Jamaica Day 2

Jamaica Day Two

This blog entry will follow the adventures chronicled in the Jamaica Journal, with photos and commentary added for clarity and extra details.

Journal has been edited for clarity.

03-19-16

Today was a long day. And by the time I'm done writing this, there will be more still. 

[Part edited and added to end of entry]

This morning I got up to C's alarm, after falling asleep with earplugs and sleep mask (dogs and cars were loud). We had an omelet for breakfast, and before that, played cards with A. C taught her how to play Go Fish.

Commentary: Trust me when I say that as a traveler, earplugs and a sleep mask are musts. I've done travel with and without, and it is much better with. You never know when you'll be in need of a little peace and quiet or darkness.

Additionally, I should add, while C taught A Go Fish, I taught her blackjack. I felt like such a good influence, lol, but it was the game my dad taught me as a kid, and it's actually good for math skills, and by the end of the week, you could actually see the difference in those skills. It was pretty awesome.

Then we hung out and waited for Jeri to pick us up. We read Finding Nemo and I doodled. Then once Jeri came, it was up the hill to the primary school and man it was hot -- and man did I hurt! Then back down after a quick tour.

Commentary:

Can you imagine having to WALK at least 20 minutes up a very, very, steep hill EVERY DAY to go to school? Yeah? How about in sweltering, humidity? It's crazy how far these kids have to walk for school -- and they do mostly walk. It is very uncommon for them to be driven, though sometimes there's a bus, I believe. Still, it is very, very, high up.

Here is the view from HALF way up! 

Here is one of the goats that hang around the area. 

And here is the school itself. 

One of the wall paintings. The school was very beautifully painted. 

Our look around the school was fairly short, since it was just to give us an idea of what we'd be doing, come Monday (it was Saturday). Honestly, most things I remember was simply the heat. It was crazy, especially after winter of Hollins. But the school was big, and Jeri gave us fun facts and all that. 

Then we went and got patties again in this restaurant called Juici Patties and I got beef again, and joined D, Ch, and K. It was pretty quiet. Then we went to get money exchanged -- won't bore you with that but it involved a lot of standing around. 

Commentary:

This was actually the first time I'd ever exchanged money. Usually, it's easier to just use an ATM, which will change the money automatically for you, and additionally, in France, they had us open a bank account. So, exchanging money was weird. It worked, but it was strange. Also, interestingly, in tourist areas, they frequently prefered American Money.

Then, after some waiting, we went to the food market, the open air ones. We tried pineapple -- Jamaican ones are amazing -- an apple-pear, which I HATED, and a starfruit that was in the middle of the two for me. We took a picture . . . 

Commentary:

 Jamaican Pineapple is actually white in color, and very sweet! It was awesome. The pear-apple, was kinda sour, and the starfruit, if I recall correctly, was kind of goopy. A lot of girls had fresh coconut too, but I have a hatred of coconuts, so I didn't partake. A lot of the people were super nice though, and the guy we bought the pineapple from did a cool cutting trick, which was pretty awesome. It was a market place though, so there were all different types, and lots of different things being sold. Quite the interesting experience!

After the Market, we checked out the JR High, which was by the sea, which was very pretty, and Jeri had us talk about anxieties. I just stared at the sea . . . 

Commentary:

I didn't feel comfortable discussing my private thoughts with the group, so I just took lots of pictures. It was kind of crazy to me how far away everything was from each other. The walk to the jr high was super pretty, but there were some pretty narrow roads and some very fast, scary drivers. There were a lot of things on the way there that looked like ruins, which was pretty cool.

Photos from the walk there:

The view from by the Jr. High. 

The Jr. High

Walking around near the Jr. High

 Photos I took before Jeri started talking. It was so beautiful. 

 

Now back to the journal. The following section has been unedited, because it is important to look at how we are affected by things and know that our gut response -- in my case, fear and sadness, is not always the response we should continue to have. My reaction greatly changed after I was there for a while, and so it is important to note the first impression (when we did a walkthrough) because in the end, it was here that I found the some of the kindest, strongest, and most amazing people I've ever met. 

After that, we went to the infirmary. It was soo depressing and I was deeply shocked. Not only at the environment but at the deformities. They turned my stomach and I hate that they did. 

Commentary: As the name implies, it was an infirmary. People were missing limbs, suffering from grave, open wounds, and some were clearly in pain. It was a difficult thing to see, at first. It didn't seem like a happy place. But once I was in the environment, I started seeing things differently. But more on that later.

After a quick round, we were free. And after a quick talk, we got to go swimming. I was so excited and had looked forward to it all day . . . It was super shallow but I did lots of floating and it felt awesome. 

The water was split into two sections -- sand and seaweed. Jeri warned us away from the seaweed because we might get stung by anemones 

Commentary:

They were actually sea urchins. OUCH!

unnerving but still fun. Also, we were also teaching W to swim. A lot of girls were teaching her to float, but I was the only one who succeeded because she trusted me! <3 Good feeling to have. I am happy to finally have some friends! 

