3 Months in Jamaica

3 months in Jamaica!

On May 21st, 37 of the original 38 of us trainees were sworn in at the US Embassy. A very meaningful ceremony and especially our 3 group #81 representatives did a fabulous job summarizing our hopes and experiences. We were out of Kingston before the real violence began there. The situation has not really been resolved yet as the man the US wants extradited has not been found, there is now a reward posted for him. We (Peace Corps volunteers) are not allowed to travel in the Kingston area without special permission and may not use public transportation (route taxis and buses)
My apartment in Breadnut Hill is beginning to feel like home (Carrie sent a housewarming box- it took a while to get to me but so nice to receive!) I am very fortunate in having a wonderful landlord and nice neighbor tenants.
I have settled into a school routine for the rest of this year (the last day of school is June 29th. ) I pull kids out for special tutoring M-TH 5 groups of 4 or 5 come M & W and 4 groups come T & TH. On Friday I have been bringing small groups of 6th graders up to our computer lab.
The library is up and running but I am still trying to figure out a system for usage as I get big groups of kids wanting to turn in a book and lots of pushing and shoving. It is great to have this short end of school time to see how things work so that come Sept. I will be better able to design my schedule. I have really enjoyed the 6th graders- they are so eager for more responsibility. I’ll have to find new helpers next fall! The library is in need for more books- especially Level 1 and 2 beginner readers and books boys might want to read - I have lots of Hannah Montana books! Today the Grade 6 students learned their GSAT test results and what high school they will be going on (all based on test scores not location) there were some very upset kids, and a few happy ones.
The highlight for me has been a trip to see Swim Jamaica lessons in action at the James Bond Beach in Orcabessa - a $140 JA taxi trip east of Ocho Rios. I observed their end of session lesson assessment day and then this week I took the Assistant Instructor course. It was fun to get back into teaching kids swimming! I knew I had missed it but hadn’t realized how much. I need to take the Royal Canadian Lifesaving course in order to be a “regular” instructor - they don’t accept Am. Red Cross here. One step at a time! The group is working on securing a site for lessons in Ocho Rios and that would work out perfectly! A few of the teachers at my school want to learn to swim- so maybe we can work that in this summer too.
Group #81 continues to be a great support system, and since I am near the beach and have a spare bed, I have invited friends over for an R & R weekend! I hope to go see other parts of the island as well.
I am feeling much more at home on Breadnut Hill- most of the taxi drivers know me and when I walk home I visit with the people at the small stands along the road. I learned what a nutmeg looks like before it is out of its shell (?) and not dried yet. They also grow allspice and chocolate up here! Plus lots of mangoes and sour sop and June plums- I’m learning what they all look like and taste like!
The Jamaicans are a welcoming people who are always asking how I like their island! I love the jerk chicken and pork! Come and try it yourself!