Hey everyone who may be reading this. As this trip comes to a close, I would like to take some time to share with all of you what I have learned from this amazing experience. I have done a lot in the little time that I had here in Jamaica. From jumping off of a forty foot cliff into a seem

ingly bottomless ocean to living with four of the greatest kids I could ever meet. But only one of those reasons was why I came here, the people. Friends and family members often asked me what I was going to do while I was in Jamaica. So I would tell them, I'm going to be working at a youth empowerment camp where I will get to tutor and counsel young Jamaican children and if time permits, build something for the community. Looking back on it, that is not the experience I had. Within days of arriving here, I found myself immersed in a community that was both strange and exciting at the same time.

      I am not a tourist. People will say to you, "I went to Jamaica!" No, you have never been to Jamaica. You went to a tourist attraction, where you lounged around the over priced air conditioned hotel room, drank complimentary alcohol, and hung out at an artificial beach with the occasional excursion to someplace like Rick's Cafe. I am a traveler. I didn't signed up for this experience to get the same things I can get in my apartment back in Indiana, PA. I signed up to be thrown into an environment that would both scare me and excite me all the time. I signed up to make an impact on a community that they will never forget. I am a traveler. I am making a difference.

      Community. Think about this word for a minute and ask yourself about its meaning. A lot of people, I would imagine, thought about something with white fences and identical Sear's Catalog houses. This is not a community. Most of those people in those houses won't be your friends, won't help you with much of anything, and will not wave and say hello on a regular basis. I have learned the true meaning of community during these past two weeks. Community is the embodiment of selflessness amongst a group of people. I don't believe that there is any sense of community in most places in America. There is no help for a lot of people in need. When someone in America is faced with someone in need of some sort of assistance, they simply raise their hand as though they are too busy to even utter the words, "I'm sorry, I can't help", and continue to walk to their Escalade and drive off. People in Petersfield, show that they care about others in their community. This short paragraph does not do my feelings about this subject justice. It's one of those things that you need to witness to understand just how moving it really is. I hope to take this back home and try to make a difference on the home front by pursuing this strong sense of selflessness.

      Something else I noticed while I was down here was the level of intelligence that some of these kids have for their ages. If I may be so bold as to say that kids here are smarter than there American counterparts. The worst part is, not a lot of kids are able to go to college in Jamaica. So those who have high levels of intelligence are unable to unravel their full potential. I believe that the reasoning behind their high intellect is due to the fact that they are not dumbed down by the amount of resources that we have in America. In America, we have things like smartboards, computers for each student, and nice chemistry lab equipment. These things along with others cause our students to become lazy and dependent on technology to do things. The children in most Jamaican schools don't have access to all this technology, aside from a computer or two, to become lazy and dependent. They have to use their imaginations and explore topics, whether it be books or spoken word with a teacher. This is the key to education in my eyes, and until we stop "teaching to the test" and start giving the children the tools they need to broaden their horizons then there will be a sudden halt in the intellect of our own society.

      One last things I would like to add before I leave, yesterday was the Ms. and Mr. Summer camp competition. It was full of music, performances by the kids, and the hokey pokey by the other students and myself. But one of the girls, who accepted us into her community with open arms, grandfather died during the festivities at the local Hospital. There was a black cloud of sadness that hung over the festival once news hit the camp. So I think that it's safe for me to say, speaking for all of the students, that Shanique has our greatest condolences and we wish we would be able to stay longer to help her through this tough time. You are in our thoughts, Shanique.

Of Many, One People,

Chuck

Summer Camp and Roaring River

Hi all! Yesterday we experienced our second full day of the AOC Summer Camp and we're all starting to get into the swing of things. We love the kids here so much and they never fail to welcome us as soon as we arrive for the day. There are three groups of kids separated into kiddies, juniors, and seniors so we've all been experiencing each group as much as we can and they're all very happy to have us. For part of the day they have a lesson and complete school work based upon the lesson, then we break for lunch which usually consists of delicious curry chicken and rice, and the rest of the day is fun and games. Some games include Simon Says, Mother May I, and soccer. After our day at the camp we decided to go to Roaring River for the second time (it was a scorcher)! Upon arriving at the river there was already a ton of people there having a party. Many of us jumped off the bridge again to cool off which felt amazing after our long day at camp. The people hanging out at the river were starting to get wild, blasting their loud rasta music which always makes for a fun experience. Yesterday we also had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Hildebrandt and her son Noah, our new additions to the group! They will be spending the next week with us here in Petersfield. Sadly, Dr. Swauger and Ben will be leaving us but we'll never forget the one week we've experienced with them, it was all so amazing!

