COS = Close of Service May 21, 2012 After 2 years at Breadnut Hill Primary May 11, 2012 was to be my last day. It was so sweet and bittersweet. I got lots of hugs, and some endearing letters from some of the students. The PTA presented me with a nice Thank You plaque on Teacher’s Day (May 9). My third term library helpers had their own going away party- we played white -board Pictionary and watched The Lorax on DVD. I am so glad that Mrs. Minnot has agreed to take over supervising the library helpers. And Miss Rickets will be taking over the class library time. Sustainability is one of the PC main focuses and a big concern of mine. I wish them all the best and the fortitude to keep things going! I will miss the students, the library and the BHPS staff so much. And maybe there will be a summer camp program at school, one of the teachers is interested! Probably the most touching thing is that at my last staff meeting, it was suggested that there could be a Library Helpers trophy given out in my name at the Grade 6 School Leaving Exercise. Then I was asked if I would consider continuing it for future years! I agreed. Isn’t that an honour! When I was in Kingston I asked Sue Walden, my Program Manager, if she would come present the trophy on my, and Peace Corps, behalf. She has it on her calendar! On my last Friday they had a special sendoff concert for me. I had to sit in a special chair and each class did a special item (their term for a presentation). I had a poem from Grade 1, a dance from Grade 2, songs, and 2 classes created an acrostic with my name. (No wonder various students came and asked me to write down how to spell my name!). So touching. But goodbyes weren’t over yet. I had to travel to Kingston for my COS check out- A page of things to be covered and signatures to get. That took parts of 3 days! And more goodbyes to the PC Jamaica staff. They are a great bunch! On Friday, May 18, 2012 the newest group, Group #83 was sworn in at the Ambassador’s residence. 2012 is Jamaica’s 50th celebration for their independence and it is also Peace Corps Jamaica’s 50th year in Jamaica. Truly I had the chills hearing them say their pledge and remembering how short a time ago it was me up there.

Then back to Breadnut Hill for the serious last packing. Next came Saturday, May 19. Our Rotary Club has adopted the Lewis Basic School up in the bush in St. Ann. We were meeting at 9AM to do some basic cleaning and preparing for the Wed. May 23 Labour Day project. We hoped to paint, put some tile in the bathrooms and kitchen, clean up the play area and plant some bushes. We were busy until around 2PM when some of us left to enjoy a going away gathering for Tina, Ross and I at a local watering hole- Scotchies. I highly recommend you find your way to Scotchies if you come to Ocho Rios!

Later that day the BHPS staff all met for a going away dinner for me. It was nice to see most of the teachers there and have one last goodbye with lots of picture taking, and more gift giving. I miss them already! Even later that evening I joined the St. Ann Peace Corps Volunteers (+ a few extras) in a Welcome and Goodbye evening at the John Crow Bar in Ochi. It seemed the perfect ending to welcome in the new volunteers as we leave. Sunday I fit in a beach trip after cleaning my apartment. It was hot and the water was great! That is until a jelly fish got me on one thigh. Sort of a fitting last memento!

Tina, Ross and I got a ride to the airport from a Rotary friend, and we all were relieved to see that we were not over the 50 pound baggage limit! Hurrah! Then off to the gates to the USA. Now it is readjustment time. And time to reflect on all the good friends, challenges and successes I’ve had over the past 2 years. Being in the Peace Corps has been a goal of mine for many years- since JFK’s challenge in fact! I loved it and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It is possible at any stage of life! “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” And help build peace and friendship around the world! Amen

