Jamaican Days

The past two weeks here in Jamaica have gone by faster than I can explain. We are busy. Very busy most of the time. But I would not take back a single moment I have spent here with the people of Jamaica. Camp in the city is over and I am back to spending time in Mt. Friendship. I am so eager for September when school starts in Jamaica. Some of my favorite moments from camp last week were: teaching a group of 9-11 year olds a dance to “Thriller” and “Beat It,” by request, and taking the children on a field trip to Ys Falls. The falls are about 3 hours away from Kingston and involved a fun bus trip of singing, laughter, and sleep. The children swam for a few hours in a beautiful water hole, experiencing the beauty of the Jamaican countryside.

At the falls, I did something I thought I could never do: swing off a rope into a water hole, too far for my liking in a tree. Thanks to Sarah and Matt (my fellow PVIs), this extraordinary event occurred twice. I am so afraid of heights it’s not funny. But it was fun, even in the midst of my panic attack.

I found out some sad statistics of the neighborhood that the camp takes place in: 3 out of 4 boys will not make it to age 20 and there have been 18 deaths (most murders) in the past month in the area. Each street has a rivalry with another street, and many seek revenge for only living on another street they don’t like. It’s sad to realize this reality, and see the kids that will become involved in this whether they want to or not. This makes me think about how lucky I am to have the opportunities I had as a child and to live in the place that I did for 22 years. Thanks Mom and Dad!

I also experienced church for the first time in Mt. Friendship this past Sunday. The church felt really dead; there were very few people there and little music to worship with. But the love was there and the potential to make this church as lively as it once was. Hopefully, over the next year, Charity and I can help the people of Mt. Friendship transform this church into a place of spirit and charisma. It’s exciting to think about!

During mass, I sat in back of three children. Not too long into the service, a little boy appearing around age 5 came to sit next to me. He had with him a little bag of juice and biscuits. I was like, “Great! A new friend to sit with!” The boy was very curious about the hymnal I was holding, and soon snatched it from me to get a better look. He then took the hymnal and lightly hit me with it over the head. Yes, I was more than surprised and even laughed a little inside. I quietly told him not to do that, and then watched him hit the child in front of him over the head with the hymnal. It was then that this child got the hymnal taken away. He was a mischievous little person and I had to pay close attention to him during church. But I fully enjoyed his company.

This weekend coming up, we are planning to FINALLY hit the beach for some much needed relaxation and fun. I can’t wait. But what I am most excited about is getting started in a clinic in the area. Yesterday, we went for a tour of Food for the Poor in Spanish Town. This is a huge organization in Jamaica that provides housing, food, healthcare, and more opportunities to the poor of Jamaica. They have a clinic in Kingston that provides free healthcare for those who cannot afford it. I have been welcomed as an RN volunteer! There is a lot of paperwork and other things I must do before I can actually start, but nonetheless, I am thrilled to be using my nursing abilities down here.

“The gift to love is the gift of the power and the capacity to love, and, therefore, to give love with full effect is also to receive it. So, love can only be kept by being given away, and it can only be given perfectly when it is also received”-Thomas Merton

CanJam plus 5 Americans

Sunday was my first time attending a Catholic Jamaican church service. As volunteers, we belong to the Immaculate Conception Parish in Stony Hill, where we live. Each week, we go to the service at this church on Sunday morning, followed by the church service at our primary mission in the afternoon. In my case, I will go to Mt. Friendship each Sunday. This week, however, there were no services in the four missions: Devon Pen, Tom’s River, King Weston, and Mt. Friendship. Instead, there was a pilgrimage in which people go to pray for God to spare them from the hurricanes and other natural disasters. August through the end of October is considered the hurricane season for Jamaica. Since I have been here, I have heard many natives of the island say that we are due for a severe hurricane this season because of the record breaking, hot temperatures this summer. As volunteers, we go to a nearby house that can withstand the winds and forces of a hurricane. We are lucky, but many of the people on the island, like during past natural disasters, will stay in their homes. Prayers welcome!

As we wait for school to start in September, we have decided to help a group of Canadians with a summer camp they are running in Kingston this week. They are a great group of college students to work with. Today was my first day at the camp (yesterday I couldn’t go because of Immigration like things). The camp name my fellow volunteers gave me is “Stubbs.” It’s a long story of why they chose that name, and I was interested to see how the kids liked my camp name.

Today was “Earth Day,” and we started the morning off with a little demonstration about the water cycle. This was after a few warm-up songs to get the kids having fun. I was a leader in the 8-11 year olds, and we soon got started on a small project of what is most precious to you on this Earth. I did my best to help the children figure out what was important to them from the Earth, like trees, flowers, the sun, water and why they are so essential to our life-not TV or other material things. A game of animal Pictionary followed, as well as a walk through the neighborhood to pick up trash.

So far since I have been here, I have seen the rural poor of Mt. Friendship. Today I saw first hand the inner-city poor of Kingston. It may easily have been the poorest I have ever seen. It makes my heart ache to see how little these children have, or the conditions they live under. There were large amounts of trash everywhere, especially in small, dirt streets. Things like glass and rusty metal were beginning to get picked up by the children. Needless to say, I had concerns about whether the kids were understanding what is appropriate to pick up, and what is not.

I don’t know enough about this particular community to say that the children are deprived of opportunities; but my guess is they are. But, as my fellow volunteer Matt put it, at least this camp gave them the opportunity to stay out of trouble for the day and learn something new. The children in Jamaica are generally very friendly, and are not afraid to come up to you and give you a giant hug, say “I love you,” or ask if they can play in your hair. They have endless amounts of energy and love to give you. It truly is a joy to know these children and see their happiness and love for others.

Introducing Mt. Friendship

I landed on the Island on Monday, and have been blessed with the Jamaican people’s warm welcome and my 4 roommates love and kindness. Each day brings something new and exciting into my world. My primary mission for the year will be in Mt. Friendship, which is a small rural community about 20 minutes from Stony Hill where I live. Unfortunately, Mt. Friendship is poverty struck and many of the families there are struggling to survive in today’s world.

Walking through this beautiful place for the first time today, I was lucky to meet a few people who live in Mt. Friendship. A boy yelled hello to me from atop a tall tree, as he cut individual mangos from the sky. I was offered the reddest apple I have ever seen from a group of children on my walk, and greetings from families outside their homes enjoying the sunny day.

After a long walk up the hills, I made it to Miss Doris and her granddaughter Kimberly. I picked up a rock as the 3 guard dogs growled, but made it through without having to do any harm. I met Kimberly for the first time with open arms and a gorgeous, 5-year old smile. She immediately went into my bag to look for any goodies I might have brought her. She found a camera and continued to take pictures for the entire visit. Miss Doris came out to greet me, Sr. Maureen and Charity and invite us to sit outside her house. I was once again struck with breath-taking views of the Jamaican landscape. Kimberly eagerly showed us the new puppies that a stray had next to their house. As Miss Doris and the others talked, Kimberly took me inside her house to show me around. We sang songs, played games, watched ET on a fuzzy screen, swung on a rope underneath a palm tree and she gave me a piece of bread and mango juice with two straws. Each time I took a drink, she would jump up to grab the other straw and take a drink with me. It may have been one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Among our playing, I couldn’t help but notice the conditions in which this family lives. The house is small and concrete, which they are lucky to have, as others in their area have nothing but tiny shacks.

It is easy to want to give everything you have to these families, but I must remember that I am here to give myself instead. Accompaniment means to walk with the people. I will learn to walk with the people of Mt. Friendship.