Peace Corps Life - A Reflection

Although I was only a Peace Corps volunteer for two years, I experienced a lifetime's worth of growth.  This page is a collection of photographs and stories from the two years I spent in St. Vincent, mostly pictures from the village of Troumaca.  In putting together this page, I can only lament the loss of more than an entire year's worth of photographs (July 2001-August 2002) when my laptop's hard drive was destroyed.  Even so, this page paints a collage of the life I lived as a PCV in St. Vincent.  It's hard to believe how far I have come since the morning my family took me to the airport in July of 2001.  That was the last time that anybody ever walked me to the gate of my aircraft, as the attacks of September 11th took place just a few months after my arrival in St. Vincent.

Troumaca

I spent the first two months of my life in St. Vincent living with the King family in Rose Bank, and then moved to the village of Troumaca, just up the hill.  Much of my time in Troumaca was spent hanging out at home with the boys from the village, playing dominoes or cards, or having water balloon fights.  When I met Roxie and we started dating, she made my domestic life in Troumaca feel just that...domestic.

North Leeward

In St. Vincent, the entire region north of Barroullie is referred to as north leeward, and it consists of the villages of Spring, Coull's Hill, Troumaca, Rose Hall, Rose Bank, Petit Bordel, Chateabelair and Fitz-Hughes.  For me, it was one community, and I lived in both Rose Hall and Troumaca, taught in Petit Bordel and spent plenty of time in Chateaubelair.  The following pictures are a very small sample of the sights in North Leeward.

Troumaca Secondary School Basketball Team

For two seasons, I was the basketball coach for the Troumaca Secondary School boy's basketball team.  It was a tough task, as most of the boys didn't have much of a clue as to how to play basketball, although there was plenty of athletic talent.  We didn't have many resources either, and had to practice on a makeshift basket.  Many of the boys didn't have proper basketball shoes for practice, and we just managed to squeeze some money out of the school for uniforms in time for our first game.  Even so, it was an experience I will always remember, I just wish I had more pictures.

Roxie

Roxie and I began dating before I left to go home for Christmas in 2002, and 2003 was a year that we spent growing together in our relationship.  We spent a whole lot of time enjoying life and one another's company, getting to know one another better.  When I left St. Vincent in 2003, she and I had reached a point in our relationship where I wanted to return to continue what we started.  These  are a few pictures of the one and only Roxie.

A Life Underwater

With Brian Essenmacher's arrival to St. Vinent in August of 2002, I took up the sport of spear fishing.  Spear fishing is an incredible adventure, great exercise, and a lot of fun.  In December of 2002, my father gave me a small-scale underwater digital camera, and I took advantage of it to take the photographs shown here in this section.  Underwater photography is challenging, and to really take remarkable photos, you need advanced equipment.  I think I got a few good shots, however.

Petit Bordel Multipurpose Centre

My primary assignment as a United States Peace Corps volunteer was as a computer science instructor at the Petit Bordel Multipurpose Centre and Secondary School in north leeward St. Vincent.  I was the first-ever I.T. teacher at the school, and it was my responsibility to start up the I.T. program.  Most of my days were spent inside of this classroom, teaching computer skills, maintaining the computers and learning about what it really means to be a teacher.  I only wish I had more photos.

Kingstown and the Peace Corps Office

The hub of operations for Peace Corps Eastern Caribbean in St. Vincent & the Grenadines is the office in New Montrose, just outside of Kingstown.  While I spent very little time in town compared to many of the other volunteers who lived closer, I made the pilgrimage at least twice a month, stopping at the office to get mail and chat with Mr. Cool, the director for Peace Corps in St. Vincent.  Kingstown itself isn't too big, but it was the urban center of everything, and in a strange way, provided a welcome break from the quiet rural life. 

Roxie's Family - Petit Bordel

As Roxie and I grew closer, I became much closer with her family, who lived a short walk from the school I taught at in Petit Bordel.  I became especially close to Roxie's two neices, Ebony and Saraphina, who are better known as "G" and "TC."  The following pictures are a collection of my life with Roxie's family in 2003.  I spent most of my Sunday's at her house, relaxing on the porch and playing with the kids.