Peace Corps Response Newsletter (Refugee)

Hello friends and family. Well it has been sometime since my last update. But, I figured I would share with you the article I finished writing today for the Peace Corps Impact Newsletter. It is meant to sum up my overall work in Jamaica and my overall feelings towards the program. I hope you enjoy it :-)

"Peace Corps Refugee"

By Eric Barnett

PCV Mauritania 2008-2009

PCRV Jamaica 2009-2010

My path to the Peace Corps Response was a little different than most. I was evacuated from Peace Corps Mauritania in August 2009 after 15 months of service. I was left feeling defeated, as if my Peace Corps experience and home was taken away from me for something beyond my control; I was essentially a refugee. Yet, I wanted to continue my service in some capacity and Peace Corps Response was my best option. What really appealed to me was being able to choose where I would be sent and the shorter time frame.

I am a Peace Corps Response Volunteer in Jamaica and am assigned to work with the Negril area Environmental Protection Trust (NEPT). NEPT is the managing organization for the Royal Palm Reserve, an eco-tourism attraction in Negril. I was charged with developing a new marketing strategy and writing a new marketing plan for the Reserve, which has been a great transition from my work in Mauritania where I was a Small Enterprise Development Volunteer. Thus far my work in Jamaica has presented me with a unique challenge; because this is the first time my work is so environmentally focused. I have for all intensive purposes, become a conservationist.

The Royal Palm Reserve is a 130 acre nature reserve built in the Negril wetlands in the late 1980s. The Reserve is home to the largest stand of the endemic Jamaican Royal Palm and also boasts one of the largest flocks of the West Indian Whistling Duck, an endangered species. Being an eco-tourism attraction, the Royal Palm Reserve and NEPT are at the forefront of environmental issues in Jamaica. Subsequently, when creating the marketing plan, I have had to take into account completely new aspects, like sustainability.

My favorite aspect of the Peace Corps Response was being able start working almost immediately. Peace Corps recognize the fact that you are already well versed in cultural adaptation and gives you a greater degree of freedom. My training only lasted 5 days, before I was in Negril starting my assignment! Also, knowing that my assignment is only 6 months, the incentive to work is ever-present. A friend of mine basically explained Peace Corps Response as being the same thing as Peace Corps Graduate School and that’s really how it feels for me.

I am currently in my final month of my service with Peace Corps Response, and my experience in Jamaica has given a sense of closure for my overall service. I no longer feel as if I have had my life displaced and it has been truly wonderful being able to see my work through. In other words, this refugee has found his way.

Work Everyday

So I apologize about the amount of time that has passed since my last blog update. Work has actually been pretty crazy as of recently. Which is really a nice change compared to my service in Mauritania. In Mauritania, being a regular Peace Corps Volunteer, I was expected to find work on my own. Which can be a really challenging task. Here in Jamaica however, being a Peace Corps Response Volunteer, my job is very defined.

So far the majority of my time has been spent on conducting market research (via focus groups, customer testimonials, and competition research) and also starting preliminary promotion for the actual Royal Palm Reserve itself. Also, I have set up a new blog for NEPT (Negril area Environmental Protection Trust) and the Reserve. Check it out at:

www.nept.wordpress.com

This will give you a better idea of what is going on with the organization I am working with and the activities I am working on here.

Finally, I wanna give big ups to Cyn Nishimura, thank you for continuing to follow my blog here on blogger.com. I really appreciate it :-)

Random Act of Kindness: Helped Sandy carry her bike up the flight of stairs to the office we work in.

Little Cottage in Negril (music video)

To all the people following my blog on facebook. I'm not sure if the video will show up when it transfers from my regular blog. If you can't see it, please go to: actwithkindness.blogspot.com

Negril in a Coconut Shell

From a little cottage in Negril,
I wrote these lines to you.
From a little cottage in Negril,
I realized I love you still.

Its an amazing thing this time around to have a site that is actually popular enough to have a song and music video written about it. The song by Duane Stephenson, really does a wonderful job catching the essence of Negril...

