The Accompong Maroon Parade Ground and School Playfield

Having worked most recently as a professional commercial landscaper in Alaska during my last five summers before coming to the Peace Corps and Jamaica, the first thing that caught my (Matt's) eye after our first tour of our community, way back in May 2010, was the decrepit condition of the community ball field/ school recess area and playfield, otherwise known as the Accompong Maroon Parade Ground. The Parade Ground also has significant historical and cultural importance to the community.

This area is the only, flat, playable surface of any kind, anywhere in the community large enough to sustain an event or ballgame (here it is cricket, soccer and the annual January 6th Maroon Celebration that matter most). At 200’ x 100’ it is still barely large enough for even that… able to sustain only half-field 6-on-6 matches in soccer, and for cricket the boundaries must include all the downhill and rocky slopes along with bush and farmland.

As an identified need (by the community) the revitalization of the Parade Ground, in priority need, ranks only behind the improvement of local roads, the development of a reliable, potable water supply, and the creation of jobs and additional sources of income for the local population.

So… over the past year and a half, slowly, the idea for the project has evolved and developed, grant proposals have been written and submitted to many different organizations, and fingers have been crossed. The result… about $20,000 of the estimated need of $27,000 US has been raised through contributions from CHASE Fund (not Chase Bank) Jamaica, the Tourism Enhancement Fund, USAID and National Commercial Bank (NCB) Foundation. The official title of the project is the Revitalization of the Accompong Maroon Parade Ground.

The project objectives are: 1) To construct two retaining walls, one is 175’ long and averages 6’ in height, the other is 225’ long and averages 8’ in height. The erection of these walls will allow the field to be significantly expanded in size. 2) To backfill these retaining walls with fill material up to the height of the rest of the Parade Ground. 3) To raise the level of the entire field and set the grade so that it drains properly (in its current state the field holds water and for all practical purposes is a small pond during the wet season). 4) To top the entire field with topsoil and plant it with grass (currently the field is very rocky and uneven with grass growing on about 70% of its surface. 5) To erect a chain-link fence around three sides of the field to prevent injury in the event of a fall over the edge of the retaining walls, which in some places are now over 20’ high, and to keep soccer and cricket balls from cascading down the slopes and into the bush when they are kicked or struck out of bounds.

As of today we are approximately 50% complete on the project, the retaining walls have been built and have been partially backfilled, the chain-link fence is in the beginning stages of being erected. The search for the additional funds needed to bring the project to completion continues. The hope is that by the end of our service here in May we will see the successful completion of this project for the community.

(pictures to come...)

January 6th

As referenced and discussed before, January 6th is a HUGE event in Accompong, as it marks the January 6th Maroon Celebration in which thousands of visitors venture to our little rural community to commemorate birthday of Maroon hero Cudjoe and the signing of the Peace Treaty. The celebration also acts as a homecoming of sorts for many Maroons who are living elsewhere in Jamaica and overseas. Last year, we spent most of January 6th busy, but this year we decided we were going to be tourists and do our best to enjoy Celebration without responsibility. And enjoy ourselves we did.

Highlights:
-Jerk pork.
-Having hundreds of visitors visit and sit under the shade of the Herbal Garden Hut that was re-constructed last year through our efforts and that of the AMJC.
-Checking out the four sound systems/dancehalls.
-Spending time with fellow PCVs.
-Drums that were made in last year’s Culture Camp being available and used.
-Meeting with the US Ambassador again.
-Experiencing our community and Jamaica in a way that most people will never get the chance.

P.S. The AMJC sold T-Shirts as a fundraiser and have many left over. If by chance any of you out there are interested in purchasing a shirt and supporting a grassroots organization made up of young adults who work towards the betterment of their community, please contact us. Shirts are $12 US.

"Errands"

I was just realizing the other day that this word has been removed from our vocabulary here in PC. I was reminded of this when our last stipend deposit came a week later than usual…during the holidays…when we’re BROKE…and trust me, when you’re already living hand-to-mouth, BROKE means BROKE.

