As I sit down in my seat all the way in back of the plane. I am worried. Not because a Jamaican American Airlines plane crashed the day before but because the Jamaican flight attendant that I met a few hours ago when my first flight was cancelled told the passengers that if the plane's doors where not closed in 15 minutes at 12:15AM this flight will be canceled and we would be stuck all night in the Dallas airport.
10 minutes pass, passengers are still boarding.... 14 minutes pass. The plane looks full..... 15 minutes pass...... 16 ….. 17 ...18....19 The pilot comes on the intercom and tells us that we will be heading to Austin! As the passengers clap the flight attendants march off the plane. Soon after the pilot announces the flight is canceled and we will be sleeping in the airport. Truthfully, I am not that disappointed, I'm happy. It's hard to explain why, I just am happy to be back in America, happy to be on this crazy adventure. We don't fly to Austin....we end up in Houston...and then off to Dallas. But, I am in America.
Christmas Miracle-
I am dressed for Jamaica not the frigged Dallas airport so when the airport turns off their heat the temperature plunges and I start to freeze. It's so cold that even with 2 long and short sleeve shirts on I still can't sleep. While walking around one of the world's largest airports I come across a odd group of people. Jamaican airport employee, gay male hairdresser, salvage diver, 30 year old blond girl and her mother, funny Mexican guy, large black guy, hysterical older women, cute young hairdresser and a businessman- all drunk and extremely loud.
I try to walk by without catching their attention but the group calls me over and asks me where I am from. Before I can finish telling them I am in the Peace Corps they have pushed a drink and my hand and have gotten me to sit down.
After about an hour of drinking (5 hours for the rest of them) the black guy tells the Mexican guy that originally he thought he recognized him because “all Mexican guys look the same”. The Mexican just smiled and said well, what's the name of your parole officer because all black guys have one. The black guy (I wish I knew their names) took offense to this and tensions was high.
An hour and few glasses later every one including both men thought this confrontation was very funny and they where laughing about it.
Another hour later, two of the group wondered off together and the hysterical women became even more hysterical and the rescue driver emotionally revealed that he knew he was meant to die underwater.
At around 5 am the Jamaican who worked for the airport and had not been drinking asked me what about which flight to Austin the rescheduled me on. I told him that I didn't even get standby for any of the first three flights of the day. The Jamaican just brought me over to a computer punched a few keys and handed me a ticket on the first flight to Austin. I couldn't believe it. It was Christmas, I was going home, and I was thrilled.
Just as fast as the night had started for me it ended. The emotional salvage driver was confronted by a cop on a Segway. The cop wanted to know who was taking care of this intoxicated man. The cop was surprised to see such an odd group of people claim responsibility. Different races, sexual orientations, ages, and nationalities, all came together that Christmas to share each others company for one of the best Christmases ever. But even the best Christmas and lots of new friends can't save a drunk salvage driver who wants to take off his pants and ride tandem with a cop on a segway...
Christmas
I'm back in Austin. Back with my family and Morgan my dog. What an adventure to get here. Good to be with family and friends.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Dec. 22nd
A soft pattering of rain wakes me from my sleep. I don't open my eyes, instead I lay here and smile. Early morning showers mean extra sleep, a break from the heat and mosquitoes and if the showers persist long enough, a relaxing day of reading.
Only after a few missed calls from friends, I finally roll out of bed. I walk to my door where I unlatch, unlock, and unbolt the 6 locks and grill that leads to the back yard and there I am greeted my a pleasant surprise. It's cold!
After cooking up a large meal I find 4 small piglets in my back yard.
Only after a few missed calls from friends, I finally roll out of bed. I walk to my door where I unlatch, unlock, and unbolt the 6 locks and grill that leads to the back yard and there I am greeted my a pleasant surprise. It's cold!
After cooking up a large meal I find 4 small piglets in my back yard.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Dec 17th
6AM The sounds of my host father getting ready for another day of hard work and the sun blazing through my window tore me from my deep sleep. Dreams of a distant past are whisked away and the reality of Jamaica comes flooding back like a cold Jamaican bucket bath.
As I lay in bed an unexpected tapping on my door startles me from my half conscience state. My host dad pauses for a response and begins to gently tap again. I consider telling him I'm sick... I take a deep breath close my eyes and hop out of bed. In the cheeriest tone I can muster- probably resembles a disgruntled Wal-Mart employee- I ask, “how I can help you Mr. Scotty?”... You need my tuning fork for your bicycle? Well, I don't know where that is but give me a second and I'll find it.
30 minutes and a room that I have torn apart later- I admit defeat. I consider trying to fall back to sleep but it's the first day of winter break and I made a promise to 18 people. A promise I wasn't going to break.
As the morning progresses I go though my typical rut- hanging the laundry I had soaked from the night before, trying to scrounge up some semi-clean cloths to wear, skipping breakfast, walking an hour to catch a taxi, “smalling up” so the driver can fix 6-8 passengers in a 4 passenger taxi, eating delicious, unhealthy, fried chicken from a road side shop and chit chatting all along the way.
11AM- Sun is up, sun is out, and I am soaked in sweat. I think to myself, “snowing at home? Couldn't be true.”
When I reach a sport/internet bar just off of the tourist “hip strip”. I plan my attack, painstakingly calculating and cross referencing each aspect. I can't make a mistake or I will be slaughtered. It's no game, these Football playoffs. Yes, I manage a football team, no not little league. It's fantasy football. But these are not the 18 I must keep a promise too.
As soon as I arrived in Montego Bay a pit in my stomach had begun to form but I take my second deep breath and I make my way to the 17 patients living at the AIDS Hospice and the staff of dedicated Jamaican's and a little nuns from the Philippines.
As I walk in the door I'm greeted by a room of warm smiles. I immediately remember why I promised the 17 residents and promised myself I would return. I talk geography with one patient, the most beautiful Churches and towns with another and discus who is the most beautiful girl who is currently on the television with the rest. The two residents began to bicker, “Oh, dat gayl is fine.” “No sir! She speaks with a southern accent!” And this lands me into a discussion on whether local schools should teach theJamaica's dialect of English in schools and if it should be considered it's own language. The conversation is comical and relaxed.
A nurse walks into the room and tells me that she is disappointed; I didn't learn anything the first day I visited. I disagree, I taught myself how to turn on the TV. I don't think she gets my humor. The rest of the day I am completely humbled, touched, heartbroken and thankful as I follow her bed to bed on her evening rounds. As I find myself next to a new resident with different complications, different amounts of pain, different lives, families and personalities; a knot of emotions begins to grow and a mantra is repeated over and over within my heart- Mother Teresa pray for us.
I promise I will soon be back.
As I lay in bed an unexpected tapping on my door startles me from my half conscience state. My host dad pauses for a response and begins to gently tap again. I consider telling him I'm sick... I take a deep breath close my eyes and hop out of bed. In the cheeriest tone I can muster- probably resembles a disgruntled Wal-Mart employee- I ask, “how I can help you Mr. Scotty?”... You need my tuning fork for your bicycle? Well, I don't know where that is but give me a second and I'll find it.
30 minutes and a room that I have torn apart later- I admit defeat. I consider trying to fall back to sleep but it's the first day of winter break and I made a promise to 18 people. A promise I wasn't going to break.
As the morning progresses I go though my typical rut- hanging the laundry I had soaked from the night before, trying to scrounge up some semi-clean cloths to wear, skipping breakfast, walking an hour to catch a taxi, “smalling up” so the driver can fix 6-8 passengers in a 4 passenger taxi, eating delicious, unhealthy, fried chicken from a road side shop and chit chatting all along the way.
11AM- Sun is up, sun is out, and I am soaked in sweat. I think to myself, “snowing at home? Couldn't be true.”
When I reach a sport/internet bar just off of the tourist “hip strip”. I plan my attack, painstakingly calculating and cross referencing each aspect. I can't make a mistake or I will be slaughtered. It's no game, these Football playoffs. Yes, I manage a football team, no not little league. It's fantasy football. But these are not the 18 I must keep a promise too.
As soon as I arrived in Montego Bay a pit in my stomach had begun to form but I take my second deep breath and I make my way to the 17 patients living at the AIDS Hospice and the staff of dedicated Jamaican's and a little nuns from the Philippines.
As I walk in the door I'm greeted by a room of warm smiles. I immediately remember why I promised the 17 residents and promised myself I would return. I talk geography with one patient, the most beautiful Churches and towns with another and discus who is the most beautiful girl who is currently on the television with the rest. The two residents began to bicker, “Oh, dat gayl is fine.” “No sir! She speaks with a southern accent!” And this lands me into a discussion on whether local schools should teach theJamaica's dialect of English in schools and if it should be considered it's own language. The conversation is comical and relaxed.
A nurse walks into the room and tells me that she is disappointed; I didn't learn anything the first day I visited. I disagree, I taught myself how to turn on the TV. I don't think she gets my humor. The rest of the day I am completely humbled, touched, heartbroken and thankful as I follow her bed to bed on her evening rounds. As I find myself next to a new resident with different complications, different amounts of pain, different lives, families and personalities; a knot of emotions begins to grow and a mantra is repeated over and over within my heart- Mother Teresa pray for us.
I promise I will soon be back.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Two for one
Take it a day at a time
Host dad- “Now Gavin, don't forget to turn the water off before the drum in the kitchen overflows”.
Me- “Sure thing!”
An hour later, I walk into the kitchen to find an inch of water covering the floor. I hurry back to my room and rip my sheets off my bed, gather all my towels and spend the next hour draining the kitchen.
While doing my hour walk home from Machmount Road I think to myself. I am practically a local. No one would mess with me out here in the bush. While distracted by my thoughts a car pulls over and a young man jumps out, and says, you want a ride? When I jump in the middle seat between two guys and realize I don't know any of the 4 young men in the car. I think to myself, I'm dead....Dodged another bullet.
Crime Update-
I can't express how much this saddens me-
While walking home from Mass I ran into two guys. One of the guys informed me that the previous night a 80+ year old that lives in my community and that I really enjoy visiting was raped. Please say a prayer for her and her family.
My first day at the Hope AIDS Hospice was terrific. When I arrived I almost turned back when no one was at the front desk to greet me but I reluctantly went right on in. First thing I noticed was the beautiful music; an American priest was leading the residents in prayer with his guitar . Then I was saddened to see how many patients where without their legs. Later I was told AIDS increases complications associated with diabetes. Overall, the experience was terrific- the patients seemed to enjoy my company, and I had a great time chatting with the residents and occasionally helping the nuns out with small chores.
A giant gecko visits me at 10 or 11pm each night for 30 minutes. He runs along the top of my wall and eats all the bugs that hangout above my window. Today when I was running late for school I noticed the lizard stuck in my mouse glue trap! This lizard is one of the few stabilizers I have and I can't afford to lose him. Fortunately, last week I stepped on one of my glue traps, barefooted. I had to check the box to make sure they were not toxic and while checking I read that the glue can be removed with oil from peanut butter. I spent the next hour applying cooking oil and trying to gently pry the lizard off with a pen.
For Jame's (PCV) birthday a few of us went to Dr's Cove Beach in Montego Bay. In the past I have described how beautiful this beach is but I was shocked to discover there is a decent coral reef just a hundred yards off the beach. I saw a few colorful fish, a spotted eel, sting ray, and even bumped my face into a huge brain coral while trying to pose for a picture. Because of the large amount pollution that runs into MoBay I was surprised to see so much life right off the coast. Amazing. This makes me believe that the boats that go off on snorkeling and scuba adventures might actually be a lot of fun.
Host dad- “Now Gavin, don't forget to turn the water off before the drum in the kitchen overflows”.
Me- “Sure thing!”
An hour later, I walk into the kitchen to find an inch of water covering the floor. I hurry back to my room and rip my sheets off my bed, gather all my towels and spend the next hour draining the kitchen.
