Basodee, the Patois (Creole) word for craziness. Ah yes, my friends and family, this word sums up my first Carnival experience. I would love to describe it all for you in detail and to supplement my stories with pictures, but, unfortunately, pictoral evidence is pending (still finishing up the film from disposable cameras), and neither you nor I have the time for such a lengthy email. So some highlights...
The main Carnival activities encompassed five nights, the entirity of which me and a few other volunteers tackled together. The first few evenings we jumped up at some large scale soca concerts (soca loosely described as a sort of Caribbean hip-hop); one of these concerts, "Glow", requires that all attendees dress in white from head to toe so that the Point on which the show takes place "glows" from midnight to sunrise. I had a blast there, decked out in my white ensemble, but my favorite event was probably J'ouvert (joo-vay) morning. J'ouvert started at approximately 2 a.m. on Sunday night/Monday morning (God bless coffee).....about the only way it can be summed up is as a crowded, messy dance party in the street, and I enjoyed every second. My Carnival Crew and I played with the "Red Devils" - this means we dumped red paint all over our bodies and danced behind a truck stacked with speakers and a DJ moving at 0.1 mph for approximately 5 hours. Who knew this could be so much fun? By the end of the exhausting march, we had a rainbow of paint colors mixed in with the red, as well as some motor oil and mud and whatever other substance various bands decided to use for the event. The cleanup portion of this activity was not quite as thrilling, and to this day I am still discovering red paint in the strangest of places in and around my apartment. I am crossing my fingers that my landlady doesn't notice that some of her precious plants have red-brushed leaves.
Monday night hosted yet another large street parade, this one a bit more organized and less messy, with costumes and flashing lights and judging, in which my "band" won first place (a big pat on the back). And Tuesday brought a "last lap" and final street hang out before everyone went back to normal life on Wednesday. Overall it was a grand time, and unless I stumble upon some amazing opportunity in the States or elsewhere that I can't pass up, I fully intend on being here again for the madness next year.
So post-Carnival life is good. The week following the 5 days of straight fun felt particularly long and boring, but things have picked up significantly since then. There are about a million things to do at the Council for the Disabled before Christmas, one of them being participation in an International Craft Show by persons with disabilities that I work with on a regular basis. This show is in Barbados in two weeks, and if all goes according to plan (important details being worked out last minute naturally) I will be accompanying the group on the trip. So I'll let you know if we pull that off. And life at the Dorothy Hopkin Home is same as usual - the residents don't get nearly as much attention as they need or deserve, but they love me just the same and seem to be happy to have a different face around the place a few times per week. And speaking of new faces, Grenada got a new shipment of Peace Corps volunteers - 10 new people arrived about 3 weeks ago, and currently are staying with Grenadian families and doing all of their training. The newbies seem really enthusiastic, and I have yet to spot anyone in the group that could potentially drive me crazy over the next year, which is definitely good news.
So I suppose that is about all to report for now. I hope this letter finds all of you well at home....We have been following the "Hurricane Katrina" stuff from here, and it makes me feel sick and really sad to hear and see all of the devastation and suffering. It is shocking to see how badly a hurricane can damage the "powerful US", and definitely has provoked a lot of discussion around Grenada as yesterday was the one year anniversary of Hurricane Ivan.
Anyway, I send my love to all from here and, as always, would love to hear from you about the basodee you are currently involved in.
Love,
Kelly
POSTED AT 4:04 PM Permanent Link |
