I stepped in front of the school yard, facing the compound of St. Peter's RC School. A sea of children dressed in bright red, green, and yellow colors were congregated in a somewhat orderly fashion. A colorful banner hung over the school entrance with Independence Day scripted across it. Alternating-colored pennants zig-zagged back and forth [...]
Category: My Peace Corps Story
Which Would You Choose?
You stand on the side of the road, hands on the shoulder-straps of your backpack as you wait for a car to pass. In front of you there is an open field, a silhouette of trees running along the back. A faded shade of blue spans across the dawning sky, while a burning yellow from [...]
A Flip of the Switch; My Return to Life on Grenada
Returning to Grenada was a particularly conflicting experience. It was conflicting because although every fiber in my being wanted more time at home, I still remembered the fact that I did not even want to leave Grenada in the first place just a week before. “Wasn’t it just two weeks ago, leaving for St. Vincent [...]
The Sweet Escape Part III: Home
I woke up on the morning of December 20th and it felt like any other morning. As I put my feet on the floor, kids were laughing, cars were passing, and conversations were being had just outside my bedroom window. I’ve grown accustomed to the noise right outside to the point I hardly even notice [...]
The Sweet Escape Part II: Island-Hopping
After saying our goodbyes, Don and Kevin climbed into the taxi and drove off down the road. Turning back into my apartment, I had things to do. The very next morning I had a flight to catch to go to St. Vincent. So after a thorough cleaning of my apartment, I began to pack a [...]
The Sweet Escape Part I: A Rec House Reunion
December was the month I had long-awaited for. I had so much anticipation built up for this month for a couple of reasons: 1) the school term ended on December 7th 2) I had a three-week Christmas break with a three-country itinerary planned 3) The final week of that itinerary meant it was finally time [...]
Coming at You on ‘Island Time,’ My Thanksgiving Reflection
Last weekend, I got together with the other Peace Corps Volunteers on Grenada to celebrate our American Thanksgiving together. It was fitting that we celebrated it a little over a week late, as if maybe now we’re just used to running on ‘island time.’ But since then, I have taken some time to reflect on [...]
When You Got Salt in the Shaker…Shake It Up
You had a long week. It started out hearing some heart-wrenching news from a school on the southern part of the island. The news weighs on your mind all day. Appalling. But school carried on per usual. You and your counterpart teacher are reviewing some material before conducting tests over the course of the week. [...]
Candles Burning in the Night; A Family Tradition
"Mr. King, are you a Catholic?" a fellow teacher asked me as we strolled down the hill from St. Peter’s RC. "Yes, I was raised Catholic," I responded as a large truck barreled past, three individuals riding in the back. "Are you going to light candles tonight?" she asked. "You know, I heard about that. [...]
Discovering Common Ground; My Grenadian Thanksgiving
I stumbled out of the bus and onto the coastline road outside of Kirani James Athletics Stadium. The sun had already set, and so leaving the darkness of the road I made my way to the lights and sounds that resonated from the stadium. It was a Tuesday night, the night before Grenada’s Thanksgiving Holiday [...]