While doing my hour walk home from Machmount Road I think to myself. I am practically a local. No one would mess with me out here in the bush. While distracted by my thoughts a car pulls over and a young man jumps out, and says, you want a ride? When I jump in the middle seat between two guys and realize I don't know any of the 4 young men in the car. I think to myself, I'm dead....Dodged another bullet.
Crime Update-
I can't express how much this saddens me-
While walking home from Mass I ran into two guys. One of the guys informed me that the previous night a 80+ year old that lives in my community and that I really enjoy visiting was raped. Please say a prayer for her and her family.
My first day at the Hope AIDS Hospice was terrific. When I arrived I almost turned back when no one was at the front desk to greet me but I reluctantly went right on in. First thing I noticed was the beautiful music; an American priest was leading the residents in prayer with his guitar . Then I was saddened to see how many patients where without their legs. Later I was told AIDS increases complications associated with diabetes. Overall, the experience was terrific- the patients seemed to enjoy my company, and I had a great time chatting with the residents and occasionally helping the nuns out with small chores.
A giant gecko visits me at 10 or 11pm each night for 30 minutes. He runs along the top of my wall and eats all the bugs that hangout above my window. Today when I was running late for school I noticed the lizard stuck in my mouse glue trap! This lizard is one of the few stabilizers I have and I can't afford to lose him. Fortunately, last week I stepped on one of my glue traps, barefooted. I had to check the box to make sure they were not toxic and while checking I read that the glue can be removed with oil from peanut butter. I spent the next hour applying cooking oil and trying to gently pry the lizard off with a pen.
For Jame's (PCV) birthday a few of us went to Dr's Cove Beach in Montego Bay. In the past I have described how beautiful this beach is but I was shocked to discover there is a decent coral reef just a hundred yards off the beach. I saw a few colorful fish, a spotted eel, sting ray, and even bumped my face into a huge brain coral while trying to pose for a picture. Because of the large amount pollution that runs into MoBay I was surprised to see so much life right off the coast. Amazing. This makes me believe that the boats that go off on snorkeling and scuba adventures might actually be a lot of fun.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Packing list at the bottom
When my mom visited me last week we skipped the tourist stops and went straight to my community. We ventured to my site on public transportation, squeezing into a mini bus with 15 seats that probably had 25 kids already smushed in there. When we arrived at my site we were immediately greeted by a woman who enthusiastically informed my mother that she came during a great time because that night there was going to be a funeral party for a man that killed himself.... My mom did not share in the enthusiasm.
We spent the majority of mom's trip in my community where she had to bucket bathe, hand wash cloths and walk in the relentless Caribbean heat. Though it was a difficult and trying experience, mom seemed to love every second of it. The children as well as the adults loved meeting her. We were able to give a tooth brushing demonstration to the school and complete a housing application for a needy family. She left an impression on my community and I am sure my community did the same.
Highlights of the trip included introducing my mom to 5 of my friends at a bar in Kingston, seeing a family selling what looked like an endangered bird, watching the sunset and sunrise, being robbed of my groceries, cooking a Jamaican meal for my mom (she wasn't hungry), listening to vulgar Jamaican music in the taxi, visiting the clothing bazaar in Montego Bay, being sucked into local disputes, enjoying walks to school with the kids, and watching the kids play cricket in the square at night.
I loved spending time with my mom and have really appreciated everyone who has visited me. Remember everyone is welcome to visit.
This morning I realized I misplaced my wallet. The last place I remembered it was in my camera bag which I had earlier caught a kid at school rummaging though. I pulled the kid out of class and asked him if he had forgotten to return it, but he claimed he never saw it. I was almost certain he took it as a joke and forgot to return it, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. And thank God I did. The wallet turned out to be right where I left it in the camera bag. It was so remarkably similar in color to my camera bag, it virtually disappeared when I placed it inside.
----
Peace Corps- aka international house arrest.
Walking back from visiting a friend's home
Stranger- “You know there are crazy people on the street today.”
Me- “You mean more than normal?”
Stranger- “No”
Me- When is Thanksgiving today?
James- Yesterday
Me- I mean, when is thanksgiving dinner today?
James- Tomorrow
Thought of the Day-
Just because someone is a bumbaclot and has lived in Jamaica for over 6 months doesn't make them a Jamaican.
Packing list for future PVC's Peace Corps Volunteers:
First, general advice:
Electronics in Jamaica are heavily taxed and are out of date. A great deal of the clothing looks like it came from an American store's sales racks and is overpriced.
-External hard drive, must have.
-Laptop. Mine broke after a few months so I got a netbook and it works great. Light and has a long battery life. I have a small radio I use instead of my netbook's crapy speakers. All you need is a cheap audio cord to connect the two devices.
-Digital Camera
-Business casual clothing, think... “what would I want to wear if I had to go to church in a sauna?”
-BEST ADVICE- Guys lose weight and girls gain. I wish I had bought smaller jeans.
Peace Corps provides bug repellent but sometimes it's a cream and I can't stand that stuff.
-Heather group 80 says phonics flash cards from Target.
-A few good books (if you have room)
-Anything to kill time, guitar, Ipod, gameboy ...
-Contacts if you like, no reason not to bring them
-I wouldn't recommend snorkel gear, takes up too much room and nothing worth seeing
-International phone credit is CHEAP, 1000 minutes for 15 USD so make sure you bring phone numbers
-Heather group 80 - Quick dry towels (look for Peace Corps discounts)
-I love my Keens (sandals) because they dry so quickly and they offer PVC's 45% off. They do look funny. I read somewhere that I shouldn't bring my sandals to Jamaica; that was horrible advice. Bring a pair for weekends or for just stepping outside. Not for work.
-Bill Nye the Science Guy, Magic School Bus, Walker Texas Ranger, How to Texas Two Step, and Bay Watch DVD's (better if you can turn everything into digital format so that you can share it with other PCV's)
-Tin group 80- Satchel book bag, not backpack.
-Gifts for host family (not necessary) A mug from your home state (Don't mess with Texas), calendar, my mom brought my host dad rechargeable batteries and that was a huge hit.
-Waterproof pillowcase. Man up and don't bring your pillow from home. Buy one here. They are uncomfortable but buying one here will save space.
-Tin group 80- Buy a beard/hair trimmer here. The electrical current is slightly different and this reduces the effectiveness of American devices.
-Multi-tools are cool but I think they are not worth the big price tag
-Flashlight, some volunteers recommend a crank powered flash light but again I think this is a waste of money. Save the money of a crank flashlight and buy a cheap one with lots of batteries and still have money left over for a Red Stripe or 3.
-Pictures of family
-Peace Corps allowed my group to pick out our own cell phones and if they allow you to do this GET THE PHONE WITH THE FLASH LIGHT!!!!!!! I wish I had that thing on many occasions. You get cell phones the first week or even the first day you are here. If your American cell phone can have a sim card placed in it, bring it.
-If you have a type of skill, bring whatever you will need to utilize it. I brought a small set of bicycle tools and a PVC pipe cutter and they have come in handy.
-Flash Drive(s). I have some really small ones that I use for word documents.
-Water bottle (I don't have one but wish I did)
-Hat and sunglasses but you can buy those here
-Head-lamps and lights for reading are recommended but I HATE them for reading. When the rest of the lights on your room are off they attract bugs.
-Things like an iron you will buy here
-Most importantly bring a good sense of humor and flexibility.
-Don't spent money on crazy stuff like insect repellent, earmuffs or a hiking backpack, or anything you see in Sky Mall- that stuff is not needed and will make you look out of place more than you already do.
We spent the majority of mom's trip in my community where she had to bucket bathe, hand wash cloths and walk in the relentless Caribbean heat. Though it was a difficult and trying experience, mom seemed to love every second of it. The children as well as the adults loved meeting her. We were able to give a tooth brushing demonstration to the school and complete a housing application for a needy family. She left an impression on my community and I am sure my community did the same.
Highlights of the trip included introducing my mom to 5 of my friends at a bar in Kingston, seeing a family selling what looked like an endangered bird, watching the sunset and sunrise, being robbed of my groceries, cooking a Jamaican meal for my mom (she wasn't hungry), listening to vulgar Jamaican music in the taxi, visiting the clothing bazaar in Montego Bay, being sucked into local disputes, enjoying walks to school with the kids, and watching the kids play cricket in the square at night.
I loved spending time with my mom and have really appreciated everyone who has visited me. Remember everyone is welcome to visit.
This morning I realized I misplaced my wallet. The last place I remembered it was in my camera bag which I had earlier caught a kid at school rummaging though. I pulled the kid out of class and asked him if he had forgotten to return it, but he claimed he never saw it. I was almost certain he took it as a joke and forgot to return it, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. And thank God I did. The wallet turned out to be right where I left it in the camera bag. It was so remarkably similar in color to my camera bag, it virtually disappeared when I placed it inside.
----
Peace Corps- aka international house arrest.
Walking back from visiting a friend's home
Stranger- “You know there are crazy people on the street today.”
Me- “You mean more than normal?”
Stranger- “No”
Me- When is Thanksgiving today?
James- Yesterday
Me- I mean, when is thanksgiving dinner today?
James- Tomorrow
Thought of the Day-
Just because someone is a bumbaclot and has lived in Jamaica for over 6 months doesn't make them a Jamaican.
Packing list for future PVC's Peace Corps Volunteers:
First, general advice:
Electronics in Jamaica are heavily taxed and are out of date. A great deal of the clothing looks like it came from an American store's sales racks and is overpriced.
-External hard drive, must have.
-Laptop. Mine broke after a few months so I got a netbook and it works great. Light and has a long battery life. I have a small radio I use instead of my netbook's crapy speakers. All you need is a cheap audio cord to connect the two devices.
-Digital Camera
-Business casual clothing, think... “what would I want to wear if I had to go to church in a sauna?”
-BEST ADVICE- Guys lose weight and girls gain. I wish I had bought smaller jeans.
Peace Corps provides bug repellent but sometimes it's a cream and I can't stand that stuff.
-Heather group 80 says phonics flash cards from Target.
-A few good books (if you have room)
-Anything to kill time, guitar, Ipod, gameboy ...
-Contacts if you like, no reason not to bring them
-I wouldn't recommend snorkel gear, takes up too much room and nothing worth seeing
-International phone credit is CHEAP, 1000 minutes for 15 USD so make sure you bring phone numbers
-Heather group 80 - Quick dry towels (look for Peace Corps discounts)
-I love my Keens (sandals) because they dry so quickly and they offer PVC's 45% off. They do look funny. I read somewhere that I shouldn't bring my sandals to Jamaica; that was horrible advice. Bring a pair for weekends or for just stepping outside. Not for work.
-Bill Nye the Science Guy, Magic School Bus, Walker Texas Ranger, How to Texas Two Step, and Bay Watch DVD's (better if you can turn everything into digital format so that you can share it with other PCV's)
-Tin group 80- Satchel book bag, not backpack.
-Gifts for host family (not necessary) A mug from your home state (Don't mess with Texas), calendar, my mom brought my host dad rechargeable batteries and that was a huge hit.
-Waterproof pillowcase. Man up and don't bring your pillow from home. Buy one here. They are uncomfortable but buying one here will save space.
-Tin group 80- Buy a beard/hair trimmer here. The electrical current is slightly different and this reduces the effectiveness of American devices.
-Multi-tools are cool but I think they are not worth the big price tag
-Flashlight, some volunteers recommend a crank powered flash light but again I think this is a waste of money. Save the money of a crank flashlight and buy a cheap one with lots of batteries and still have money left over for a Red Stripe or 3.
-Pictures of family
-Peace Corps allowed my group to pick out our own cell phones and if they allow you to do this GET THE PHONE WITH THE FLASH LIGHT!!!!!!! I wish I had that thing on many occasions. You get cell phones the first week or even the first day you are here. If your American cell phone can have a sim card placed in it, bring it.
-If you have a type of skill, bring whatever you will need to utilize it. I brought a small set of bicycle tools and a PVC pipe cutter and they have come in handy.
-Flash Drive(s). I have some really small ones that I use for word documents.
