2010 & 2012 re-cap

My friends and I had a great spring break in New Orleans, lots of nights in Austin and countless adventures to North Gate. 

I earned my Masters degree in International Affairs from the Bush School at Texas A&M. While I was a student I made great friends and great memories!

During the summer I did a Spanish immersion program where I didn’t learn a lot of Spanish but I did meet Madie. A year later we are still friends. She does owe me a visit though… 

While I was a graduate student I was captain of both the intramural volleyball and soccer teams. As captain my teams won two games through forfeit. It was non-competitive so I like to think I did a great job recruiting and making sure everyone felt welcome to join. I loved it!

 Any chance I get I still go home to see Morgan!

 Graduation was a good time.Finished my ring dunk in 13 seconds!

For the two years in graduate school I lived with Jeniece. The last semester Kelly joined us. I will cherish those memories- Sunday brunches, trips to Austin, Halo, late night studying at the kitchen table.. I miss you guys.

Shane and Lauren were married. And now have a baby on the way!!!!!

Jamaican Music

This is a random mix of the Jamaican music I listened to while in the Peace Corps. The one country song is not Jamaican but I would sometimes listen to it to ground me.

This song by Etana is great. Listen to it!

This is a great song, especially the second half!

Closing the Chapter on Peace Corps

It's been too long.

 My last day of Peace Corps was almost exactly one year ago. I feels like the time flew by, but I have vivid memories of laying in bed while staring at the ceiling and swearing to myself I would never say it was anything but gruelingly slow. But I also have many memories of walking down dirt roads and while thinking about how I was living more in just two years than most people will live during an entire lifetime

I don't recommend Peace Corps to anyone. Two years is a long time, it can be dangerous, and it wont help you get a job. BUT if you still choose to make the leap it will be one of the best decisions of your life.

When my father passed away my life was rocked. I still miss him every single day. I was shown sympathy by many people and it was all appreciated but other than my immediate family nothing compared to the support of my Jamaican community. Many, if not all of them know the pain of unexpectedly losing someone they love. There is an awkwardness when someone in America gives their condolence but in Jamaica it was sincere and overflowing.

Peace Corps staff did a fantastic job of helping get home. During my two years I knew Peace Corps monitored everything I said and I was terrified I would be kicked out if I said anything negative so I didn't report anything I didn't like on my blog. But over all they gave me all the medical and mental support I needed. The program wasn't well organized but that wasn't very important. The lack of organization was very frustrating because I expected to have my hand held by them and it took me a while to realize I was on my own when it came to projects.

The best memories I have of Peace Corps definitely happened during the last few months. I would take the guys down to the beach, cook dinner with them, studying with them, and play soccer. It was a blast.

Now I'm at Texas A&M for graduate school. It's a two year program. I have finished one year and have another left.

-A taste of the secret life of a Peace Corps Volunteer-

I kept a separate blog of some of the crazy stuff that happened during Peace Corps that I thought would get me kicked out of I posted it. Maybe one day I will post it.

What I can say is that Peace Corps probably viewed me as immature and a wild one. This was far from the truth. When I would travel into the Peace Corps office in Kingston I used my humor to vent stress. I realize this probably wasn't the best for my reputation but at times I just needed to relax. Staying on the front desk waiving the Jamaican flag in front of an Obama portrait as my friends took pictures probably could have gotten me in trouble but oh well.

Speaking about relaxing... I never lit up. EVER. This always surprises people. At the end of my exit medical review I asked the nurse if she was going to ask me if I hooked up with any prostitutes or did any drugs. They said they weren't planning on asking me anything like that. So I was kinda perturbed. So at the end of the interview as I was walking out I said I never smoke anything. I took a few steps out the door before running back and say "Also, no prostitutes!"

 Instead of smoking, I drank. Not a lot, and even if I wanted to I wouldn't have been able to afford it. But when I traveled around the island I would stop a the small rum bars that dot the island. This was always a rave with the Jamaicans. I would order a few shots worth of white rum and water and share it. Made a lot of friends doing this. I wouldn't ever get drunk.

 I miss Jamaica more than I ever missed America.

Inside of a Rum Bar


I hated this song when it was played as the sun was coming up and loved in when everyone would sing it in a packed bus. It's like Peace Corps, you hate it and love it all at the same time. Luckily when you get back you almost immediately forget about the hard parts.

Can't post an embedded link for this video but here is the URL
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm1g8FFRArc

This song was popular also popular. The music video really makes it. 

Positive Story

Pet names/ yard names / nick names whatever you want to call them are popular in Jamaica. I get called white man allll the time; to the point where I respond to it instinctively. I don’t mind it but I can’t stand the occasional, “white boy”. That’s derogatory.

In my community I don’t get white boy or white any anymore. One afternoon O.J. – a 11 year old boy down the street started screaming white boy when I walked by his house in the morning.
-No no no, I shouted back. That’s not fi mi name (my name)!
Den, wha me call ya? (Then, what do I call you)?
-You can call me Gavin.
A frown crossed his face as he shook his head.
-Well, if me haffie have one yard name… White Chocolate?
WHITE CHOCOLATE!?!?! Ahahahahahah

When the kids joke with me they call me white chocolate. Hey, it better than white boy…



Still playing soccer a few times a week with the kids. It’s been great.