To everyone in Jamaica, Negril is often referred to as the "Capital of Casual." The vibes of this city are much more mellow than what you find on the rest of the island, which is saying a lot since Jamaica as a whole is laid back.... The crime rate is significantly lower here and the people just seem to have a better outlook on life. Being surrounded by positive people is a true blessing everyday :-)

From the minute I step outside of my hillside Jamaican yard house, I am surrounded by the soothing aromas of jerk seasoning, cooking food, fruit, the sea, and ganja. They mix together and form the smell that encompasses the town. From what I have read Negril proper is only home to about 5000-6000 Jamaicans. Although, it does feel like it is a little bigger than that; I think mainly do to the number of Jamaicans who come to work here and the number of tourists who are in the area too.

Negril itself is divided into 3 distinct parts:

Beach End:
The first part is known as the beach end. This is home to the famous 7 mile white sand beach. It truly is an amazing site and dream to walk down. The sea on this end is perhaps some of the calmest ocean waters I have ever seen. It is a beautiful turquoise blue color and crystal clear. The beach road is lined of either side with hotels and restaurants. They start off with the smaller ones, that give Negril its "Capital of Casual" feel and eventually segway into the large resorts. The resorts are far enough away though that most people don't notice it.

West End / Cliff Side:
The second part is known as the west-end or cliff side. This part is known for its distinct sea-side cliffs, as apparent from the name of it. The cliff side is a little less touristy, but not too much. There if cliff diving and snorking into the deep blue waters that surround it. This is available at a good portion of the bars and hotels. I have tried the cliff diving and it is pretty spectacular!! :-) This side of the Negril is also home to the world famous Rick's Cafe (although I have yet to go there haha). Can be a little tough on a Peace Corps budget to live like a tourist. I am personally a fan of all the small local bars that run along the cliff side too.

The Hills:
Finally the third part (the part I live in!) is known as he hills! This part is built in the hills that are located behind the main drags of Negril. This is where the majority of the Jamaicans who reside in Negril, have their homes. It has a distinctly more Jamaican feel to it. Characterized by its lush green hills and beautiful little communities built into the hill side. Its such a peaceful place (with the exception of the 24/7 reggae music! amazing though haha).

So all three of these parts of Negril meet in the central round-about (pictured above) and form what is known internationally as the "Capital of Casual"

Random Act of Kindness: Cooked dinner twice for my land-lord Romaine. He actually liked my American cooking! I was pretty proud needless to say haha...

Ok Jamaica, I am impressed…

So my first two weeks here in country have really been a completely different Peace Corps experience for me. From the moment I stepped off the plane and was immediately slapped in the face with some of the most humid weather I have ever experienced; to becoming familiar with my new Jamaican yard community and the workings of it, Peace Corps Jamaica has been a thrill.

In my mind, Jamaica is basically proving to be the anti-Mauritania. Jamaica is the Bugs Bunny to Mauritania’s Elmer Fudd. Of course I am speaking about the country itself and not the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps is pretty much amazing no matter what country it functions in (Come on fellow RIM volunteers ;-), did you really expect me to forget my roots haha). So anyhow, from what I have heard and seen on the ground here, is that Jamaica is home to more churches and bars per capita than any other country in the world. Really kind of a crazy contrast when you think about it…then again you might not have to think that hard about it. Honestly though, that type of statement might explain Jamaica better than any other one. For me, it has been a country of two different worlds. The world the tourists experience (which is pretty awesome) and the world of the Jamaicans (also pretty fricken awesome). It’s just a matter of where you go…

Being in Negril, it gives me the opportunity to essentially see both sides of the equation. When I am on the main drag, many Jamaicans confuse me for a regular tourist and thus treat me accordingly (or they think I’m Jamaican…that is until I open my mouth). But basically, they will try to sell me something. Although I cannot blame-em; gotta make that money son!! (note: that was American slang, not Jamaican lol). However, when people find out that I am working here, it’s a new game. There is a good deal of respect that goes along with that. Also, the Peace Corps being popular enough that lots of people know about it is a new experience too. Kind of nice, not gonna lie.

So in a nut-shell so far, I have truly been enjoying myself. The other volunteers have been absolutely amazing to me and are doing their best to show me the ropes around the country. They have also been going out of their way to really make sure that I feel welcome and part of the group. That really means a lot to me. All in all I feel like I am catching on pretty quickly….all things considered. I would equate it to learning your second foreign language- it’s a little easier the second time around but still a challenge in its own right.



Dear RIM volunteers:

Two days ago I had a free dinner at an all inclusive resort on a business meeting and yesterday I had lunch on the beach while enjoying a cold Red Stripe (hate me haha)….

