Hello Everyone,

This is my very first time writing one of these ‘posts.’ My name is Jaci and I am 15 years. I have a 2-month-old sister named Charisa and my Mom, Blandina, is 38. My parents are no longer together, but I have a step – father named Hesutu, who is 42 years. My Mom and step – father cannot read or write, it is only I who can, I am also planning on teaching my sister, when she gets a bit older.

I live in a place known to us as Guanahani, which means ‘iguana.’ It is a very nice place to be, but very hot. The sun is always out and the only place that is cool is in the shade of the big, beautiful trees. Some days it rains, but I find that it only rains when the village is sad.Guanahani is not very big, with about 1, 000 people living in it. I have lots of good friends here, whom I trust with all my secrets. My closest friend is Doli, who lives right beside our hut. She is very trustworthy and fun to be around. Guanahani has the nicest people. It has many trees, everywhere! I absolutely love it! Guanahani is a very happy place and is surrounded by lots of water, which is good for swimming and bathing in.

My home is very circular and has wooden poles to hold it up. It is covered in wooden straw and palm leaves. It also kind of looks like a North American teepee, except our homes reflect light, not attract it. Many of Hesutu’s friends from work live with us, which means we have a full house of 14 people. My bed, oh I love my bed. It is a cotton hammock and holds me up off the ground. It’s so soft and comforts me on my sadder days. My baby sister, Charisa, has a beautiful cradle. It’s made from hand and has gorgeous carvings on the sides. We have only a few wooden chairs and coaches in which we use for sitting and entertaining our friends.

Right now, you all are probably wondering what I wear. Right? Well, down here in our village we believe in all natural and it is usually over 90 degrees here, so we don’t cloth our bodies all that much. Most of the men in our village go nude and the women, if they wear anything, they wear short skirts made of light cloth.

I help my Mom and stepfather around the house and in the garden tons, but unfortunately we have no schools anywhere near here. I would love to be able to go to school and learn. I just want to see what other people in the world do to help other people because of their job. I want to learn what other people learn and do the jobs that other people do. I want to do something in the world that will change it, in a good way.

We don’t make much money here, since my Mom doesn’t work due to having had Charisa. My step – father works, but only for his enjoyment, so we have very little money. We love where we live and never want to move. The nature is so wonderful to us and provides us with all that we need. The people here are so nice and kind, always saying hello and stopping to make short conversation. We hardly ever have any wars, no other people come to disturb us. It is very peaceful. I hope to write to all of you again soon.

Jaci