We just hosted our first visitor this winter: Jacquie Smith. Not only is Jacquie Matt’s cousin, but she happens to be one of the few people who knew both Matt and Julie before they were ‘Matt and Julie’. Of course we had a great time with Jacquie as we put her to work hauling bamboo, attended Matt’s football practice, went hiking, made some delicious vegetarian dishes, and spent a weekend in Treasure Beach…
Friday, November 18, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
"Benefits" continued
7. Easier to stay connected afterwards- Again, going along with the proximity to the US, JRPCVs are able stay connected to their Jamaican community and friends more easily once moving back to the States.
8. As a woman, it’s tricky, but not prohibitive- Okay, I’m sure many of the single PCV women here might debate this, but this is our blog, where we express our opinions, sooo…Being a foreign woman here IS hard. Really hard. The harassment and unwanted attention is enough to send many girls packing, but the truth is, again in comparison to many other developing countries, we’ve got it pretty good. There’s very little that Matt does that I can’t do. By no means am I claiming that the gender roles are equal, but Jamaican women speak their mind, are independent compared to many other women in the world, and thus I’m able to be my usual loud, passionate, and independent self without being chastised.
9. Competent Staff- At PCJ, we have a very competent staff. Now, this does not mean we don’t have our differences, because Lord knows we do. More than anything else this is probably due to cultural differences, the curious nature of a PCV, the stress of our jobs, and a staff that is held to US government rules and regulations. (Please don’t tell anyone on staff this, it would contradict our feisty, buck-the-system-nature they’ve all come to know :).)
10. Language- This is a tough one because many JPCVs were completely disappointed to find the country they were going to serve spoke English – we included. The learning of another language is a perk for many PCV applicants. However, as someone who’s lived abroad in a country that speaks a language I wasn’t fluent in….well, it’s definitely not easy, and much more difficult to be effective in. Remembering all the struggles and how difficult it is to have meaningful relationships or discussions with a 2 yr old’s vocabulary and feeling so helpless, ….well, if we weren’t placed in a major-language speaking country (i.e. Spanish, Portuguese, French), than for us, this is the next best thing.
11. Expressive Culture- where weirdness, eccentricity, and partying is embraced- We’ve said it before, Jamaica is one crazy, crazy place. The people are wild and outlandish. As a foreigner, this can be a lot to flow with at times, but it also can be stimulating and entertaining. When I hear PCV stories of serving in post-Soviet bloc countries and how mundane and homogenous they can be, I really appreciate the colorful life we live here.
12. Staying connected to the US- Currently in Jamaica there’s an international calling plan in which PCVs can call the US for roughly $.01/minute. That’s right. One whole penny. This, along with access to internet and being on a similar time zone to the US makes it much easier to maintain relationships back home, look for jobs as we’re winding down, or to chase down businesses in the US when they failed to process our paperwork or accidently closed our account.
13. Good music- It’s true, the DJs (‘Selectas’) here can make you want to bash your head against a wall. Sometimes I can’t believe some of the music that is played on the radio… there are no Parental Advisory labels here. However, Jamaica is recognized worldwide for its quality of music, and this is rightly so. Although we don’t appreciate and love all of it, there’s a lot of good stuff out there, much of which is so unique to Jamaica –not to mention that music is what flows in the veins of this country. I’m sure that in the years to come when we hear the rhythms of reggae, or the beats of dancehall, it’ll flood us with countless memories of our time spent here.
8. As a woman, it’s tricky, but not prohibitive- Okay, I’m sure many of the single PCV women here might debate this, but this is our blog, where we express our opinions, sooo…Being a foreign woman here IS hard. Really hard. The harassment and unwanted attention is enough to send many girls packing, but the truth is, again in comparison to many other developing countries, we’ve got it pretty good. There’s very little that Matt does that I can’t do. By no means am I claiming that the gender roles are equal, but Jamaican women speak their mind, are independent compared to many other women in the world, and thus I’m able to be my usual loud, passionate, and independent self without being chastised.
9. Competent Staff- At PCJ, we have a very competent staff. Now, this does not mean we don’t have our differences, because Lord knows we do. More than anything else this is probably due to cultural differences, the curious nature of a PCV, the stress of our jobs, and a staff that is held to US government rules and regulations. (Please don’t tell anyone on staff this, it would contradict our feisty, buck-the-system-nature they’ve all come to know :).)
