Week 7: Hard goodbyes

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Side note: I have been writing in my journal weekly but have not been able to get online regularly to update my blog. So, I will now be visiting Intermezzo, my favorite dining spot on Statia, to update my blog. I will first go back and add the weeks I missed and will also write new blogs on Sunday.
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Week 7: New Friends, New Garden

This was a hard week! Not only did I just get back from St. Martin, the best weekend vacation ever, but we had a lot of work to get done and the first group of volunteers left. I became very close to this group and I really wasn't ready to say goodbye.

We were a tight crew and all learned about Statia together as I only arrived on Statia two weeks before they did. Dan (from England) gave me a pretty hard time when it came to being American with they way I talked (especially when it came to how I pronounced his name) but I don't think I have ever laughed so hard as when Dan would go off on someone or something he though was ridiculous. He also had the habit of sleep walking and talking/yelling in his sleep, which was always interesting, especially when he tried to get out of his tent but knocked it over and let in the rain. Then there were the girls Natalie and Amy. Natalie, also from England, is so kind and sweet and became like a little sister to me. We all had so much fun together driving in what we called the "disco truck" which we aptly named the one truck that had the ability to play our ipods. I also learned so much from Amy, who is from Geneva, which started when we discovered our shared fear of dark water below our feet and hairy spiders. Together we tried to be brave about something new everyday. We inched closer to spiders, taught kids how to snorkel, picked up hermit crabs, and she even swam with a shark! I will never forget all the great experiences I had with these volunteers and hope to have a reunion with them as soon as I get a chance.

This was also the week we started really working our butts off on the children's garden plot. Not only was it covered with the invasive "Mexican Creeper" vine, Coralita but underneath that were more weeds and under that was soil so dusty and rocky that it seemed like we were never going to get it level. On top of it all, the sun beats down heavy in this area and the soil is so dry that you come out looking very tan but lose it all as soon as you shower.

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Photos

The Girls
Here we are outside of Dave's house. Me, Natalie and Amy

Dan and James
Hiking up their shorts for a nice tan at Golden Era