Jamaica Day 3

Jamaica Day Three

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.

03-20-16

[. . .]
Anyways, onto Jamaica stuff. 
I'm finally starting to feel like I'm getting the hang of it and starting to notice stuff -- not just in myself: like how addicted I was to technology -- but also things about how poverty works. (For example) stuff like Netflixs* that I have such easy access to, is hard to get here. 

*Or a library

Commentary: I know it's a weird example, but if you think about how luxury items and the entertainment industry shape the American reality it's not as bizarre. Also, since there was no wifi accessible to us -- I learned later that Miss H's  son-in-law or something had installed it, but she wasn't sure how it worked -- it was one of the things that popped into my head the easiest. Without internet, how you spend your free time really does look tremendously different and I think - as much as I love the internet - that it does damage personal relationships. Without the internet, you're forced to spend time with those around you for entertainment, which fosters connection and understanding. With it, while connections to people and news far away is at your fingertips, which I think is good, you become far too stuck in this endless blackhole and you miss everything around you. It's a shame in a lot of ways, really.

Also how we really overuse water. Like, it's just not necessary. And (...) water is def. an issue! I'm starting to feel like myself again. Both the activist side of my myself and adventurous side.

Commentary: One of the major changes I've experienced from studying abroad is a significantly increased interest in politics and international studies. I've additionally become much more interested in issues such as resource management, global hunger and thirst, and human rights throughout the world. I think it's critical that we acknowledge the vast differences and values that each culture has, for good and bad (how we react to issues is much more cultural that we realize), But it's also equally, if not more important, to recognize that each person is an individual, and just like our society, just like everywhere, there are good and bad people. And they are themselves and themselves alone.

And I'm letting go of a lot of anxiety. But there's still a lot to work through and I'm starting to realize how many issues I bring to the table*. Just can't believe it took me so long to adjust. But the day didn't start feeling that way at all! 

*As opposed to the issues being everyone else's. 

Commentary: The journal entries were written in the evenings after the day, of course.

We wound up having to get up earlier than the alarm because Miss H didn't want food getting cold. C woke me up and I basically -- no, I did -- bit her head off

Commentary: I'm so sorry C! I was really really tired! But it's a running joke now, so . . . it works? But the thing you start realizing when you travel is that food, sleep, and bathroom can make or break a trip. Lack any of those, and the stress of getting everything perfectly (catching your plane on time, asking for a sandwich in understandable French, being on time to your class, going through your entire lesson plan, remembering to bring your swimsuit or metro card) will get to you and sooner or later, you're going to meltdown. The best cure for this is prevention, obviously, but that's basically impossible, so the next best thing is to know your signs and know when you're getting close to that point. Or experiencing culture shock, which is more real that you can ever imagine (more on that in a separate post).

and I wasn't a fan of breakfast. But mostly because my stomach hates me in the morning. But honestly, I don't want to talk about how much of a brat I was anymore. 

Commentary: Jamaican food was definitely very different from what I was used to. It was very fresh and very unusual. My host mom was a pretty good cook (and an amazing baker) but I often forget that I am *VERY* picky with food, which is a trait I really don't like about myself.

 After food we went and waited for the bus with the other girls in HG (our part of town).There were dogs and a lot of goats. It was both fun and funny. 

Commentary:
In case you don't believe me, here's a both picture and video of the numerous goats.

T (normally very quiet, smart, and sweet) made the following statement about goats, as we watched them go by.
T: What do you call a bunch of goats? (silence) Curry.
None of us expected that from her. At all. We laughed for days.

We got on the bus. It was a long drive, full of twists and turns. Thankfully I didn't get sick. But I didn't have to stare ahead a few times. After driving through many things -- including sugarcane! -- we stopped for a break.

Here are some of the pictures (plus a video) of the scenery.

Next, we happened upon the sugarcane fields. Some were high, startlingly so

 And then, we got to see where the sugarcane had been harvested as well.

And here was an old sugarcane factory.

  

Commentary: Sugarcane is one of the main crops in Jamaica, but it is not without its troubles. Not only is sugarcane notoriously invasive, but it's also incredibly hard to harvest, one of the most difficult and backbreaking crops, in fact. But oh man, is it good . . . 

Here are some final pictures of the way up there:

And [we stopped for] a swim. Even though at first I didn't want to due to my legs hurting (they did so all day), I decided I would regret it if I didn't, and (after a quick change) dove in. It was marvelous and I don't regret it one bit. Plus, Jeri looked like a seal or a mermaid. She was so happy! And the water was sooo blue! 