10. Language- This is a tough one because many JPCVs were completely disappointed to find the country they were going to serve spoke English – we included. The learning of another language is a perk for many PCV applicants. However, as someone who’s lived abroad in a country that speaks a language I wasn’t fluent in….well, it’s definitely not easy, and much more difficult to be effective in. Remembering all the struggles and how difficult it is to have meaningful relationships or discussions with a 2 yr old’s vocabulary and feeling so helpless, ….well, if we weren’t placed in a major-language speaking country (i.e. Spanish, Portuguese, French), than for us, this is the next best thing.
11. Expressive Culture- where weirdness, eccentricity, and partying is embraced- We’ve said it before, Jamaica is one crazy, crazy place. The people are wild and outlandish. As a foreigner, this can be a lot to flow with at times, but it also can be stimulating and entertaining. When I hear PCV stories of serving in post-Soviet bloc countries and how mundane and homogenous they can be, I really appreciate the colorful life we live here.
12. Staying connected to the US- Currently in Jamaica there’s an international calling plan in which PCVs can call the US for roughly $.01/minute. That’s right. One whole penny. This, along with access to internet and being on a similar time zone to the US makes it much easier to maintain relationships back home, look for jobs as we’re winding down, or to chase down businesses in the US when they failed to process our paperwork or accidently closed our account.
13. Good music- It’s true, the DJs (‘Selectas’) here can make you want to bash your head against a wall. Sometimes I can’t believe some of the music that is played on the radio… there are no Parental Advisory labels here. However, Jamaica is recognized worldwide for its quality of music, and this is rightly so. Although we don’t appreciate and love all of it, there’s a lot of good stuff out there, much of which is so unique to Jamaica –not to mention that music is what flows in the veins of this country. I’m sure that in the years to come when we hear the rhythms of reggae, or the beats of dancehall, it’ll flood us with countless memories of our time spent here.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Benefits to PCVing in Jamaica (in no certain order)
We’ve shared about many of the struggles that we have here in Jamaica, and probably haven’t shared too much about the benefits of being a PCV in Jamaica. Keeping with our last blogpost, we thought we’d highlight of few of the plusses to PCVing on The Rock. This is by no means comprehensive, but here’s a quick list:
1. Connectedness with other Volunteers- We mentioned this in the last post, but every Volunteer is one convenient and free(!) phone call (or text) away. Because of our relatively close proximity to one another, we probably go on average 2 weeks without seeing another Volunteer –and we’re some of the most rural PCVs in Jamaica. This varies among Volunteers, but I feel 2 weeks is probably the overall average.
2. Visitors- Jamaica is not only a desirable location for many of our friends and family to visit, but it’s also close and affordable. We’ve had 4 sets of visitors so far, and are expecting another 3 before we leave. PCVs LOVE visitors!
3. Traveling Home- We’ve been able to travel home quickly and affordably. There’s some debate over whether or not it’s good for a PCV’s mentality to travel home during service, but WE really enjoyed ourselves. Also, life at home still continues, and there have been many JPCVs who had to travel home unexpectedly or suddenly for one reason or another.
4. Landscape- Jamaica is a very beautiful country. The lushness and the beaches, the brightly-colored buildings and countless birds…..
5. Nice weather- Two years of shorts and flip-flops! It does get hot and humid here, and we SO miss having seasons, but overall we can’t complain. We were recently reminded of this a few weeks ago after having a conversation with RPCVs from Armenia as they recounted endless weeks of always being cold, being confined to your bed and the warmth blankets could provide, chipping ice off the shower head before bathing,…yikes!
6. Good food- Yes, we have little variety here compared to the overabundance of what’s available in the average American supermarket, and we do get sick of fried chicken, but compared to many other developing countries, we’ve got it made. The food that Jamaicans cook is pretty tasty, and the uncooked food –fruit hanging on every other tree is unbeatable….
(more soon come….)
1. Connectedness with other Volunteers- We mentioned this in the last post, but every Volunteer is one convenient and free(!) phone call (or text) away. Because of our relatively close proximity to one another, we probably go on average 2 weeks without seeing another Volunteer –and we’re some of the most rural PCVs in Jamaica. This varies among Volunteers, but I feel 2 weeks is probably the overall average.
