The pace of life and the type of relationships you can have with people you hardly have met and the trust you can have with mutual acquaintances is something astounding that I feel can be lost in the United States. I feel that this is due to the type of communities that exist in Saint Lucia.  They are close knit communities were all family members are aware of your safety and where you are at all times.  I miss all my fellow RC and LC friends that I have made and I am glad that this group of students surpassed my expectation of how college aged students would handle this type of experience. 

I am glad to be home, but I see a bit of my own Venezuelan culture that is intwined with the Caribbean culture.  I realized as I was there how at home I felt and comfortable, yet now that I am back in the United States this contrast of cultures seem even more apparent.

 The more lasting effects of the trip will be in weeks to come when I have digested all of the trip, and as I continue to keep in contact with all the students from Anse Le Ray, CARE in Odsan and with other people I have met throughout the trip.  The current state of the island culturally, politically and the lifestyle all will still be imbedded in my memory as only first hand service learning can help us to see.

I know I may have shared this with some of you…it was a very shocking event.

 I was at Elena’s ice cream in the Rodney Bay Beach area (which is a popular spot to get ice cream especially later at night) and I was with Diana and Nicole.  Me and Diana were laughing about something as I walked past a table and I accidentally stubbed his toe.  He looked shocked because he thought that i was laughing at him although I was merely laughing at Diana’s jokes.  I assured him that i was not laughing at him and I apologized.  He did not seem to take this lightly.  Me and Diana then went to another area, near the playground and he followed me and confronted Diana and asked why she was laughing at her and she said she wasn’t.  He then proceeded to scream at me, as I was terrified that in his anger he could do anything.  He then proceeded to ask me why it was so funny and if I liked getting my toe stubbed.  He stepped on my toe and went away. 

This experience made me realize how as being use to the American culture, we tend to laugh freely which is something that I would have never thought of altering until that day. 

 This is indicative of many of my experiences in Saint Lucia, in the sense of self-awareness that it brings you. I was never aware that i laughed so much, and that it would make it seem as if you were laughing at the other person.  I felt that this brought my understanding of how the cultures were different to another level.  Although at the time the experience was not very delightful, and although me and that particular man did not leave with having a good interaction between us, I felt that it still created a learning experience that I need to be careful of how much culture and every day behaviors can be taken as offense and as being a typical tourist infringing on a lifestyle of a country. 

 My experiences with the locals, although limited, were the most challenging yet rewarding experiences.  I felt that I definitely understood the culture more and more as time went bye due to the continued interactions with some locals.  Being able to talk about values, morals, expectations in all aspects of life helps you to see how you are similar and different.  Discussing political issues with the locals also gives you a new sense of world view of just how the country runs.  All of this I feel is valuable and I feel very lucky that most tourists intentionally avoid all of these experiences just because of the convenience of not wanting to stretch their horizons and be confronted with any situation which may make them feel uncomfortable.  Yet how can you ever become aware of yourself and your culture without being uncomfortable and learning why you feel that way in certain social spheres?

Yet, I also feel a sense of pride in the effort and the undeniable good work we accomplished together with the people of St. Lucia in a small but significant corner of this vast globe. No one could make such a trip with an open heart and mind and not be changed by it. And no one can view the photos on this site and miss the mutual joy created in a world that needs it sorely. Our students and faculty represented a different face to St. Lucians than the one that has predominated of late (or the one that has predominated historically in the Caribbean, one might easily argue).

Finally I feel a great debt of thanks to all those that made this project possible, including decisions makers at both colleges. This is the way to do study abroad.

            Later on in the day Peter and John from LC also jumped in and played some football. Photos of them playing will be posted shortley.

            Despite the differences of gender, race, nationality and ball skills we were out there playing football to have fun, period. For that reason, I believe this was the sport at its purest. That was the best part of my day, even though I ended up cutting my foot in the middle of play and had to quit. This is one of the experiences that I value the most from this trip. When I return to college in the fall for intense soccer training to start my last season of college ball, I will remember this experience when I am waking up at 5:45am, sore from practice the day before. This experience has also encouraged me pursue the idea of athletics as form of building community and conflict resolution in my studies.

Not only did I have a great time with my friends, enjoying the day and nightlife of the northern tip of the island, I also enjoyed working with the RC Boys’ School and the people from Anse La Raye.  The facilities at the Boys’ School broke my heart a bit, but it seemed to me that the boys were not even bothered; they were just happy to be.  Their reactions to our cameras were priceless and it seems that they are both models and photographers because they are just as enthusiastic about being in front of the camera as behind it.  I really do hope that they are able to use the things we worked on with them and I hope that they will remember us because I know that I will never forget this experience.

