Close Encounter

On Monday, as I was walking to work, a man on a bike riding the other way asked me if I would give him some money, and if I was Mormon. "No," I answered, to both questions. As he rode away, I surmised that was the end of our conversation. But then he rode back and crossed to my side of the road to talk to me again. And this is where it got strange.

He said his name was Michael, that he likes making love (not his words, but perhaps you can imagine what they were), and he would like to have my number and/or know where I live. For those of you who don't know, Jamaicans are for the most part viciously and violently opposed to same sex relationships. In light of this fact, I told him that I was married and not interested in seeing other people ("I'm in a monogamous relationship, sorry"). All the time, I kept walking so that I would be closer to my workplace. Finally, he relented and rode off.

After speaking to others, and I tend to agree, I do not believe this was a mild-mannered offer of companionship. It may have indeed been a ruse to root out, and possibly act on, the liberal opinions of a non-Mormon Peace Corps Volunteer. I never felt in danger in this situation, but it is a good idea to be cautious out on the street. Sometimes it's best not to reveal your feelings; it can be a form of protection.

-Shane

Shane's 15 Minutes

Check out this news article in the Lawrence Journal World about Peace Corps 45th Anniversary. It features an interview and photo of everyone's favorite volunteer, none other than Shane McCall.

Very Exciting!

-Kaelyn

p.s. I am also mentioned as Shane's gorgeous, brilliant, and very funny wife. Or maybe just as Shane's wife but you know that other stuff is implied.

RIP: Porky

My sister just called with very sad news. Our beta fish that we left in her care during our Peace Corps service has passed away. Porcus Puff, known to close friends as Porky, was a wonderful fish. He never asked for much, just clean water once a week and a few sprinkles of beta food each day. He liked to excercise by fighting his own image in a mirror. Getting him out of the city and moving to the country in our absence did wonders to his health. He lived to the ripe old age of 1.5 years. Which is a record in our fish owning experience. Thank you, Erin, for your wonderful job as a caretaker - we couldn't have asked for anyone better. And thank you Porky for all the memories. We hope you enjoy the big fish bowl in the sky.

Peace & Love,

Your Owners - Kae and Shane

Note: The picture isn't really Porky, he wasn't very photogenic so he asked us to use a model.

Happy Birthday Shane & Bob

HAPPY BIRTH DAY!

HAPPY BIRTH DAY!

HAPPY BIRTH DAY TO YOU MY DEAR!

HAPPY BIRTH DAY!

That's the Jamaican birthday song. Imagine it sung really fast with lots of clapping. Fun stuff! Friday was Shane's birthday and the drum pictured above was his gift. It's a Maroon drum called a gumbe made by a Rasta in Accompong, St. Elizabeth. Today is Bob Marley's birthday, so you are all obligated to drink a Red Stripe and toast Shane and Bob while singing along to Legend.

One Love,
Kaelyn

My Adventure in Jamaica

Note: This is a guest post by our very special visitor. If you want to see pictures of the mitten's adventure click here.

I traveled 1,807 miles from Missouri to Jamaica to visit Aunt Casey’s friends, Kaelyn and Shane. The climate here is much warmer than in Missouri. The sun stays out for about the same length every day instead of being shorter in the winter as they are in the United States. It gets dark around 6:00 PM throughout the year. Since I journeyed such a long way, I had to see some of the wonderful sites in Jamaica.

The best place I went was the beach. There are pictures of me at Hellshire Beach. It is near where Kaelyn and Shane live, in the city of Portmore on the south coast of Jamaica. It’s famous for fried fish and festival, which is a fried biscuit made of flour and cornmeal. The sun and sand were nice and warm and the fish was very tasty. I enjoyed the beach, but there were other fun things to do on the island.

After being at the beach, I got a little bit sandy, so I decided to clean up. In Jamaica, people hang their clothes up on clotheslines to dry, so that is where I went to dry off after washing the sand off. The sun is very strong in Jamaica, so it did not take long.

Finally, I tried some of the local Jamaican foods. The red fruit on the tree is ackee. Jamaicans eat it with dried fish, onions, and tomatoes for breakfast. It’s very popular. Ting is grapefruit flavored soda – so refreshing. The fruit is called an ortanique; it’s a mixture of orange and tangerine. Those little peppers are called scotch bonnet peppers. They are really spicy, but very common in Jamaican food. There are many hot sauces made from them. Jamaican food is really fun.

Finally, I had to say good-bye to Jamaica and return home. I had a wonderful time. It was fun to explore a new and exciting part of the world.


Yours Truly,

Magellen the Mitten

Aged Musings

I am starting to feel a little bit different with the weight of 25 years soon to be hanging from my neck (tomorrow). It certainly feels a lot older than 18 or 21 years old. I think 25 is pretty much the age when you can't be considered a child or young adult any longer, no matter what your station in life or are how hard to try to keep being treated like youth. Before then, maybe you can get away with it if you are in college, or some other circumstance where you are not "earning your keep." At 25, though, it's in with the new, and the new is the old.

-Shane

Packages and Cable

We got three packages last Friday. I would have written about them earlier, but it has taken us this long to look through all the goods that were inside of them. Just kidding. Kaelyn and I really enjoyed the packages we got from the States. It always reminds us that the most significant thing that we gave up in joining the Peace Corps is our friends and relatives.

One package was from Kaelyn's grandparents and included lens wipes and our favorite rectangular meals - Clif bars, Brewer's Yeast (great for protein in soups and popcorn) and a can of tennis balls for the tennis team. My friend sent tennis balls, jelly beans, reading material and oodles of music (and comedy recordings), along with a very nice note written on quite small paper. Finally, members of our KC connection gave us a box stuffed with books, organic chocolate, dried fruit, energy bars, and Harper's magazines. They also sent us a traveling mitten that we took to see some of the sights in Jamaica, like the beach. It is an educational activity which Kaelyn will explain more in her post later.

Thanks for making us feel special. The experience of getting packages has convinced us that we really need to send letters and packages to our loved ones when we return to the states. They're so cool to receive. Just one of the many things you learn (or recognize) in the Peace Corps.

-Shane

PS - If you are still reading . . . We got cable installed yesterday. It only took two working days for them to come out, making it one of the faster processes in Jamaica. You get about 90 channels, including movies, for the basic rate here (US$12.50).

PPS - Peace Corps can be spelled Pea Score and still sounds the same at loud. As a fun game for all of our readers, how would you answer the question, "What is the Pea Score?"