On the road to the beach, taking in the coast and enjoying the sunset.The fourth picture is taken at my favorite time of day..
Sammy and my mini me. The second picture just might be my favorite picture of all time
Thursday, May 29, 2008
A look through my Bajan eyes
This is an almost typical week for me in Barbados. Enjoy!
On the road to the beach, taking in the coast and enjoying the sunset.The fourth picture is taken at my favorite time of day..
Sammy and my mini me. The second picture just might be my favorite picture of all time
On the road to the beach, taking in the coast and enjoying the sunset.The fourth picture is taken at my favorite time of day..
Sammy and my mini me. The second picture just might be my favorite picture of all time
Monday, May 12, 2008
A little Boy's Thoughts of a Blue Line
Written May12/08 8:02PM
So I went to the beach today with Sophie, a supervisor from PCW, and her family. When we got there I was more than taken back by the beauty of the coast, almost as if I could hav
e turned around and caught someone snapping a photo for a postcard. I have been to many water fronts before but I don't think i can remember catching such a clear view of what seemed to be the edge of the earth. I took in the infinite look of the horizon and wondered how any artist was ever able to capture the depth of this distinct line. Then found it further interesting that without even realizing you always could tell where the blue of the earth ended and the blue of the heavens took over and for a split second I sympathized with Galileo and could have sworn against the circular formation of the earth. I think that little boy was thinking the same..
So I went to the beach today with Sophie, a supervisor from PCW, and her family. When we got there I was more than taken back by the beauty of the coast, almost as if I could hav
e turned around and caught someone snapping a photo for a postcard. I have been to many water fronts before but I don't think i can remember catching such a clear view of what seemed to be the edge of the earth. I took in the infinite look of the horizon and wondered how any artist was ever able to capture the depth of this distinct line. Then found it further interesting that without even realizing you always could tell where the blue of the earth ended and the blue of the heavens took over and for a split second I sympathized with Galileo and could have sworn against the circular formation of the earth. I think that little boy was thinking the same..Saturday, May 10, 2008
My first thoughts of Barbados assignment #2
I'm staying in a guest house with one other girl, Samantha aka Kandi. I have my own room and share the bathroom, kitchen and laundry room with her. I went grocery shopping yesterday and went home to cook and then remembered i only know how to make salad and cereal, so i poured the milk and cut up some lettuce. Things are going really well! I love the place, the girl i live with is a fashion designer, which is just wicked. The place is also ideal because it's literally three minutes walking distance from where i work.
Today was my first day of work and I just got out of a meeting with Mr. Grant and Shelly, my supervisor. PCW is actually the most perfect place for me, they do everything that I once did or am currently doing ie.dance, drama, youth entrepreneurship, community development, housing initiatives etc etc. I am primarily working on their housing project, the main thing that they want me to focus on is developing a education program for their clients to teach them about the different stages of building their house, the financial commitment involved, how to read a blue print and the new challenges involved in having a mortgage etc etc. I am also going to be developing a format to track the project status against baseline information, developing financial systems and developing project status and reporting forms. Sounds hard huh ya i know..i really really know lol. I also have to learn how to use SPSS, which is a data management system for project planning as well as Microsoft Project software.
Both my supervisors are amazing people and guess what everyone here has dreads! That's a huge bonus as in the Caribbean people sometimes look down on you if your hair is locked but at PCW its all love baby. The community centre has its own social enterprise, bicycles sales; They have their own costume room for all their productions; they have rehearsal space, offices a meeting room and even their own staff run community bar! I have my own office space here as well.
Tomorrow marks the first day of crop over, which is a three month long festival with a huge dance celebration during the last few days. It starts off with soca performances from upcoming artist held in each of the 12 parishes. This weekend I'll be going to some of those with Samantha, the girl i live with, and her non-boyfriend 'friend' lol. We are also going to two of the three big parties this weekend: a soca fete and a reggae club. Samantha seems really cool and responsible shes 19 and goes to the technical school down the road.
Mrs.Davis, the landlord, is "a christian first and foremost" lol. She's madd cool and helps me out with anything i need. I think shes a little funny about wearing shorts though. Last night I was asking her what she thinks i should wear for my first day of work and i laid out a white tee and jean Capri's (that go past my knees) she said the pants were too short. LOL oh man all I was thinking is wow its going to suck when you see the shorts i was questioning haha.
In any light this is a really good opportunity to see cultural differences in this new community. When i arrived at Pinelands i was plesently surprised to meet a vintage looking building instead of the typical highrise office builiding i've come to expect.
Today was my first day of work and I just got out of a meeting with Mr. Grant and Shelly, my supervisor. PCW is actually the most perfect place for me, they do everything that I once did or am currently doing ie.dance, drama, youth entrepreneurship, community development, housing initiatives etc etc. I am primarily working on their housing project, the main thing that they want me to focus on is developing a education program for their clients to teach them about the different stages of building their house, the financial commitment involved, how to read a blue print and the new challenges involved in having a mortgage etc etc. I am also going to be developing a format to track the project status against baseline information, developing financial systems and developing project status and reporting forms. Sounds hard huh ya i know..i really really know lol. I also have to learn how to use SPSS, which is a data management system for project planning as well as Microsoft Project software.
