Amazing Friendship Camps and more in St. Vincent!

7/9/10- We arrived in Lauders in the late afternoon and met our wonderful host family, the Cupids. The students sat outside the house and had a comprehensive Q+A session with Pastor Cupid and Desmond (a local Peace Corp volunteer) about life and the culture of rural St Vincent.

7/10/10- Chuck Kohlmann’s birthday! The group woke up early and drove to the base of the La Soufriere Volcano and began our ascent. We reached the summit after a beautiful hike through ever changing vegetation. The group was rewarded with a beautiful view of the crater, some did yoga, some meditated, and everyone sang happy birthday to a very happy Chuck.

7/11/10- Sunday was a beautiful day to experience first-hand the local culture of Lauders. After a much deserved late wake-up, the group donned their nicest clothes and accompanied our host family to church. Everyone enjoyed the jubilant singing and dancing as we were warmly welcomed as volunteers into the community. After church we were invited to a family gathering. Family members had come from far and wide to reunite in the Lauders community center, and we were lucky to be a part of it.

7/12/10 First day of Friendship Camp! Students ran a variety of classes for the local kids including rock painting, juggling, kickball, and a class of multicultural games. The group responded exceptionally well to the challenges of day, and made tons new local friends. After a long morning of camp, the group rode out to Indian Bay Beach to relax in the cool Caribbean waters.

7/13/10 The second day of Friendship Camp in Lauders was a learning experience for our group. They were faced with organizational and disciplinary challenges, but never let their spirits sag. At the end of the day, the students regrouped to ensure that the next day of camp would run more smoothly.

7/14/10 The hard work from the night before certainly paid off. Our third day of Friendship Camp was the best yet! Activities included making friendship bracelets, paper bag puppets, playing soccer, and messing around with play-dough. By the time the campers returned home, our students were feeling on top of the world.

7/15/10 The last day of Friendship Camp was a bittersweet moment for all of our students. Camp ran beautifully, with activities like beading, mask making, and American football. Our students gathered the campers together to have a fashion show, in which the only material for the designers to use was trash. But the energy and enthusiasm of our group made the activity a roaring success. At the end of camp our students received countless thank-you letters from their campers, and were very sad to see them go; but we were satisfied in the knowledge that we truly made a difference in the community of Lauders.

7/16/10- The students were rewarded for all their hard work and dedication to camp with a trip to one of the most extraordinary natural wonders of St. Vincent: the Oiwa Salt Ponds. These shallow pools of saltwater spillover from the Atlantic Ocean are home to a plethora of beautiful marine life. The group spent hours snorkeling, swimming, and relaxing as the spray from waves crashed against the rocks and gently showered them. We returned to the Cupids for a dinner of fried fresh fish, and began saying our goodbyes to the people of Lauders, especially our gracious hosts. We presented Pastor and Mrs. Cupid with gifts and donations, and were given heartfelt thanks and words of wisdom.

7/17/10- Yet another bittersweet day as we left the community of Lauders. We said our final goodbyes to the Cupids and packed our gear into vans. We arrived in Kingstown to shop for supplies in preparation for our next friendship camp in Bequia.

CHECK OUT THE NEW PICTURES! Remember, you can click on the small picture in the right column, this will link you to an online album where you can view larger versions of all the photos.