A Delicate Balance

As Matt leaves to go home tomorrow for a month (Julie will join him in 3 weeks), we thought we might steal a blogpost idea we got from one of our good friends…

Things we love here (most of the time): Super cheap, efficient, and extensive public transportation system; the feeling of community; the abundance of fruit; beaches; laughter; kids playing in the road barefoot; community members hanging out on their porches, in shops, on the road every night; limited TVs; handwashing; time; walking ½ mile to school and being greeted at least a dozen times along the way; hardly anyone has a car; rain; industriousness; machetes; not having to worry about where our next paycheck will come from; not having to worry about being ‘cool’, because you’ll always be just ‘weird’; appreciating what it means to be a minority; the market; never feeling pressured to ‘keep up with the Jones’’; freedom within our work; the time other people have for you; frankness; overcomed challenges; scenery; everybody knowing our name; other PCVs; PCV media and book exchange.

Things we miss from home: Microbrews; quality dairy products; fresh-baked bread; the ability to shut off; yoga classes; coffee shops; hanging out with friends on the weekends; camping; our dogs; visiting family; freedom; anonymity; deep conversations; fitting in; driving; woodstoves; snow; bonfires; hamburgers; playing games; favorite restaurants; garage sales and thrift stores; wide, open spaces; skiing, mushing, hiking, canoeing; local outdoor music festivals, roadtrips; not being harassed; farmer’s markets; volunteerism; gratitude; used book stores; variety; environmental awareness; recycling; good, quality tools; good, quality craftsmanship; mushrooms; nuts; community art and cultural events; autumn; wool socks.

more hammock pics...

Feel-Good Moments

coming to get us for Book Club

“I think you’ve single-handedly taught the community of Accompong to read,” Matt says nonchalantly from the other room of our tiny home. “Wait, what did you just say?” I reply, immediately putting down my own reading book and walking into the kitchen. “I was just thinking about it tonight at the Internet Café (and Library), and I think you managed to teach Accompong how to read…and not just the kids.”

This is a hard post to write, because I don’t want to sound ‘boasty’-as Jamaicans would say-, but I have to share my excitement over Matt’s laid-back observation. Firstly, I must clarify that Matt was a being a bit extreme; I haven’t taught the whole community, nor have I taught them how to read, but maybe more to enjoy reading.

We’ve talked about Book Club before, and many of the small successes we’ve seen along the way. But never have I had experienced the success of Book Club so completely until I came back from Africa. With me being gone, book club did not keep for 4 weeks. Matt sent me emails while I was away letting me know that he had to repeatedly send 30 disappointed kids on their way, when they came by on Tuesdays. However, the most heartwarming moment came when I was working at the internet cafe/library the Monday after I got back. I was sitting at the administrator desk when a handful of Book Club members came in with books in their hands. They didn't know I was going to be there, because as soon as they saw me, they said, "Julie! Yuh back! We miss yuh when yuh ova farin. Yuh cyaan gwe no weh no mo.' That felt good, sure. BUT what was really exciting is that they then proceeded to check in their library books and go over and pick out another book, while I sat trying to comprehend something that apparently had become run-of-the-mill to everybody else. I pulled out our 'Library Rental Scheme' logbook to write down their new books, and found myself flipping through page after page of Book Club members who had checked out books over the last month. Not only has this not happened before, but from my understanding before we reached Accompong, kids never checked out books from the library. I looked up at Matt dumbfounded, and he says, "Oh yeah, all the kids have been coming in here reading and checking out books the whole time you were gone." –again, like it was no big deal.

And this has continued still. I LOVE that I can walk into the internet cafe/library at any given hour it is open, and children will be in the back corner reading books, or parents will be checking out books with their kids. We often pass grandmothers and aunties perusing through their child’s library book, many times with more excitement than the child –which led Matt to add his “…and not just the kids”-comment.

