It’s already been 3 weeks! We have learned so much and next
week we will move to a different community for the next 6 weeks of our
training. Irene and I will be sad to leave our wonderful madda – she will be
very special in our continuing life in Jamaica, and we hope to come back and
visit her over Christmas break.
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| Studying for our exam |
Our training has focused on learning how to understand a
community’s social system, strength, opportunities, and ways of doing things.
We are also already learning about the Jamaican Public School System and
general needs. One of our assignments was to interview families with kids and
map out a timeline of school calendar events, national exams, holidays, special
study units, agricultural harvest schedules, and even when the World Cup
happens and when hurricane season occurs. The idea is to figure out when people
are available to work on new projects. We also did a map of our community
showing where the major social gathering places are – this will help in our
integration later.
Our group was treated to a going away part by the families
in town – many moms cooked and there was music and even a game of Dandy Shandy
(kind of Dodge Ball) in the street.
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Steve and Anna Lisa at the community party
(permission to publish OK from her mom) |
After our last class, all of us PC volunteers organized a
cleanup of the local sports field – trash is a big problem in Jamaica, and we
decided that a cleanup project might be a way to say our thanks and also maybe
create an idea which the kids in town will continue later.
This week is the annual high school track and field sports competition
at the National Stadium. Scouts from many international professional and
Olympic sports teams come to check out the new up and coming athletes.
And…Irene decided to try out a local hairstyle – here she is
getting her hair braided at a neighbor’s in house salon.
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