St. Lucia

27 Aug 2010 5 Comments

by Camille in Peace Corps, People

Before dinner in Miami

For the last year I had imagined what my Peace Corps experience might be like.  I pictured myself living in a straw hut with no running water or electricity, little or no access to internet and television, and training sessions filled with hours of dense information facilitated by people who wanted to weed out the bad seeds in the group.

Rather, here I am at the Hotel Bel Jou in St. Lucia sitting on the outdoor patio that faces a beautiful garden with a gazebo, manicured walking path, and a croquet lawn. A steel drum musician is playing ‘And I Love Her’ in the dining room next to us, while the sounds of St. Lucian critters fill the air outside.  After exploring the nearby town of Castries this afternoon, some of my fellow Peace Corps Trainees and I went for a swim in the pool just down the steps.   I have been teaching a good group of my PC-mates yoga, using as my studio the rooftop terrace that overlooks the treetops and ocean, and offers a clear view of the night sky and stars.

Sunrise yoga

Sunset evening yoga

While yesterday we did tackle the anxiety-provoking topic of common health problems Peace Corps volunteers face in the Eastern Caribbean (stings courtesy of 6-8 inch centipedes, scabies, and Dengue Fever, to name a few), we were also given an impromptu lesson on dancing ‘Caribbean style’ so that we would be prepared for those imminent opportunities as well.

In all, this experience so far has blown any expectations I might have had out of the water.  Granted, this is not a typical Peace Corps setting, being in a luxury hotel in the middle of paradise and I recognize it is temporary, but I am savoring every single moment.