Calabash Festival

This weekend was the Calabash Literary Festival in Treasure Beach. This was a long awaited event for most PCVs because there isn't much of a literary culture here. I was working with the Women's group for most of the day, selling baskets and making sure the accounts were in order. Here's Ms. Hazett, me and Sania. Ms. Hazett is wearing the white headscarf, holding one of the calabash that she made, which was bought at the festival. The day went pretty well for them.
There were a lot of Peace Corps volunteers at the festival and some of them participated in open mike, where they read poetry. Our friend Stacy read a poem she wrote about learning to eat mango in Jamaica. Apparently it was a titillating event.
Here's some of the girls. Next to me in black is Lys, she works with the Treasure Beach women's group, they make star candle lights and various other crafts. She and I collaborate a lot on events for the women. In green is Jenny, she's the president of VAC (volunteer advisory committee), and I'm the secretary. Then it's Nan in blue stripes and Sarah on the end. Sarah went to school in Vermont so when it gets really hot, like now, we always dream about snow together.
Khaled and I bought a couple books, which we haven't done in a while because books are soooo expensive here. It's ridiculous the prices of books (or perhaps I just can't afford them on the pittance we're paid). With our purchase we got a free calendar. The guy who checked us out says 'don't forget your free calendar' and points to a small rack of calendars. Khaled picks up one and its all about ganja and the different types of ganja. I said 'you can't put that in our house, we have little kids over all the time' to which he replies 'but it's free!' and the checkout guy says 'yeah mon, real nice calendar'. But then we found out that he wasn't restricted to the calendars with big ganja plants, but could have his pick of the whole rack, so what do you think he zoomed in for? The math calendar! He's so cute. He was all excited, explaining the math puzzles to the weaving ladies.
Here he is with Darius and Maggie, our two guests during the festival. This is a heated political discussion over cinnamon rolls at breakfast. All that running around at calabash gave him a cold so he's staying inside drinking tea this afternoon. It looks like it might rain, so I must go as lightning has been known to go through phone connections and fry computers into oblivion. So long for now.