Back to camp!
-Emily and Ben

Roaring Rivers

We did our usual boarding on to the shaggin wagon express, our new mascot van, where we would be experiencing our first time at Roaring Rivers. we were crammed into our seats bonding with excitement as we were all enjoying the scenery and our new found love for the reggae music. We finally arrived to this new and unfamiliar destination where we got out and they immediately collected our 500 Jamaican dollars (the tourists usually have to pay more!). We began our journey across the rasta field to a beautiful roaring river. Before we started up the long path of steps we stopped to take it in and saw a gigantic cotton tree, it was magnificent, and something they used to use to make boats and canoes out of. We made our way up the long staircase standing in front of a sketchy cage and a dark tunnel. It's rustic appearance shows us how themselves as a community has preserved this once hide-a-way for the maroons (run-away slaves) which is now a beautiful site. It is one of the few things that a multi-national corporation hasn't been able to make their own profit on something so beautiful, but the profit merely goes to the community. We enter  the dark cave keeping to the right of the staircase filing down one by one. The first thing we saw were the tites and the mites, it is a column like structure that grows slowly over time connecting to the top of the roof to help support it. We walked through the cave witnessing the structures that were simply made by nature, like a lion kissing a monkey, a large fish carved into a crawl space, praying hands, the profile of an old lady, and even the face of Bob Marley with his microphone. He led us into a real mineral water pool where we each waited patiently in the cool water for a sulfur scrub down. Once we each had experienced a exfoliating massage (minus Chuck) we made our way to the bottomless pool. Here those who were able to swim had to walk down a ladder and jumped into the refreshing water and splashed around a little bit until we had to eventually get out. We made our way out of the cave checking on each other making sure we were all okay, and helping one another to get out of the cave. We didn't even realize that this experience that would bond us together for life. It's now 10:30 and we're starting work on a fence, finishing it tomorrow, and we will be on our way to Negril!

YOLO
Steph and Missy

Volunteering

7/21/2012

Our first Saturday in Jamaica and we started it early!!  Woke up at 9 a.m. to quickly eat breakfast get ready and jump on the crowded hot bus to head to Galloway Early Childhood Institution.  Our host families dropped us off in front of the fence to the school.  One by one as we all walked into the school yard.  We noticed old metal playground equipment (slide, see saws, jungle gym), not so mowed grass, and a building that might remind you of a small old motel.  Three doors led you to the three main bedroom sized classrooms which were filled with tons of hand made decorations, a reading area, number area, dress up area, and "shopping" area.  The floors were plain concrete and the walls were also concrete with fading, chipping paint.  The only type of breeze you would feel was through the windows if a breeze even came through.  Our main purpose for the trip to this school was to clean up the rooms and paint the walls for a new school year!  We started by taking down all the decorations that have been stuck to the wall and scraping off excess tape and glue with dull knives and the tips of our fingers.  We then had to wipe down the walls with wet rags cleaning away spider webs, dirt, and anything else left on the wall.  Bring on the paint!  13 of us IUP students plus Galloways teachers and other community members split up between two classrooms to start painting the walls with fresh yellowish/cream paint.  As we were dipping our paint brushes into the buckets of paint and splattering the walls and ourselves we realized how hard we were all working as a group counting on one another for help.  Mr. Brown was hopeful we would get one room done but with much surprise and team work we got both classrooms done!  In between all of our hard work and letting the paint dry we got to talk to other community rooms and the two teachers who were working with us!  They told us how the school ranges from ages 3 to 6 and receives no government funding until they reach primary school.  One of the teachers named Nadia informed us how they rely on the funds paid by the students to attend, donations, any funding they might raise, and any volunteer groups within the community or groups like Amizade.  Nadia also informed us that teachers here are known as "trash pickers" because they tend to pick out certain items in the trash if it looks like it could be good teaching items for the classroom because they are forced to be creative and innovative for classroom materials due to lack of funding.  For example water bottles can be filled with stones and handles made out of sticks to create musical instruments.  Once the paint dried we all helped the teachers re-organize and decorate the classrooms.  Putting the final touches on the rooms made us realize how much we did just help out this community.  Nadia told us she cannot wait till the first day of September when the students walk though the doors and see the new, freshly painted walls and the smiles that will form on their faces.  Afterwards we all got together in one of the rooms and had our own class.  During class we learned more about the community and how they all are so helpful towards one another through Nadia's examples and examples we noticed ourselves.  Nadia explained how she is one of three sisters and they each take turns going to College.  While one is in College the other two siblings work to help pay for that schooling.  To be able to help your family in that way is incredible!  Chuck told us how he was talking with Mr. Brown who said in Jamaica they work off the honor system.  If everyone is putting money towards a certain thing and someone does not have the money at that time it is known that it will be returned to them the next time money is needed in a situation.  Bree, Danielle, and my (Annie) "house brother" had one of his only days off today and was really excited about it!  He was planning on relaxing and getting his laundry done but instead of doing that once he dropped us off in the morning he came back to help paint and stayed the whole day.  These examples just showed us how much this community comes together to become more successful which encourages us to accomplish as much as we can for the community while we are here for a short stay!  Not only did the clean classrooms and fresh paint make the classrooms look great but the whole day and experience gave us a new look on how to act as a community and what really counts and should be appreciated!