FULL CIRCLE- ALMOST! APRIL 22, 2012 Group 83 arrive March 14, almost 2 years from when I, we, Group 81 arrived. I just had a Peace Corps trainee from that group come for a 3 day shadowing experience. It brought back memories of my trepidation, fears and hopes. Now Jamaica feels like home- I am comfortable getting around, know my local taxi drivers and they know me, I know where to shop and eat out and go to the beach. Her questions were just like mine- eager to get started and tired of training. I wish them all a fabulous experience becoming a Jamerican! March 30 was the wedding of Bart, a former Peace Corps volunteer, and June, his Jamaican bride to be. The emailed wedding invite said ceremony at 2PM up in a church in the hills of Trelawny. All the PCV guests were there on time, but no one else was there! The wedding actually began around 3:40PM, and it was lovely. Very much like our weddings with a scripture, a duet and the exchange of vows and rings. It was a very large wedding party of 5 groomsmen and bridesmaids plus 2 pairs of junior bridesmaids and grooms. That way all of June’s seven children were part of the wedding party. The couple looked so happy. We all wish them the best in the future. We hope Bart is ready for such an instant family! There was a reception after the wedding but Mary Lee and I were only able to stay for the Mannish Water soup (goat testicles). Then we had to leave to take a taxi back to Falmouth for the night. That was a scary ride in the dark! All the other PCVs were spending the night on the floor of a local house. Term 2 at school ended just before Easter break. So I had a Library Helpers' party after school for my 7 helpers. I was able to get an Easter Egg dying kit from the States. This was a totally new experience and such fun! The students had to read and follow the directions. I brought 1 white hardboiled egg for each of them, and asked them to bring in 1 hardboiled egg. (local eggs are brown) 2 of the students remembered their egg. They loved the colours and writing on the egg with the crayon. I told them they could eat the eggs (They were leery about that) and described Easter egg hunts. We also played a modified Pictionary game on the white board. Also a big hit – they love to draw on the white board! The big Easter event here is the Kite Festival, scheduled for Easter Monday, a national holiday. Only this Monday was a total rain day- so the Festival was postponed. The Bone books arrived! Our Chicago penpals raised over $200 US and bought and sent a whole collection of Bone books for their Jamaican penpals! These are graphic novels with a cartoony character, Bone, and his adventures. It is so wonderful to see mainly the boys asking for the next book and eager to read them. Thank you so much Bradwell School of Excellence! Then we had a surprise visitor- one of the Bradwell School teachers came to Breadnut Hill School for a visit! What a small world; her mother lives in Ocho Rios and she grew up in Jamaica. We showed her our library and where we keep the new Bone books (there were a few not checked out). So amazing to have such a connection! She took pictures and promised to share with Ms Rose and her students when she returned to Chicago. A friend and I splurged on a day at Reggae Beach- a lovely beach with a long sandy shore. We shared a lunch of curried shrimp over couscous- so refreshing to have a new menu item! (but of course not affordable on a PC budget!) But... I woke up in the middle of the night itching like crazy- I had been attacked by sand lice and had an itchy red rash all over where my suit had been. Owwwww. Since the next 2 days (Easter and Monday) were holidays, I survived with Benadryl and hydrocortisone cream. I got to the Dr. on Tuesday. More cream and pills did the trick- but quite a lesson learned- be sure to rinse off right away- and be careful what you lay on at the beach!

3 out of the 4 Close of Service documents have been turned in and I have had my exit physical and dental exam. Now to start doing post tests with my students, cleaning and organizing at school, and packing and sorting. I worry about what will be continued when I leave. So far, none of the teachers are willing or interested in holding a summer camp this summer. The principal and staff do seem interested in continuing the library. But I am reminded of what Carleen, our first PC education supervisor kept saying; if you only touch the lives of 1 or 2 students you have made a difference. I know I will miss my pull out students. I have seen a lot of growth in both their reading skills and their self confidence. I hope they will view themselves as a learner not a failure from now on. Thank you Bradwell School!