-Water bottle (I don't have one but wish I did)
-Hat and sunglasses but you can buy those here
-Head-lamps and lights for reading are recommended but I HATE them for reading. When the rest of the lights on your room are off they attract bugs.
-Things like an iron you will buy here
-Most importantly bring a good sense of humor and flexibility.
-Don't spent money on crazy stuff like insect repellent, earmuffs or a hiking backpack, or anything you see in Sky Mall- that stuff is not needed and will make you look out of place more than you already do.
Monday, November 30, 2009
No phone
My grandmother use to tell me that I would lose my head if it wasn’t screwed on.
This morning when I realized I left my phone in a taxi I thought to myself “No big deal, I’m a Peace Corps volunteer, nothing can stress me out.” Two seconds later I realized I also misplaced my debt card.” No phone, no money, in a foreign country... I need a take back, I was stressed.
Luckily everyone knows me and I already have spoken to two different people telling me someone has found it and it looking for me. It shouldn’t be difficult for them to find the only white guy in town.
Spread the word, tomorrow is World Aids Day.
For Thanksgiving two PCV’s and I eat at Burger King. Thanksgiving weekend 40+ volunteers and I spent the weekend in Negril. Friday night a large group of us went out to a local/tourist club. At first all the guys where very surprised with the number of Jamaican girls that seemed very interested in us. 5 minutes later we all meet up to share our crazy stories, turns out the common theme was every girl we spoke with was a prostitute. :( No thank you. This is not common at all in Jamaica, well not that I am aware of.
My mom sent me a Bill Nye the Science Guy DVD on pollution. Coolest idea EVER. I have watched the DVD and I think the kids are going to love it, plus Bill Nye does great experiments that I can replicate in class. Sure it's an American show so not all the jokes the kids will get but I'll be there to translate and make my own jokes. At first teaching was very stressful and not productive at all but now the more fun I have it seems the more the kids learn so it’s a “win win, win” – The Office
This morning when I realized I left my phone in a taxi I thought to myself “No big deal, I’m a Peace Corps volunteer, nothing can stress me out.” Two seconds later I realized I also misplaced my debt card.” No phone, no money, in a foreign country... I need a take back, I was stressed.
Luckily everyone knows me and I already have spoken to two different people telling me someone has found it and it looking for me. It shouldn’t be difficult for them to find the only white guy in town.
Spread the word, tomorrow is World Aids Day.
For Thanksgiving two PCV’s and I eat at Burger King. Thanksgiving weekend 40+ volunteers and I spent the weekend in Negril. Friday night a large group of us went out to a local/tourist club. At first all the guys where very surprised with the number of Jamaican girls that seemed very interested in us. 5 minutes later we all meet up to share our crazy stories, turns out the common theme was every girl we spoke with was a prostitute. :( No thank you. This is not common at all in Jamaica, well not that I am aware of.
My mom sent me a Bill Nye the Science Guy DVD on pollution. Coolest idea EVER. I have watched the DVD and I think the kids are going to love it, plus Bill Nye does great experiments that I can replicate in class. Sure it's an American show so not all the jokes the kids will get but I'll be there to translate and make my own jokes. At first teaching was very stressful and not productive at all but now the more fun I have it seems the more the kids learn so it’s a “win win, win” – The Office
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Water Fountian Project
After reading the book Ugly American I started looking around my community for a small project that could have a large impact. While brainstorming at school I became very frustrated that a teacher had locked off the drinking station because the school was concerned that some of the students where wasting water. When the school opened the drinking station I was offered a cup but no students where so I declined the cup and drank for my hands like the rest of the students...
3 Problems- (and this is a very common problem in Jamaica)
1 Limited water supply at schools.
2 Large volume of water is wasted by current method of accessing drinking water
3 Current method of accessing water is unsanitary. No Soap
Solution- Water Fountain
Problem still Unresolved- Inconstant pressure makes adjusting water fountain impossible. As seen in the video students occasionally are soaked.
Cost- About $40 USD for water fountain and $10 for pipe. I don't know how Peace Corps would feel about me soliciting money but I think I am allowed to ask for friends and family to send me birthday money; for my birthday I would enjoy installing another water fountain. (I have spoken to many plumbing retailers in Montego Bay and none of them could refer me to a shop that sold water fountain heads, purchased online)
3 Problems- (and this is a very common problem in Jamaica)
1 Limited water supply at schools.
2 Large volume of water is wasted by current method of accessing drinking water
3 Current method of accessing water is unsanitary. No Soap
Solution- Water Fountain
Problem still Unresolved- Inconstant pressure makes adjusting water fountain impossible. As seen in the video students occasionally are soaked.
Cost- About $40 USD for water fountain and $10 for pipe. I don't know how Peace Corps would feel about me soliciting money but I think I am allowed to ask for friends and family to send me birthday money; for my birthday I would enjoy installing another water fountain. (I have spoken to many plumbing retailers in Montego Bay and none of them could refer me to a shop that sold water fountain heads, purchased online)
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
October 25th Sunday
“long ways draw sweat, short cuts draw blood”
Person- “Gavin, ask your family back home to send me money. Christian people s give money, and they are Christian right? So they should give me money.”
Me- “Well, have you considered getting a small business loan to start your business?”
Person-- “Yeah I got one a few years ago; I want to get another one of those, it was really nice”
Me- “You paid if off right?”
Person- “You don't need to pay those off if the bank can't find you.”
Me- “What do you think caused the man to take his own life?”
Supervisor- “I don't know why the man committed suicide, he didn't have kids or a wife..... wait... GAVIN! Don't you committee suicide too!”
Child- “Gavin your hair is getting long again!”
Me- Should I get it cut? Or do you like it long”
Child- it's not long enough for cornrows so you should grow it out”
Me- “Deal”
I am currently writing this blog as I wait for Sunday service to began. Because transportation is so unreliable, especially on Sunday, I tend to get to church an hour early to insure that I'm not late. I have to walk 45 minutes down a muddy farm field to reach the road where I hitch hike an hour to a Church just outside of Montego Bay. Many Jamaican's think I am insane for passing so many churchs but
it's well worth it.
I have started a side project organizing a health fair for Food for the Poor. This brings me into Food for the Poor's office in Montego Bay once a week. Ask anyone in Jamaica, I LOVE Montego Bay. Unfortunately, because of the high level of crime there I am only allowed to be there once a week.
Dear President Obama:
Mice are invading my room. Please send back up.
Thank you a for the prompt counter insurgency,
Gavin Finnegan PVC
The Stonehenge Development Club recently entered into a parish wide cricket tournament. Unfortunately, most the residents of Stonehenge believe that the cricket tournament suffices for a club meeting so the club no longer meets.
My mom sent me a tube of tennis balls, aka cricket balls. I originally made the mistake of buying cheap balls in the market. These balls burst after the first big whack. The ones she sent me are legit... After school about 6 youngsters and I practice in the square. I am SOOOOOO bad. According to the kids it's because I played baseball and don't know how to protect the wicket.... Today a line drive was hit at me. I was able to get in front of the ball; normally I would have caught the ball but this time as it deflected off my body and my glasses fell off. Needless to say, I was unable to catch the ball because I could barely see it. I even had to have a kid come over and find my glasses for me. Lame. Even though I am not better than the 5 year-old, the kids love playing with me. I think it's because they love making me look bad, but I enjoy it too.
With my assistance the club has been able to acquire some small donations of food, vitamins, shoes, books, pillow cases, tooth brushes, children golf clubs and moisturizers (I took everything I could get my hands on). Distribution of this aid has NOT been the best experience.... LIFE LESSION- In developing countries the majority of people are needy. The difficulty in distributing aid is determining who is the most needy, trying to explain to community members that they are not needy enough to receive aid and trying to avoid the negative effects of aid- like developing dependencies on the aid. Fortunately, before I got in over my head, Peace Corps advised me to not take part in any distribution activities. I now work way in the background keeping records of how the aid is distributed.
A month ago the taxi driver that comes up to Stonehenge raised his fare by about 80 cents. This small increase has caused a big headache for me. The already infrequent taxi now has less people willing to pay the exorbitant fare so now the taxi takes even longer to fill. It's difficult to explain but I'll give it a shot:
I need to travel from point A to point D. To ride in a automobile the entire way I have to go from point A to point B and than travel to point D for a cost of $3 and 3 hours of traveling/waiting for the connection that may or may not come. The other option is traveling by bus from point A to point C and walking though a isolated and muddy farm field to point D. This way only costs $1.50 and takes 2 hours. Both options are a pain.
Richard and Gale and I visited Lucea last week. There Richard and I placed 2nd place in a horse shoe competition that had some stiff competition. I had a terrific time hanging out with them.
I better run to church.
Big up
Person- “Gavin, ask your family back home to send me money. Christian people s give money, and they are Christian right? So they should give me money.”
Me- “Well, have you considered getting a small business loan to start your business?”
Person-- “Yeah I got one a few years ago; I want to get another one of those, it was really nice”
Me- “You paid if off right?”
Person- “You don't need to pay those off if the bank can't find you.”
Me- “What do you think caused the man to take his own life?”
Supervisor- “I don't know why the man committed suicide, he didn't have kids or a wife..... wait... GAVIN! Don't you committee suicide too!”
Child- “Gavin your hair is getting long again!”
Me- Should I get it cut? Or do you like it long”
Child- it's not long enough for cornrows so you should grow it out”
Me- “Deal”
I am currently writing this blog as I wait for Sunday service to began. Because transportation is so unreliable, especially on Sunday, I tend to get to church an hour early to insure that I'm not late. I have to walk 45 minutes down a muddy farm field to reach the road where I hitch hike an hour to a Church just outside of Montego Bay. Many Jamaican's think I am insane for passing so many churchs but
it's well worth it.
I have started a side project organizing a health fair for Food for the Poor. This brings me into Food for the Poor's office in Montego Bay once a week. Ask anyone in Jamaica, I LOVE Montego Bay. Unfortunately, because of the high level of crime there I am only allowed to be there once a week.
Dear President Obama:
Mice are invading my room. Please send back up.
Thank you a for the prompt counter insurgency,
Gavin Finnegan PVC
The Stonehenge Development Club recently entered into a parish wide cricket tournament. Unfortunately, most the residents of Stonehenge believe that the cricket tournament suffices for a club meeting so the club no longer meets.
My mom sent me a tube of tennis balls, aka cricket balls. I originally made the mistake of buying cheap balls in the market. These balls burst after the first big whack. The ones she sent me are legit... After school about 6 youngsters and I practice in the square. I am SOOOOOO bad. According to the kids it's because I played baseball and don't know how to protect the wicket.... Today a line drive was hit at me. I was able to get in front of the ball; normally I would have caught the ball but this time as it deflected off my body and my glasses fell off. Needless to say, I was unable to catch the ball because I could barely see it. I even had to have a kid come over and find my glasses for me. Lame. Even though I am not better than the 5 year-old, the kids love playing with me. I think it's because they love making me look bad, but I enjoy it too.
With my assistance the club has been able to acquire some small donations of food, vitamins, shoes, books, pillow cases, tooth brushes, children golf clubs and moisturizers (I took everything I could get my hands on). Distribution of this aid has NOT been the best experience.... LIFE LESSION- In developing countries the majority of people are needy. The difficulty in distributing aid is determining who is the most needy, trying to explain to community members that they are not needy enough to receive aid and trying to avoid the negative effects of aid- like developing dependencies on the aid. Fortunately, before I got in over my head, Peace Corps advised me to not take part in any distribution activities. I now work way in the background keeping records of how the aid is distributed.
A month ago the taxi driver that comes up to Stonehenge raised his fare by about 80 cents. This small increase has caused a big headache for me. The already infrequent taxi now has less people willing to pay the exorbitant fare so now the taxi takes even longer to fill. It's difficult to explain but I'll give it a shot:
I need to travel from point A to point D. To ride in a automobile the entire way I have to go from point A to point B and than travel to point D for a cost of $3 and 3 hours of traveling/waiting for the connection that may or may not come. The other option is traveling by bus from point A to point C and walking though a isolated and muddy farm field to point D. This way only costs $1.50 and takes 2 hours. Both options are a pain.