The only thing that I regret about the trip is the fact that I did not assert myself more.  It was great as it was, but I feel that had I put myself out there more with the people we worked with, I would have even better memories of the trip.

If someone told me you could make friends who feel like family in 17 days, I would never believe them. I’ve been in Georgia with my family for a little over a week and I miss living in a room with four other girls. It was so comforting to have the same experiences with others and have them know all the pieces of the story without having to hear it. I’ve learned so much from these girls and have formed lifelong bonds with them. It so interesting that people who I had brief conversations with at school, became my confidants and part of my extended family over a 17 day period. Leaving St. Lucia was an emotional experience for me because it meant only being able to relive memories through pictures.

I miss the laid-back Caribbean atmosphere and the friendliness of the people. I even miss taking the bus to various places for EC $1.25 which is strange because I don’t remember taking the bus more than one time before going to St.Lucia. I miss Anse La Raye. I miss interacting with the trainees at C.A.R.E. I have mixed feelings when I think about C.A.R.E. because I don’t think that enough support is given to the two-year program. I am a firm believer that skill-based education is more beneficial than a theoretical education in preparing someone for the real world. The C.A.R.E. program teaches skills that will always demand more workers, these include; automotive repair, garment making, and carpentry.

The most valuable lesson I learnes from service-learning in St. Lucia is that you don’t have to do a whole lot to inspire someone, sometimes just being there is good enough. Another lesson I learned is that you cannot always plan ahead, you have to be flexible. In addition to these lessons, I’ve learned the truth of the saying that someone is always in a worse situation than you. I met a young man named Cornelius who was at C.A.R.E and attentive to all that was said despite his hunger due to lack of funds. I cannot think getting up in the morning and going to classes all day with eating anything but school was just that important to him and that really touched me.

St. Lucia has changed me, I will never be the same.

I miss the laid back atmosphere. I miss being able to say hello to everyone I passed on the street, and get a friendly response. I miss fresh pineapple. I miss how drivers would actually stop traffic to let others car pull out. I miss my third grade boys. I miss Anse La Rey. I miss the friends I made. I even miss living with ten women and two bathrooms.

I think I am starting to get on everyone’s nerves back home because all I talk about is my trip. When I try to explain my experience people look at the trip as a simple vacation. They will never fully understand how it was so much more. Only those people who were a part of this trip can truly know what it was all about. I know I am going to have to let go and accept the fact that I may never return to St. Lucia, but I am holding on to the hope that I will go back one day. Until that day, I will sit at work and reminisce on the days I spent on the beautiful island of St. Lucia.

 America is such a fast paced place, people often times are so focused on the tasks they have to complete that they forget how to be polite. It was a welcomed change to constantly interact with the friendly Lucians who always greeted us with a pleasant “Good morning!” or “Good afternoon!” Now that I’m back, I still find myself  greeting people in this way. Unfortunately, I only get a response by means of a nod or the head or a quick smirk. 

Definitely, one thing that had happened in St.Lucia that will stay with me always is the invaluable friendships and bonds that have formed. I was givent he opportunity to experience the colourful culture of St.Lucia while making somefriends that I hope will remain in my life for years to come.

I am changed from this trip.I no longer take the privileges I’ve been afforded for granted as I realize how blessed I am. More importantly, the Lucians are so content with the simplicites of life and that is a quality I admire and wouldlike to emulate. From this trip, I consider myself to be a painting of many colors, many nationalities…I am american, I am canadian,  I am Jamaican and I am Lucian. And i will miss the picturesque landscape and sociable people. Simply Beautiful! 

After the trip I’ve gone through so many emotions and states of being. I went from ‘I can’t believe it’s over,’ through to ‘what am I supposed to do with myself now,’ to ‘I miss St. Lucia and want to go back,’ straight into ‘now that I’m back my life just isn’t the same.’  

Strange enough I’ve settled with this sate of being; my life isn’t supposed to be the same. We went from an over commercialized society where everyone was too busy to truly care, into a place that was so laid back, warm and welcoming. Even more significantly however, the same people that I traveled with and was too busy to see now became such good friends that we would miss when they were away on different project for too long, and wouldn’t greet without a hug.

However, the most significant change is the feeling that I can make a difference, and we did create differences.

This experience has taught me that each of us can take the time to slow down and look around, not stress over the little things especially when everything is not going according to plans, but be FLEXIBLE and know that everything will work out. I also learnt that you don’t have to buy/build someone a house to make a difference in their lives, but only a few minutes/hours spent talking to them, teaching them, inspiring them can make just as much an impact as any other large gestures.