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.

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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.