Richard and Gale and I visited Lucea last week. There Richard and I placed 2nd place in a horse shoe competition that had some stiff competition. I had a terrific time hanging out with them.
I better run to church.
Big up
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Soon come
Sorry I have not posted anything in a while. As you can see from my pervious posts I lost some of my positivity.
Everything is going very well now. School is back in session AND I was able to raise the money necessary to improve the schools water system.
I also bough a very nice used bicycle.
My list of things to do takes up an entire page but I will try to make time to continue posting.
Miss everyone back at home and Big Ups to Alex for getting back in school and becoming a father. Congratulations.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Some pictures that I have recently taken.
This is the abandoned train station that I live next to
Kids collecting apples for me
I take a lot of shortcuts in my neighborhood. Today when I was walking through the bush I came across the guy, and he did not want to get out of my way. I eventually pulled a leafy branch off a tree thinking it would want to eat the branch but I ended up just scaring it out of my way.
Neighborhood kid killed a bird with his slingshot. Everyone was so impressed I just had to take a picture of it. I was a little sickened but at the same time I have
to admit I was somewhat impressed.
I should have made these last two pictures bigger.... Anyway, they are pictures of the Montego Bay Bus Park. Unless it's Sunday, it's always packed. Seeing a white person there is very peculiar so the people that work there have quickly gotten to know me.
Picture of me and some of the kids at summer school doing the Usain Bolt pose.
Monday, August 10, 2009
The best beer I ever bought -
I was walking alone on the main just two days ago (first time since being pushed) and like usual I was saying hello to everyone. My heart broke when I stopped in to say hello to an elderly person in the community- her shop was empty of all goods and I noticed that she had been sleeping on the floor with her chickens. So after chatting with the lady for a good while I noticed that she did have a lot of empty beer bottles so I decided to order a beer. She told me it would cost $130 JD (about $1.30) but I insisted on paying her $150. I gave her a large bill for her to break and she came back with the change and a big smile but no beer. I asked her where the beer was and she kindly informed me that she didn’t have any but was very grateful that I bought her a beer for later : ) I just laughed and went on my way.
Recently I have had my most trying points yet in the Peace Corps. Luckily, Peace Corps Volunteer Nexta came to my site today and she was able to really cheer me up. Just seeing my site through a new perspective revigurated me. Also, tonight’s club meeting went very well. I brought my radio and iPod so we started off the meeting with Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”. We are moving the club in a new direction and we had a visit from the well respected community Councilor.
“Don’t worry, about a thing, cause every little thing gonna be alright.”
I think Bob Marley might have been right.
---
I wrote this post last night. Today I found out that my community thinks I was tied up, beaten, and left in the jungle. In reality I was just pushed and then ran off into the jungle to get away.
ALSO, in a nearby town a man's head was found in a plastic bag. Crazy times…
Friday, August 7, 2009
Dont start nothinn wont be nothin
Read the previous post first.
The past two days have been mentally exhausting. I think my nerves are just starting to get back to normal. Now, I am just frustrated.
All the volunteers love how "I was pushed". Even though they find my adventure hiding in the jungle funny, they understand why it was frightening. Even I think it’s kind of funny.
I don’t think I did anything wrong that would provoke an attack. I could improve the way I travel but not drastically. I live in the “deep country” so there isn’t much I can do. I can walk; hitch a ride; or wait over an hour for someone I know to pick me up. But if I wait too long I could be stuck at night and forced to pay an expensive fare for a private cab. Living in the deep country presents more transportation issues than most of the other volunteers experience.
Luckily, Nexta is coming to my site to help me teach summer school for a week. There's nothing like work to get you back in the swing of things.
I still love the Peace Corps so if start your applications now, it’s amazing. Well, the pay isn’t but the life style is. Livin Big!
My new lap top comes soon!!!!
The past two days have been mentally exhausting. I think my nerves are just starting to get back to normal. Now, I am just frustrated.
All the volunteers love how "I was pushed". Even though they find my adventure hiding in the jungle funny, they understand why it was frightening. Even I think it’s kind of funny.
I don’t think I did anything wrong that would provoke an attack. I could improve the way I travel but not drastically. I live in the “deep country” so there isn’t much I can do. I can walk; hitch a ride; or wait over an hour for someone I know to pick me up. But if I wait too long I could be stuck at night and forced to pay an expensive fare for a private cab. Living in the deep country presents more transportation issues than most of the other volunteers experience.
Luckily, Nexta is coming to my site to help me teach summer school for a week. There's nothing like work to get you back in the swing of things.
I still love the Peace Corps so if start your applications now, it’s amazing. Well, the pay isn’t but the life style is. Livin Big!
My new lap top comes soon!!!!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Crazy Times
Attacked
I don’t have a lot of time on the libraries computer….
Basically, I was walking home at dusk and I was hit from behind. I hit the ground hard scratching my palms but was able to bounce back up and instinctively jump into the “bush”/jungle and start running. Running in the bush is SLOW!!!!! and you get torn up by all the thorns. I didn’t see anything, but could tell that the person who jumped me was wearing shoes (a lot of people in my community are farmers and wear big plastic boots). This is important because originally I thought the person who jumped me was a man who that day invited me to come back to his land later and look for giant boa constrictors. WHAT?! But that guy had the big plastic boots on. That’s all I know, shoes, oh and that he was big. The pain in my neck proves that much….
So back to the story, I sat in the bush for a very long time; so long it’s embarrassing. I thought I heard something out there with me so I just sat…. Eventually I started walking and came across some goats and decided to sit with them thinking the giant snakes would be less likely to eat me with the tasty goats around. But after a while sitting I thought the owner of the goats might come across me and kill me thinking I was an intruder (there where no trespassing signs with a depiction of someone being shot). Plus with all the spiders and bugs crawling on me I was just fed up. Eventually, all the adrenalin turned to anger (forgot to mention I dropped my bag with my camera and ipod because it was slowing me down and would be the likely target for the vandal). So I came up with this ludicrous idea that I would run to Studs house (not even a ¼ of a mile away) grab his machete and beg him to come back with me to rescue my belongings. When I arrived I started telling him what happen but that anger melted away and I broke down.
Today I went back with Stud and after 10 minutes of searching I found my bag! Stud then brought me into the police station. Only when I was reporting the incident did I realize how stupid it sounded on paper….
Man pushed... Injury- small scratches... Description- person wearing shoes...
Gavin’s Adventures in the Peace Corps. Lovin’ it!
By the way, my communinity might have a bad apple but it’s still way cool. Plus I am the only Peace Corps volunteer in the Parish/County of St. James now because the only other couldn’t handle it. Got to keep my St. James pride.
On a side note, summer school is starting up again: ) and I am writing a big grant for a new water system at the school. I have up to 3K USD to write for.
I don’t have a lot of time on the libraries computer….
Basically, I was walking home at dusk and I was hit from behind. I hit the ground hard scratching my palms but was able to bounce back up and instinctively jump into the “bush”/jungle and start running. Running in the bush is SLOW!!!!! and you get torn up by all the thorns. I didn’t see anything, but could tell that the person who jumped me was wearing shoes (a lot of people in my community are farmers and wear big plastic boots). This is important because originally I thought the person who jumped me was a man who that day invited me to come back to his land later and look for giant boa constrictors. WHAT?! But that guy had the big plastic boots on. That’s all I know, shoes, oh and that he was big. The pain in my neck proves that much….
So back to the story, I sat in the bush for a very long time; so long it’s embarrassing. I thought I heard something out there with me so I just sat…. Eventually I started walking and came across some goats and decided to sit with them thinking the giant snakes would be less likely to eat me with the tasty goats around. But after a while sitting I thought the owner of the goats might come across me and kill me thinking I was an intruder (there where no trespassing signs with a depiction of someone being shot). Plus with all the spiders and bugs crawling on me I was just fed up. Eventually, all the adrenalin turned to anger (forgot to mention I dropped my bag with my camera and ipod because it was slowing me down and would be the likely target for the vandal). So I came up with this ludicrous idea that I would run to Studs house (not even a ¼ of a mile away) grab his machete and beg him to come back with me to rescue my belongings. When I arrived I started telling him what happen but that anger melted away and I broke down.
Today I went back with Stud and after 10 minutes of searching I found my bag! Stud then brought me into the police station. Only when I was reporting the incident did I realize how stupid it sounded on paper….
Man pushed... Injury- small scratches... Description- person wearing shoes...
Gavin’s Adventures in the Peace Corps. Lovin’ it!
By the way, my communinity might have a bad apple but it’s still way cool. Plus I am the only Peace Corps volunteer in the Parish/County of St. James now because the only other couldn’t handle it. Got to keep my St. James pride.
On a side note, summer school is starting up again: ) and I am writing a big grant for a new water system at the school. I have up to 3K USD to write for.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
School was going great….
For the past three weeks I was teaching summer school at the All Age School and I loved it! But because of a long chain of events school has been canceled for the entire week : (
So every morning this week I would wake up at my usual 7:30, eat breakfast and walk down to the school. A few kids show up every morning expecting summer school. So for about an hour I sit on the steps of the school and we work on Language skills. I teach them proper English and they in turn teach me Patwa. After reading The Ugly American (highly recommended for people entering or thinking about Peace Corps) I approach my service in a different way. I am putting a lot more emphasis on integrating into my community and not with other Peace Corps volunteers.
Spoke to a lot of people back home, Lauren D. Dan K. my mom, my dad, my brother, Darren E, and tried to call a few others. It was great to hear from all of you. Miss you and come visit soon!
I am writing grants today. Working on starting a Farmers Co-op, and getting my hands on some teaching materials. Have to run!
ADDITION:
Grant-
I want travel to the surrounding schools to install “Self Closing Bubblers” - water fountains and discus germ transition. Currently, almost all the students in Jamaica use their germ ridden hands as cups. Even I do it occasionally. Plus, many schools have water shortage issues (quickly burn through their water storage tanks and go days without water). Water fountians would increase the schools health standards and conserve water. I have many grandiose ideas, but I think this simple improvement would bring the greatest impact from the smallest cost.
So every morning this week I would wake up at my usual 7:30, eat breakfast and walk down to the school. A few kids show up every morning expecting summer school. So for about an hour I sit on the steps of the school and we work on Language skills. I teach them proper English and they in turn teach me Patwa. After reading The Ugly American (highly recommended for people entering or thinking about Peace Corps) I approach my service in a different way. I am putting a lot more emphasis on integrating into my community and not with other Peace Corps volunteers.
Spoke to a lot of people back home, Lauren D. Dan K. my mom, my dad, my brother, Darren E, and tried to call a few others. It was great to hear from all of you. Miss you and come visit soon!
I am writing grants today. Working on starting a Farmers Co-op, and getting my hands on some teaching materials. Have to run!
ADDITION:
Grant-
I want travel to the surrounding schools to install “Self Closing Bubblers” - water fountains and discus germ transition. Currently, almost all the students in Jamaica use their germ ridden hands as cups. Even I do it occasionally. Plus, many schools have water shortage issues (quickly burn through their water storage tanks and go days without water). Water fountians would increase the schools health standards and conserve water. I have many grandiose ideas, but I think this simple improvement would bring the greatest impact from the smallest cost.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
"Big Up"...."Computer Down"
Wowzers, it’s been hard for me to find access to the internet.
I received a box of educational material in the mail from my mom and the material and the little experience I have picked up has vastly improved my teaching ability. I am really enjoying teaching my own class.
Community Crime update-
In terms of the national security code crime color thingamajig, I would call it code level Red. No recent shootings but more are likely.
Went Salsa dancing in Kingston with a few volunteers. Heaps of fun!
Highlights of the week-
Getting into a taxi and the driver pulling over at a mechanic shop to get something fixed then driving to his home to “change into fresh clothing”, 10 minutes later someone comes out and tells me that the driver will be out soon after he is finished with his bath.