We look forward to writing to you again in this blog of all the other fun adventures we have had!

Barb and Annie

7/19/2012


Today is day three in Jamaica.  I'm in love.  We arrived at the airport in Montego Bay and were greeted by Mr. Brown and his entourage.  Going through customs and retrieving our luggage went smoothly.  It wasn't until we stepped outside of the airport that it truly felt like we were in Jamaica.  I'd call it 'organized chaos.'  "Taxis" (aka beat up cars) were zipping through to pick people up, blasting their reggae music.  People park wherever they want, it seemed as if there were no rules.  While we were waiting for Emily and Annie to meet us, we drove to our first Jamaican fast food place called 'Tastees'.  To drive in a Jamaican taxibus is a little bit scary to say the least.  To start they drive on the left side of the road (very fast) which takes some getting used to and there are no stoplights or organized road services.  People take Penndot for granted!  During the ride we saw familiar signs for KFC, Pizza Hut, Wendy's, and Payless.  It was really frustrating because one of the main reasons I came to Jamaica was to see life in a different, unfamiliar light.  I wonder how far away you have to go to escape Western influences?  There are three different types of horns that are used to communicate on the road: 1) 1 beep-hello! 2) two beeps- get out of the way 3) piss off.  The trip from the airport to the Associate of Clubs (AOC), where camp is held, took about an hour and a half.  The scenery was gorgeous with a wide view of large mountains and lush forests.  There are as many churches as there are bars.  Little shacks, handmade, painted in bright pastel colors.  Did I mention how hot it is here?  I'm starting to get used to it.  We were welcomed with hugs and food-I can't think of anything better.  Some of the food that we ate- fried chicken, bbq chicken, pork, fish, grilled vegetables, colsaw (without dressing), rice and beans, cucumbers, sweet bread (so.good.), and juice.  We sat at one long table, introducing ourselves, socializing, and taking it all in.  Mr. Brown gave a speech about the history of the AOC, which began in 1986.  The AOC has come a very long way, it has made Petersfield nationally recognized.  One achievement that sets this community apart from the other13 perishes is the recreational park the community has been building over the process of 12 years.  There are beautiful flowers, a slide, see-saw, gazebo, tables, and a food stand.  Later in the evening Mr.  Brown assigned us our roommates and house mothers, 3-4 students per household.  We all parted and went to the homes.  Everyone commented on how nice the homes were, a lot better than we expected- nicely decorated, cozy, plumbing, television, radios, kitchen appliances.  There's no air conditioning but plenty of fans to cool you off.  There's also a lot of bugs, but you kind of get used to that too.  Some of the people stayed up getting to know their new families and others went right to bed after the long day.  I'm living with Bree and Annie and my house "sister," Kadeen, is amazing.  We hung out in the living room, watched tv, met her sister Kesha, and her kitty whose name is "kitty-koo."  We got to try a fruit called sweet-sop.  It was light green, and basically fell apart, exposing the edible part.  You had the suck the flesh of the fruit off of black seeds and spit them into your hand.  It was delicious and tasted like a mixture between a kiwi and a banana.  Three single beds in a row and then we all passed out.  We woke up the next morning around 8:00 and had breakfast.  Kadeen made us eggs, plantanes, mango, and pineapple.  All of the food here taste so fresh and unprocessed.  I really like it.  The bus picked us up at 9:00 to go to the AOC and experience our first day at camp!  We all split up into different groups.  I went with the "kiddies" (6 year olds) and others went with the 8 years old, juniors( 10-12 years), and seniors (13-17).  The activity that we helped with was having the children trace their hands on a piece a paper and write something down they can use their hands with to make Jamaica a better place.  There were a wide variety of answers- work, clean, be a friend, giving.  