August in Jamaica

We’ve been Busy!  August is the month that Jamaicans take time off – many of the teachers in our schools look forward to either a relaxing month, a time to catch up on household tasks, or to travel – often to ‘foreign’ meaning US or Canada to visit family and friends. August is also the month with two important national holidays – Emancipation Day and Independence Day. But, we are “Peace Corps” so we have found lots to do after summer school finished in July.

 

(All the pictures are 'clickable' to view them better)

Doctor's Cave Beach in Montego Bay

Here’s just a list of one month’s highlights:

 

• Creating Lesson Plans and materials for teaching

• Preparing our new classrooms for our Pull-Out sessions
  

  
  

  

  Irene's Piñata to teach shapes

  

  Irene's Piñata to teach numbers

 

 Irene painting murals in her classroom

 

Steve with Mr Drummond building a new wall



Steve's new classroom after construction & painting at Adelphi

• Setting up our internet at home after it went down for 11 days

• 2 separate Beach Days in one week

•  Planting a vegetable garden and building a compost bin



Our veg garden

 

• Emancipation Day – walking history tour of Goodwill Community

Walking Tour of Goodwill

• Independence Day – Jubilee celebration in Goodwill
  

   
• Community Development Committee (CDC) and Farmers’ Group meetings

• Sewing up a new wardrobe for school – Irene

Irene sewed all these outfits - so creative!

• Helping with Sunday School celebration
  

  

  A sign-language interpretation of a praise song - Irene taught them

• Former Governor General’s funeral – connecting with his family (our neighbour David Cooke) in Goodwill

Family gathering honouring Sir Howard Cooke

 

 

• Steve’s Principal’s birthday party
• Shopping for dry goods and canned goods for our pantry larder
• Creating a budget within our Peace Corps stipend allowance (Impossible!)
• Meeting with the Minister of Education and our local Member of Parliament

 

Minister of Education Hon. Ronald Thwaites and Member of Parliament Hon. Edmund Bartlett
visited both of our schools

• Visits from Peace Corps managers – Medical, Safety & Security, Education

…and here s a picture of the 'super moon' from our back yard ---

.....Next week we have teacher planning meetings and orientation for new students -- then classes begin for the autumn term in September; we loved our summer of getting more involved in our communities and beginning another step in our Peace Corps journey.