Irie is what it is

Harmony. Peace. Love. Powerful. Pleasing. Excellent. Respect. Happiness.



Wow...seven months down...How did this happen? I simply cannot believe it.

So I want to live presently. I want to live in the now, but my mind is thinking about June...all I can think is June.

Our seven month anniversary was last Wednesday. Nobody verbally recognized that seven months has passed. Up to the six month mark, we would celebrate our time together. Now, we do not speak of the time flying by. Instead, we try to cherish the moments we have left.

I am leaving a month early. I was offered a job by UBS, an opportunity I couldn't pass up and unfortunately calls for me to leave before my community members. It is bittersweet. Right now, severely bitter as I imagine my last four months...hopefully I'll taste the sweet later, as an entire new door opens with possibilities I haven't even thought of.

I feel like life does this to you...just when you are feeling like you really get it...or are at least comfortable with where you are and what you are doing...even if that means a comfort in not knowing much...that comfort...gets ripped from you like a tablecloth from a set table. The table settings are supposed to stay put, but gosh that is hard! And sometimes they come crashing down, and sometimes just a fork falls, and sometimes, if you are skilled enough, you are able to keep everything calm and collected. I pray for the calm and collected option, but knowing myself, I am betting otherwise. If I know anything, I certainly know I feel enough for an entire village.

Irie is a rasta term. But I think it adequately describes my life here. I love my life. I love my pseudo family here. I love my friends and de pickney at school. I appreciate the conversations because I know the back-story. I love the children because I have met and love their moms and dad, brother, sisters, aunts, uncles and grandparents. I call to wish them happy birthday and happy valentines day. I miss them when I do not see them for a few days. I want to brag about the kids in Grade 1 who can finally write full sentences. These people are the first thing I think of in the morning, and the last thing I think of before I go to sleep. And I cannot grasp how in four months, I will leave this life I built here and continue a life I left on pause in Connecticut.

Have you ever stopped to watch a child write a story? It is a beautiful little miracle I think taken for granted...their creative intelligence.

When Elizabeth, my eight year old sister, read to me for the first time, I remember being in awe. When did she turn into such a beautifully smart little girl right before my eyes?

Was it overnight? It felt like one day she was sounding out words letter by letter...and then the next she was reading full stories to me before bedtime, or reading every single billboard or t-shirt she placed her delicate eyes on. The beautiful gift of literacy.

I have been working on a library at the primary school (grades k-6) the past few weeks. Most children do not have books in their homes, and the books in the practically nonexistent school library were water damaged and torn. The actual room was an overwhelming mess…rats, bats, bees and trash!

After some initial damage control with the help from some of the older kids, we cleared out the library and the old books were removed to make room for some donations from our very own book collection. At the sight of the new room with its colorful posters and new picture books, the kids lost control! They seemed even more excited about the project than me.

Grade 1 is my favorite grade. I love the age, they are mischievous but ever so lovable. And the beautiful miracle of learning is happening all around them.

I think back to the first day I walked into their classroom…a bunch of energetic six year olds who could barely write their name.

Now they are writing stories about Danny, a boy who fetched water for his mother. When did this happen?

Well, Grade 1 tends to follow me around because I spend so much time with them, so of course when I was up in the library, they weren’t far behind. Some of my favorite lickle kids would stand outside the locked grill like prisoners behind bars, begging, “Miss…can we come in now?????”

After a few minutes of this, of course they convinced me to let them in…isn’t that called having me wrapped around their little finger?

But I did warn: “Come in and have fun, but be quiet and no running about like crazy people!”

It was the cutest thing…as I unlocked the grill, they looked like you might imagine a child on Christmas morning…their anticipation bubbling out of every pore in their body, except these children were excited about BOOKS!

They ran into the room and scattered to the different stations I set up around the library…I could see their mental dilemma unfold as they were submerged into sensory overload.

Do I want a book filled with brightly colored pages?

Do I want to play memory?

Do I want to color one of the coloring books?

Do I want to play checkers?

These are hard decisions for a seven year old.

…or even a twenty two year old sometimes.

But they didn’t touch a thing…there was so much surrounding them, they were overwhelmed but so excited to finally be allowed in the library! They just sat with their hands on their laps, exploding with the excitement that “miss finally let them in the room!”.

I looked about and laughed, urging them to grab a book or game. Soon, all the children were exclaiming excited, “wows” and “oohhs”. News that the library was now open spread like wildfire and children trickled in until it was filled with children reading and coloring together. They just seemed so happy to have a new and positive learning environment that had so many new books!

The children have been a huge help and a lot of fun, helping me to sort through books and organize them on the shelves. A group has stayed after school to lend a helping hand wherever they can, which has allowed them to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in helping to establish their school library. It has been a special project.

Witnessing the children's enthusiasm and even the teachers enthusiasm for this new project has really inspired me to stay motivated and put all of my energy into creating this positive learning environment that will benefit children who battle overcrowded and noisy classrooms and unstable family life on a daily basis. It has pushed my creativity in what I can do for these children, and I now find myself collecting bottle caps on my walks for my homemade checkers set.