There was a really funny one- pet kitties and eat mango.  I love little kids.  After an hour of camp we hopped on the bus and made our way to a public beach called Bluefiled.  It was paradise.  The sand was white and the water was so blue that when you looked out over the sea it blended right into the sky.  One of the prettiest views I have ever seen.  There were only a few other people on the beach and they joined in our activities.  Everyone around here is so friendly and kind.  The day included playing volleyball in the water, a dodge ball like game on the beach, soccer, and just relaxing.  For lunch a wonderful man made us jerk chicken and pork.  I keep saying that the food taste good but the jerk chicken was phenomenal.  We also tried bread fruit, which is considered a fruit.  It didn't taste like bread, and it didn't taste like fruit.  It sort of tasted like mashed potatoes with a different texture, I'm not sure if I really like it.  It poured down rain while we were swimming in the water.  It felt really nice because the rain was cooler than the ocean.  We had class on the beach and basically talked about some of the readings we had and in general our expectations and assumptions about Jamaica.  We left the beach around 5:30 to go home, eat dinner and shower, then around 9:00 pm we came back to the AOC to listen to a guest speaker, Jean Brown.  She talked about the history and development of Jamaica.  A quick overview: Jamaica was first inhabited by the Arawak and Carib natives,  then Spain took over, and then England seized Jamaica.  When Spain was in control they enslaved the indigenous people and basically killed of the entire culture/community.  Some were able to escape but none remain in Jamaica today.  When Jamaica was controlled by the British they brought people from India and China to work in the fields.  During the North Atlantic slave trade Africans were then brought over and enslaved.  Jamaica earned is independence on August 6th, 1862.  We also learned about the language.  The formal language in Jamaica is British-English however the day to day speech is carried out on Carib creole/Jamaican dialect.  It is mainly a blend of English, African, and Spanish.  Food, dance, and music follow the same pattern.  The spices came from Spain, jerk came from Africa, and curry came from India through the British.  At the end of the speech, our house sister Kadeen and her boyfriend Dwayne picked up Annie, Bree, and I to take us to a dead yard.  When someone passes in Jamaica there are nine days of celebration, and on the ninth night  dead yard is held the night before the funeral.  Sort of like the last goodbye.  The entire ride there we were just laughing and in awe because it was the first time in our lives we  were going into a situation completely blind.  It was exhilarating.  When we pulled up it literally looked like a county fair- cars lining the street, small vendors selling anything you can imagine, hundreds of people walking the streets.  We walked to the house of the woman who had passed away.  She was a significant part of the community based on the amount of people who came to support.  There was huge yellow and white tent, the kind you see at a circus, with a live reggae-gospel band playing.  The music was so passionate and the people responded to it with their entire bodies.  It was a rush of emotions I had never felt before.  We were literally the only 3 white girls there and the singer noticed us.  He came over to me, grabbed my hand and I jumped right in and started dancing.  It was so exciting!  I had never seen so many people excited and happy during the mourning period.  I was talking to Dr. Swauger about it and she pointed out to us that emotions are a learned part of society.  We feel and act the way we do based on what we are taught-for example, during funerals in the states people tend to cry and wear black because that is the social norm.  The first time in our lives we felt like the minority however everyone was friendly and accepting.  Another custom they have is to bury the family member on their land.  We walked up the hill to the grave site which was made of cinder block and the inside was decorate with paint, crosses, and words.  It was beautiful.  Shortly after we returned home and went to sleep.  Woke up, day 3.