Both my supervisors are amazing people and guess what everyone here has dreads! That's a huge bonus as in the Caribbean people sometimes look down on you if your hair is locked but at PCW its all love baby. The community centre has its own social enterprise, bicycles sales; They have their own costume room for all their productions; they have rehearsal space, offices a meeting room and even their own staff run community bar! I have my own office space here as well.
Tomorrow marks the first day of crop over, which is a three month long festival with a huge dance celebration during the last few days. It starts off with soca performances from upcoming artist held in each of the 12 parishes. This weekend I'll be going to some of those with Samantha, the girl i live with, and her non-boyfriend 'friend' lol. We are also going to two of the three big parties this weekend: a soca fete and a reggae club. Samantha seems really cool and responsible shes 19 and goes to the technical school down the road.
Mrs.Davis, the landlord, is "a christian first and foremost" lol. She's madd cool and helps me out with anything i need. I think shes a little funny about wearing shorts though. Last night I was asking her what she thinks i should wear for my first day of work and i laid out a white tee and jean Capri's (that go past my knees) she said the pants were too short. LOL oh man all I was thinking is wow its going to suck when you see the shorts i was questioning haha.
In any light this is a really good opportunity to see cultural differences in this new community. When i arrived at Pinelands i was plesently surprised to meet a vintage looking building instead of the typical highrise office builiding i've come to expect.
An Open Puzzle
Written May 8/08 7:53AM
As I was exploring my office in Pinelands Creative Workshops i came across a poster that had a poem about about the things you can do to challenge yourself in life. One of the messages that really stuck out for me was a line that said "its easy to find fault in something, its not easy to find a solution." (somethinglikethat) This is an interesting and highly relevant quote for my internship, particularly because I'm working on an initiative that requires a whole heck a lot of problem
solving and conflict resolution.
I thought about the initiatives that I'd worked on in the past and how easy it was to find fault in them but how painstaking difficult it was to come to a concise and/or find a solution.
In reading that passage I realized that I am one of the many people who have been taking the easy route while disguising my "finding fault" mindset as actually being constructively critical. It is, however, much easier to find problems with a solution than it is to find a solution to a problem.
I remember something a professor of mine once said, "you can't help everyone, you can't find a solution that solves all the worlds problems, as people will forever have their own positions on an issue, but you can find a solution that harms those most vulnerable the least". When those remarks were spoken I distinctly remember thinking to myself how wrong and unfair her notion was and that we should indeed strive to find a solution that benefits everyone!
Though I still view that as the goal, I finally understand what my prof meant when she made that comment. It was and is my unrealistic attitude of believing i can help everyone in the world that makes it so easy for me to find fault in proposed solutions because, inevitably, their will always be room for improvement and all of those effected will not always be 100% satisfied with the outcome. In reality everything has a loop hole where fault can be found but its about doing what you can to harm those most previously harmed the least.
While i work during this summer I'm going to always remember this: Even though there is so much pressure to be holistic and perfect in development, there will always be someone finding fault and everyone will never be happy. It's easy to complain and find fault its harder to work towards a solution, this summer I want to do the hard work.
As I was exploring my office in Pinelands Creative Workshops i came across a poster that had a poem about about the things you can do to challenge yourself in life. One of the messages that really stuck out for me was a line that said "its easy to find fault in something, its not easy to find a solution." (somethinglikethat) This is an interesting and highly relevant quote for my internship, particularly because I'm working on an initiative that requires a whole heck a lot of problem
solving and conflict resolution.I thought about the initiatives that I'd worked on in the past and how easy it was to find fault in them but how painstaking difficult it was to come to a concise and/or find a solution.
In reading that passage I realized that I am one of the many people who have been taking the easy route while disguising my "finding fault" mindset as actually being constructively critical. It is, however, much easier to find problems with a solution than it is to find a solution to a problem.
I remember something a professor of mine once said, "you can't help everyone, you can't find a solution that solves all the worlds problems, as people will forever have their own positions on an issue, but you can find a solution that harms those most vulnerable the least". When those remarks were spoken I distinctly remember thinking to myself how wrong and unfair her notion was and that we should indeed strive to find a solution that benefits everyone!
Though I still view that as the goal, I finally understand what my prof meant when she made that comment. It was and is my unrealistic attitude of believing i can help everyone in the world that makes it so easy for me to find fault in proposed solutions because, inevitably, their will always be room for improvement and all of those effected will not always be 100% satisfied with the outcome. In reality everything has a loop hole where fault can be found but its about doing what you can to harm those most previously harmed the least.
