ease in...

major sense of accomplishment today. i don't know how long it will last or what hurdles will fall in front of me as i proceed, but the way this day, this life, these moments are unfolding are nothing less than divinely perfect. i am beginning my fifth week here. hard to believe that i have been here for five weeks which seem like an eternity. there are days that i am perfectly settled and others that i am completely unsettled. it's been a while since i have been so consumed by these perfectly placed moments that create ease and awareness of how strategically aligned my purpose is here. in those unsettled moments i have wondered if i am in over my head, i have lost the perspective of work and dedication that got me here. in those moments i lost the ability to breathe and trust and instead fell into thought...the thoughts that can perfectly create and destroy a mood, a moment, a lifetime....

in the settled moments, the moments where i remember to breathe and trust, the moments where i open to not knowing and guidance, in those moments...i have days like today. one of the elements of pre-service training is to create and implement a service learning project with some of the youth i have been working with. they could be from my school, from my work-site, or from my community. the purpose is to 1) show that you are capable of pulling something like this off and 2) ensure that there are elements of both learning and service within the project. what does all of this mean? it means i have to be creative, resourceful, and savvy. all elements that i am certain will come into play hundreds of times while in service here. i also need that ability to be flexibly adaptable which i am sure will show up at some point during this project...but as of yet...it's falling with ease. 

i knew that i wanted to create this activity with the youth at the cdp which is my primary work site. these are youth who have been targeted as at-risk either because they have dropped out of school, they are at risk of dropping out of school, or they have become involved with probation services in some way. although we have our days, they are all amazing kids who have an array of talent that would blow any performing arts school out of the water. when the project was first presented to us i was overwhelmed, and by our second meeting i was sure i was in trouble. i had no ideas, no direction, only a steadfast assuredness that i wanted the kids from the cdp to be involved. this in itself may prove to be a challenge because of the nature of the kids and their inconsistencies in attending the program, but i have faith. i have faith in them and their ability to help me pull this off. so...last thursday, with a sense of unsettled nature surrounding this project, i went to the kids at the cdp and asked them for help. i explained what service learning was and what i needed to accomplish. they were instrumental in coming up with an idea...a brilliant idea too i must add. why don't we hold a football clinic for the younger boys at the r.c. boys school across the way? yeah...why don't we do that? our learning component can be teamwork which is an important aspect in life, in the cdp, and most importantly in assuring that i can pull this idea off. 

today i went to the cdp to speak with mr. simon who just so happened to be in the process of creating a football program with a national coach for the boys there. mr. simon used to teach at r.c. boys so he knew who i needed to talk to over there. so here i am in downtown castries...heading from my work-site over to the school to speak with the principal about what if any interest she might have in my idea and supporting this project. she wasn't at the school on my first attempt so i headed to the square to sit and read and wait. while i was sitting there i also realized how hungry i was...so, so hungry. lo and behold a woman selling what might be the most amazing cornbread in the world sits down at my bench and offers me a piece of her goods as a taste. mmmmmm. after finishing this bit of goodness i head back to the school where i speak with mrs. gill who is completely on board with my idea. no convincing needed. so in a matter of a week i have come up with an idea, connected with some of the people i will need to connect with to make this happen, and figured out what my next steps are. this is a big task that will require a number of pieces, some of which i am certain will prove to be a little more difficult to jump through but it's coming together. and if i can pull this off with some sense of certainty, this could be a sustainable project that continues with the boys at the cdp. i know that it will give them an incredible sense of accomplishment and self worth to teach something that they are so passionate about to those that are younger than them. 

so here i am. my first project with the peace corps. based in something that i don't really know too much about but with a sense of openness and wonder that i have been missing for quite some time. and within this i remember how important it is to breathe, slow the pace, and trust. this is going to be good. this whole world i have stepped into is going to be so good. with it's ups and downs and hits and misses. it's so perfectly placed for me. thank you universe for helping me direct my life, even in the times it seemed so off course, to be perfectly woven for this time now. i am so grateful.