waves were much calmer. Also, the water is very clear, which sort of surprised us. It reminded us of the water in Tobago! And the land at Las Cuevas is very flat, so we could go pretty far out, like behind where the waves broke, and it was only up to my waist! Being flat is part of why the waves are calmer, probably. We spent a while there, playing in the sand and the waves. It was really fun, because you usually don't get to swim in the ocean because the waves are too rough. But if we got to a place past where the waves broke at Las Cuevas, we could just swim like fish! I definitely enjoyed my birthday on the beach!
On a different note, I had a class assignment to draw my house and label it in Spanish. The floor of our house (as well as many, many buildings in Trinidad) is made of large tiles. I assumed that all the tiles were square, and all the same size. I was wrong on both counts. First, I drew the house so that each line was a tile, but the rooms seemed kind of off, and the house very narrow. So I measured tiles in different rooms, and some of them were even 5 inches different from each other! Very few were square. I thought that was very strange.
~Roxy
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