While i work during this summer I'm going to always remember this: Even though there is so much pressure to be holistic and perfect in development, there will always be someone finding fault and everyone will never be happy. It's easy to complain and find fault its harder to work towards a solution, this summer I want to do the hard work.
The Next Thing on My List
Written May 6/08 at 1:30PM
Every time I travel and meet or see someone interesting I always wonder what their story is, where they are coming from and where they are going.
In my seat on the plan ride from Trinidad to Barbados I looked across the aisle and saw this very artsy,bohemian looking woman reading a book. So as customary I wondered what her story was, then I looked at the title of the book, "The Next Thing on My List" and immediately felt that I not only understood but I wanted to share in the process of crossing off my next thing.
I pulled out my list and right under 'Land a Wicked Internship' sat 'Begin to LiveLife in The Moment'. Ironically enough i think it was that instant that I was really experiencing a genuine "moment" in my life. I realized my mind was at ease I was not sweating over details of CONCEPTION, anxious about a paper due or an upcoming exam, I didn't think about washing the dishes or cleaning my room. No at that moment I thought about me, the seat I rested in and the pillow nestled behind my neck. Finally, I smiled to myself, got out my pen crossed it off and looked for The Next Thing on My list.
Every time I travel and meet or see someone interesting I always wonder what their story is, where they are coming from and where they are going.
In my seat on the plan ride from Trinidad to Barbados I looked across the aisle and saw this very artsy,bohemian looking woman reading a book. So as customary I wondered what her story was, then I looked at the title of the book, "The Next Thing on My List" and immediately felt that I not only understood but I wanted to share in the process of crossing off my next thing.
I pulled out my list and right under 'Land a Wicked Internship' sat 'Begin to LiveLife in The Moment'. Ironically enough i think it was that instant that I was really experiencing a genuine "moment" in my life. I realized my mind was at ease I was not sweating over details of CONCEPTION, anxious about a paper due or an upcoming exam, I didn't think about washing the dishes or cleaning my room. No at that moment I thought about me, the seat I rested in and the pillow nestled behind my neck. Finally, I smiled to myself, got out my pen crossed it off and looked for The Next Thing on My list.
Culture-More than a Costume
Written April 29/08
So for a long time I thought about what I would write for this premier blog and I thought about how I could really capture the total essence of “my culture”. Thinking back to grade school I vividly recall teachers holding up flashcards of different traditional and"ethnic" clothing or foods and asking
the room of fellow wide-eyed grade-'threers' to identify the cultures in the pictures.
In hindsight a task that appeared to be overly simplistic and straight forward now appears to be far more thought provoking than the answers on the back of the flash cards suggested.
The more I thought about it the more abstract and confusing my thoughts became. I saw my culture as a black woman, I saw my culture as a student, I saw my culture as a community worker, a youth advocate, a global citizen, an entrepreneur, a young person etc etc. I listed and listed and did not see an end in sight. Each time my pen hit paper and i in scripted another juicy aspect of my culture down I thought about how I see myself, how the world sees me and how I want the world to see me.
I came an almost startling conclusion that culture is almost in a sense based and defined solely on perception. The way I might define my culture wouldn’t be the way my mother might define it, a friend, a teacher or even a complete stranger. It then began to beg the question whose perception overrides and overrules whose? and if that is so the case where does my understanding of a true ‘cultural identity’ fit? And if we do have a ‘true identity’ are we then not enforcing the same social labels we as ‘enlightened activist have been working so inexhaustibly to obliterate? I didn't have the answers to these question so I’ll just leave these questions to linger in your thoughts as they have in mine...
So for a long time I thought about what I would write for this premier blog and I thought about how I could really capture the total essence of “my culture”. Thinking back to grade school I vividly recall teachers holding up flashcards of different traditional and"ethnic" clothing or foods and asking
the room of fellow wide-eyed grade-'threers' to identify the cultures in the pictures.In hindsight a task that appeared to be overly simplistic and straight forward now appears to be far more thought provoking than the answers on the back of the flash cards suggested.
The more I thought about it the more abstract and confusing my thoughts became. I saw my culture as a black woman, I saw my culture as a student, I saw my culture as a community worker, a youth advocate, a global citizen, an entrepreneur, a young person etc etc. I listed and listed and did not see an end in sight. Each time my pen hit paper and i in scripted another juicy aspect of my culture down I thought about how I see myself, how the world sees me and how I want the world to see me.
I came an almost startling conclusion that culture is almost in a sense based and defined solely on perception. The way I might define my culture wouldn’t be the way my mother might define it, a friend, a teacher or even a complete stranger. It then began to beg the question whose perception overrides and overrules whose? and if that is so the case where does my understanding of a true ‘cultural identity’ fit? And if we do have a ‘true identity’ are we then not enforcing the same social labels we as ‘enlightened activist have been working so inexhaustibly to obliterate? I didn't have the answers to these question so I’ll just leave these questions to linger in your thoughts as they have in mine...
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