CanJam Camp!

Last week was spent with a group of Canadian volunteers in inner city Kingston.  This group of Canadian college students have been traveling to Kingston for CanJam Camp for several years.  We decided that it would be a great experience to spend a week volunteering in the inner city.  It turned out to be an interesting and unique experience.  

The camp focused on the children from ages 3 to 18.  The Canadians led the camp and we were there only as support.  We soon found out that we were needed for more than just support.  The camp turned out to be unorganized and understaffed.  One other volunteer, Tracy, and I were asked to lead at group of 9-11 year olds.  I was slightly nervous in the beginning but ended up pleasantly surprised at how well our group worked together.  Our group needed to decide on a performance for the final day of activities.  Tracy and I sat down with no clue as to what the performance would be.  So, we asked the children.  We asked what they could do well.  They agreed that a dance would be a good idea.  So then we asked them what type of dance they'd like to perform.  They all had blank stares until someone mentioned Michael Jackson.  He didn't need to say any more because all the children gave obvious approval as they all started to sing MJ songs.  We all broke into an MJ memorial session as Tracy and I offered our own recollections of his greatest hits.  We all started to practice the essential MJ dance moves.  Everyone was laughing and clearly excited about the prospect of an MJ Tribute as our performance.  

The next day I brought in my ipod and we sampled MJ hits.  We all agreed on performing a mix of Thriller and Beat It.  We decided we would begin with Thriller and end with Beat It.  We then proceeded to spend the morning practicing our moves to both songs.  Then performance day came and we had rehearsed several times.  We began with the children howling as the beginning of Thriller was played.  They came out from behind the fence with their zombie dance.  They proceeded to make their entrance and then we transitioned into Beat It.  We had practiced several steps a few days before and I was worried that they may forget them.  My worries were soon overcome as I watched my group of 9-11 olds rock out their MJ Tribute on stage.  They were so awesome and everyone loved the performance!  Tracy and I were so proud of them and they were so happy with their performance.  It was so great to see these children, who besides their little differences and disputes, came together to create an awesome collaborative effort.  They were great!!

It was the perfect ending to an unorganized and understaffed week long camp :)

Peace and Love,

Matthew

Hurricane Season

We had afternoon showers three or four days this week!  This is amazing, considering the drought that Jamaica has been experiencing this summer.  The locals say this has been the hottest summer in recorded history.  I had a discussion with my doctor the other day and we projects two hurricanes this summer.  He is worried because of the extreme heat this summer has been bringing to the caribbean.  Hey said until the last ten to fifteen years, Jamaica would experience a hurricane maybe once every ten years.  During the last decade, hurricanes have become much more frequent and severe.  He says that now Jamaica can expect at least one hurricane a year. And he thinks that the warmer weather will bring two this summer.  Jamaica is not the only place in the world experiencing high temperatures.  Taiwan was just hit by a horrible typhoon. Global warming is real, just ask a Jamaican.    

Even a tropical storm can do much damage to a less developed country like Jamaica.  Many people in King Weston live under tin roofs and within thin wood walls.  Some rely on the strength of bamboo.  Some are very fortunate and live in a concrete home.  But then, many people make a living from livestock.  Last year, a woman in King Weston lost close to one hundred chickens during Hurricane Gustav.  That is devastating when those chickens are one's means of making a living!  I had a visit with Miss Donna yesterday.  She raising pigs and chickens.  She introduced me to the two pigs and two piglets.  Her chicken coop was empty.  She told me that she just sold all the chickens she had and will not buy again until October.  She is worried that she will lose them if she buys during hurricane season.  The chicken coops are not typically made from concrete, so they are not strong enough to withstand the winds and rain from even a severe tropical storm.  So, she will live off what she has until October, when she feels safe enough to buy another hundred chickens.  

We volunteers will be taken care of if a hurricane comes our way.  We have Rosie, who is a sweetheart.  She will shelter us at her house, which is very safe and strong enough to withstand hurricane winds :)  But, please pray that the hurricanes, already forming off the coast of Africa, will die off before they reach the caribbean.  

Posted are some pics of Miss. Donna's grandchildren, pigs and land.