Love ya,
Papis

Hey I didn’t say being a volunteer in Jamaica didn’t have its perks! Oh it does and they’re great lol…


Random Act of Kindness: The organization I work for here is currently sponsoring a Clean Farming Initiative/Contest for local farmers. Yesterday we visited Ms. Nesbeth's farm near Negril and during our entire visit I carried her backpack for her. Chivalry is not dead ladies..

On the Ground in Jamaica

Well its been two whole days since we landed on the ground in Kingston Jamaica. Myself and two other volunteers (Patricia from Massachusetts and Debra from Illinois) flew in together from Miami on Monday evening.

Normally when you join the Peace Corps, you have 8-10 weeks of training in country. Since we are working for the Peace Corps Response, our training has been reduced to 5 days!! We will be sworn in on Friday as volunteers...crazy I know, but gotta say its actually kind of refreshing....

So far, everything has just been truly amazing here. The staff so far has been amazingly nice and have been a lot of fun to get to know. On top of that, The Peace Corps office actually used to be a recording studio!!

Kingston itself actually reminds me a lot of Dakar Senegal. Which is great because it feels kind of familiar, but I also have to catch myself because I want to greet everyone in Wolof and French lol. I constantly have to keep reminding myself, no Eric they speak English. Kind of a fun lil challenge... although I do kind of miss having English reserved as a secret tongue amongst Americans...

Well, I should read some of my manuals. Its a lot more self teaching this time around. My next post I will go more into detail about what the country itself has been like so far. The culture is truly unique...

New Beginning in Jamaica Mon

So as most of you know, recently the Peace Corps suspended the volunteer program in Mauritania back in August. Since then, I applied for and got a position with the Peace Corps Response in Jamaica (where I am right now).

In case your are not familiar, the Peace Corps Response is basically the graduate school of the Peace Corps world. You had to have already served successfully in another country before applying. Peace Corps Response is meant to address very specific needs of an organization or country. In my case, I will be working with the Negril Environmental Protection Trust (NEPT) to help increase tourism to their Royal Palm Reserve in Negril Jamaica. Essentially, I will be helping them to rewrite their current marketing plan and find innovative ways to entice people to visit the reserve. I will be at this post for 6 months (Nov 30, 2009-June 2, 2010).

Anywho, please keep up with my blog and I will be keeping you updated mon...

Axel-Rod Gym

Just recently we found a little gym in Rosso (my regional capital). Myself, Brandon, and Nick have taken to calling the gym Axel-Rod's gym. Primarily because the gym is made from old car parts. There is a bench press, where the bar is literally a driveshaft and two tires or either side. They have also filled a large container with sand, tied it to a rope and pulley system to work your arms. The dumbbells are coffee cans filled with cement and a bar running between. All of the things are amazing ingenious and pretty effective!

We even have a personal trainer named Amadou to help us out. He literally might be the most muscular Mauritanian I have ever seen. He also wears glasses and is kind of nerdy, so we have taken to calling him Steve Urkle on steroids. But in all he is a really nice guy and really likes helping us out. Although he can be a bit of a know it all....The gym itself is housed in a family's courtyard. Which means, that there are always a lot of people watching you. The wives, grandparents, children, and visitors sort of serve as a cheering section for us, clapping and wooting whenever we have a good set.

I will try and get some pictures up soon. Its going to be a little bit more difficult since my computer was recently knocked off a table and is not broken. So I am working on our bureau computers which can be a teenzy bit slow. But no worries, things will go on :-)

The Wild Animals of Ganni

Today, I figured I would provide everyone with a little information about all of the different animals that live in or near Ganni. When talking with the other volunteers around Mauritania, it seems like my village has the widest variety of wildlife around. Still not a lot compared to other African countries, but interesting all the same.

So lets begin…


Monkeys: Ganni has a many troops of small monkeys that live around the village. (a few people keep them as pets too). For my cooperative, monkeys are probably the most annoying and successful pests in their field. It’s amazing how smart these animals really are. They will literally plan attacks to steal our tomatoes and watermelons. The monkeys will send out a scout, who will watch all of our positions in the field and then, when everyone is far enough way, he will call his buddies and literally like 10-20 monkeys will come running over this ridge and raid our field. They will grab anything they can and bolt before any of us can even reach them. Some of them will even climb up trees and eat the stuff in front of you out of spite. These animals are really ridiculous.



