My Travels

July 29, 2012

Project Completion

Project Overseas in Grenada was completed on July 28. The CTF seeks to advance progress on poverty reduction and sustainable development as part of Canada's commitment and contribution to the United Nation's international Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and Education for All targets. This has been achieved in partnership with national and regional teacher organizations to build capacity among teachers in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean.

I am so thrilled to have been a small part of reaching this international goal in Grenada. In my team leader's final speech, she broke it down using numbers to demonstrate the breadth of our reach this summer in Grenada alone. 140 Grenadian teachers participated in our professional development program this summer. If each of those teachers share what they've learned with 10 other teachers, and then pass on that knowledge to 25 students, 35 000 students would be touched.

It's been an invaluable professional development opportunity for me. I've met educator leaders in their field from across Canada, and have come to know the education system in Grenada. I've also hit a low point when I had over 45 sand fly and mosquito bites on my legs. I was disheartened by the pain and unsightliness of the blood red spots, and at one point, was brought to tears. But I wouldn't allow myself the option of coming home. As soon as I taught my first class, I knew that I was meant to be there! Even though my summer "officially" starts now, I can't imagine to have done anything else in July.

Our flight in a Dash-8 from Grenada to Barbados

Closing Ceremonies

On Friday - our last day in Grenada, we had Canada Day Celebrations in the morning. We showed a slideshow of each of the Canadian teachers in our home province. I had pictures of the Raptors game, the Dragon Boat Regatta at Centre Island, the Canuck frenzy on Robson St. in Vancouver, the Inukshuk in Whistler, pictures of the pugs, and my class. Then, participants played different rounds of games against each of the classes. Too bad most of my participants were content with merely just spectating than actually playing!

During the closing ceremonies, the course director, an executive member from the Ministry, and our Canadian team leader delivered speeches. Then, one by one, each of the seven classes put on a presentation. The funniest were the presentations put on by the two computer classes - they found suggestive puns in computer words and turned it into a skit (i.e. "unzip", "insert")! The math class made a freestyle song on measurement - "Measurement ... is a good tactic ... measurement ..." the song was so catchy that it's still stuck in my head!

My visual arts class sang two songs, and then a teacher-participant represented the class to say a thank you/farewell speech to me. Then, another teacher-participant shared a poem she wrote for me, and my co-tutor also said a few words. The class presented me with a lovely thank you/farewell gift. Finally, I joined the class on stage to present the teacher participants with their course certificates.


Bassi, our driver who moonlights as a comedian,
performed a Canada Day stand-up
"Two Countries One Goal"
Competitive Games in the Courtyard
Grenada & Canada
With all the teacher-participants in my course

Classroom Supplies

On Wednesday, I did a draw with my course participants for Canadian souvenirs I had brought over.

On the final day, I did a draw for all of the art supplies for the participants that I had brought over. I even gave away my carry-on suitcase to my co-tutor, which was used to transport all of the supplies. I didn't to bring anything back home!

Back in May, when I was preparing for the volun-cation, I had bought a lot of art supplies from Canada to bring to Grenada, including: canvases, acrylic paints, watercolours, paintbrushes, brayers, block print ink, embroidery thread, and pencil crayons.  The rest of the Crayola products were donated by a presenter at a Crayola workshop I had attended in June. I approached the presenter and told her about my volunteer teaching in Grenada, and she offered to donate the supplies from her workshop. Score! Sherri also gave me some of the markers and pencil crayons that she had bought in Canada. Art supplies are expensive in Grenada, so hopefully it was enough to get their classrooms started for September.




Final Teaching Day

Thursday was our final day of teaching. I did a lesson on portraiture and correct proportions of the human face. Portraiture is my favourite form of art, particularly with pencils and charcoal.

The Canadian Teachers' Federation seeks to advance progress on poverty reduction.  As we are representatives of CTF, we provide support through educating members in developing countries on Gender Equity and HIV/AIDS. In the afternoon, we delivered workshops on these topics.  Sherri and I presented the HIV/AIDS workshop to a group.  It was interesting how little some participants knew of the disease. During the session, a question asked was, "Is it possible to contract HIV through kissing". To which I responded, "You would need to swap buckets full of saliva!"