Commentary: 

W remains one of my absolute favorite people to this day. Also, when I say friends, I mean friends in VA! I have some amazing people in CA!

Here are the pictures I took at the beach. 

After the . . . [can't read what I wrote here] swim we walked back. A was so excited we were back and we spent the evening playing with her. She read Lilo and Stitch aloud and then four cats -- three ginger, 1 black and white I nicknamed 'Dino' -- appeared at the window and we snuck snacks to them. They were so hungry! And then it was time for the party! . . . [part edited back in here]

 It was my favorite part of the day. There was a huge party held in our (mostly Jeri's) honor. It was high on the hill and we were driven up by the host people, who was also the DJ . . . When I arrived I found a soda I really liked called Busta Green Crush which was to die for. Then there was a brief embarrassing moment where when in line with R, I made a grand hand gesture and swiped the cake, taking off frosting! [I talk with my hands a lot, and the back of my hand hit the cake]. I was both amused and mortified . . . There was a lot of dancing. I was timid at first -- and dragged W into a conga line -- but soon learned to simply sit out songs I didn't like and dance my heart out to the songs I did. It was a lot of fun. 

Commentary: 

My drink of choice. Soda!!

R was super sweet and one of my other favorite people. Her, W, and I became good friends and were a bit of a dynamic trio. W and I had very different songs we liked to dance to. W liked songs that told you how to dance -- E.G cupid shuffle, cha-cha slide. I liked freeform songs. D was the best dancer though. Her, CA and a few others. Was impressive to watch. I didn't manage quite that much abandon. Apart from dancing, we also had to introduce ourselves in front of a large crowd -- I was awkward. And we chatted with all sorts of people. But the important part of the party was that it was also in honor of two (?) girls who received an award from Hollins and Jeri for their wonder academic work, which I thought was cool. Ms. B also received something. 

 . . . So, dancing was good and food was good (chicken, cake, bread thing, pineapple) and dinner before (chicken, rice, carrots, cabbage?) was good too. . . [edited back again].

Tired now. Only awake so far cause loud music and rainforest tomorrow + black river. Hopefully ziplining too! Wish me luck! Hard day and irritating at times but at the end, friends and music made it good. Still. Hope tomorrow is better. I have lots of anxieties and hope questions are answered. All for now,

~ Emery 

End, Day Two. 

Commentary:

Hey! Thanks for reading! 

Next Jamaica post should be updated next Tuesday, if all goes according to plan. Hope you have a great day!

Til next time,

~ Emery 

August 23rd 2016

Jamaica Day 1

Jamaica, Day One

3-18-16 

We left Roanoke early in the morning, meeting before the sun was up. We had lots of fun at the airport since there were a lot of us, but we got through it. 

That said, to quote my Jamaica Journal, "Today was infinitely more exhausting than I could ever anticipated."

I think as travelers we tend to forget, much in the way we forget pain, about the long lines, the terrible airport food, and the anxiety of the potential for a missed flight. I won't go into the details of the flight -- why would I? That'd be boring. But suffice to say, when we landed, the view out of my window was *awesome* and I was thrilled by all the water.

After more travel related hassle and waiting (traveling with a group is always an interesting experience. There are pros and cons), we got into our bus and headed to Lucea. After intense heat of the day, the air conditioning of the bus was fantastic. I was trying to take in the scenery more than take pictures, but I did grab one shot. 

My first impression of Jamaica was that it was a cross between Iquitos, Peru, and LA, but as I have come to learn, no place is exactly like another. You just have to take it as it comes. There will always be similarities, but each place is unique. 

Since I'm low on pictures for day 1, I'm including (most) of my journal entry for day 1, with hindsight commentary attached when needed.

Journal Entry

It was amazing. I'm always trying to compare [everything] to what I've seen before but this was a really different feel. Not the Amazon or Home but definitely not Roanoke either . . . The traffic was madness, even for me. There weren't any road . . . lines like here. Drivers communicated by the touch of the horn and sheer aggression. It was fun. I did find it unnerving, the sheer amount of people who would come up to the car though -- mid traffic and everything! But you know, if you gotta make money, you do what you have to. 

Commentary: 

The determined salespeople were common in Peru and are more obvious in non-first world countries, but to say they only exist in third-world countries and the like is a huge mistake. There were plenty of that style of selling in both Paris and London, not to mention it's present in the US too! Similarly, while the road rules seem less strict somewhere like where we were in Jamaica, the drivers always seem to have their own rules and regulations and with conditions like that, you'd have to be a pretty amazing driver!

