March Anniversaries!
The end of February came quickly and I submitted my SPA grant request for a 3 week Adventures in Learning Summer Camp for Boys. And on March 5th I learned it had been approved! I am really excited about this program and have found a young Jamaican, Mr. Gooden, to assist. He has been student teaching at Breadnut Hill Primary so he even knows some of the boys. The camp will include swim lessons (of course!) field trips, a service project (shelves for the school library) and basic literacy and math skill reviews. You’ll hear more about it as we get into more detailed planning. But I am definitely excited!
Peace Corps encourages us to be connected with a school in the U.S. I have a World-wide School in South Chicago- the Bradwell School of Excellence. We have just had the first set of pen pal letters between the two 5th grades. We hope to come up with some more creative ways to connect the 2 classrooms. This is part of what Peace Corps calls the 3rd goal: To help Americans have a better understanding of other peoples in developing countries. It widens the Jamaican students’ horizons as well.
March 1, 2011 Peace Corps celebrated its 50 year anniversary of being founded. I was one of the lucky ones who attended a Peace Corps Anniversary Celebration at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence in Kingston. There were speeches and dignitaries. Since I remember JFK’s original proposal and question of “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” this really meant a lot to me.
March 8 I flew to Texas to spend time at Carrie and Justin’s helping get ready for baby brother’s arrival around May 4. It was strange having traffic drive on the other side of the road, and to actually drive instead of taking route taxis everywhere. I did come home from a shopping trip to Target early because I told Carrie I was on shopping overload- too many choices and decisions! But it was great to spend time with Jackson (now 6) and his parents. I came back with 48 pounds of books collected and donated by the Romeo group of Exeter, NH. The books will be added to the Breadnut Hill Primary School Library. I feel very fortunate to have such great support from family and friends in the States- these books will really help the students here have a better education. Thanks Dad and friends!
I returned March 17th – exactly 1 year from when I flew to Miami and signed in to Peace Corps Jamaica! Seems amazing how much I’ve learned in one year, and what good PCV friends I have made! So on March 18 (1 year from actually arriving in Jamaica) a bunch of us met in Falmouth to celebrate. We went out in 2 boats that evening to see the Glistening Waters of Falmouth. Due to millions of microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates, the water in this lagoon actually glows! Because of the bright full moon, we didn’t see too much glowing at first. But when I slid in the water and swam around –true enough the water sort of glowed as I stirred it up- how cool! And sort of a fitting way to celebrate our 1 year anniversary of being PCVs in Jamaica: sometimes we feel as if we glow, and other times we don’t feel as if there is any glow at all.