Wagawan en Jamaica?

One of my projects is to work at Holland Primary School on a school garden and environmental club project. This photo to the right is the group of fourth graders I work with, about 20 students. I work with grade 4, 5, and 6 totaling 60 students. This can be challenging in itself- 60 loud, crazy, but enthusiastic kids. The area we’re trying to start the garden still hasn’t been cleared. I’m quickly learning that if you want things done you have to do them yourself. Therefore- I’ve set a work day for the parents and children to come clear the garden. I’ve also written letters to the minister of state and 4-H asking for funding or supplies. Hopefully this will get the ball rolling.

This last weekend we went to Treasure Beach to work on the Moringa Project. The organization is bringing in a man from Africa who knows a lot about the project. He will give presentations to several organizations on island. This will hopefully give Moringa Farms the direction they need. They're looking at using the tree as an animal feed. Currently they’re running a study to document the nutritional value the plant has for animals. Will has been busily preparing for his visit with invitations, contact lists, and attending meetings. . Of course while in Treasure Beach we had to eat at Jack Sprats- the famous pizza place we commonly indulge in~ however almost every time we eat there it upsets our stomachs- this time was no different. We stayed the night with the woman who started the Moringa project in Jamaica- we played scrabble, ate yummy lamb sausage spaghetti, had wireless internet, took an early morning swim in the sea, and played with some absolutely adorable puppies.

There were 7 in total. I'm sure they were infested with heartworm and several other ailments but I couldn't keep my
hands off of them.

After a positive discussion with our supervisor about the inadequate amount of work, we came away feeling more confident about our two years of service. It has become clear that we must find the projects, funding, and expect to execute it on our own. Is this the goal of Peace Corps- I’m not sure- it is my understanding that we are supposed to hopefully work ourselves out of a job…work together with our agency to make a positive difference. That’s what we signed up for when we applied for Peace Corps. Often times we question our purpose here, I have come to realize that maybe it’s just our presence. There is a reason we received an invitation to serve in Jamaica- of all the places we could serve we were sent here and while it may not be crystal clear what our purpose is we have to be content with that fact (thanks Jesse).

After attending several meetings with fellow Jamaicans I have realized they aren’t looking for handouts- but they’ve come to expect it. At whose fault? Probably organizations that continually support them instead of expecting Jamaican’s to put their feet on the ground and become self sufficient. Some questions arise in these meetings about how things are going to be funded, who is going to take care of it and the attitude is that foreign agencies will do that. It’s an attitude that lacks gratitude but is consumed with anticipation from these foreign agencies. And if those agencies can’t or don’t follow through well then; “shame on you!” This at times can also be hard to swallow- as an american I have dollar signs written on my forehead.

I was finally able to make the national dish of Jamaica (pictured on the left)- Ackee and Saltfish- I have to admit it tasted pretty darn good- maybe it's because Will and I prepared it- self gratification!

As always we love and miss you all! Thank you for all of your continued love and support we greatly appreciate all of it!

Daily Struggles

Throughout our time here in Jamaica I have tried to remain extremely positive despite some of the things that occur in our daily lives. However I wouldn’t be doing any of our readers justice if I was always happy and bubbly. Right? I mean we’re human beings and everything isn’t always hunky dory!

This presidential election has made us realize a lot about not only American people but the world as a whole. Will and I struggled immensely with this election primarily because we couldn’t support either candidate 100%. We went back and forth, back and forth, and it was even more complicated not being in the United States amongst all the commotion. We were left to evaluate our thoughts with fellow Jamaicans. This at times was extremely frustrating because they thought if it wasn’t cut and dry for us to vote for Obama then we were racist. This is obviously not the case for us- why would we surround ourselves in a country where we are clearly the minority if race was an issue. This was also daunting because people would also tell us that we should vote for him primarily because he’s a man of color-forget about the issues- Please lord tell me that after the election last night we can honestly say that we have moved past the issue of color and race! I would be lying if I said it wasn’t hard being white in Jamaica- let alone a woman- but that’s another issue in itself. We’re both excited to see what Barack Obama is going to do for the United States of America and bring change and hope to this ever-evolving world.

The daunting task of walking down the street! Pssst pssst pssst….(walk a little faster with your head down) pssst pssst pssst! Hey sexy, hey baby, hey pretty white lady, white girl you’re looking good….there is no respect for women and whilst you try to do your best ignoring it, there are times when I would just like to walk over and slap them silly!

Mosquitoes and now fleas have been attacking us on a daily basis- they don’t congregate in small numbers to take us on either- it’s a large army swarming and attacking us! I have been bit in places I never thought it was possible to have bug bites- I thought the butt was a bad place to be bit- well try your breasts- oh that’s even better- scratching your boobs!

Inconsistent bowel movements are almost a daily issue- it’s amazing how one minute you’ll be feeling fine and the next you’re running to a bathroom- whenever we go places we have to ask where the bathroom is- mostly because you never know when you’ll need it. We also carry toilet paper with us wherever we go. For some reason in most of the bathrooms there isn’t any- just imagine how it feels after sitting down on the toilet, having an inconsistent bowel movement, and then realizing your worst nightmare is true…NO TOILET PAPER!

Things for us started out great in our jobs- we were meeting a uol eap of new people and several projects were discussed however now we’re at a stand still. Our supervisor has now doubled the amount of people he’s supervising and taken on the role of the parish manager for 5 months- where do we fit in all of this- well we don’t really- we sit in the computer lab most days staring at the screen hoping some kind of work will come along! We suggest potential projects however the follow through is lacking and at times extremely frustrating.

The last thing that has made me really sad about Jamaica is the amount of men that cheat on their wives. I am an extremely naive person but there is no escaping the reality of it. For example there are men we know who are model citizens in their communities, god fearing family men, and what are they doing on the side- sleeping with another woman! For me the saddest part is the children- especially the little boys are taught that it’s acceptable so the vicious cycle continues.

I can’t tell you how much I have loved this experience thus far, how it continues to mold both Will and I into better, more accepting, open minded people. However I have to thank the lord everyday that we have our faith and each other to keep us grounded during this wonderful journey.

P.S. I know many of you read the last post and thought when I said we were going to Portland you were thinking Oregon- I hate to be a bearer of bad news but we won’t be there during Christmas- There is a parish in Jamaica called Portland- therefore that’s where we’ll be staying with our Peace Corps friends Josh and Jesse.