Dear President Obama:
Just in case you are curious, I have personally tested every single mosquito in Jamaica and I am pleased to report Malaria is not present.
Gavin Finnegan
P.S. Please send anti-itch cream.
Insight-
“Peace Corps , the hardest job you will ever love.”
False, mowing my neighbor’s lawn for $10 was much worse.
Ha
On a serious note
Big up yourself!
Gavin
Bust!
Last night I found out that because previous Peace Corps Volunteers did not take advantage of the entire grant money allocated to their group, my group (80) is now allowed to apply for their grant money. This assistance is usually reserved only for veteran Peace Corps Volunteers so I was thrilled and got right to work. I wanted to write a grant to retrofit our school water system so that the school could conserve water while supplying water to the students on a consistent basis (hand washing, flushing toilets and drinkable water). The second grant I wanted to write, if approved, would have funded the completition of the delapitated bus stop; turning it not only into a functioning bus stop but also into a community notice board and a sign notifying drivers that they are entering Stonehenge. Sounds kinda lame but a notice board would actually be a handy way of notifying people of community events.
BUT!!!!!!! My computer broke today. The screen will not turn on and it gives me a nasty beeb and turns itself off. So now I have 30 minutes of computer access at the public library. After I get kicked out of here I will walk over to a computer shop and see if it’s only my power cable that is malfunctioning. My computer is under warranty but I am going to have to ship it back to America on my own dime and then have it shipped back to Jamaica. I better not get a customs tax on top of that : (
I have been granted money for a bicycle. And I believe there is a public library within ridding distance of my house so the lack of a computer might not be that difficult to get around. No worries.
Every day is a great adventure!
Thanks to everyone that supported me. Wouldn’t be here without you.
Check out rule 11. Don't worry, everyone's an expert
Friday, July 3, 2009
Going to Summer School
Week in brief-
Listening to the advice of my supervisor and community members who were egging me on, I hit on my first and only random girl in Mo-Bay- she was dressed conservatively, gorgeous and very not interested in me. ha
The school year ended; now I get to teach all the grades during summer school. I really am enjoying working at the school!
I went on a school field trip to the beach where the kids harassed a slow street child because they thought he thiefed a teacher’s phone; turns out the teacher had temporarily misplaced it. There's a lesson here for the kids.
I got an international calling plan, so I can call back to the states for cheap this month. Shoot me an email if you would like me to call.
Went to the yearly international exporters meeting.
Looked and still looking to get my hands on some educational materials for summer school. Would like to use things like Magic School Bus and Bill Nye the Science Guy. Shoot me any ideas you have on what would be a good lesson plan for the kids.
Talked with some NGO’s out of Mo-bay (RADA office).
Got called whitty about 5 times.
Hung out with Rasta Stud and his son- they have had their power cut and are feeling down in the dumps abut it. Makes you appreciate what you take for granted.
Listening to the advice of my supervisor and community members who were egging me on, I hit on my first and only random girl in Mo-Bay- she was dressed conservatively, gorgeous and very not interested in me. ha
The school year ended; now I get to teach all the grades during summer school. I really am enjoying working at the school!
I went on a school field trip to the beach where the kids harassed a slow street child because they thought he thiefed a teacher’s phone; turns out the teacher had temporarily misplaced it. There's a lesson here for the kids.
I got an international calling plan, so I can call back to the states for cheap this month. Shoot me an email if you would like me to call.
Went to the yearly international exporters meeting.
Looked and still looking to get my hands on some educational materials for summer school. Would like to use things like Magic School Bus and Bill Nye the Science Guy. Shoot me any ideas you have on what would be a good lesson plan for the kids.
Talked with some NGO’s out of Mo-bay (RADA office).
Got called whitty about 5 times.
Hung out with Rasta Stud and his son- they have had their power cut and are feeling down in the dumps abut it. Makes you appreciate what you take for granted.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Miss Everyone
This is a picture of some of my students playing marbles. They play all the time.
Nothing really to post. I had to drive through Montego Bay today to retrieve some paper work. I am starting to feel completely at home in Jamaica.
CRIME UPDATE-
Another person was shot in my community! This time the man survived but it was right down the street from me. So now there as been 3 shooting within a mile of my yard (house). CRAZY!! I am actually a little nervous walking around now.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Things Are Heating Up
Blog
June 25, 2009
Today I wrote down a list of things I want to accomplish in the next week. My list is daunting. In fact I feel bad for writing this blog entry because I have so much to do. I'll keep it short.
I am beginning to love where I live. Mr Scotty my host is great. A little crazy but everyone is, especially me.
My Peace Corps Security Officer came by my bachelor pad today to check out my safety. I love Ann for a million reasons, for one, she’s really good at her job. She gets along with everyone and she must have a 6th sense when it comes to security concerns. I can’t tell if she thinks I am crazy or the coolest person she has ever met.
I have to stop here and tell you that my supervisor, who is also great, took back the fan she loaned to me. I am melting. Melting isn’t even the right word, I am dying! The hottest time of day, or what feels like the hottest time of day, is right after the sun sets. I walk a mile uphill from work, I eat a hot dinner, and come into my room. Normally I would put the fan on hurricane level and be fine but without it I am dying. I can’t open my windows to take advantage of the mountain breeze because there isn’t one at dusk and the mosquitoes come out in force. A new fan would cost me $3,500 Jamaican Dollars or about $36 US or about 4 and a half days of rent, gas, food, everything. According to my supervisor it is going to get hotter before it gets cooler but I don’t think I can afford it. I don’t look at the cost in terms of food money but in terms of trips to visit friends in other parts of Jamaica. For $400 Jamaican I can go into Montego Bay, for $700 I can visit Jerry the nearest PCV that isn’t married and doesn’t live at Fort Nox and for $2,300 I can visit Kingston which is all the way across the island (all round trip).
Today I think I earned a little respect from my community. I helped with the burial of one of the teachers I worked with. There were 3 buckets being used to transport cement to the grave site (the tomb is a cement box that houses the coffin). I volunteered to help and the guys thought it was hilarious to see a white person doing physical labor and they handed me the largest of the three buckets. I pretended that I could manage the monster but truthfully each step I took could have easily been my last. Where I would pour the bucket,a crowed of people gathered so I would pour the bucket and then walk away to the secluded gravel area and take in a few labored deep breaths. It was back breaking work but I happily did it for Ms. Wong.
Recently the power has been going out at night. It was almost story-like as I laid in bed reading a book by dim lantern light with a fire fly circling my room. But that story turned into a thriller. I almost killed myself and almost burned down the house because the Peace Corps issued lantern malfunctioned and all of a sudden began spewing out clouds of smoke that probably is still coating my lungs.
I think I might be addicted to adventure now. My next planned adventure is to walk along the deserted train line to the next town that is 4 miles away through the deep brush. I was told by a child at school that this was very unsafe. When I asked why he told me a goat or donkey would kill me. I laughed. But another child said that some people that live there are crazy and don’t like strangers. This is actually a concern. If you don’t hear from me for a few weeks, talk to the train people.
Michael Jackson's alleged death (I said alleged because if Tupac is still a live than Michael Jackson for sure it) illustrates how news travels in Jamaica. A Jamaican probably had cable TV and he told someone and that person told a Peace Corps Supervisor, that Peace Corps Supervisor told a Peace Corps Volunteer that Peace Corps Volunteer told another Peace Corps Volunteer that Peace Corps Volunteer told me, I told my supervisor, and my supervisor told everyone we walked by on our way home from work. Clearly I don’t get a lot of news out here. I have been trying to make the point of copying a lot of online news articles on my flash drive so I can read them when I get home.
I said I would keep this short but I forgot. I was called for dinner and when I came back I just felt like typing.
Today in Mo-bay I sat on the sidewalk with a morbidly obese homeless man (you think if he was fat he could afford food and wouldn’t be poor). We spoke for 20 or so minutes. Tourists and Jamaicans alike walked by looking in disbelief and a blue stripe even stopped and asked me if the man was bothering me. It’s amazing how some people (including the homeless man) really just want someone to listen and when you do listen their stories are usually even more amazing. - -
June 25, 2009
Today I wrote down a list of things I want to accomplish in the next week. My list is daunting. In fact I feel bad for writing this blog entry because I have so much to do. I'll keep it short.
I am beginning to love where I live. Mr Scotty my host is great. A little crazy but everyone is, especially me.
My Peace Corps Security Officer came by my bachelor pad today to check out my safety. I love Ann for a million reasons, for one, she’s really good at her job. She gets along with everyone and she must have a 6th sense when it comes to security concerns. I can’t tell if she thinks I am crazy or the coolest person she has ever met.
I have to stop here and tell you that my supervisor, who is also great, took back the fan she loaned to me. I am melting. Melting isn’t even the right word, I am dying! The hottest time of day, or what feels like the hottest time of day, is right after the sun sets. I walk a mile uphill from work, I eat a hot dinner, and come into my room. Normally I would put the fan on hurricane level and be fine but without it I am dying. I can’t open my windows to take advantage of the mountain breeze because there isn’t one at dusk and the mosquitoes come out in force. A new fan would cost me $3,500 Jamaican Dollars or about $36 US or about 4 and a half days of rent, gas, food, everything. According to my supervisor it is going to get hotter before it gets cooler but I don’t think I can afford it. I don’t look at the cost in terms of food money but in terms of trips to visit friends in other parts of Jamaica. For $400 Jamaican I can go into Montego Bay, for $700 I can visit Jerry the nearest PCV that isn’t married and doesn’t live at Fort Nox and for $2,300 I can visit Kingston which is all the way across the island (all round trip).
Today I think I earned a little respect from my community. I helped with the burial of one of the teachers I worked with. There were 3 buckets being used to transport cement to the grave site (the tomb is a cement box that houses the coffin). I volunteered to help and the guys thought it was hilarious to see a white person doing physical labor and they handed me the largest of the three buckets. I pretended that I could manage the monster but truthfully each step I took could have easily been my last. Where I would pour the bucket,a crowed of people gathered so I would pour the bucket and then walk away to the secluded gravel area and take in a few labored deep breaths. It was back breaking work but I happily did it for Ms. Wong.
Recently the power has been going out at night. It was almost story-like as I laid in bed reading a book by dim lantern light with a fire fly circling my room. But that story turned into a thriller. I almost killed myself and almost burned down the house because the Peace Corps issued lantern malfunctioned and all of a sudden began spewing out clouds of smoke that probably is still coating my lungs.
I think I might be addicted to adventure now. My next planned adventure is to walk along the deserted train line to the next town that is 4 miles away through the deep brush. I was told by a child at school that this was very unsafe. When I asked why he told me a goat or donkey would kill me. I laughed. But another child said that some people that live there are crazy and don’t like strangers. This is actually a concern. If you don’t hear from me for a few weeks, talk to the train people.
Michael Jackson's alleged death (I said alleged because if Tupac is still a live than Michael Jackson for sure it) illustrates how news travels in Jamaica. A Jamaican probably had cable TV and he told someone and that person told a Peace Corps Supervisor, that Peace Corps Supervisor told a Peace Corps Volunteer that Peace Corps Volunteer told another Peace Corps Volunteer that Peace Corps Volunteer told me, I told my supervisor, and my supervisor told everyone we walked by on our way home from work. Clearly I don’t get a lot of news out here. I have been trying to make the point of copying a lot of online news articles on my flash drive so I can read them when I get home.
I said I would keep this short but I forgot. I was called for dinner and when I came back I just felt like typing.
Today in Mo-bay I sat on the sidewalk with a morbidly obese homeless man (you think if he was fat he could afford food and wouldn’t be poor). We spoke for 20 or so minutes. Tourists and Jamaicans alike walked by looking in disbelief and a blue stripe even stopped and asked me if the man was bothering me. It’s amazing how some people (including the homeless man) really just want someone to listen and when you do listen their stories are usually even more amazing. - -
Thursday, June 25, 2009
A week of my life is gone
Highlight of the week-
I got tired of waiting for a taxi so I started to walk down to the main road. When I finally made it down, I saw a puppy on the side of the road narrowly avoiding being squashed by speeding taxies. Thinking it was Stud's puppy I went over and picked him up. I walked about half a mile to Stud's yard and was greeted by Stud and his big rasta smile. Turns out I found a random dog but now its Studs.