2. Visitors- Jamaica is not only a desirable location for many of our friends and family to visit, but it’s also close and affordable. We’ve had 4 sets of visitors so far, and are expecting another 3 before we leave. PCVs LOVE visitors!
3. Traveling Home- We’ve been able to travel home quickly and affordably. There’s some debate over whether or not it’s good for a PCV’s mentality to travel home during service, but WE really enjoyed ourselves. Also, life at home still continues, and there have been many JPCVs who had to travel home unexpectedly or suddenly for one reason or another.
4. Landscape- Jamaica is a very beautiful country. The lushness and the beaches, the brightly-colored buildings and countless birds…..
5. Nice weather- Two years of shorts and flip-flops! It does get hot and humid here, and we SO miss having seasons, but overall we can’t complain. We were recently reminded of this a few weeks ago after having a conversation with RPCVs from Armenia as they recounted endless weeks of always being cold, being confined to your bed and the warmth blankets could provide, chipping ice off the shower head before bathing,…yikes!
6. Good food- Yes, we have little variety here compared to the overabundance of what’s available in the average American supermarket, and we do get sick of fried chicken, but compared to many other developing countries, we’ve got it made. The food that Jamaicans cook is pretty tasty, and the uncooked food –fruit hanging on every other tree is unbeatable….
(more soon come….)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Halloween 2011
As JPCVs, we get together often for certain events (outside of PC-organized conferences and meetings), such as American holidays like Halloween. When I say often, I mean once ever couple months or so. Although this island can seem very small sometimes, one benefit is that you can reach any part of the island in one day’s journey taking public transportation. Sometimes this journey starts at 6am and ends after dark, and it can be rather painful, but for PCVs serving in much bigger countries with limited transportation, this is a gift.
Considering that PC has been in Jamaica for almost 50 years, and that Jamaica is a tourist destination, JPCVs have a small list of accommodations and attractions that either provide PCV discounts, or some way or another can fit into the PCV budget. The place we stayed this last weekend provided both, a PCV discount and a rather large house that normally sleeps 11 in which we slept 30. (As a PCV, you’re not picky about where you lay your head, as long as you have somewhere to lay it.)
Thirdly, I think we’re pretty well connected compared to other PC posts. We all have cellphones, which isn’t too rare these days for PCVs (roughly 90% of PCVs everywhere have one), but we also have a CUG (Closed User Group), in which we can call anyone in JPC world –staff and volunteers- for free! This is rare. Of the handful of PCVs I’ve met serving elsewhere, none of them have this, nor know of other posts that have this. AND they’re way jealous. Lucky us! As a result, we’re able to stay linked to PCVs throughout the island with no cost to our pockets. Most of us also have regular internet connection. I don’t know of any JPCV who is unable to access their email at least once a week, without great inconvenience.
As a result, we’re able to have fun get-togethers, like Halloween this last weekend.
(P.S. Matt was a party Ref, and Julie was a market woman.)
Considering that PC has been in Jamaica for almost 50 years, and that Jamaica is a tourist destination, JPCVs have a small list of accommodations and attractions that either provide PCV discounts, or some way or another can fit into the PCV budget. The place we stayed this last weekend provided both, a PCV discount and a rather large house that normally sleeps 11 in which we slept 30. (As a PCV, you’re not picky about where you lay your head, as long as you have somewhere to lay it.)
Thirdly, I think we’re pretty well connected compared to other PC posts. We all have cellphones, which isn’t too rare these days for PCVs (roughly 90% of PCVs everywhere have one), but we also have a CUG (Closed User Group), in which we can call anyone in JPC world –staff and volunteers- for free! This is rare. Of the handful of PCVs I’ve met serving elsewhere, none of them have this, nor know of other posts that have this. AND they’re way jealous. Lucky us! As a result, we’re able to stay linked to PCVs throughout the island with no cost to our pockets. Most of us also have regular internet connection. I don’t know of any JPCV who is unable to access their email at least once a week, without great inconvenience.
As a result, we’re able to have fun get-togethers, like Halloween this last weekend.
(P.S. Matt was a party Ref, and Julie was a market woman.)
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