Warthogs: There is also a large amount of African Warthogs living around the village. People do not keep these as animals as pets. They are way too dirty, and plus there is a social stigma against them because of the laws of Islam. The males can weigh up to like 300 pounds, pretty fricken big haha. They are also pests in the fields, but prefer to eat the squash. However, they are a little dumb, so they’re easier to keep out. I have gone hunting for them with my friend Aliune. We were able to shoot and kill a large male. The other volunteers and I were actually going to eat it for this past Thanksgiving. However, the meat ended up going bad before we were able to. I was rather bummed about the whole prospect. My cooperative was just happy to have one less pest around their field.


Desert Monitors: Mostly near the river, you can find a good deal of desert monitors. There are big lizards (up to 5-6 feet in length) that live in the areas around Ganni. They are a little shyer, so I don’t see them as often as the warthogs and monkeys. However, whenever I do see one, they always give me a little jolt because you don’t see them until the start running away from you. Sometimes, they wait until your pretty close to them. When I first got to Ganni, people used to tell me that they have seen crocodiles in the water, but they were actually just seeing the larger desert monitors swimming. Still a pretty impressive site all the same.


Marmots: The marmots are small little ground rodents that act as the squirrels in my village. They almost look like a cross between an American squirrel and an African meerkat. I’ll see these little guys always running around outside my house in village. They pretty much just behave like regular squirrels. However, I have not seen one climb a tree. They have these little holes they live in on the ground. They’re cute animals though.

Otters: I have only seen these animals twice since I’ve been here. I’m honestly not even sure if that’s exactly what they are. But, that’s what they look like to me, long brown mammals that swim in the river. Obviously not a lot of these animals around, and they are very very shy.


Eagles: There is also a good deal of eagles around Ganni. Two people keep injured ones as pets. They are pretty impressive looking birds of prey. The species in Ganni actually looks similar to a bald eagle. They stand about two and a half feet tall with giant talons. My friends always warn me to stay away from the ones that are kept as pets. Apparently they are rather temperamental. It took me forever to figure out that this weird noise/call I heard in Ganni was actually the eagles. Their call almost sounds like a really weird human laugh. Its really really hard to explain exactly. I’ll try and get a recording one day.

So that’s pretty much it for the wildlife in and around Ganni; with the exception of course of the flies and mosquitoes. But I hate them and they don’t deserve to be in my blog entry lol. Next time I’ll write about the domestic animals of Mauritania! Oh joy, oh rapture! I bet you will be sitting on the edge of your seat until then. So for now “si jamm” go with peace. (Your response to “si jamm” in Wolof would be “jamm ak jamm” peace with peace)

The Hardest Part

You know, thinking about my Peace Corps service thus far. I have come to realize the hardest part about serving. Its not the ridiculously hot weather, the inability to communicate, the homesickness, the pestering children, the insane amount of flies and mosquitoes, or even overstuffed taxis.

Its not being able to be there for your family and friends back home when they need you. That for me, is the hardest part about my service.....

New Layout

Gotta keep it fresh.... Thus, I decided to change my blog layout. I think its a little more visually appealing like this. What do ya think?

My Friends (Part 1): Mbaay Fall

So I think every couple of weeks I'm going to write a small blurb about good Mauritanian friends of mine, who I have met along the way here.

I figured I would start this new section out by talking about my official "Community Contact" as declared by the Peace Corps.

His name is Mbaay Fall and he lives in my village Ganni with me. Honestly he is probably one of my favorite people I have met here. A lot of times with the Peace Corps, the volunteers don't really get along too well with their assigned community contacts. Usually it boils down to cultural differences or the fact the contact is just too busy to help. Or in the case of my one friend Chelsy, kind of a creeper.

But, A community contact is a person the PC finds in your village to help you find work there and integrate into the community. Most of the time, the contacts have worked with Peace Corp Volunteers in the past and has a pretty good idea how things are run. For myself, Mbaay Fall has been absolutely great. Even though he is rather intimidating when you first meet him. He is probably one of the largest Mauritanians I have met with this really deep booming voice. However, the guy really does have a heart of gold. He lives with his wife Colette and 6 daughters!! I also have to say, that his daughters are quite possibly the best behaved and most helpful children in this country. Most of the kids are little jerks!! lol But his daughters are fantasticly nice.