We hopped back in the car soon enough though and drove some more -- often seeing the oceanside. It was really pretty! 

Commentary:

The water in Jamaica is really warm comparatively to the water in the Pacific -- though not as warm as the Atlantic, apparently-- and it has less waves, so it's really easy to float. This beach was pretty perfect. It's funny how when you're traveling there are these perfect moments that you remember forever, but you isolate them from the context they were originally in. You don't remember the pain, or discomfort, or agony over choices, you just remember the moments in of themselves. Not that there was agony here, but there was plenty of indecision as I went back and forth trying to decide if it was worth it to go in the water or not.

Hey Guys! Emery here! The day didn't end here, but for the sake of post length, I've decided to put the rest of the day's content into another (maybe two, depending) post, and so ends this particular one. As always, thanks for reading and have a wonderful day! I hope you've enjoyed reading! Best!

~ Emery 

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 

Updates

It's funny how long it takes to get closure on an event like going abroad. There are so many things that you experience: some good and some bad. I have learned that the bad do not define the experience, but neither do the good. How your experience is is what you choose to remember. This does not mean the bad or good didn't happen, it just means that they are tempered by either other, and in the end, you choose which one is more prominent.

I often wake from dreaming about being abroad, just as I dream about home, or Roanoke sometimes. But the dreams -- and daydreams -- from abroad are more vivid. I can almost taste them sometimes. They are magical, upsetting, and wonderful. They sweep you up and then they let you down -- sometimes, with a crash. Other times, with a soft touchdown.

There is news that I wanted to update here -- firstly, that I am proud to be a global ambassador for my university, a high honor, and secondly, that I will be going to Jamaica in the Spring semester of my senior year .I will be updating then, after I return.

Be sure to tune in there.

Best always,

~ Emery

Update

So, firstly I wanted to apologize for not writing sooner. Mind, I don't know that I have very many readers, so it might be that I am just apologizing to myself for not actively honoring the side of myself that needs to write.

But be that as it may, I think I'll give my readers the benefit of the doubt and begin with an explanation. I try only to write when I feel I have something to say, and lately I have not felt at all like I have anything to say, let alone anything positive to say -- which is the state in which I try and keep this blog -- but on further exploration, I suspect that I may be suffering from homesickness, so I shall talk a little about that.

Homesickness while abroad is something colleges tend to acknowledge but don't tend to be very helpful about, unless it is to help you to a therapist . . . now, don't get me wrong, therapists are very valuable BUT those records are kept for 7 years and there's not much they can do to help with homesickness anyways.
In my experience, there are two types of homesickness, one feels something like the flu, in my experence. You feel like you're going to throw up because your stomach aches so badly. You can't think of anything else and there is this grand physical pain that you feel. You cry -- and then you laugh at how stupid you're being -- you cry again, and you feel a panic spread throughout your body.

I don't get that kind of homesickness now, but I did as a kid. This sort of homesickness is really easy to spot. But there's a different sort as well, the kind that only now am I realizing may be more prevalent than we may realize.
I used to sort of think of it as missing home -- aching for the place and being filled with nostalgia, but none of that weepy, panic-y stuff. I've now realized that this home-missing can be a sort of homesickness too -- only, you pine away.

If you only sometimes find yourself thinking wistfully of home, that's healthy. But if you find yourself retreating away from the present? That's homesickness. If you find yourself depressed, with a lack of luster of life? Homesickness. If you are fault-finding and just generally down? Homesickness. With Facebook and Skype it is really easy to keep living your old life -- but without physically being there. And this is an issue for you, because it means that you aren't living in the here and the now.

Speaking for myself, I know I am guilty of this. I am so afraid that if I lose even some connection with my family and friends, I will freeze, go into "real" homesickness. So I stay, living two lives.

Is this the best way of doing things? I don't know. I love my connections back home. But is it too much? Likely.

I think we are given the message homesickness is for babies, that adults (or the college equivalent) aren't supposed to miss their families.

We are given the message that if we were strong enough, we would deal with this and how dare we complain since we are in London/Paris or wherever? Is there some specific person giving us this message? No. I believe we give it to ourselves. And it is something reinforced by society.

When we get this feeling of withdrawal, we get depressed and, at least for me, my creativity gets stuck and I start watching endless runs of cartoons.

So, there is my brief explanation because I think it's important to acknowledge that depression hits all of us, even against our best efforts. And all you can do is acknowledge it, deal with it (to the best of your individual ability), and try to keep moving.

Best,
~ Emery

P.S. Hopefully, will upload Photos and more traditional blog-ness soon.

Tintagel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiWvmq4rgNw