Wow, I have actually been in Jamaica for 2 years, and only have 2 months to go before I return! Already there is a different outlook- last things to do or see, last projects to finish. I am beginning to think about what to give away, leave behind and what to take home. For Peace Corps we have various documents and steps that we need to submit before departure. One of which is called a DOS- description of service. We are to document what we did for the 2 years into a 3 page document, sort of a PC resume. I’ve started working on that- quite a challenge! I am also working with my counterpart teacher to develop a succession plan for when I leave. My last day at school will be May 11.
I received an interesting compliment from the supervising teacher for the practice (student teacher) Spanish teacher who shares the library space with me. His teacher is from Cuba and she came and talked with me after I had had library with one of the classes and had read a Dr. Seuss story to them. She said she wished they had this program in Cuba. (Not actually sure if she meant Peace Corps or library time)) She explained how they have free education and libraries in Cuba but many of the students don’t love books and how important that is. We had a lengthy discussion about schools and learning needs in Jamaica and Cuba and the US.
Breadnut Hill Primary held their Sports Day down at a field near Ochi so all the students had to be bussed there using 1 bus taking 2 trips. So the 9:30 starting time became 11AM. So of course it went on until after 5PM. There have been 2 other field trips recently and both times the students were told to be at school at a specific time yet the bus didn’t leave until at least an hour later. That’s Jamaica time. Good news is that all 4 of our dance groups qualified to go on to the St Ann parish finals in May. And at our District Sports finals at least 2 of our younger runners will be going on to the St Ann parish sport finals. We were proud to finish 4th at this meet – (out of 6) traditionally we are last. Without a field to practice on it is difficult for our athletes to be conditioned and ready.
March 2 was the end of my Biography Book Reading contest for grades 3-6. I was pleased to receive 47 reports and book prizes were given to the winners from each class. For these students this was their first experience reading biographies. March 2 also began Dr. Seuss Time for grades 1-3. Since we have a limited number of Dr Seuss books only grade 3 and 1 are having their contest in March and Grade 2 will have theirs in April. I have been reading The Lorax and Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss to the older grades and it is amazing how attentive they are! I am watching to see if The Lorax movie will be coming to Ochi soon. Wouldn’t that be perfect!
March 22 and 23 are the GSAT test dates for all of Jamaica. Grade 6 students may only take this exam once so it is extra important to be prepared. These students have been having extra classes on Saturday and after school. This is a knowledge based test not an aptitude test. One parent just told me they had decided to keep their son back in grade 6 another year so that he would score better next year and get into a better high school. The rest of the school’s students and teachers (and me) have those 2 days off so that they can use the whole building and spread the students out. It has become more apparent the longer I am here that Jamaican students are expected to absorb facts and that creativity and higher level thinking skills are not stressed. I think the open classrooms, the noise levels and large class sizes makes it much easier to just teach rote learning. Wg/0ES7nslw7pc/s200/DSC05504%2B%25282%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721639665330768466" />hen I ask my remedial students to draw a picture to go with a story or a word they struggle- “I can’t draw an elephant or a lion, can I trace it?” Two boys didn’t want to draw a house because I didn’t have a ruler for them to use to make the lines. Jamaicans certainly are creative when it comes to music and dance though!
March 17- St. Patrick’s Day in Jamaica! The word went out that there would be a PCV gathering at Oceans 11 in Ocho Rios for St. Patrick’s Day. 9 of us enjoyed green Red Stripe or Guinness. The wait staff were all decked out in St. Paddy’s Day costumes, and green hats and leis were handed out. It was fun.


Thinking of you all- ...May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

January & February 2012 – Travel time!

Peace Corps has a policy that volunteers may not take vacation the last 3 months of their service. So Feb. 21 was the last day I could take time off. In January I travelled to Chicago to visit PC friends and my world wide school in South Chicago. Then up to Minneapolis for my niece Amanda’s wedding.
Visiting my World wide school was fantastic! I learned that they had been reading my blog! (Hi, Bradwell students!) I was suffering from some cold weather re-adjustment issues and left my bag with the Jamaican pictures and treats on the Red Line when I tried to bundle up with scarf, gloves and hat. It was about 9’ F. But I had the jumpdrive with the movie we had made in Jamaica and shared that with the grade 5 students in Ms Rose’s classes. It was great to see their classroom and school but the best part was how interested and attentive the students were. They had excellent questions to ask and shared that a couple of them had done reports on Marcus Garvey and Bob Marley. It is a small world! We discussed Rastafarism, devotion time, sports, and the GSAT exam. I noticed that Ms Rose’s classroom had a basket of Bone books and I shared that our library had 1 Bone book and it was always in demand. It was a great visit! I also learned that one of her student’s older brother is in the Peace Corps in Mongolia!
After the wonderful winter wedding, I traveled to Texas with my daughter and 2 grandsons for a day before returning to Jamaica. There I had a second opportunity to talk about Jamaica. I visited grandson Jackson’s first grade class and shared the movie and answered questions. They wanted to know about the food in Jamaica. They found Jamaica on the globe. Both of my school visits were great and are what Peace Corps calls Third Goal activates. The third goal of PC is to share about other countries with Americans to help build greater understanding. I plan to do more of this when I return to the US.

After about 2 weeks back in school, Ron and Carole Sand, fellow PCV’s and I took off for a vacation to St. Maartin and Saba joined by my sister Connie. It was a great trip to see a different Caribbean island, one that is a part of the Netherlands Antilles. We had lots of highlights including hiking, snorkeling, eating great seafood and Dutch Gouda cheese, crewing on a 12 meter America’s Cup yacht and taking off and landing on the world’s shortest commercial runway (396m or 1300ft.) Since this is my Jamaica blog, I won’t elaborate more on this trip. I do recommend the book I found in the St. Maartin airport called and a bottle of Rum, A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails by Wayne Curtis. An informative and fun book.Sugar made the fortunes of a few in the Caribbean, and enslaved many more. Rum was created to use up the “industrial waste” of molasses and played a significant part in American history
The first day I was back at school was Jamaica Day- very similar to Culture Day. In the morning there was a student cricket match with the 2 male teachers heading up teams. I did get the chance to bat and managed to hit the ball (they use a tennis ball) but got out when I forgot I had to run to the other end. In the afternoon most of the classes presented an item (Jamaican for a presentation). Most classes sang a song or did a skit.