In Ganni itself, Mbaay is a teacher at the elementary school there. He teaches mainly French to the students and some history too. He is also the President of the cooperative I work with G.D.D. . Which may be one of the most well organized farming co-ops in Mauritania. I have also been told that is the main contact in the community for health. Needless to say he is a man of many talents.

Plus, he has really gone so far out of his way to make sure that I am looked out for in village. So thank you Mbaay for being such a great friend to me.

(He's the person on the left in the photo)

Centre Satara (The Diabled Women's Co-Op)

This past year, my friend Rachel Chapin has been working with a disabled women's sewing co-op based here in Rosso. The co-op actually situated behind the CREN, which is a center to help women with the health of their babies. Both the CREN and sewing co-op are operated by a great bunch of Catholic nuns living here too. They really are the nicest ladies in the world.

About the Co-op:
It is currently a group of 4-6 women who all have physical disabilities in some shape, way, or form. The co-op was created back in 1995 as a way to help these women earn a living. It has been going on pretty strong since then (with the help and care of nuns). Also, one nice cultural note about Mauritania (at least from what I have witnessed), is that the culture here does not really outcast people with disabilities. So most of the women in the co-op are in good spirits too. Which really helps us in motivating them.

In the past the women would mainly focus on clothes, table cloths, and woven key-chains. However, the sales were not always the best. Subsequently, in the past few years the women began to shift their focus a little bit to creating purses and bags. These have proven to be a really big hit with Peace Corp volunteers and French tourists. Thus, the women have recently become interested in exporting their goods to the US.

The Project:
Rachel was already sort of the liaison between the co-op and the Peace Corps. She would sell a lot of their products at our various events. Then this past Christmas, I also had the privilege to help sell some purses for them at our shindig up in Nouakchott. Again, the purses were a big hit. Also, in the past month, the women have also started making laptop computer bags, with foam lining and everything. They used mine and Rachel's Timbuktu messenger bags as their model. They can pretty much copy anything that is shown to them. Pretty amazing.....

So right now myself, Rachel, and Justin Piper (Another Volunteer in Rosso) are putting together a project to help the ladies send their good to the states to begin selling. We are currently working with a contact in the States named Patricia Covert, who is helping us find organizations to assist with the importation.

It is still in the very beginning phases of the project, but I am still very excited. The women are also really excited for the opportunity.

So I will keep everyone posted on the progress. Also, I will try to publish some pictures of the different things they make. They are really beautiful. And believe it or not, they make all of these products on hand crank old fashion sewing machines. Truly impressive....

Back in the Saddle

Hellllloooooooooooooooo USA!!!

My blog is back up and running. I apologize about the long delays, I was just totally stumped about things to write about. Maybe it was because I was sort of stuck in a rut doing the same things. (Thanks to everyone who helped out with ideas) However, things have been pretty crazy these past two months. 1) because I had a little vacation to Morocco which was amazing! The pictures are up on facebook. And 2) because this past week I have started some really exciting projects.

So I just wanted to give you his quick update. Another entry will immediately follow this one with some cool info about the projects.

Cheers,

Eric

Writer's Block

Okay Okay Okay I know, I am a fricken horrible blogger. I am very bad at updating..

My bad haha.....

But I do want to ask for help from people, because honestly I don't know what you guys would like to hear about on my blog. Or what types of pictures or videos you would like to see..

So please, if you would give me either a comment or facebook message about what types of things you would like to hear about my Mauritania life, it would be greatly greatly appreciated. I wanna keep everyone entertained lol....

Working in the fields

Out in Ganni, life has really been interesting the past month or so. I have been finding myself working with the GDD Agricultural co-operative nearly every day. So as of right now, my typical day basically includes waking up around 6:45am and going for a morning run. After that, I make breakfast on my little propane burner (really convenient). My breakfast is usually some oatmeal and coffee or tea. Around 8:30am, the guys of GDD come and pick me up with their horse cart. We all head out to their field for work.

The work varies depending on the day. Currently, we have finished all of the planting and such, so the work has been rather light. However, when we were tilling the fields, all of the work was done by hand, so that really made for some back breaking labor. There are only 3 tools are our disposal. I hoe, rake, and spade....

