Let the Rumors Fly

The other day I was voicing my frustration to Matt about the amount and level of rumors we’ve been the subject of during our stay here in Accompong. We’ve been rumored to be thieves, adulterers, involved in regular domestic violence, liars, spies, and probably almost anything else that might make for a good story.

We have been rumored to do more and worse during our limited time in Jamaica than we had during the whole of our lives back in the US. I cannot tell you how infuriating this can be. Here we’re doing our part to better the community, and it seems all you get is grief. The two of which seem to go hand in hand. The more we do, the more we get scrutinized. (I’m sure public servants everywhere are nodding their heads in understanding.) However, in my earlier naiveté, I kept thinking, “don’t worry, once they see what we’re really here for, that we’re decent people who are just trying to help, it’ll get better.” And it did....for some people. And for others it gets worse.

You put yourself in the spotlight, and all of a sudden everyone wants to talk about you and pick you apart. It is ironic because usually the people who are the most critical are the ones that never stand up or help with anything. And who would, with people like themselves lurking around?

The truth is we’re probably the most active community members in Accompong. We’ve been able to accomplish alot in the short time we’ve been here. And this comes with a lot of power. When you write the grant for the revitalization of the parade grounds, you have asay in who gets the jobs associated with it. If you successfully refurbished the library into a top-notch internet café and library, you get to help determine the rules for the facility. Let’s say you’ve decided to teach computer classes for the community, well then you can decide the class schedule, what will be taught, and who you’ll be targeting for classes.

Now, that being said, we really and truly try our best to make the best decisions for everybody. We try and try and try to be fair. We don’t abuse our power, but we do hold people accountable. If you stole coffee suckers from the farmer’s co-op, we’ll confront you. If you disrespect the library employees, we’ll kick you out for a week. If you came out and volunteered on a community project, we’ll give you job priority in our next project.

Fair or not, this doesn’t always go over well with everyone. Most people, yes, but not the people you kicked out, confronted, or snubbed… And their friends…. And maybe with all the unemployed idlers (which is every other person here) who have nothing better to do with their time, and just want a good story about the weird white people who moved into town.

Sure, there are other factors at play here. We live in a rural small town, where everybody knows everybody, and there’s not a whole lot going on a.k.a. rumorville worldwide. Also, we’re strange. I mean, I think we’re strange to those of you who know and love us, so can you imagine how we must seem to rural Jamaicans?

So here’s the ultimate paradox: Our character has never been questioned more in our lives since we started our work as Peace Corps Volunteers…. And that’s the paradox. We’re VOLUNTEERS. That’s what we do for a living. For 2 years. I don’t know if I’ve ever done more outright ‘good’ in my life. Makes you think twice the next time you bash a public figure? Hope so.


(Some more Culture Camp pics....)