I took a trip into Montego Bay to speak with the SDC (Social Development Committee) about registering the club I work with and to research H1N1 (Swine) Flu. While traveling I lost my flash drive!!!! I have no idea how it could have just fallen out of my pocket but I don’t think I was pick pocketed because it was only my key chain with the flash drive that was missing… I lost a week of work, a week of my blog.
Anyway, I gave a health presentation at school this week and I have to admit it was the second worst presentation I have ever given. My worst presentation was in 3rd grade when I had to present my drawing of a cat. It was so embarrassing that I ran out of the classroom crying. My Swine Flu presentation didn’t go much better… Instead of giving up and running out of the room I pushed through- I planned on just the 20 or so 6th and 5th graders and giving a rather intellectual lecture; but instead, I had the entire school squashed into one big classroom! I decided to simplify the lesson for my audience and tried to make it interesting, but I couldn’t hold the students' attention. I first tried to teach them the 4 types of germs. That went over like a rock. The students would have no part in that. So I tried to liven it up by having the students draw a storyboard for me describing how germs can be transferred. That took way too long and their drawings where awful. Lastly, I told the few students who were listening about Swine Flu. I put so much effort into this presentation but it just didn’t work out. I have had a lot of success in small groups but I couldn’t control the entire group of varying ages. I have some books on their way from Austin Region XIII that may help me learn some techniques for next time.
I am at Montego Bay today because I finally got approved for a bicycle!!!! I really want a motorcycle but the Peace Corps would never allow it.
In other news, the school year is almost over here in Jamaica, and most Peace Corps Volunteers who work at schools take part in their school’s summer program. I was recently told that my school might not have a summer program because the principal who usually runs the program is bedridden due to her pregnancy. So I decided to ask for permission to run the summer program. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because from what I hear summer school is like a 3 hour a day camp. I can already see it now, Karate class, reading club and missing children. Just kidding. No karate class.
I am starting to feel overwhelmed at the discrepancy of wealth in Jamaica and even here in my community. Part of my job is getting out and introducing myself to the community. I have taken this very seriously and have spoken to almost everyone at least once. Each day I am usually left heartbroken. I have met people in tragic circumstances who are struggling just to find food to eat while others like I live comfortably just down the road. Electricity, clean and or running water, a toilet, soap, and 4 walls are not taken for granted by most of my community. I guess that’s why I am here, but I do not know how I am going to tackle this. In the meantime some people, a minority, are truly suffering. In every community I assume you can find people who are suffering but I guess I never took the time to look and then get to know the people.
Crime update-
Another person was murdered down the road from me. It was a case of "jungle justice". I was told that although the murder was in retaliation for the first murder- I should still be concerned about "being hit by a stray bullet". Because of this sad incident my community doesn’t want me walking around by myself any longer. I disagree but do think I should be issued a flame thrower or bazooka. Seriously, I am not at all worried about my safety, but I am greatly saddened about the amount of death.
I got tired of waiting for a taxi so I started to walk down to the main road. When I finally made it down, I saw a puppy on the side of the road narrowly avoiding being squashed by speeding taxies. Thinking it was Stud's puppy I went over and picked him up. I walked about half a mile to Stud's yard and was greeted by Stud and his big rasta smile. Turns out I found a random dog but now its Studs.
I took a trip into Montego Bay to speak with the SDC (Social Development Committee) about registering the club I work with and to research H1N1 (Swine) Flu. While traveling I lost my flash drive!!!! I have no idea how it could have just fallen out of my pocket but I don’t think I was pick pocketed because it was only my key chain with the flash drive that was missing… I lost a week of work, a week of my blog.
Anyway, I gave a health presentation at school this week and I have to admit it was the second worst presentation I have ever given. My worst presentation was in 3rd grade when I had to present my drawing of a cat. It was so embarrassing that I ran out of the classroom crying. My Swine Flu presentation didn’t go much better… Instead of giving up and running out of the room I pushed through- I planned on just the 20 or so 6th and 5th graders and giving a rather intellectual lecture; but instead, I had the entire school squashed into one big classroom! I decided to simplify the lesson for my audience and tried to make it interesting, but I couldn’t hold the students' attention. I first tried to teach them the 4 types of germs. That went over like a rock. The students would have no part in that. So I tried to liven it up by having the students draw a storyboard for me describing how germs can be transferred. That took way too long and their drawings where awful. Lastly, I told the few students who were listening about Swine Flu. I put so much effort into this presentation but it just didn’t work out. I have had a lot of success in small groups but I couldn’t control the entire group of varying ages. I have some books on their way from Austin Region XIII that may help me learn some techniques for next time.
I am at Montego Bay today because I finally got approved for a bicycle!!!! I really want a motorcycle but the Peace Corps would never allow it.
In other news, the school year is almost over here in Jamaica, and most Peace Corps Volunteers who work at schools take part in their school’s summer program. I was recently told that my school might not have a summer program because the principal who usually runs the program is bedridden due to her pregnancy. So I decided to ask for permission to run the summer program. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because from what I hear summer school is like a 3 hour a day camp. I can already see it now, Karate class, reading club and missing children. Just kidding. No karate class.
I am starting to feel overwhelmed at the discrepancy of wealth in Jamaica and even here in my community. Part of my job is getting out and introducing myself to the community. I have taken this very seriously and have spoken to almost everyone at least once. Each day I am usually left heartbroken. I have met people in tragic circumstances who are struggling just to find food to eat while others like I live comfortably just down the road. Electricity, clean and or running water, a toilet, soap, and 4 walls are not taken for granted by most of my community. I guess that’s why I am here, but I do not know how I am going to tackle this. In the meantime some people, a minority, are truly suffering. In every community I assume you can find people who are suffering but I guess I never took the time to look and then get to know the people.
Crime update-
Another person was murdered down the road from me. It was a case of "jungle justice". I was told that although the murder was in retaliation for the first murder- I should still be concerned about "being hit by a stray bullet". Because of this sad incident my community doesn’t want me walking around by myself any longer. I disagree but do think I should be issued a flame thrower or bazooka. Seriously, I am not at all worried about my safety, but I am greatly saddened about the amount of death.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Pictures!
The pictures-
This picture is of Doctors Cave Beach. This is my favorite hangout in
Jamaica. The beach allows volunteers in for free but for the general
public is costs about 5 US dollars. It’s guests are made up of
tourists and rich Jamaicans. That’s the beaches only but significant
draw back. I like the beach the facilities are amazing. I even make
sure to pack shampoo and soap because tourist facilities always have
working showers (no hot water but I never even realized that until
now). Also, I love chatting people up at the beach. It’s very easy to
start a conversation with a tourist. Just mention Peace Corps and
their eyes light up. But truthfully, I very rarely talk to tourists,
instead the other Peace Corps volunteers and I mainly talk to the
Jamaican employees. I know a few of them by name and I am known to
them as the country boy, because I live in the bush. I and the other
volunteers are very careful to avoid being labeled an “ugly American”-
the name of the book I am now reading.
The second picture is of a “Pine” pineapple field. I never realized
that pineapple grows on a bush. Jamaican’s think its hilarious when I
tell them I thought it grew on a tree.
The third picture is of an elderly lady. She lives in a one room house
with 4 of her daughters’ kids. Her daughter died of cancer a few years
ago so now she single handily raises the kids. She has no water, not
even a tank, no bathroom, she drinks straight from the stream and I
know swine live in the river upstream, no stove, and her house is
literally falling apart. The missionary group that came to do some
service work in my community went to speak with her and they sounded
like they might be able to assist her but they ran out of time. It’s
heartbreaking. I am trying to get her aid through Food for the Poor
but she has no documentation for the house because the leaks in her
ceiling destroyed all paper work.
I posted these pictures because they clearly illustrate the
distribution of wealth. It’s disturbing. And maybe that’s why we avoid
talking to tourists; we are beginning to relate to the employees much
better than tourists. Beginning.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Challenge for the Day - Technology
Today I was invited by some other Peace Corps Volunteers to Negril to ask some of these swank hotels to sponsor our schools. I was very hesitant because an American Missionary group recently arrived in my town to preach and work on some projects. But when Anne said that it was going to be an adventure and would help the kids, I decided to go for it. I took the trip to Negril very seriously and spent most of the night before (5pm - 11pm) writing up project plans. I even woke up at 5:30am to get the first bus out of my community so I could come here to a computer lab and print out my project plans. One little problem, the computers here can not open MS Word documents. I feel like there has to be a way to do it but I don't know how. I am trying Google Docs but it's not working....Someone just tried to help me but I have huge pictures in my project plans so they are taking forever to open. The waiting list for a computer is huge. So much for getting up early. Next stop will be one of the hotels and see if they have the right software to open the document. ahhhh. Some days are a challenge.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Pictures
To the right is a picture of the pump house that supplies water to my community as well as 2 others. The pump occasionally leaks something that looks like oil into the stream just below where the water is pumped from. I am not an expert but I don’t think captain planet would be happy.
These are rasta kids that live a few doors down from me. The kids and their father are very friendly and always ask me to stop by when I walk by their home on the way to school. As you can see from the picture, their house is not in good shape and there are a few homes like this where I live so this weekend while I am in Kingston I am going to visit Food for the Poor and see what assistance they provide communities like mine. This is a very tricky situation because as a Peace Corps Volunteer I do not give out money or materials but I can educate the development club I work for on the different ways to obtain assistance for the community.
This is a fossilized conch shell that my old host dad found while he was doing some farming. We live over 20 miles from the ocean! Is this worth money? I will sell it to you or anyone interested for $43,000 USD. Also in the picture is one of the puppies my old host dad brought home a few weeks ago. I will also sell the puppy for 43K
Friday, June 5, 2009
Captain's Log May
June 2nd
A volunteer from the community has begun teaching at the school and it turns out he is an amazing teacher. He is not trained but he has the passion and the aptitude. Right now he has his entire class engaged. He might be a little harsh to the children but he is pushing them. None of these students have ever been pushed before.
It is very late right now but I will briefly go over my work today. I read over the past few posts and I realized I never talk about work….
I start my day off around 7AM with breakfast and by 8:00 I am out the door. Devotional prayer at school starts at 8:30 and my walk should only take 30 minutes so you would think I would always be on time… False. I am always late because my community loves to stop and say hello to me and I love getting to know everyone. Guess I need to start leaving earlier.
Today I met a father and son who farm their family land together and a Rasta family that is in dire need of assistance. After speaking with the rasta family for 30 minutes or so I continued on my walk. While at school I perform my secretarial duties for the development club, mentor students, try to understand the complex water system at the school, plan health and sanitation presentations for the classroom, tutor students who have fallen behind and discourage students from cutting class. When I get home I talk on the phone, read, clean, and take care of the dishes after dinner. Living the dream.
I miss my family, especially my dog Morgan. You can’t ask a dog how she is doing, not over the phone.
June 1st
Get busy living, get busy dying.
Quote-
“If you want the girl you are going to have to shed a few tears, not like a girl, like someone that wants girls.” Sounded better when I didn’t take out the expletives.
Friday night my supervisor asked me to travel to Mo-bay with her so that we could try to register the club. Now when she charters a taxi, it’s never just her getting a ride. We JAM people into taxis. A normal size car doesn’t hold just 5 people. It's more like 6 or 7 adults and a lot more if there are kids. While in Mo-bay my supervisor and I stopped by the hospital and visited my neighbor who I was trying to get medical attention for. In a previous post I spoke about her. She was taken to the hospital after she took a turn for the worse… I was actually relieved her symptoms got worse, because at least she would now be in the hospital where she would be more likely to get the treatment she needs. She didn’t look great but she didn’t look that bad. The hospital was a tall building with a large veranda on every floor and huge windows allowing the coastal breeze to cool the building.