Around 1:00pm, one of the guys goes back to Ganni and picks us up a lunch of Ceebu Jen (Rice and Fish). We pretty much eat this everday. Its a love hate relationship lol. Sometimes, I am just like man, rice and fish again. But, its usually rather tasty and when I'm hungry, no matter how many times I've eaten it, I still get excited....so yeah love hate relationship.

After lunch we have a quick nap and tea. This is sort of like the tradition in Spain of the siesta. We sleep away the hottest part of the day underneath the big tree in the field. I used to never be able to nap in the states, but I'm getting pretty used to it here.

Then back for work and at dusk we head back to Ganni...

This is sort of the typical day for me right now. I am setting up a meeting with all the guys of GDD in December to start working on an Action Plan for helping them with their business needs...

Good times :-)

Happy Election Day

Well besides from being a disenfranchised voter, election day is quite exciting in Mauritania. I am surprised by how closely the entire world is following the election. I have people coming up to me all the time either chanting Obama mainly or sometimes McCain. When I do actually get a chance to watch any satellite T.V. the election is all over the place. In this sense I am really enjoying the election from over here. We are planning an all nighter today in the Rosso office to see the conclusion of the election. So I hope everyone is well at home and I'll get more updates soon!!!

Random Act of Kindness: Today I cleaned up Brandon's house in Rosso. It needed to be done lol...

Wolof Fun

So I was thinking the other day about a few of my favorite phrases and such in my new language of Wolof an I figured I would share some with ya....

1. Fanaan ak Jamm (My favorite)
Translation: Pass the night with peace,
Their equivalent of goodnight, I just think it has a nice ring to it..

2. Fukki Bukki Guddi, Fukki Bukki Becchig (A Wolof Toung Twister)
Translation: Ten hyenas at night, ten hyenas at day.
Those words are pronounces as if oo sound in boot.

3. Ndank Ndank (a useful little phrase)
Translation: Little by little, or bit by bit
Great for all types of explanations of things

The last one was actually a phrase that I made up when attempting to translate the American proverb of "No pain no gain", it actually ends up sounding more poetic in Wolof I think....and the guys I work with in the fields right now, really like the phrase lol...

4. Suduul woon metti, amul xalis ak amul doole (My Wolof poetry)
Translation literally: Without the grace of pain, one does not have money and strength
This phrase was made when I was explaining to my friends of the GDD cooperative why I like working in the fields with them.

Location of my village Ganni

I have marked on a map of the Mauritania the approximate location of my village. Its right along the Senegal River. So I live on the border between Mauritania and Senegal.

Real work and the hot season is almost over!!

Well I just wanted to get in a short little blog today. It was a rather exciting afternoon. I had a meeting today with the branch manager of CAPEC Bank Ibu N'Jaay. CAPEC Bank is a micro-financing bank based in Mauritania. They primarily work with agricultural cooperatives in the country. Their main goal is to make credit available to those (the poor) who cannot get get credit through traditional banking institutions for a multitude of bogus reasons.

I talked to him along with the help of my friend and fellow volunteer (Mary: her French is way better than mine lol) just primarily about what steps are needed to open an account there and how to start obtaining credit. The process was surprisingly simple and I'm really excited to bring the news back to my village and the GDD cooperative (the co-op I am initially helping). If you are interested in learning more about micro-financing and the impact it can have for people in developing nations, may I recommend the book "Banker for the Poor" by Muhammed Yunus. It is truly an excellent book and explains his story in Bangladesh and about how he basically started the micro-financing movement around the world. The book really provided me with a great deal of motivation about the work I am doing with the Peace Corps.



lso, I have been getting requests from people to give more information about the the culture, climate, and general life in Mauritania. So I wanted to take a quick second to provide some general info about the weather today. Mauritania basically has three seasons:

Really Hot and Dry (March-May)
Really Really Hot and Wet (June-October)
Hot and Dry aka Cool Season "which is a relative term" (November-February)

So far I have braved the hot seasons of Mauritania where I would say it averages around 100 degrees or so. I was telling my parents the other day, that you know you live in a hot country when even the people who live here aren't used to it and complain about it everyday lol. But honestly, it has been better that what I expected and the nights here are really starting to cool off. So that is a definite plus. Well hopefully that gives you a better idea about the weather here, if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask :-)

Cheers....