Things are not always perfect here. And we probably have more ‘feel-bad’ moments than ‘feel-good’ ones. But right now, I’m trying to do what all PCVs probably do when they hit those inevitable roadblocks, and remind myself, that sometimes all that frustration and stress is worth it.

JC members helping at Sports Day

Herbal Garden Hut Update

After a fast start the Herbal Garden Hut has gone through a slow period over the past month, but progress has been made, and from a distance it looks fantastic. 1250 pieces of thatch were required to complete the roof of the building and, during the frequent rainstorms we have now in the rainy season, it doesn’t leak a drop. It took four men 3 full days to tie the thatch in place in the traditional manner, all tied, no nails. The stone work that forms the wall of the hut has been finished except for the top, flat surface and the “pointing” (dressing) of the seams of the stones. The Accompong Maroon Junior Council has done a awesome job of coming out and volunteering for workdays, gathering the stone needed for the walls, hauling marl and sand to the site, etc.

Over the next week the concrete will be cast for the floor (all mixed and carried by hand), the top of the wall will be slabbed off, the window frames will be installed and the shutters will begin to be built. Check out the slide show and then compare it with earlier ones of the building site!

30 tips for (approx) 30 incoming PCVs

We decided to make a list for those 30ish incoming Jamiaca PCTs. Much of this is applicable to posts all over, not just Jamaica. We know this, because we ‘borrowed’ many of these tips from PCVs serving elsewhere….

#1: You have to be flexible. Keep an open mind. It’s not going to be like anything you think it will be.

#2: Jamaican culture tends to be colorful and pretty aggressive. This can be overwhelming at times, but don’t worry, you’ll eventually get used to it, and maybe even come to appreciate it.

#3: Don't be afraid to "be yourself" (within reason). The idea is cultural exchange, not cultural assimilation. Share who you are, but be safe doing so.

#4: Unless things have changed significantly, your job ‘title’ given to you in your invitation kit means little-to-nothing. Your sector, a pretty big deal. Your job title, not so much.

#5: Developing relationships within Peace Corps is just as important as the relationships you have with locals.

#6: This experience is not for everybody.

#7: Don’t stress about packing. We know, easier said than done. But, you’ll learn to cope with what you have, and buy or have loved ones send/bring the rest.

#8: Take PCJ’s packing list with a grain of salt. I don’t know how much it’s changed but you won’t need a pant suit or a cocktail dress, or for the rest of your clothes to be in neutral or earth tones. I know Volunteers who wear chacos regularly, and Matt wears shorts pretty much every day.

#9: In our experience, we dressed the nicest during PST. PCJ drives a pretty hard line on this, and dress in Jamaica is important. But SO much will depend on your job and your community, and people will give you lots of lee-way as a PCV/foreigner, and you’ll be smart enough to figure out where to draw the line once you get to site. Some things are completely inappropriate, like wearing shorts or flip flops to school, other things are not that big of a deal.

#10: Cockroaches make you squeamish? Go with the flow… pick up a flip-flop, kill ‘em, throw ‘em in front of your favorite ant colony entrance and watch the fun begin!

#11: Chill out. Don’t try to be anybody’s hero. Too many PCVs either try to be Mr. Peace Corps, or expect for the locals to think they’re their savior. Be honest with yourself. If you’re struggling, be real about it.

#12: Bring pictures of home. You’ll want to put them all over your home. Plus, Jamaicans will love to see them, and you’ll love to tell them about your life. (um, shout out Goal #2).

#13: Just because you are not hand digging a well does not mean you aren't doing something worthwhile.

#14: PC can be bureaucratic, full of rules and regulations that at times feel like they control every aspect of your life. In those moments, just remember why you joined PC in the first place, the relationships you have at site, the lives you are touching, and the real reasons we’re all here to begin with.

#15: Patience is a virtue - simple saying, lots of meaning. There is a reason Peace Corps service is 2 years.