I also introduced many of the kids to facebook. Last week Bepsi (like Pepsi with a B) came over to ask me if his older cousin could come over and do something very important on my computer. I said sure. When his cousin nicknamed Texas (I’m from texas so this was confusing for weeks) came over he immediately logged on to facebook! However, a screen sprung up. “You have been banned for 4 days because of spamming. If you are not friends with the people you are friending do not friend them.” To my delight, Texas moaned “Not again.”

I gave Texas a quick overview of the function of facebook and how to post pictures. At the end of my demonstration I friended him. His eyes lit up when he say how many white girl friends I have. “I’m friending all of them!!”

The rest of the time I helped him navigate the internet. He was very interested about obtaining information on Jamaican armed forces. The internet is going to revolutionize the entire world over night. Mark my words.

Update

Man it’s been a long time since I made a post.

Few weeks ago I got an email from a concerned future Peace Corps Volunteer. She said my blog kinda scared her! I am sorry if I put my family, friends and future Peace Corps Volunteers on edge.

I am afraid of being chewed out by Peace Corps staff if I wrote about the negative side of Peace Corps. It’s a very long list of quorums I have. But in brief- The sense of adventure is over. However, that’s how Peace Corps SHOULD be. At the end of service volunteers shouldn’t be excited about traveling around their host country and taking in the sites. Instead, I am proud to say that the main thing I will miss about Jamaica is my community. Think about it, last day of college did you think about going to your favorite bar one last time or did you think about getting a drink one last time with your friends?

February my father Richard Finnegan passed away in a tragic motorcycle accident. I was able to make it to his bed side with my two bothers. Still hurts to think about. He was planning to visit me this week for my birthday… He was seriously, the funniest person I knew. He recently became passionate about his Catholic faith and just spent individual time with Shane, Cullen and I.

When I got the news of the accident I was having a bad day in Jamaica so I almost didn’t come back. I’m so glad I did. My community has been more supportive than anyone else except my immediate family. Every single person in my community knows the pain of losing a relative or close friend so they could empathize.

I hated how my community told me he would be fine because they would all pray for him. But I appreciate how now that I am back they ask questions about him and don’t expect me to get over it or move on. Like everything in Jamaica you can do things on your own time... It’s like my community is a support group. Everyone seems to be dealing with the same thing.

I am applied to A&M’s Bush School of Economic Development and UT’s LBJ Shool of Global Policy. I am almost certain I will take a year off and study Arabic, Statistics, and International Business at Austin Community College because most graduate programs require proficiency in a foreign language that is not Jamaican Creole. Take this into consideration if you are a future Peace Corps Volunteer.

The house I was building for the Pryce family – a family with a hereditary eye condition that lost one of their sons finally has a new house thanks to Food for the Poor. Now I have a second house being built for a 9 year old whose parents were murdered in separate incidents.

It’s been so long since I have post I have a million stories.

In brief-
Played football in Mobay with community
Play football (soccer) all the time with my community
Played washers with the kids at school that my dad donated : )
I have the nickname White Chocolate, I started it and it caught on life fire!
Still no Jamaican love… but it’s not over
Rebuild my bicycle with highshcool students to teach them now to build one.
Don’t talk to Peace Corps volunteers very often because of the drama
Am good friends with two Peace Corps Response Volunteers in Montego Bay( they spend a year, not two)
Stud’s tonic business is doing well
My first host brother has a daughter
I don’t like dancehall music anymore (Jamaican pop music), too repetitive
Um, im sure there is a lot more. Oh well.

Big up everyone in America!


One of the first days I played soccer with the guys.
Thanks to Kurts father Dan I have plenty of balls to play with. I worked out a deal with the guys when one ball is torn to shreds (this normally takes 3 months of very frequent play on the rocks) then I trade the old ball out for a new ball. The first ball that could no longer hold air and was missing its outer layer was signed by all the guys and given to Dan as a thank you. Thanks Dan!


Picture of my dad and I in January


The new house next to the old one. I love it.

Recap made in haste

I apologize for not updating my blog in months. I have been keeping a journal that I will post as soon as I edit it.

Spark notes version of the past few months.

Jerry, a real good friend left early. We would try to meet up at Burger King once every two weeks to talk about service. Sometimes we couldn’t even afford food so we would just get milk shakes.

Was being asked to pay protection money by a guy in the community but when a member of my host family was killed just down the street that all stopped. Since then I have made a lot of friends in the area and no one gives me a hard time.

3 horrific things all happened in the same week. I called it the dark night of the soul in the journal post that I need to edit and had not been posted. 1 host family member was shot and killed. 2 While digging the grave, someone stopped at the house to show us a dead baby they were taking to the hospital. 3 a kid I know raped a little girl from another community. I had a few Peace Corps friends that I talked to about this but what helped the most was talking to community members and helping with the funeral arrangements. “One day tings mus better”. - One day things must better,

Soon after this I was verbally attacked in the Mobay bus park. I say attacked because the guy was so confrontational. Didn’t lay I hand on me. Lucky for both of us I didn’t lose my cool. A few days later I saw the man in the bus park and asked him why he was so upset. He told me he was crazy and didn’t mean to yell at me. This actually made me feel better.