Presenting the HIV/AIDS Workshop

July 28, 2012

Limin' on the Block

As I've mentioned, classes end each day at 1:30PM. My art students usually stay much later than that, but since I have to meet my team to have our driver pick us up, I usually leave the art room by 2PM. When all 6 of us are finished our post-class meetings and lesson planning, we call our driver, who usually arrives within 5 minutes of our call, and head back to our resort.

We rush back and lime in the pool. Each day we take turns buying a round of drinks from the swim-up bar - and it's happy hour! I think the chlorine helps with the bug bites. Salt water definitely does, but I can't make it past the sand to get into the ocean.


Limin' in the pool

The Beach House

We've been really fortunate to sample some of Grenada's best restaurant's at CTF's cost. Our volun-cation is fully covered including all travel, accommodation, and food. We just volunteer our time, and curricular expertise.  I'd say that's a fair trade off!  We've been eating our way through Grenada - trying some of the top rated restaurants according to tripadvisor.com. This week, we dined at the #1 ranked restaurant, The Beach House, twice!

The ambiance and decor is exactly what the name implies. The first time I ordered mahi mahi with a side of seafood pasta, bellini on the rocks, and shared a mudslide cake for dessert. The second time, I had filet mignon - so melt-in-your-mouth! - and shared a passion fruit meringue for dessert.

As per usual, I set my battery operated mosquito repellent device on the floor beside my feet. And of course, being forgetful, I left it at the restaurant. Luckily, when I called, they had found it and kept it for me for pick up.


The Beach House Restaurant


Last Ditch Effort

My mosquito-and-sand-fly-bite-infected legs are healing nicely, with the help of moisturizing cocoa fat, which is found locally at pharmacies. Cocoa fat is made locally, and sold in cubes, the size of ice cubes for about $3. I stocked up on a few cubes to bring back home.

On Wednesday night, however, while dining at the Beach House Restaurant, I was bitten again, despite my leggings. Now, 5 bites that are close in proximity have merged together to form a big, red, mosquito-y mess on the back on my right ankle.

I bought the new Off! product that I've seen on commercials. I've yet to determine it's effectiveness. It retails for about $25 in Grenada. It's basically a mini battery operated fan that blows on a repellent-coated filter, creating a field of protection around the user. It only works if you remain stationary (i.e., sitting at dinner, reading on the beach, etc.), but not if you're walking around. I bring this with me to dinner & it sits on the floor by my feet.



5 bites that have merged into one giant blob


A Day in the Life

This week, I presented a lesson on printmaking. I went over the brief history of printmaking and how it can be integrated into different subject areas across the curriculum. We used brayers, block print ink, and styrofoam to etch the printing plates. Teachers loved working with this new media, and all of their prints turned out beautifully. The only drawback is that the materials are not readily available in Grenada, and so we also discussed other ways to make prints using local materials. We had a draw for the brayer and ink, and the teacher who won was so excited. I asked her to share the technique and materials with her school!

We also looked at using recycled materials in art. The teachers made papier mache bracelets and painted them with acrylics.

My class of teacher-participants is so dedicated. Although classes conclude each day at 1:30PM, they would always stay well past 2:30PM. The teachers don't frequently have the opportunity to use all of the medium that they're learning about, and so by staying later, they are able to complete their assignments and gain extra practice using the materials. I love their dedication!


T.A. Marryshow College - where we teach our
summer courses
The building that houses the Art Studio
The Secreteriat - the meeting room
Printmaking
Papier Mache bangles

July 27, 2012

Just Another Sunday?

