some reflections on poverty

This first week in Basseterre has been a whirlwind.  We've been getting to know the city in so many different ways, and tonight was a blatant reminder that though I live in Basseterre, a predominantly impoverished part of St. Kitts, its not the country's only side; and the developed and commercialized sector has proven to reveal more about poverty than the tin roofed shacks that border my neighbourhood have.

I've been working with the BNTF for a week now, and we've had a chance to both read about the projects they've been working on and also see the progress they are making in communities around the island.  Its promising, but the process is slow and even when projects are completed there is still work to be done in terms of maintenance and upgrades.  The resources are strained, the funds are not released fast enough and all of this falls into the hands of the BNTF staff which number less than five.  It is clear to them and to us that there needs to be more....of everything. 

The communities are small, numbering no more than three or four hundred, and the addition of a safe sidewalk for children to use while en route to school, or a health care centre that is wheelchair accessible makes a difference.  It changes their quality of life.

The other night our boss took us to "the strip," a highly developed area on the coast where the hotels are equipped with state of the art casinos, marble floors, and little acknowledgement of the poverty stricken communities but five minutes away.  Its the area of St. Kitts where locals are few and far between and fat american tourists and students are a plenty.  I struggled with acknowledging that this country relies on the income that these people generate, but wondered how one can visit a place and confine yourself to the luxuries of home, never wondering about the rest of the country, about the parts of the island that haven't been moulded to cater to the accustomed luxuries of home.

There is no blame.  If people on cruise ships didn't come Basseterre's economy would suffer a huge blow, and yet with their income, roads still remain unpaved, children go without safe school grounds, and communities live without basic healthcare services.  Where is the disconnect, and can it be bridged?

YIIP Assignment #1

Allow me to introduce myself...

My name is Karla Williams and I am an International Studies student at Glendon College.   I am technically in my 3rd year but I have a degree in English from the University of Ottawa and am considered a "transfer student."  I am interning, along with Claire, at the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) in Basseterre, St. Kitts.

I'm never formal so I figure this post shouldn't be.  So, here it goes...

I love to travel and talking about it nearly as much.

I work incessantly but am ready for a break and looking forward to running on "Caribbean Time."

I love to look.  That sounds creepy, but if I could have an extra pair of eyes, or 4, I would.  There's so much beauty and excitement in the everyday and I want to take it all in.

I can be a bit of an awkward introvert at times.

I am MADLY in love with my animals.

I will try anything; sometimes more than once.

I like things that scare me or make me a bit uncomfortable, and I will never ever turn down an opportunity to learn. The two kind of go hand in hand.

I laugh every day.

I'm learning french, and I'm terrible at it. Mais, mais je vais continuer à apprendre parce je l'aime.

If I can help, I always will.

I refuse to be bored.

I have unreasonably good people in my life, and am so thankful for them.

I love photos of animal pairs that would never meet each other in the wild.

I have a perpetual feeling of guilt over all that I have compared to what the rest of the world does.

I love books that make me cry.

I adore the ocean and cannot wait to stare at it every day for three months. 

I believe, and always will, that people are inherently good.

I act and sometimes dress like someone 3 times my age; I am an old lady at heart. Hopefully as cool as this granny.

& finally...

I hope that this post, much like the rest of my life, was sufficiently random :)

It's Caribbean Time

(The view from our front porch - that's the Caribbean Sea in the distance)

We're here. We made it. I can hardly believe it. Not that we had a particularly hard time (other than being held up at St. Kitt's customs for a bit due to our lack of address), but it's hard to believe that after the application process, interview, orientation and various meetings we have actually arrived at our host country and our journey is now beginning. The rest was just prep.

Mr. DeSuza, our boss and the project manager at the BNTF met us at the airport and we immediately headed to our office to get a tour and meet the rest of the team. Ms. Erslyn Patrick, our supervisor and the community liason office accompanied us. 

We met Ms. Christopher, our landlady and the four of us headed to our new home, where Kelvin, Ms. Christopher's son and Kelique, Kelvin's 3 year old son greeted us.  We got the run down on what areas were safe to walk through at what time of day, and it was all very confusing since I hadn't even been given the name of our street yet. Nevertheless everyone seems adamant that Claire and I get our bearings, so Mr. DeSuza took us out downtown that evening to introduce us to his friends in the main square, try some BBQ chicken and grab a couple of Kittian beers at a street party. We were exhausted but I think getting thrown into things is always the best way to shock your system into enjoying every moment and taking it all in...and theres definitely a lot of it to take in. 

The Final Countdown

Twenty minutes from now the countdown will have officially begun.  I will be leaving for St. Kitts in exactly a week.

 It hasn't hit me yet; I'm spending the summer working and living in the Caribbean!  I'm trying, like I have for the majority of my travels, to enter this experience with no expectations.  But, because this trip is different, because I'll be working for a local organization and living in one place for the entirety of my trip I can't help but hope for an easy transition...and maybe air conditioning.  

I have a million questions about what to expect, where I'll be living, what kind of work I'll be doing, what I should bring, what I shouldn't, and what I can do to prepare for it all...but, whether my questions are answered or not I'll be touching down in Basseterre at 2:30 p.m. Friday May 10, and my hair will double in size approximately 30 seconds later.  Those two things I know for sure.