The scenery was beautiful though. From the air, it had looked turquoise and copper. From the ground, it was more LA based: palms, water all the way on one side of the road, and green. The most notable thing was stopping off for coco bread and patties and water. I didn't like the coco bread much, which was whole wheat, but the patties were really excellent. It reminded me of Cornish Pasty in Cornwall or London. Only, more meat (I had beef) and it was warm. 

Commentary:

Cornish Pasties are generally warm. I'm not sure where my brain was at.   

After this, we drove into Lucea and got dropped off at our respective houses. It had started to rain.

Commentary: It was almost poetic. It was pouring, the plants were getting soaked, the road was turning to mush, and right in front of us was this beautiful orange house with a white metal gate. We grabbed our suitcases from the guys in the pickup truck -- my roommate (whom we shall call C) had to dig for hers -- and rush in.

C and I were introduced to Miss H and her niece(?) A. The girl was fascinated by C and I. ONce we got inside, both C and I collapsed into our beds. I just laid there while C asked A questions. Eventually, I asked A if she liked to draw. She said yes*. So, I pulled some paper and we started drawing. C made (A) a fortune teller and I doodled A and C. A loved it and C was intrigued and impressed. We drew a little more and then it was dinner time. 

*After this, (C) read Stephen King and I wrote in my journal. It was a nice silence. 

Commentary:

C read Stephen King to herself, not to A, and it was the Shining. 

When A first showed up, she lingered out in the hallway, (she had just turned 8, on leap day! :) ) very shyly hiding whenever we looked, until she became bolder and bolder, until C finally asked her questions and invited her in. A was so adorable and sweet and smart! 

Miss H -- must not call her "N" -- bought fried chicken and gave us some excellent juice and some water. There was also bread. She had to boil the water, which made me really think about water usage, distribution, and things I take for granted. 

Commentary: 

In Jamaica, the respect for the elders is very important, and I have a habit of calling adults by their first name, something that's gotten me in trouble all over the world, but would have been especially problematic here. 

In regards to the water issue, Jamaica has water, but most of their resources are, as I understand it, given to the tourists/resorts/hotels first, because that is what drives their economy. The people in the smaller towns, like Lucea, get less resources later. 

After, we watched tv/news and Zika, the new election party, and water were brought up by Miss H. It was tremendously interesting. She talked about the rain, the garbage (the constant rain made the outdoor garbage turn toxic and slushy, and run into the streets, which made a mess), and how the citizens tried but the government did not. 

Commentary: 

Miss H thought Trump was crazy too. She's right! 

After dinner, and our thank yous, C and I went back to our room and talked about fears and such --  - . . . -- all good. 

Now C is asleep, so I'm going to take a quick shower  -- it's soo humid! -- and head to bed too. Early start. Again. Sigh. 

End Day One

 Commentary: Journal has been edited for clarity, removal of personal details (it is a diary, after all), and boring side notes. I have noted things with (. . .) where the journal has been edited.

Will continue to add entries with photos and journal when possible. Also working on a comic. 

Until next time, hope you've enjoyed! 

~Emery 

    

Jamaica Cultural Immersion Program, Spring 2016

So, waaaaay back last summer, after I had returned from England, I was browsing through Hollins' website when I came across the Jamaica Cultural Immersion Program, or JCIP for short. I was instantly struck by how amazing it looked. It was run by Jeri, who I had worked with in the context of my service work and who I had a great deal of respect for. 

So, after a bit more time of poking around, I interviewed with Jeri, paid my deposit, and signed on to the program. Then, once I arrived back at school, I began my year-long internship for the trip. Here is some of the information and values of the program that I absolutely loved and were what drew me in and kept me enthusiastic all the way through:

The project was service based, which was cool, but it was the kind of service project it was that interested me, because it implied that unlike many service trips, which claim the difference you make in 5-14 days will be huge, Jeri continually made it clear that were not going to be playing white knights. I was instantly intrigued, because when you do a lot of service work, especially abroad, there's always this ego trip a lot of people have, which that is the first world's countries' job to "rescue" the third world countries. And this simply isn't true -- primarily because it's tremendously insulting to the culture you're entering into. Jeri always made sure to state over and over that it was *their* country and *their* culture that we were stepping into, and they have systems in place, and don't we dare forget this. She also made sure to note that we understood that even though the work we were doing was important as a cultural exchange, that it benefited us more than it benefited them -- though they certainly were very kind to us! -- particularly because we were only there for eight days. 

Our internship class met every week for two hours on Fridays. In it, we discuss geography, literature, economics, politics, and history, among other things. Then there was the community aspect. We were required to do 25 hours of service at an amazing tutoring center for low income kids, and in a retirement community. I learned a LOT from both places and the people were really lovely in both. 

But the internship is a story in of itself, so my next post will skip right to day 1 of Jamaica. 

In other news, and to finish off this post, stay tuned for not only the Jamaica updates, but additional content on Europe, travel tips, minor content about trips within the US, and maybe even some flash backs to my time in Peru. 

Have a great summer!

~ Emery