#16: PST can be overwhelming, and there’ll be many days that you’ll just want to get to your site. But then you’ll get to your site and you’ll miss hanging out with everybody at PST. Moral of the story: even though certain things suck in the moment, enjoy it, because you will miss it later (or at least parts of it).

#17: You are gonna be misunderstood. It sucks, I know, but get ready to spend the next 2 years being misquoted, misrepresented, and pigeon-holed. People at home don't get what you are going through and Jamaicans aren't gonna understand your particular thought-processes until they get to know you (and even then, it is not always you you).

#18: Pick your battles.

#19: Back everything up. You will thank us when your computer dies.

#20: Your life is now a fishbowl. Get ready for everybody to watch the show and subsequently commentate…

#21: Patwa is a pretty cool language, and EVERYTHING is funnier when it’s in patwa. When you’re having Spanish-envy, try to see this.

#22: Everyday is an emotional day. We stock chocolate. What's your vice?

#23: There are gender rules and cultural norms that are going to seem pointless and annoying at first. Abide by them before you break them (if you ever do).

#24: Keep in mind that everything you do or say leaves a permanent impression about Americans. Many of our sites only have PCVs representing the US.

#25: Learn to laugh at yourself as early as possible.

#26: Think big expect small.

#27: It is good to have PCVs as listeners, but try to find a group that is not always negative. Negativity can just spiral you down very fast here.

#28: Jamaica is still a developing country. You can’t change that in two years.

#29: Remember you decided to do this; you may get angry at many things, but you’re here because you felt the need to give your time to somebody else in a place unlike your own home; hang tough despite the hardships. You will meet great people, have fun and amazing times that nobody else you know can even come close to...unless they too were a PCV.

#30: Not all Volunteer advice is good advice for you or your situation. Keep an open mind and form your own opinions. Your experience will be different than anyone else’s.

What We Do...Now

I bet most of you wonder what it is that we actually do lately…well, a little bit of everything. Matt and I really run the gamut in the types of projects we have gotten involved with or have taken on. It seems to be always changing, but here’s a list of the ‘projects’ that fill our days right now:

 

Accompong Maroon Junior Council. This is a group we helped to create of 8 young adults in Accompong who do grassroots community development. AMJC has more or less become the cornerstone of our PC service.

Computer Class/Health and Family Life Education- 3 days/week Julie teaches Computers and HFLE to grades 7-9 at the Jr. High School.

 

Farmer’s Co-op- Matt has been assisting with this JACOM enabled project. Primarily it is a organic coffee program with a guaranteed market back in the US.

Internet Café/Library- As administrators, Matt has played the lead role in the implementation of this grant and project. The building has been refurbished, and now we’re working towards sustainability as we train others to fill the administrative roles we do.

 

Other JACOM initiatives- JACOM always has a number of other random projects that we help with… right now, we are individually providing guidance to scholarship students, Julie’s helping facilitate the overall functioning of the scholarship/mentor program, and Matt’s developing a soccer ‘club’, inspired by donated jerseys.

Book Club- You should know about this by now….

Herbal Garden Hut and other SPA projects- SPA is a small USAID PC grant that we can apply for as PCVs. We did this with the Herbal Garden Hut, and as this project is wrapping up, we’re developing another project (more on this later….)

Water/Waste/Parade Grounds- Matt is always got a bunch of random, what I’ll call ‘Big Picture’ items on his agenda. A sustainable and reliable water system, community-wide garbage disposal, and revamping the Parade Grounds are some of the projects his regularly chipping away at.

VAC/SPA/PCMI- These are the other random things we do, aside from our ‘community development’ work at site. They’re all worth mentioning because these commitments also fill lots of our time. (Volunteer Advisory Committee –Matt, Small Project Assistance- Julie, and Peace Corps Master’s International- Julie)

MISC- Because in PC world, the miscellaneous category is always part of the job.

Sports Day

Got it?

