Into the (somewhat) wild

322 songs on my I-pod

8 strangers talked to

3 flights

2 sandwiches

50 hours later and I’ve arrived in St. Lucia, finally.

My shoes are off and my hair is out of control and I feel like I belong here once again.

Much has changed since my last visit, but lots of things also remain the same. The project house has undergone only minor changes, many a result of the lack of water in the area, which I experienced last summer. Many of us were left taking one-minute showers and pools were used for cooking.

First thing I did was to grab a cup of tea and sit to chat with the other volunteers when I arrived. The majority come from the UK and there is also one Swiss lady.

I will begin the medical project on Monday by travelling to the clinic, and hopefully work on some home-based care. I will travel with a home carer to see individuals who are too sick to make it to the clinic. I heard that last Tuesday the clinic had 100 people lied up outside and only two nurses present.

Michelle and Sam, who are both project managers here in St. Lucia, said that the medical project can be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, but that it’s very rewarding to see how it can help the people of the village.

We’re also starting a new “10 Families” Project. The Induna (prince) of the village has given African Impact the names and locations of the 10 most needy families in his village. We will then go into their houses and assess their situations in order to best meet their needs with things such as school uniforms, food, or even the labour to build a vegetable garden.

There’s a quick overview of what’s going on with the projects. I plan to give you an update later on about them in detail later on.

For now, I’ll show you a short video blog of some footage of my travel here, which took over 40 hours.

I flew Pearson to Dubai, to Johannesburg to Richard’s Bay. Three flights and a long drive to the house later, I’m here. I can’t wait to start work on Monday and get reacquainted with all the staff and the area.

My Zulu is still pretty good though!

Take it Easy!!

-Alanna

“Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others.” - Barbara Bush