After brunch this weekend, our team headed home while Sherri and I offered to run errands at the Spice Land Mall in Grand Anse. We needed some TP, yogurt and dish detergent. Sherri and I took our time at IGA and proceeded home. Upon reaching the foot of our house, we noticed a small waterfall coming off the balcony. Once we ascended the stairs, we discovered that the upstairs had flooded! While we were at brunch, the upstairs washing machine was left running, and the water had exploded out of the tap on the wall where the hose was connected.

Water was up to 2 inches deep in some areas! Two of the rooms were completely flooded, and water had seeped through the baseboards into my room and through to the ceiling of Sherri’s downstairs room! Our team was worried about black mold forming from the water seepage.

The course director of the Summer Program was very quick to use his local connections to secure a place for us to stay for the rest of the trip. He pulled some major strings for us, because now we’re staying at the Kalinago Beach Resort. We are so grateful that he acted so quickly and we are so thankful that he assisted us in our move.

We said goodbye to Casa Someone's Cousin's House, and hello to our new resort residence! It is a beachfront property, has a pool, swim-up bar, and happy hour drinks! The A/C is always blasting in our room. The bathroom is a fully equipped “hotel” bathroom. My new roomie is my fashionista BFF and fellow HM (high maintenance). However, we soon realized that it's difficult for two HM's to share a washroom!


Casa Someone's Cousin's House

Kalinago Beach Resort





July 25, 2012

Brunch in Grand Anse, Grenada

This past weekend, we had brunch at a quaint little French Creole restaurant called Le Papillon. The restaurant is ranked #5 in Grenada on Tripadvisor.com, and since it was located near our home in Grand Anse, we thought it’d be worth a try. The owners spoke with a French accent, so it must’ve been authentic food! The tiny restaurant was next to the hotel pool, and the décor was crisp with off-white outdoor curtains.

The brunch menu was printed on chalkboards. Their signature dish is Spiced French Toast, which Che had. I always default to traditional breakfasts – eggs, bacon and potatoes. I added a freshly baked croissant, mimosa and passion fruit guava juice to my order. The jams were made in-house: stewed guava, marmalade, and pineapple. Sherri, who can’t eat dairy, egg and gluten, resorted to ordering a side portion of bacon. She was served 3 slices. Despite the ridiculousness of what she was served, I would still highly recommend this restaurant.





July 24, 2012

Grenada Island Tour

We've been on the island for 2 weeks and on Saturday, we finally had our island tour. There are 7 parishes on the island. We visited the parishes of St. George (where we live), St. Andrew, St. John and St. Patrick. The island is like a giant terrarium, and humidity fills the air. This tropical environment is suitable for lush flora and insects, but it's not so much for me! Luckily, our trusty driver, Bassi A/C Taxi had air conditioning and we made sure we put that to good use.

All the roads that make up Grenada are windy and snake around the outer edge of the island's many hills, which could cause nausea for some, but as I was drugged up on Gravol, I was fine. There are no straight sections of roads, nor inland short-cut roads. The travel time from one parish to another takes much longer on the twisty roads. The public transportation system is privately owned by individuals, and it is basically mini vans that pick up passengers from city centres, transporting them to other parts of the island. I have a new found appreciation for my co-tutor and other teacher participants who have to travel long distances each morning to attend our classes.

Our first stop was Grenville in St. Andrew. We were met by a member of the teachers' union, who was gracious enough to take us on a tour of her home town. We visited the marina, fish market and walked through the main street. We talked to many fishermen who were eager to show off their catch of the day - conch (lambie), mahi mahi, and tuna. By the time we checked our watches, it was already 2:30PM, no wonder I was starving! We passed by a local KFC and I picked up popcorn chicken & Coke Zero on our way to a late lunch.

Lunch was at another union member's home. There were many tropical fruits growing in the yard - papaya, guava, cocoa pods, nutmeg, French cashews, sugar cane. He had cooked a large cast iron pot of the national dish - Oil Down. These are the ingredients in Oil Down: Breadfruit (potato/bread-like consistency, in the mulberry family), Salted Meat, Chicken, Corn, Okra, Coconut Milk, Hot Peppers, Turmeric. The sauce left a fluorescent yellow coloring on my fingers. I can't say it was my favourite, but I'll try most foods once! We were also served dumplings made of flour, and fresh passion fruit juice.

