Nicknames

      It seems like almost everybody in Jamaica, or at least in Accompong, has a nickname. Nicknames are used so frequently that rarely do Jamaicans get called by their given names except in formal situations such as school or with a doctor or talking with the police. It also it is common for nobody to know a person’s birth name, even close family members. I’ve asked sisters what their brother’s real name is, and they haven’t a clue. Cousins have to think hard before being able to recall each others’ formal names. Take our friend Dowdy for example. He’s lived in Accompong for a good ten years. Yet, you would be hard-pressed to find 10 people in Accompong who know his right name.
      When we first reached Accompong, everybody seemed to introduce themselves to us with their birth name, and this caused a lot of confusion because we would be the only people in the community referring to them this way. We’d reference Oral, and no one would know who we were talking about. They’d reference Briggy, and we’d say we haven’t met him yet. Eventually it would dawn on us that we were talking about the same person. Thus, we’ve learned to always ask for someone’s pet name when they introduce themselves to us.
      Another interesting note, nobody seems to know where they got their nickname, and their pet name can be completely unrelated to their real name (i.e. Aleisha gets called Crystal). Even asking a person where they got their nickname is answered with a confused look, implying what kinda question is that?
  
      Julie’s grade 9 class is full of nicknames: Big Man, Raquel, Crystal, Curtis, Rat, Fudgie, Rukku, Sabo, Smiley, Stucky, Likkle Man, Blue, Sconnish.
      Some other Accompong nicknames: Bahwood, Dowdy, Sunny Boy, Detroit, Bongo, Challah, Kayla, Ettis, Rosie, Smurf, Cheeko, Mistro, Squint, Popsy, Pepsi, Presi, Popeye, Jerrel, Kutu, George, Wenchie, Pinky, Teacha, Bolo, Elaine, Bigga, Bagga, Briggy, Sun-Sun, Sadiki, Ashmel, Shevar, TumTum, A.J., Fattah, Pioki, Rubba, Old Soldier, Kekkle, Slimy, Mas Joe….

H-Wood Visit!

     This past week we were lucky enough to be graced with the presence of our good friend Heidi A. Wood. She flew down from Colorado (where she’s currently attending school) on Dec 9 and left this past Thursday en route to her hometown Fairbanks, Alaska.
     Of the 7 days here, we spent most of our time in Accompong, where she joined Julie for class, helped paint the library, read to our book club members, attended the school fair, met JACOM reps and Jr. Council members, learned how to make june plum and sorrel juice, hiked around, and of course did what Heidi and Julie do best, chatted endlessly together.
     Julie and Heidi did take a side trip to Kingston, in which they subsequently met up with Matt in Treasure Beach for a weekend getaway.
     Not surprising to any of us, HW blended right in with our daily lives, ‘smalling up’ in public transportation, walking through the heart of Kingston surrounded by hustlers and higglers, supervising pickney, eating all the local foods, interacting with fellow PCVs and community members, dealing with the endless male attention, taking cold showers, going with the flow. We’d highly recommend her as a future PCV, and of course will always welcome her with open arms should she decide to visit again… much love HW!

always on

     One of the most difficult things about being a PCV is that you’re ‘always on’. PC makes this extremely clear in all their paperwork even during the application process; once in country, PCVs represent PC, and the United States for that matter, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Host Country Nationals (HCNs), as they put it, are noticing what we do all the time, round the clock. It doesn’t matter if you’re just going for a stroll, or buying bread at the local shop, or talking on the phone in your pajamas on your front porch.

Jr. Council fundraiser: MOVIE NIGHT!

It’s difficult to let your guard down, or think that nobody’s thinking about what you’re doing. This is a LOT of pressure sometimes. Especially considering that many of us PCVs feel that one of the most powerful things we can do as PCVs is ‘model’. I can talk up and down to the children about how reading is important, but often times this isn’t nearly as effective as them seeing me a read a book myself, especially if it’s reading to them. Matt can educate, educate, educate about waste removal, but when he constantly picks up his own trash instead of burning it or throwing it down the gully, people are impacted.
     So, since everybody’s watching us, and we’re seen as role models, it’s important that we’re always aware of the things we say, how we say it, what we do, who and how we talk to, etc. This is tiring….and draining…I’m getting worn out just telling all of you about it.
     Plus, being a PCV comes with expectations. Expectations that the community has for you, PC has for you, PCVs have for you, you have for yourself, etc. These expectations are also a lot to live up to, especially considering that you’re a foreigner in a foreign land, living with little resources, away from your family and friends. Sometimes we feel like our community sees us as their saviors, which can be endearing and empowering, but savior shoes, well I think they’re the biggest shoes there are.
     So of course, it’s not easy trying to fit in those ginormous shoes, especially when everybody’s watching…

PCJ 104

For Review: A PC term consists of a 26-28 month commitment. 2 years of this is the actual PC ‘service’ in which you’re living and working in your respective community/organization. The first 2-4 months of any PCV's term consists of training. During this time, you’re technically a Peace Corps Trainee (PCT), and won’t become a PCV until you complete training and attend the swearomony, becoming an official Peace Corps Volunteer.

Banana Tree sprouting in our yard

-PC holds 4 major conferences/trainings throughout a PCVs service

• Pre-Service Training (PST), held the first 2-3 months in country
• Early Service Conference (ESC), held roughly 4 months after being sworn as a volunteer/after PST
• Inter-Service Training (IST), held in the middle of your two year stint as a volunteer roughly a year after being at site.
• Close of Service (COS), held in the last months of being in country

-Although PC strongly encourages PCVs to remain at their site as much as possible, there are other random PCJ obligations that pull as away from time to time

• Quarterlies, which has recently become Trimesterlies. 3 times a year, PCVs and staff hold a conference to discuss the overall functioning of PCJ. This includes everything from safety and security meetings to Open Forums with PC staff to VAC meetings. Depending on their roles, not all PCVs are required to attend these meetings, but are encouraged to do so. (For example each one of our parishes has a PCV that acts as our warden. Wardens oversee safety and security for PCVs in their respective parish, and are in direct contact with our Safety and Security Coordinator. All wardens are required to attend Trimesterlies for the safety and security meeting.)
• Wardens meetings, occurring after every Trimesterly, in which we get together with other PCVs in our parish to discuss safety and security issues.
• Random committee meetings. Jamaican PCVs have a number of opportunities to get involved in random PCJ committees and networks existing within PC circles. As mentioned before, Matt is our VAC Treasurer, and Julie serves on SPA. As a result, one of us usually has to travel into Kingston once a month to attend a meeting. 

Book club members checking out their new books after the weekly meeting

Momma Visit

       So it’s been a while….things are still going well, it’s just been a BUSY few weeks.
       Julie caught the flu and was out for a week, which of course entailed Matt waiting on her hand and foot, setting him back a week as well.
       Then Julie’s mom, Pam, came to visit for a week.
       Last week we had a Peace Corps conference Friday and Saturday, and PC staff arranged for us to dine with a US Embassy family on Thursday for Thanksgiving. Although we felt like royalty at the Embassy family’s home, and it’s always wonderful catching up with other PCVs, life still went on work-wise as Jamaicans don’t exactly celebrate Thanksgiving.
       Anyway, we’re back into the swing of things –that is until our good friend Heidi comes to visit in a week and half :).

       We’ve included a slide show of images from Pam’s trip…so you can see exactly how 'busy' we were while she was here :).