Phagwah, Site Placement (!), and HFA

A lot has been going on in the last few days.  Thursday was Phagwah, Friday was site placement, and Saturday was Host Family Appreciation day.  So, I'm going to start by telling you about....

PHAGWAH

Phagwah is a Hindu festival of colors and is the celebration of the triumph of good over evil and the beginning of a new season, Spring. People go around throwing colored powder or colored we powder stuff at each other.  If you want to stay clean, the streets aren't safe. Just as a tidbit, the colored powder is basically dyed baby-powder and generally comes off of skin and out of clothes.  The wet stuff...well, if you're blonde your going to have multicolored hair for a while.  And its not going to come out of your clothes. 

I went to the Indian Cultural Center with a PCV and another friend.  It was amazing! There was tons of bright colored powder, kids with water-guns (to be avoided at all costs), and lots of fun.  The Prime Minister was there and he was also very effectively Phagwahed.  Its actually amazing the access people have to their public officials here.  If anyone tried throwing colored power on out VP, they would be taken down before the powder had a chance to hit.  Here, its totally acceptable, expected, to Phagwah officials.  I was an amazing experience and I can't wait to do it again next year!

Shaleenie, Me, Princess

SITE PLACEMENT!

We got our site placements! And as I'm writing this a little late, we've also has site visits!  I will be staying in West Demerara in Canal #1 Village! Not sure exactly what my new address will be, but I'll let you know when I do!  I'm going to be working at Two Brother's Primary school working mostly with teaching literacy to low-readers, phonics, and some Health and Family Life Education! It's a great school, only 97 students, 5 teachers, and a head mistress who seems pretty awesome!

Canal #1 is about 15-20 minutes from where I'm living during training.  I have mixed emotions about this.  I love the area, its super close to the capital, close to my friends and host family, but it's nowhere new.  I'm also 7 miles down the canal and the only food source are the fruit trees and small snack stands...so I'll be coming out frequently to get food.  I don't have another volunteer very close by, but its easy to get to Georgetown and there are 2 others from my group (Guy24) as well as a bunch of people from Guy23 here too!  

The area is actually pretty rural, especially considering its proximity to Georgetown.  I have goats, cows, chickens/roosters, and other random animals roaming around my yard as well as 2 dogs that come with my new place.  I'm living in the downstairs of a house with a family above.  The 2 dogs are actually the family's, but there outdoor dogs and always on my doorstep.  And super friendly.  My place is big, much bigger than I was expecting, with 2 bedrooms (that both have beds!), a big living area, and a bathroom that may be a little sketch.  It also cam with a hammock! Love! And gets lots of light!

But on to my sketch bathroom.  It's really not bad.  It's just that almost every time I opened the door there was another critter. This is how The Bathroom Saga went:

1. Giant spider=bashed to death by rolling pin.  Body left to rot.

2. Frog. Ignored. 

3.  Spider body gone.  Frog not to be found.

4.  Another giant spider.  Too fast for death my rolling pin.  Score: Me-1, Spider-1

5.  Return of the frog.  Put on my yellow rubber gloves, scared the frog, it peed, eventually got it into the bucket and outside.  

I also went through an insane amount of Baygon killing other flying insects.  Pretty sure I inhaled an unsafe amount...

I love my new home, I think I'm going to enjoy living in the Canal, and I can't wait for school to start!  Also, I have plenty of space for any of you to come visit me :-)

When it came to actually getting our assignments the PC staff had us play a game of bingo and each site and who was there was revealed one by one.  It was kind of torturous wondering when it was going to be you, but also really fun :)

 The Weapon

 The Victim

 The Cleaning Crew

My home!

HFA

The day after we got our site assignments was Host Family Appreciation day.  We prepared food, had a talent show of sorts, played games, ate, and expressed our appreciation for our families.  I absolutely love my host family, so it was something I wanted them to enjoy.  It actually started a little rocky due to bad weather and a lack of electricity, but we were able to pull it together and it was really a lot of fun!

A group of us did an "Indian" dance.  We practiced a few times beforehand, but we ended up editing about 5 minutes before. It wasn't the most perfect/coordinated of dances, but it was good, we had fun doing it, and the families enjoyed it, either despite or because of the mistakes I can't say for sure.

 Cake!

  Everyone with their families