Next, we were taken to the bird sanctuary for a short hike. There was no way I was going in the rain forest. So I waited in the car. Our driver let me keep the engine running with the A/C! I entertained myself playing Triple Town on the iPad.

Near the end of our tour, around 7PM, we visited the Northern parish of St. Patrick, and Leaper's Hill. This was where indigenous Caribs chose to leap to their deaths when cornered by the French in the late 17th century.









Oil Down - Grenada's national dish
Nutmeg encased in mase
Guava, French Cashews, Papaya, Nutmeg,
Cocoa Pod, Sugar Cane, Skin-Ups

What Starbucks?

It dawned on me today that I've been coffee-free this entire trip, without caffeine withdrawal! With the exception of our training-time in Ottawa, I haven't touched coffee at all in Grenada. It's so hot here, and with my tendency to breakout in hot flashes, I have no desire to down any java. I do get some caffeine from Coke Zero, which my teammies are addicted to drinking. But I guess it shows that my need for coffee was all in my head. For breakfast, I would have a mango smoothie, or another fruit juice and I'd be good to go for the day, without feeling the least bit lethargic. But guaranteed, once I'm back home, I'll be swiping that gold card once again.

Here are some of my other snacks:
Guava yogurt
Nutmeg ice cream
Sour Sop popsicle
Ben & Jerry's



July 22, 2012

Nutmeg World

One of the perks of a "volun-cation" is that we end our teaching usually around 2PM. That leaves the rest of the day for us to explore Grenada. On Thursday, we were picked up at the college and were taken to St. John's parish to the town of Gouyave to visit the largest nutmeg factory on the island. Grenada is one of the world's top nutmeg producers, second only to Indonesia.

The most memorable part of the tour was seeing how the nutmeg is packaged in burlap sacks, and stenciled with the name of the country it's exported to. There were stencils for every country in the world.  Of course, we found Canada.




First Week of Teaching

It's always so humbling to work with teachers in more developing countries. The teachers teach the same subjects as we do and face the same educational challenges that we do, but work with far fewer resources than we do. It's really made me rethink my own teaching - to be more innovative and to engage students with only my words. In my Visual Arts Course that I am leading with my co-teacher, Rhonda, teachers are so eager to absorb everything we present. Teachers enjoyed my lesson on colour theory, as some of them have never been exposed to the concept of the colour wheel before! I tried to gear my lessons on using local, natural, and home materials that is more cost effective.

As an aside, I've noticed that Grenadian women have very beautiful skin and they're very well dressed!

Each morning, we would begin class with prayer and songs. Everyone in Grenada is religious and are either Catholic, Christian, Anglican or Protestant. Everyone seems to know all the lyrics. Their voices sound so beautiful and I'm in awe when they add harmony.

On Wednesday, at the end of class, one of the particiants, Judith, came up to hug me. She thanked me for teaching the class and that she was genuinely happy to have been accepted into the class and learning so many new things. That made my day.

We only have 4 more days of teaching left in Grenada. This Friday, we will celebrate with a Canada-themed activity morning & have course evaluations and the closing ceremony in the afternoon. This experience is truly just a "blip in our lives".
T. A. Marryshaw College

My Visual Arts Course


Creepy Crawlies Redux

Two nights ago, Che and I were in our shared room reading, as we usually do, before bed. I lay in bed starring at the electronic pages of 50 Shades of Grey on the iPad, and something black against the tall, white ceiling caught my eye. Curious, I looked at Che and asked what she thought it was. She said it was probably a spot on the ceiling and to forget about it. I buried my nose in my book again. A few minutes later, I glanced up and noticed the spot had moved. We spotted the new resting place of the black spot, and starred incredulously as it started to fly!