Danielle Susa
(Bree, Sophie)

Service Learning in Petersfield, Jamaica July 2012

Tomorrow I will depart Pittsburgh (and others from Philly) to learn and serve with 11 students and my 15 year old nephew in Petersfield, Jamaica.  We have been anticipating and preparing for the trip for many months.  We are excited to take this journey!!!

only 4 more days!!... =/

So to catch everyone up a little bit for the past two days, On Saturday we went to Negril. It probably took us about 45 min -1 hr to get there and our first destination was to the Jimmy Buffet: Margaritaville. We were all excited at first to be going to the resort and getting that "taste of heaven" for a few hours but what most of us soon realized is how out of place we all actually felt! It was nice to see some "whities" but they seemed more like imposers than anything. Because we have experienced the "real" Jamaica and have gotten to know the beautiful people and have learned as much from their culture as we can, it almost felt wrong to be there. These tourists parade around like they own the place and they have no idea! I had very mixed emotions about it. I didn't know what to do with myself when I first got there. On the upside, the water is absolutely gorgeous. Crystal clear, blue water with the white sand that you dream about.

They also had 2 water trampolines that were pretty awesome! Haha so Alex tried to jump from 1 trampoline to the other and if you watch the show "wipeout" you can only imagine what it would've looked like. Let's just say that I replayed it in my head about 100 times! =)

After the beach we went to Rick's Cafe where we did the cliff jumping! Now imagine this: there's a beautiful view of the water and of the cliffs where the sun is settling just right. And then off in the distance you can hear and see screaming little figures jumping to there death from about 200 feet. LOl just kidding! But the 200 ft is right. A few of us ventured our way to the top through the crowds of people with pride. Jackie was brave and decided to go 1st. Then Melissa who made a splash haha, and then my turn came. I didn't realize how high and terrifying it was until I looked down! There was a guy standing there directing the jumpers and he was "1...2...3... jump!" I just went and let me tell you..it was the most amazing, biggest adrenaline rush I have ever felt in my life! If you've ever been to Kennywood park and rode the ride the "Pitfall", well it kind of feels like that, only multiplied.. but it was so amazing that I jumped twice! =)

Snce we were all starving after the jump, half of us went for jerk chicken and to KFC, and the other half of us paid a visit to the KING =) that little taste of burger and french fry heaven tickled me to death.
Overall, it was a pretty amazing day!


Yesterday (Sunday)
We went to an Assembly of God and it was warm as usually but we are in Jamaica so that's expected. The service was VERY long..longer than I'm used to.( Around 2 -2 1/2 hrs) The choir was very upbeat and at one point put on a cute dancing skit thing for us. It was enjoyable! There was a young male and female singer who both sang solos and they sand so beautifully, especially the young woman!

Children dressed in white also came out and signed to a dance which was also very moving..it was so beautiful I wanted to cry! The way the kids were able to get so into the feeling of the music and to "feel" something is just...breathtakingly beautiful.
We drove to the airport to pick up the high school aged group of quakers. The age group ranges from 15-17 and they're shy and quite but so were we when we first arrived. It's a new experience and a completely different world so time to adjust is perfectly normal. We drove to the AOC center where they had a welcoming dinner waiting for them as they did with us. We didn't really have a lot of time to talk to some of them. That's what the week is for. I think they felt welcomed for the most part..I hope so!

I wrote a lot so far and I hope it didn't bore you too too much! lol.

On a more serious note, being here is the best thing I could've done for myself. I feel myself changing for the better and I'm so moved and touched with what I've seen and learned. I hope that I am able to take home with me the gift of a new outlook on life that I have learned while being here. As happy as I am to be going home and seeing my family, I'm going to miss it here very much...I'm trying not to think about what I'm going to feel on friday when I say my goodbyes... =(

Michelle English