After getting some work done the car load of people and I spent the better part of 2 hours hanging out on the “hip strip”- a dead end road where people hangout, watch the planes land, and listen to music. Would be a great place to take a date.
The next morning I had to drag myself out of bed because I stayed up past 5 AM talking to a friend on the phone (seriously, how often can you talk on the phone with someone and not be dating?).
That morning, as I was leaving my yard (house) to grab a taxi I got word that a beloved teacher at the school had unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack. My school only has 3 teachers and this teacher was terrific. She welcomed me into the school with open arms and for that I will deeply miss her. Her unexpected passing was depressing, but in a different way than the man who was brutally killed in my community. Luckily, I have a great support network. I remember thinking I was fine but could see myself being deeply saddened if someone else where to pass away.
After speaking to my supervisor about the loss I went to visit a friend who lives on the north coast near a city named Lucce. 12 volunteers descended upon his place for the night. We played a few card games, caught up, and some of us briefly attended a street party, (I had to attend the party or else Peace Corps might take away my party animal status). The night would have been boring with any other group of people, but instead the night was a little out of control. I got dance lessons from Jamaican kids; got in a fake argument with Heather and Nick because I thought my phone relationship had more love than their marriage (a joke); and the street dance party was so awkward it was fun. We all were asleep by 12.
The next day a few of the volunteers and I stopped by Doctors Cave Beach on the way home to take a dip in the ocean, use the wireless internet and their showers. I love Doctors Cave but always thought it wasn’t really Jamaican because it’s too touristy. BUT, the beach is actually showcased on the 50 dollar bill... So maybe I should go there more often and support Jamaican tourism. Everyone should support Jamaica.
This happened a few weeks ago-
James Jerry and I are sitting on the beach just talking. Suddenly one of the guys says something like “wow, that girl is hot. Smoking hot….. wait a second, no, no she’s not about to do what I think she’s doing….”
I respond, “What!? I don’t have my glasses on. I can’t see anything! What does she look like and what is she doing?!”.
“YES! She is taking off her top!!!”
“WHAT! I CAN'T FIND MY GLASSES!”
“Ok ok ok, she got in the water, its over…. Wait, no she’s… no, she couldn’t…..”
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! NOW WHATS HAPPENING? WHATS HAPPENING!”
“SHES GETTING ON THE WATER TRAMPOLINE!”
“I have no idea where my glasses are, someone please shoot me.”
While we were finishing up at Doctors Cave I received more horrible news. The lady I was trying to assist in obtaining medical treatment passed away only one day after I saw her in the hospital. I was not visibly upset by the news but was very saddened. She left behind at least two children and a husband. So from the time I began this blog- the mentally disabled man I was bringing to church passed away, a man was violently murdered on my street, a great teacher I work with unexpectedly passed away, and my next door neighbor died because she couldn’t find proper medical treatment.
Goals-
This weekend I am going in to Kingston and Spanish Town for a Peace Corps Meeting. While I am there I am going to talk to Food for the Poor to find out if I can get some assistance for the community. Many community members have leaking roofs, no toilets, and are malnourished. Also, the school has a huge sanitation and water problem. My long term goal is for the students to know a few ways to conserve water and to provide the school with a reliable source of water to flush toilets and drink.
May 26th
Quote-
“The short cut is great, except when it’s muddy. Never venture down it in the rain”
I feel like I am racing a car towards a brick wall. I should put on the brake but instead I am slamming down the gas,” said by one of the guys in the community about a girl he likes.
“Gavin what are you going to name your kids?”
“Unicorn and Ostridge Face”
Last night was Pine Fest (Pineapple Festival). Anne, Annelease, Nick and Heather came up from surrounding areas. There were at least 4 huge sound systems blaring different music in the square, and lots of food and booze. Unfortunately, I heard the event was not a success because the festival was only one day instead of three; and the lack of a musical guest star all contributed to a low turnout. I was also bummed because Annelease, Heather and Nick left the party before the dancehall started. Dancehall is equivalent to dance/rap music but with some Jamaican flavor. Anne and I danced for a while but she was tired from the past weekend so she also retired early that night. But looking back, I guess we were lucky that we turned in early; because at the street party someone fired a gun causing the police to cancel the rest of the dance. – To signal that you like a song it’s common for people to use one hand to symbolically shoot the sky (“pull up”). Using a real gun is not uncommon.
I really like my new living arrangement. This morning I ate a HUGE breakfast. But I do miss my last host family (at Stud’s). We left on very good terms and I plan on continuing to visit and spending a large amount of my free time down at that yard (house). I have already visited twice. Today when I went down there I took the short cut which takes about 2 miles off the hike. I was told in the past to never take the short cut while it is muddy but I decided to go for it. Bad idea. I busted butt 5 times before I reached the bottom. My backside, bag, arms and legs where covered in mud. I was even wearing a new shirt. : ( Even thought it was a bad idea I will always, no matter what, take the short cut. I am not walking an extra 2 miles.
Good news, the puppy at Stud’s that I thought was going to die is looking at lot better and I was able to take a shower when I got back to my house. It is only the 4th time that there has been enough pressure in the pipe for me to take a shower. I normally take bucket baths.
Prayer Request-
There is a loving family of at least 4 that lives next-door to Studs. I have been recently meeting with this family and have noticed that they seem paralyzed by fear that the cost of the mother’s health problems places treatment out of reach. I think I wrote about this in my blog last week. I spoke to the family 2 days ago and was shocked to see how quickly the woman’s health has deteriorated. Without going into detail I can only say that I planned on visiting the next day during business hours so we could make some calls to the hospital. That night I spoke with Emily a Peace Corps volunteer that has worked with the hospital and my mom who took care of my grandmother when she had some of the same ailments. When I went back to visit the family I was very saddened to hear that the women had to be taken to the hospital the very night I spoke with her. Maybe this is good, at least she is getting treatment….
I spent hours at night on the phone. I have never been a phone person but it’s not the lack of TV and sometimes power that causes me to pick up the phone, instead, I actually enjoy talking to my new friends.
May 25th
Mothers know Best!
Quote- “I am in love with you”
“I kind of have a phobia of eating old fruit”
Today I spent the day watching a community member prepare food for tomorrow’s pineapple festival. Her kitchen could give Willy Wanaka’s factory a run for its money. It consists of a dilapidated shack with no stove ventilation, a dirt covered floor, no sink, a bag of soap, a wood stove and a gas stove. But it’s not the kitchen that makes the food; it’s the cook, and in this case the cook knows exactly what she is doing.
I was a waste of space in the kitchen. I took the opportunity to call friends and family back in the states and help collect wood for the fire. I trekked up into the Cockpit (uninhabited no mans land) to gather the firewood. Tip- don’t walk into the jungle with shorts on. Everyone thought I was insane for walking into the jungle with shorts but I followed kids! I thought if they could do it, I could do it! Two of the kids had shorts on and for some reason they were fine. Plus, that morning I had sprayed some Deep Woods Off Mosquito Repellent all over my body. The repellent did keep 90% of the bugs away but when there are a billion bugs in the jungle 10% is still a feeding frenzy. To make things a lot worse, in the jungle there is a plant the children call Courage. I was expecting it might cut me or sting me a little but nothing worth fussing about. I WAS WRONG! The first time I brushed my ankle up against it, I was climbing down a very steep ledge; I felt a mild burning sensation on my ankle like I had just scraped my leg but I kept trucking. However, just two seconds later it felt like my ankle was covered in ants. I seriously felt like something was attacking my leg. I freaked out a little. “Is this normal!? Is this normal?!” “Am I going to die?!” The kids all had a good laugh and luckily, after about 30 seconds the worst of the pain was over.
I have been spending my nights talking to friends on the phone and reading. You know, living that crazy party life style. : )
Sunday May 24th
Pin Fest
I was told from the Peace Corps rumor mill that I have been pegged as a party animal. Ha!! But in all seriousness, I can understand how the Peace Corps thinks I party too much because recently I have been willing to try new dance moves, teach volunteers underwater karate, and I am always saying “Today is the best day of my life!” I take my work very seriously but I am also having the time of my life.
I have made a few great friends during my time in Jamaica. Too bad most of them live in Kingston. Blah, that’s a 4 or 5 hour drive.
Oh, did I ever mention that I moved out of the rasta house?! Right now I am living on top Stonehenge. I think I might have mentioned this…. Anyway, I live with a married man whose wife lives in a foreign country. He drinks a million cups of tea a day and informed me that I have a chamber pot under the bed. I guess I can pee without having to leave my bed. Hurray!
Quote of the Day!
A man approached James Jerry and I at an appliance store in Mo-Bay. I thought he was going to tell me I shouldn’t be waving my cell phone around and be talking about where we would be spending the night (Foulmouth or Ocho Rios) but things went downhill fast…
Stranger- “See we are all one. We all are people. White Black it doesn’t matter”
Us- “yeah, totally agree, one love man, out of many one people”
Stranger- “Except Chinese and Indians. You never see those types helping no one. Historically it has been the white man helping blacks. “
Us- We stare back in disbelief
Stranger- “You never see a China man or an Indian dating a black or white girl. No sir. You see white and black dating one another. That is because black and white are genetically closest to one another”
We'll need to do some work on the one love man part. There are bad apples / bad perceptions everywhere.
May 21st 2009,
This picture is of the tank that I am trying to get repaired at the school I work at. The tank is said to be 80 years old and from my observations it holds at least 1000 gallons of water. The problem is the water drains almost as fast as a bucket without a bottom. There must be a massive leak in the tanks foundation as well as many small leaks around the sides.
Past 2 nights I spent in Kingston for therapy -Peace Corps thought it would be a good idea if I spoke with a therapist after seeing the mutilated body a few days ago... I am fine. While I was in Kingston I planned on visiting LeeAnn while she was working at an orphanage. However, and I feel really bad for this, I was unable to visit her because my meetings with Peace Corps staff kept running longer than expected and I spent time talking to volunteers who where in the process of E.T.ing (early termination). SORRY LEEANN! I MISS YOU!
Emily a PCV who lives in the surrounding area came in to visit me. We went to the huge US hotel compound to utilize their rockin’ gym and pool. Afterwards, I attended one of Emily’s meetings for work. She was working with a really interesting local organization who is trying to establish a non-profit equestrian- horse therapy camp for at risk youth. It was a very interesting project, completely different then anything I am doing.
During my time in Kingston most of the night was spent hanging out with a group of friends (LeeAnn couldn't come out of her compound). We first went to Wendy’s, Baskin Robins, checked into my hotel room (locked the key in my room) and finally wound up at a night club. Nightclubs in Jamaica are like any other nightclub in America. Most people just awkwardly stand around while they sip on expensive drinks and watch a few people dance. For the majority of the night I was one of those awkward people. The next day we visited a burger joint, watched VH1, went to the movie theater, and more VH1. I spent way too much money- 17 American dollars! The best part was definitely watching VH1.
A volunteer from the community has begun teaching at the school and it turns out he is an amazing teacher. He is not trained but he has the passion and the aptitude. Right now he has his entire class engaged. He might be a little harsh to the children but he is pushing them. None of these students have ever been pushed before.
It is very late right now but I will briefly go over my work today. I read over the past few posts and I realized I never talk about work….
I start my day off around 7AM with breakfast and by 8:00 I am out the door. Devotional prayer at school starts at 8:30 and my walk should only take 30 minutes so you would think I would always be on time… False. I am always late because my community loves to stop and say hello to me and I love getting to know everyone. Guess I need to start leaving earlier.
Today I met a father and son who farm their family land together and a Rasta family that is in dire need of assistance. After speaking with the rasta family for 30 minutes or so I continued on my walk. While at school I perform my secretarial duties for the development club, mentor students, try to understand the complex water system at the school, plan health and sanitation presentations for the classroom, tutor students who have fallen behind and discourage students from cutting class. When I get home I talk on the phone, read, clean, and take care of the dishes after dinner. Living the dream.