MSC/IST

Last week was our Mid-Service Conference or In-Service Training depending on your preferred vernacular. Remember how I said that PCVs have 4 Trainings/Conferences during their PC tour? Of course you do. Anyway, just as a refresher…

… Every PCV goes through PST (Pre-Service Training) during the first few months in country. During this time, PCVs are technically referred to as PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees) as they’re not technically Volunteers until they’ve sworn in, and they can’t swear in until after they complete PST. PST is the most significant of the 4 trainings/conferences.

What school event is complete w/o a DJ

ESC (Early Service Conference) is held about 3 months after a PCV has been at site. These conferences, and the subsequent two, are all 5 days. We had our ESC back in September.

MSC is done around the half way point of a PCV’s service –when you’re about a year in, and have about a year to go. That’s what we were doing last week in Ocho Rios
 
COS (Close of Service) is held 3 months prior to a Volunteer completing their service. We won’t be doing this until next February.

So let’s see…one year in and we’re down to 30 people from the original 38. PC says that at around a Volunteer’s one-year mark, they struggle the most. Lord knows it’d be way different if this was only a one-year gig, totally and completely different. The newness has long faded, but we’re mostly in our groove. We’ve lost a lot of our original energy, but maybe we don’t need as much because we better know what to expect and how to deal with it. The bonds with our PC family are much stronger, and we’ve all settled into some sort of social place within the group. We’re more competent, more aware, more in tune to ‘wah gwaan’. So although we might be in a bit of a lull, we can kick back and relax a little, taking each day as it comes. Just doing the best we can, knowing that it’s not going to be perfect. One year in, one to go.

Tina reading her Book Club book!

lessons learned from Africa (pcvs) about my Jamaica (pc) experience

Tina and I (and Linnaea) had the opportunity to meet up and stay with some fellow-serving PCVs in the countries that we visited during our trip. Here are a couple of lessons we learned along the way:

#1 - Jamaica is a hard PC post.

So it begins. My first trip out of Jamaica and the frustrating responses from PCVs posted in other countries begin… “Lucky!” “We’re so jealous.” And my own personal favorite, “I just picture you guys hanging out on the beach all day.”…Uh. I try, I really try not to go into a tirade about how difficult Jamaica is as a PC post. But it’s hard. Especially when you’re still in the middle of your service, when you’re still looking at another year…

So Tina and I decided to answer these responses with a brief, ‘Actually, Jamaica is a really hard PC post. It’s very aggressive, very violent, very sexual.” There. That doesn’t sum up everything. But it sums up enough.
This usually is followed by a number of questions about Jamaica, in which we clarify some common misconceptions about the culture. We share our stories and those of our PCJ friends, and our audience listens, usually with mouths gaping open. “I had no idea…”

#2 - Peace Corps service is hard….really hard. No matter what country you’re in.

I want to follow this by saying that all PCVs should feel validated. Because there were many times that Tina and I were the ones left bug-eyed with our mouths hanging open. Every country is different, and even within one country, every PCV’s experience is different. In Jamaica, we aren’t faced with the palpable reality of AIDS that PCVs in Botswana experience daily, nor do I know what it’s like to live as a white man in post-apartheid South Africa. Maybe the average Mozambique PCV hasn’t had repeated shootings in their community, but they can tell you about the long-lasting effects of a brutal war on a people. And surely none of my Jamaican PCV friends know isolation like some of the PCVs serving in Zambia.

But all of us can tell you something about not fitting in. About counterparts who don’t give a damn or supervisors who think they own you. We can all tell you what it’s like to be in the midst of a solution less problem, or our constant inner debates about the effects of foreign aid. We all know how it feels to be lonely, for days, weeks, even months. We’ve all been bored, depressed, beaten down, and flippin’ PISSED off. We’ve all felt underappreciated and misunderstood.


....So a serious shout-out to all PCV and RPCVs out there. I feel blessed, proud, and empowered to be among you…all of you.