Last week on Tuesday was Mini Sports Day. This was not done last year so I was eager to see what this was all about. It was sort of what we would call Field Day. Students have been divided into 3 houses: blue, purple and orange, with each house having a mix of students from all the grades. So the competition was between the houses with each team wearing their colours and cheering their teammates on. Well, sometimes they were just horsing around and not watching the races- sounds typical? The races included the spoon and egg race, only limes were used instead of eggs. Then came a tug of war, 4 to a side using tied together jump ropes. There was a water race; each person had to fill their container to overflowing by running back and forth with a cup to a trash barrel of water. This race lead to a lot of controversy – about the containers not being on level ground, and what constituted “overflowing” etc. Later we had a potato race; with oranges- the runner had to pick up each orange and run it to their box, when all were picked up, they had to run the box to the finish line. The last race of the day was the math race. One runner received a slip of paper with a math problem on it, he/she ran to their partner who had to solve the problem and give it back to the runner to return it to the finish line. Only if the answer was correct did they win. The sack race and the three legged race were planned for the day but Ms Gowie the principal ended the event at 4:30PM so the students could head home. It was a long day in the sun- but fun for all. I have no idea which house earned the most points. On Feb. 27 we will have the “real” Sports Day at Walkers Woods school field. Then there will be 60 m, 100m 200m running races and relays in different age categories (under 9, under 11, under 13). That is another long day but track and field is Jamaica’s passion and both the boys and girls are really into running.

Wednesday, Feb. 22 was Ash Wednesday which is a national holiday in Jamaica. Schools and government offices and banks are closed. Jamaica prides itself on being a Christian country, devotions are held daily at schools and most everything starts with a prayer. So it seemed strange to me that there were not any religious activities or emphasis on Ash Wednesday- no ashes on the forehead, no church services or parades or carnival or special foods. I went to the beach- great weather, and that seemed to be a popular activity- the beach was crowded!

I have received 2 update emails from Ms Rose. The students there received permission to hold a coin drive to buy more Bone books for their Jamaican friends! They have raised over $200. Isn’t it amazing how love can spread! As Bob Marley sang “One love, one heart, Let’s get together and feel all right”

Photo- School coin drive with Jonetta and Jakobi

The Holidays and Welcome 2012!

School was out on December 16, and second term would begin January 9th, 2012 so those of us PCVs who work in schools had a nice long break! Did you know poinsettias just grow here- in bushes even! So beautiful.
Fellow PCV Juanita made the difficult decision to go home early (called ET in Peace Corps lingo meaning Early Termination). She was needed at home. She is missed. We are in touch and already have plans to meet up when I return.
For Christmas, Diann came for the weekend- we did not go to Grand Market (once was enough for me!) but enjoyed wine with fellow yardies. Christmas dinner was chicken (what a surprise!) but baked not fried and Diann and I were joined by Laura, a Response PCV who had spent 2 years in the Dominican Republic. It has been so interesting to hear her compare the islands, the people and her experiences.
On December 29th Jamaica had a national election. The two parties- PNP and JLP had lots of gatherings, a few debates and lots of wearing of orange or green. There has been a history of violence during elections in Jamaica so we were warned to stay home and be careful. The election was won by the PNP and Jamaica’s new Prime Minister is now Ms Portia Simpson-Miller. Fortunately and proudly, this year there was very little election violence. Congratulations Jamaica!She has already taken office and formed her cabinet. The Jamaicans I know are hopeful that she can make things better in Jamaica.
For New Year’s weekend Carole and Ron came down from the Blue Mountains – they enjoyed all sorts of luxuries not available at their site- running water, wine, an oven, pizza, and the beach. We had a fun beach gathering on Jan. 2 with some other volunteers.

January 9th School began. I was ready to see my kids again! My routine is the same. I see 8 pullout groups twice a week, plus I do library time for all 9 classes. The main focus though was to get some things ready for me to take to the World Wide School in Chicago, USA. This is a program linking schools in the US with a PCV. My school is the Bradwell School of Excellence in Chicago. The grade 6 students are penpals with some grade 5 students there. I will visit the school on January 19th for the morning. The grade 6 students coloured some beautiful pictures of Caribbean plants and flowers. We made a movie using Windows Movie maker. I was learning as we went along but it turned out great. Mr Abraham, the grade 6 teacher was able to solve the adding music problem. I will also be taking gizzadas- a special Jamaican dessert- sort of a coconut tart. I am really looking forward to meeting these students and their teacher and sharing a little of Jamaica with them! Of course the students here can’t wait for me to come back and tell them about my visit!
Welcome 2012!