I miss my family, especially my dog Morgan. You can’t ask a dog how she is doing, not over the phone.
June 1st
Get busy living, get busy dying.
Quote-
“If you want the girl you are going to have to shed a few tears, not like a girl, like someone that wants girls.” Sounded better when I didn’t take out the expletives.
Friday night my supervisor asked me to travel to Mo-bay with her so that we could try to register the club. Now when she charters a taxi, it’s never just her getting a ride. We JAM people into taxis. A normal size car doesn’t hold just 5 people. It's more like 6 or 7 adults and a lot more if there are kids. While in Mo-bay my supervisor and I stopped by the hospital and visited my neighbor who I was trying to get medical attention for. In a previous post I spoke about her. She was taken to the hospital after she took a turn for the worse… I was actually relieved her symptoms got worse, because at least she would now be in the hospital where she would be more likely to get the treatment she needs. She didn’t look great but she didn’t look that bad. The hospital was a tall building with a large veranda on every floor and huge windows allowing the coastal breeze to cool the building.
After getting some work done the car load of people and I spent the better part of 2 hours hanging out on the “hip strip”- a dead end road where people hangout, watch the planes land, and listen to music. Would be a great place to take a date.
The next morning I had to drag myself out of bed because I stayed up past 5 AM talking to a friend on the phone (seriously, how often can you talk on the phone with someone and not be dating?).
That morning, as I was leaving my yard (house) to grab a taxi I got word that a beloved teacher at the school had unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack. My school only has 3 teachers and this teacher was terrific. She welcomed me into the school with open arms and for that I will deeply miss her. Her unexpected passing was depressing, but in a different way than the man who was brutally killed in my community. Luckily, I have a great support network. I remember thinking I was fine but could see myself being deeply saddened if someone else where to pass away.
After speaking to my supervisor about the loss I went to visit a friend who lives on the north coast near a city named Lucce. 12 volunteers descended upon his place for the night. We played a few card games, caught up, and some of us briefly attended a street party, (I had to attend the party or else Peace Corps might take away my party animal status). The night would have been boring with any other group of people, but instead the night was a little out of control. I got dance lessons from Jamaican kids; got in a fake argument with Heather and Nick because I thought my phone relationship had more love than their marriage (a joke); and the street dance party was so awkward it was fun. We all were asleep by 12.
The next day a few of the volunteers and I stopped by Doctors Cave Beach on the way home to take a dip in the ocean, use the wireless internet and their showers. I love Doctors Cave but always thought it wasn’t really Jamaican because it’s too touristy. BUT, the beach is actually showcased on the 50 dollar bill... So maybe I should go there more often and support Jamaican tourism. Everyone should support Jamaica.
This happened a few weeks ago-
James Jerry and I are sitting on the beach just talking. Suddenly one of the guys says something like “wow, that girl is hot. Smoking hot….. wait a second, no, no she’s not about to do what I think she’s doing….”
I respond, “What!? I don’t have my glasses on. I can’t see anything! What does she look like and what is she doing?!”.
“YES! She is taking off her top!!!”
“WHAT! I CAN'T FIND MY GLASSES!”
“Ok ok ok, she got in the water, its over…. Wait, no she’s… no, she couldn’t…..”
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! NOW WHATS HAPPENING? WHATS HAPPENING!”
“SHES GETTING ON THE WATER TRAMPOLINE!”
“I have no idea where my glasses are, someone please shoot me.”
While we were finishing up at Doctors Cave I received more horrible news. The lady I was trying to assist in obtaining medical treatment passed away only one day after I saw her in the hospital. I was not visibly upset by the news but was very saddened. She left behind at least two children and a husband. So from the time I began this blog- the mentally disabled man I was bringing to church passed away, a man was violently murdered on my street, a great teacher I work with unexpectedly passed away, and my next door neighbor died because she couldn’t find proper medical treatment.
Goals-
This weekend I am going in to Kingston and Spanish Town for a Peace Corps Meeting. While I am there I am going to talk to Food for the Poor to find out if I can get some assistance for the community. Many community members have leaking roofs, no toilets, and are malnourished. Also, the school has a huge sanitation and water problem. My long term goal is for the students to know a few ways to conserve water and to provide the school with a reliable source of water to flush toilets and drink.
May 26th
Quote-
“The short cut is great, except when it’s muddy. Never venture down it in the rain”
I feel like I am racing a car towards a brick wall. I should put on the brake but instead I am slamming down the gas,” said by one of the guys in the community about a girl he likes.
“Gavin what are you going to name your kids?”
“Unicorn and Ostridge Face”
Last night was Pine Fest (Pineapple Festival). Anne, Annelease, Nick and Heather came up from surrounding areas. There were at least 4 huge sound systems blaring different music in the square, and lots of food and booze. Unfortunately, I heard the event was not a success because the festival was only one day instead of three; and the lack of a musical guest star all contributed to a low turnout. I was also bummed because Annelease, Heather and Nick left the party before the dancehall started. Dancehall is equivalent to dance/rap music but with some Jamaican flavor. Anne and I danced for a while but she was tired from the past weekend so she also retired early that night. But looking back, I guess we were lucky that we turned in early; because at the street party someone fired a gun causing the police to cancel the rest of the dance. – To signal that you like a song it’s common for people to use one hand to symbolically shoot the sky (“pull up”). Using a real gun is not uncommon.
I really like my new living arrangement. This morning I ate a HUGE breakfast. But I do miss my last host family (at Stud’s). We left on very good terms and I plan on continuing to visit and spending a large amount of my free time down at that yard (house). I have already visited twice. Today when I went down there I took the short cut which takes about 2 miles off the hike. I was told in the past to never take the short cut while it is muddy but I decided to go for it. Bad idea. I busted butt 5 times before I reached the bottom. My backside, bag, arms and legs where covered in mud. I was even wearing a new shirt. : ( Even thought it was a bad idea I will always, no matter what, take the short cut. I am not walking an extra 2 miles.
Good news, the puppy at Stud’s that I thought was going to die is looking at lot better and I was able to take a shower when I got back to my house. It is only the 4th time that there has been enough pressure in the pipe for me to take a shower. I normally take bucket baths.
Prayer Request-
There is a loving family of at least 4 that lives next-door to Studs. I have been recently meeting with this family and have noticed that they seem paralyzed by fear that the cost of the mother’s health problems places treatment out of reach. I think I wrote about this in my blog last week. I spoke to the family 2 days ago and was shocked to see how quickly the woman’s health has deteriorated. Without going into detail I can only say that I planned on visiting the next day during business hours so we could make some calls to the hospital. That night I spoke with Emily a Peace Corps volunteer that has worked with the hospital and my mom who took care of my grandmother when she had some of the same ailments. When I went back to visit the family I was very saddened to hear that the women had to be taken to the hospital the very night I spoke with her. Maybe this is good, at least she is getting treatment….
I spent hours at night on the phone. I have never been a phone person but it’s not the lack of TV and sometimes power that causes me to pick up the phone, instead, I actually enjoy talking to my new friends.
May 25th
Mothers know Best!
Quote- “I am in love with you”
“I kind of have a phobia of eating old fruit”
Today I spent the day watching a community member prepare food for tomorrow’s pineapple festival. Her kitchen could give Willy Wanaka’s factory a run for its money. It consists of a dilapidated shack with no stove ventilation, a dirt covered floor, no sink, a bag of soap, a wood stove and a gas stove. But it’s not the kitchen that makes the food; it’s the cook, and in this case the cook knows exactly what she is doing.
I was a waste of space in the kitchen. I took the opportunity to call friends and family back in the states and help collect wood for the fire. I trekked up into the Cockpit (uninhabited no mans land) to gather the firewood. Tip- don’t walk into the jungle with shorts on. Everyone thought I was insane for walking into the jungle with shorts but I followed kids! I thought if they could do it, I could do it! Two of the kids had shorts on and for some reason they were fine. Plus, that morning I had sprayed some Deep Woods Off Mosquito Repellent all over my body. The repellent did keep 90% of the bugs away but when there are a billion bugs in the jungle 10% is still a feeding frenzy. To make things a lot worse, in the jungle there is a plant the children call Courage. I was expecting it might cut me or sting me a little but nothing worth fussing about. I WAS WRONG! The first time I brushed my ankle up against it, I was climbing down a very steep ledge; I felt a mild burning sensation on my ankle like I had just scraped my leg but I kept trucking. However, just two seconds later it felt like my ankle was covered in ants. I seriously felt like something was attacking my leg. I freaked out a little. “Is this normal!? Is this normal?!” “Am I going to die?!” The kids all had a good laugh and luckily, after about 30 seconds the worst of the pain was over.
I have been spending my nights talking to friends on the phone and reading. You know, living that crazy party life style. : )
Sunday May 24th
Pin Fest
I was told from the Peace Corps rumor mill that I have been pegged as a party animal. Ha!! But in all seriousness, I can understand how the Peace Corps thinks I party too much because recently I have been willing to try new dance moves, teach volunteers underwater karate, and I am always saying “Today is the best day of my life!” I take my work very seriously but I am also having the time of my life.
I have made a few great friends during my time in Jamaica. Too bad most of them live in Kingston. Blah, that’s a 4 or 5 hour drive.
Oh, did I ever mention that I moved out of the rasta house?! Right now I am living on top Stonehenge. I think I might have mentioned this…. Anyway, I live with a married man whose wife lives in a foreign country. He drinks a million cups of tea a day and informed me that I have a chamber pot under the bed. I guess I can pee without having to leave my bed. Hurray!
Quote of the Day!
A man approached James Jerry and I at an appliance store in Mo-Bay. I thought he was going to tell me I shouldn’t be waving my cell phone around and be talking about where we would be spending the night (Foulmouth or Ocho Rios) but things went downhill fast…
Stranger- “See we are all one. We all are people. White Black it doesn’t matter”
Us- “yeah, totally agree, one love man, out of many one people”
Stranger- “Except Chinese and Indians. You never see those types helping no one. Historically it has been the white man helping blacks. “
Us- We stare back in disbelief
Stranger- “You never see a China man or an Indian dating a black or white girl. No sir. You see white and black dating one another. That is because black and white are genetically closest to one another”
We'll need to do some work on the one love man part. There are bad apples / bad perceptions everywhere.
May 21st 2009,
This picture is of the tank that I am trying to get repaired at the school I work at. The tank is said to be 80 years old and from my observations it holds at least 1000 gallons of water. The problem is the water drains almost as fast as a bucket without a bottom. There must be a massive leak in the tanks foundation as well as many small leaks around the sides.
Past 2 nights I spent in Kingston for therapy -Peace Corps thought it would be a good idea if I spoke with a therapist after seeing the mutilated body a few days ago... I am fine. While I was in Kingston I planned on visiting LeeAnn while she was working at an orphanage. However, and I feel really bad for this, I was unable to visit her because my meetings with Peace Corps staff kept running longer than expected and I spent time talking to volunteers who where in the process of E.T.ing (early termination). SORRY LEEANN! I MISS YOU!
Emily a PCV who lives in the surrounding area came in to visit me. We went to the huge US hotel compound to utilize their rockin’ gym and pool. Afterwards, I attended one of Emily’s meetings for work. She was working with a really interesting local organization who is trying to establish a non-profit equestrian- horse therapy camp for at risk youth. It was a very interesting project, completely different then anything I am doing.
During my time in Kingston most of the night was spent hanging out with a group of friends (LeeAnn couldn't come out of her compound). We first went to Wendy’s, Baskin Robins, checked into my hotel room (locked the key in my room) and finally wound up at a night club. Nightclubs in Jamaica are like any other nightclub in America. Most people just awkwardly stand around while they sip on expensive drinks and watch a few people dance. For the majority of the night I was one of those awkward people. The next day we visited a burger joint, watched VH1, went to the movie theater, and more VH1. I spent way too much money- 17 American dollars! The best part was definitely watching VH1.
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