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.