A beetle, perhaps? Che pulled out her iPad and I, my netbook, and did a quick Google search, which quickly revealed that creepy crawly in question was in fact, a cockroach. Being a big city girl, I have never crossed paths with one of these previously. Simply looking at it scared the bejeezus outta me. We wikipedia'ed cockroaches and learned that they're nocturnal. Once the lights are off, they scurry about in the dark.

Unanimously, we decided that we would sleep with the lights on. I had my eye mask, so I didn't mind the lights being on. I quickly pulled on my leggings, socks, and a cardigan as a precaution.

The next morning, the lil fcuker was nowhere to be seen - that's the worst part! I cautiously crept into the washroom. Then, it was Che's turn. When she came out, she said, "It's in there!" The cockroach had crawled from under our wardrobe, under the washroom door and was under the vanity.

Che kept an eye on it, while I bolted downstairs to Sherri's room. Sherri thought I was making a pleasant morning visit, but I quickly broke it to her, "Come quick! I need you to catch a cockroach!" I don't know many women who are not afraid of insects, so that makes Sherri one brave princess! She came up, wet hair and all, and in one swift motion, stepped on the lil sucker with her sandal. She then picked it up.

Later that day, I went to loo and inadvertently looked into the garbage can. There, on top was the cockroach, smushed, on its back with its disgusting lil legs pointing up at me.

July 21, 2012

Creepy Crawlies

Since I've been the object of many insects' desire, I have acquired over 45 love-bites from sand flies and mosquitoes alike. 45 and counting. This morning, I woke up with 4 love-bites on my cheek. I'm flattered, but this has got to stop!

I've adopted a new Grenadian "uniform" that I wear 24/7 - leggings. Thanks to my new friend, Che, she has given me her leggings to wear as a second skin. Despite the 40C temperatures here, I'm not allowing creepy crawlies easy access to my legs and arms. Paranoid that I will get new bites, I also shamelessly wear wool socks over my leggings, with Birkenstocks - as I've only thong sandals, and nothing else. Thanks to my other teammie, Rhonda for the socks. I only don this outfit when we go for dinner, as many restaurants feature open air patios. From the knees down, I'm a walking fashion faux pas.

My entire team, and people in Grenada have all been so attentive to my bites. Even the director or the CTF has emailed me personally offering suggestions. After extensive research in my ample free-time, (which I now have a lot of since I often opt to stay in my air conditioned room), and recommendations made by friends and colleagues, I learned these bug-bite fighting tips:

1. There isn't much you can do about prevention

2. Carbolic Soap. Available only in the Caribbean, this soap made of coal tar has disinfectant properties to minimize itching and sooth irritated skin

3. Fucidin H Cream. Topical antibiotic corticosteroid

4. Topicort. Hydrocortizone cream

5. Vitamin B. Apparently it helps ward off mosquitoes (Thanks team for picking this up for me!)

6. After Bite & Benadryl Itch Relief

7. Ice swollen and severely itchy bites

8. Soak and bathe irritated, bitten skin in a saline & baking soda solution

9. Massage isopropyl alcohol 70%. This helps to reduce reddish-purplish marks

10. Minimize scarring with cocoa fat as a moisturizer

11. DEET 30% does not work against sand flies and most mosquitoes in Grenada

12. Arawak Island Citronella & Eucalyptus oil is a good, natural repellent

13. Keep covered. Long sleeves, leggings & socks

14. Mosquito nets don't always work, as you could be bitten at any time of day

15. Benadryl or any other anti-histamine to fight the allergic reaction, Advil liquid gels for the pain

I also avoid rain forests & other lush areas. When my team had an excursion to hike a rain forest to see the Seven Falls, I chose to stay home. When we had the island tour, which involved a mini hike into the rain forest, I stayed in the car & played Triple Town on the iPad.

And there you have it, my exhaustive list of things I've learned to prevent & treat sand flies and mosquito bites. Sand fly bites are definitely more severe than mosquito bites, as they leave welts and a wide circumference of pooled blood around the welt.

Sexy legs

My rockin' hot outfit:  socks & sandals