Jamaica made international headlines when the local government tried to extradite Dudes Coke a alleged drug kingpin. 73 citizens and one police officer were killed when the police entered a barricaded district of Kingston looking for Dudes. State of emergency lasted over a month. Almost was sent home do to the extreme violence.

The week of the extradition a volunteer was hit in the chest with a pipe, another was robbed, two where held up by gun point during the same incident, someone’s screen was slashed, and a girl was jumped.

Our country director and maybe my Peace Corps sector boss all are being replaced. I will miss them a lot. Often Peace Corps volunteers complain about Peace Corps staff but we take them for granted. They have to put up with around 70 volunteers and they are ALWAYS working. I can’t tell you how often they have called me after 7PM or on the weekends.

Took the little girl with the eye problem and a community member to see an eye specialist on the opposite side of the island. She was seen and was told she will not lose her eye anytime soon. Surgery would be correct her condition but for now she could get by with hard contact lenses. The rest of the students who I took to the free eye clinic a few months ago just got their free glasses

My first host dad Stud and I wrote letters seeking assistance in starting a Tonic Wine bottling business. We were able to get some bottles and a sealer. So now he is selling his own cure all tonic wine on the streets of Montego Bay. We even got it tested by the burrow of standards.

My counterpart and I got the government to provide weekly trash pickup in Stonehenge.

I got a $500 grant for a water tank at the school.

I helped my host family build a huge retaining wall. This took days of hard work. The first day I brought a huge bottle of rum with me. I thought it would last a week but by the end of the day it was gone! I didn’t drink more than 3 drinks and I felt horrible! It felt like it was a million degrees out and the rum sure wasn’t helping me. I don’t know how they do it!!

New volunteers came to island. An older guy named Forest and I go snorkeling almost every weekend. He went home for good yesterday. I don’t know how but am very sad to see him go.

I have a dog now! I normally pride myself on my name giving ability but one day without thinking about it I just started calling the dog that sleeps on my porch Jamaica. I have to admit, it's really awkward’ when I raise my voice at him. “JAMAICA WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!! JAMAICA NO! My neighbors must be getting worried about me….. a few weeks ago I changed the dogs name to Trigger because one day when I got home he rolled over and when I started scratching his belly he got so excited he almost peed on me!


PCV James, his American girlfriend and friend of a friend visited me for a few days. We had a great time at the beach and going out in my community.

Students did well on their 6th grade exit/placement test.

Got a house donated for a poor family. They had to pay for the foundation and while they were saving their 19 year old son died because he was not being treated for sickle cell anemia.


Big 4th of July beach party with 25+ PCV’s


I went to Dancehall night during Sum Fest. “Greatest reggae show on earth”. Night started off slow. More white people than I expected. Last act was Vybz Kartel, he didn’t start until the sun was up. I was the only white person left and I was singing every word. Loved it.

I had a great mid-service training. Good to see everyone again and the training really got me excited for the next school year. I have lots of ideas I want to run with.

As you can tell from this post in the beginning I was not in a good place but am doing terrific now.

So to recap- Work is great, my house is AMAZING, the community is improving quickly and I am having the time of my life. It was rocky there for a while but it was a growing experience.

Call for help.

Quick account.

At church last week I heard that a group of Optometrists and at least one Ophthalmologist where visiting Jamaica to provide free eye exams and glasses. I jumped at this opportunity. I preformed basic eye exams at school to determine which children at Orange Hill All Age School needed glasses and used my birthday money to provided their transportation all the way down to Montego Bay and lunch.

One of the girls was diagnosed with Keratoconus-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratoconus
"Keratoconus is a degenerative disorder of the eye in which structural changes within the cornea cause it to thin and change to a more conical shape than its normal gradual curve."

This disorder usually develops during adolescents. What makes this disturbing is that the girl's vision has already degenerated to the point where she can barley read a book or the chalk board AND glasses can not improve her vision. She will need costly surgery that I expect is not offered in Jamaica. On top of it all she is one of the brightest students at school and has endless possibilities; she could make it out of here. Without correction her vision will continue to worsen until about the age of 30 and most of her opportunities are going to be taken away from her.

When I asked her what her father did, hoping he was a drug lord and had lots of money, she told me her father recently passed away because he "preached to hard".

When she got the news she took it very well. She is bright, so I know she understood what the doctor was saying. It was heartbreaking, the entire situation is heartbreaking.

I don't know what I can do to help this little girl. I would love suggestions.




This is a picture of some of the children I brought to the clinic. The girl center left needs the eye surgery. The kids loved the trip into the city. I caught one of the boys peeing on the outside of the building- "THIS IS NOT THE COUNTRY!" I yelled. "But but I had to go."

I love the students.