St. Lucia Global Volunteer Ellen F. settled into her Caribbean Island “home” quickly, thanks to the warm welcome of our host partners and local families in Anse la Raye, St. Lucia. She said the Caribbean community began to feel like home after her first week. Following are a few reflections on a day in the island getaway as a short-term volunteer.
The morning started with a big burst of rain that ended just in time for breakfast. Our assignments were to work with children at Kid Step Early Childhood learning center and mothers and babies at the Reaching Children’s Potential program. For those of us in RCP the day was filled with home visits with mothers and children and good conversations with the caregivers, who are increasingly asking us questions, always grateful to learn little tidbits of information that they can pass on to help others. At the home visits, we saw some of the same kids and moms we had visited last week. Everyone seemed happy to welcome us into their homes – especially the seven-year-old girl who last week had hung onto Mila’s arm and cried when we tried to leave. At some homes there were multiple children, and we were able to work with one child while the caregiver worked with another. Every day we are here we are recognizing more and more people on the streets. Hard to believe, but this small Caribbean island community is already starting to feel like home. Mila offered an appropriate message for the day:
“You can’t climb the mountain from the mountaintop; you have to be in the valley.”
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