July started out with a bang- but no fireworks! About 35 of us PCV s gathered at Cocono House in Treasure Beach (south coast) for our own 4th of July. It was fun to be together and hear about everyone’s sites and experiences. Lots of cooking (we had a potluck buffet on the 4th), playing, talking, drinking, beach walking- the surf was up so just a little swimming, and a general good time had by all. I had borrowed a nice blow up air mattress- heavy to haul around in my roll bag, but I slept well- with a wonderful ocean breeze! Then summer school started (no break at all - the last day of school was Friday, July 2, and summer school began July 5th) I had volunteered to assist Mrs Minnott, my counterpart person and an excellent 1st grade teacher. Our focus was to be on basic phonics and word decoding skills. Class was to be M- TH 9am to 12pm through July 29th. The first week we had an average of 6 kids, and I was thinking how many kids needed to be there but weren’t. No letter went home and no announcements at school, only an announcement at the PTA meeting. The parents need to pay $500 JA per week, that‘s expensive for some families. Beginning the 2nd week we have averaged 15 kids, and most of them really need this focus. Students range from entering 2nd to entering 5th grade. I have learned that classes don’t usually start at 9 and don’t end at 12- definitely island time for the summer! I also started helping Swim Jamaica lessons on Wednesdays. I assist a very capable young man, Dave, with his level 1 class of 15 students. Then I walk them to the showers across a field so that Dave can start his second class, a level 4 class. I have sat in on 2 staff meetings and hopefully made some usable suggestions. I still love teaching kids to swim! We are discussing restarting adult lessons in August. I am still hopeful that we will be able to have lessons in Ocho Rios this fall. I went to a Wardens training meeting in Mandeville- another traveling experience involving 4 route taxis and 1 bus but a quick 2 ½ hours! Was interesting- I am now the Assistant (ie Ass) Warden for St. Ann parish- we currently have 20 volunteers in our parish. The warden is responsible for contacting all volunteers about any emergencies- both weather related - hurricane season is June - Oct., and civil unrest as we experienced in Kingston, and other Peace Corps info. Any volunteer spending the night away from his home needs to let his warden know where he will be as well. We reviewed hurricane procedures and that we should expect a consolidation drill soon. St. Ann parish would go to Montego Bay to consolidate- that way we are close to an airport if we need to be evacuated- not likely but possible. While in Mandeville one of our volunteers I was with was almost pick pocketed- it reminded all of us to stay alert and follow our safety training! The very best thing this month was Friday night July 23rd my landlord Steve, his 2 children and I went out to a private beach in Oracabessa (20 min away) to help baby sea turtles to the sea! This is something I have always wanted to do- and it truly is a bunch of little miracles! This English retiree has become a turtle expert and after 7 years he has learned how to assist the babies without harming them. He keeps elaborate logs on how many nests , data on the mother turtles and on the nest, its location and depth, and is able to predict when the hatchlings will be ready to come out. Very impressive! When we arrived, we helped stamp down the crab holes along the path to the sea. Then Mel started lifting the babies out of the nest ( he said they would work their way out eventually but this way he can count them ) There were 196 baby Hawksbill turtles in “our” nest! And about 25 unfertilized eggs. We each got to hold one turtle in our hand- such an awesome sensation to see them “wake up” and begin to wiggle and look around. Then we had to put them back in the pack and watch them all scurry to the sea. They crawled over rocks, sticks and shells but all went right to the water. Mel says if the night is dark and the nest is near to one of the two street lights, they will make a half turn away from the sea towards the light- and they won’t make it to the sea at all. We could see little heads bobbing up for air in the water. The first 2-3 years they eat plants then they move on to other marine life. They won’t be ready to lay eggs for about 17 years or so. Hawksbill turtles are one of 3 critically endangered species of sea turtles, the others are “just” endangered. Mel says he gets a few Green turtles and Loggerhead turtles laying eggs on this beach but 80%+ are Hawksbill. This was such an amazing evening, and I was so glad my Jamaican landlord & family could be there- to learn about “their “ turtles. Young Steven took videos (me too) and he really was excited! I hope to go out again in the next few weeks. I am on Mel’s list to call if he needs help- if we expect a hurricane hit he has to pack up the unhatched eggs and move them to safety. It was also such a delight to share this with grandson Jackson- he is an animal lover and he was so excited! And he already knew about Hawksbill turtles!