Come back in time with me, it’s Christmas Eve’s Eve. It’s already a couple days past when our stipend is usually deposited. On our way to meet up with other PCVs for the holidays, we stop at the ATM to get some much-needed cash. And yikes! Balance inquiry: Less than $1US. Meaning: no deposit yet. …(Don’t worry, we were able to improvise through Christmas.)

We’d check back again 5 days later, on our way back to our community. Besides, 5 days later would be the deadline for the latest our deposits are supposed to come. So when I (Julie) arrived in Santa- the last stop before Accompong- where we do all our grocery shopping, I couldn’t believe we STILL had not received our deposits. (Take “I couldn’t believe” with a grain of salt, because after living in the developing world for almost 2 years, you ‘can believe’ just about anything –especially when it comes to things like deadlines.) I bought what groceries I could, with what little money I had, knowing our cupboards at home were bare, and made my way back to site, texting PCJ staff about our deposits. And sure enough, as I was walking up to my doorstep back in Accompong at 11am, I received word from the PCJ office that stipends were scheduled to be available at 2pm, at the bank.

So, what does all this have to do with ‘errands’? Well, my friends, because back in the States, going to the ATM , doesn’t consist of a tiring journey that costs half of your daily paycheck -a journey that takes a minimum of 3 hrs, involves the discipline of not missing one of the two taxis that travel to Accompong, and the flexibility to be entirely on other’s timeframes.
I’m also reminded of this, when for the 4th time in a row, Matt forgets to get the tomato paste on the grocery list -no matter that there’s only a dozen things on the list to start with, TOMATO PASTE is underlined, capitalized, and starred. Or that I sent reminder texts….but that’s a story for a different time. Of course, this is infuriating, but what drives you to the edge of insanity, is that Matt can’t just say, “I’ll run back real quick and get it” (as he knows this would definitely be his best option). But there’s no “running back real quick” in our lives. There’s no “stopping-by.” And, there certainly, most definitely is no such thing as ‘errands’ -at least in the way we know them.

Election Day

December 29th was the national election day here in Jamaica. It might be of interest to you to hear of the differences between the government system here and in the US, as well as be given a brief rundown of the political system. However, out of fear of giving inaccurate information, we’ll give you just a few facts we’re sure of:

-Having been colonized by the British, it should come as no surprise that Jamaica has a parliamentary system in which there is a Prime Minister instead of a President, and Members of Parliament (MPs) instead of congressmen.

-There currently exists 2 main political parties in Jamaica: the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP).

-Jamaicans are CRAZY about politics, especially during elections:
-The party you support is part of your identity.
-JLP supporters adorn themselves in bright green, whereas PNP supporters are covered in orange. JLP supporters make the 'peace' sign with their hand, whereas PNP supporters make fists.
-Orange and green colored paraphernalia can be found all over during elections. Party songs are played endlessly on the radio, and every Jamaican TV station (by ‘every’ we mean ‘both’) covers the political situation.
-The best comparison we can make is that of avid sports fans in the US.
-On election day, the roads and streets of the island are full of people yelling, dancing, ringing bells, blowing horns, loud music, dancing, and are just straight up LOUD -both audibly and visually. Even in our small, rural community out in the boonies, the amount of commotion going on past Thursday was the most we’ve ever seen outside of Jan 6 Celebration.
-Things can get a little dicey during these times. In fact, PCJ prohibited us from traveling on election day, and we’ve been asked to refrain from wearing any green or orange for the past month. As we’ve said before, Jamaica can be a very aggressive and sometimes violent place. Locals can get really hot over issues they feel passionate about, and they’re not afraid to voice what they feel.
-That being said, the amount of arguing going on lately has been at a maximum. Now, people cussing each other out in public is by no means an uncommon occurrence here. Nor is it strange to hear distant yelling from our veranda as we sway in the hammock at night. But when we were awoken at 7am yesterday morning by heated arguments that carried on past 8, only to be followed by constant yelling as we worked in the library soon after, and of course this was concluded by walking through quarrels on our way back home…we’re tired –in more ways than one.

a VERY unusual sight