Peace and love,

Matthew    

My Mission

Friday was my first real visit, on my own.  I jumped on a bus at the Stony Hill Square and rode for close to 20 minutes until I reached Lawrence Tavern.  This is where the bus stops running.  I paid my $70 JD, which I later found out was too high, and starting walking to a taxi.  $70 JD is maybe close to .75 cents USD.  I reached the taxi area and found a driver.  I asked him if he'd drive me to Mt. Cheerful, which is higher up than King Weston, he said yes.  So, we talked as we waited for his taxi to fill with passengers.  He asked me where I was from, which, in turn sparked a conversation about President Bush.  I let him talk first, but I was able to project where this conversation was going once as soon as he said the word.  We continued to talk for quite a while, until he finally had enough passengers to pack us in like sardines.  I then rode up to Mt. Cheerful, which took another 20 minutes and cost me $50 JD.  

I had the driver let me off outside of Miss Edna's house.  She immediately greeted me at the gate, as if she had been watching for me.  She took me around back and I shook my head in agreement as she spoke her native Patois; as I couldn't understand half of what she was saying.  She pulled up a stool in her back yard and handed me a few small, ripe and sweet banana.  Jamaican bananas are the sweetest I've ever tasted.  Chiquita is no competition.  I sat there and watched as she cleaned chickens.  She then told me to wait around for a few minutes so I could watch the process.  This was the first time I would watch a chicken lose its head.  I won't lie, I felt a little sick to my stomach at first.  Then I realized that this is how Miss Edna lives and makes money.  She will sell most of the meat and then live off the rest.  All these years living in the U.S. and never had I witnessed the process in which chicken is prepared for eating.  I see it in packages in the store and that is all.  

I then walked down the hill to visit her daughter, Miss Donna.  Miss Donna is so sweet.  She greeted me with a big smile and a welcome into her home.  She offered me fresh pineapple and bananas.  I enjoyed them.  She then took me outside to try sugar cane.  It was very sweet and tough.  She told me to chew on a piece and then spit it out.  The cane gave my mouth a cooling sensation.  She then told me off all the plants she uses for medicinal purposes.  I was amazed!  She then listed off a number of dishes and things she is going to teach me.  I was getting so excited with the thought of learning the process of making carrot juice and chocolate as well as a number of other Jamaican dishes.    

I eventually had to move on to make other visits for the day.  It was nice starting in Mt. Cheerful because all my other visits were on the way down the mountain.  My final stop of the day was to see Ms. Pet.  She is very sweet and kind.  She has been blind for the last eight years of her life and has only friends to check in on her.  I sat down beside her and listened as she shared her experiences of an earlier life in England.  She recalled and described every detail with such vividness that it was as if I were there.  She really misses her life there.  She mentioned that someone would be there to take care of her if she were still in England.  That they know how to take care of their elderly.  She said that Jamaicans just toss their elderly to the side; they have no use for them.  It was heart-rending to see her feeling this way.  I could not find anything consolable to say, so I reached for her hand.  I held her hand tightly for a few minutes and then shared my excitement of getting to know her better -- of being able to listen to her life experiences.  

It was after 4p.m. and I needed to catch a ride back to Stony Hill.  I figured I'd catch a taxi on the way down the hill.  I decided and start walking, and continued to walk for the next 45 minutes.  No taxis had passed in that time.  Must have been a slow time of the day :)  I reached Lawrence Tavern and then caught a bus to Stony Hill.  I paid $50 JD this time.

Peace and Love,

Matt   

Happy Independence Day Jamaica!

This is an important week for Jamaicans.  They will be celebrating Emancipation and Independence.   Emancipation Day was this last Saturday and Independence Day is this coming Thursday.  Today at mass we celebrated Jamaican freedom and sovereignty.  Father Gaston talked about all that we have to be thankful for and all the beauty that is Jamaica.  I started to lose interest in what Father had to say after those first few words.  But, those words were enough to occupy my thoughts for the remainder of his 45-minute homily. 

I started to think of all the beauty that I’ve already experienced in just one week.  The first thought that came to mind was the importance of music in this culture.  Music is everywhere and it is beautiful.  It moves the people here.  I can’t help but be moved by it as well.  I am in love with the sound of the bongos!  I am going to speak to the musicians and ask if I can be involved on Sunday mass.  I then started to think of all the natural beauty in Jamaica.  I was thinking of the drive up to King Weston and how there is one point during the trek up the mountain where the view is spectacular.  Don’t get me wrong, there are beautiful views of the Blue Mountains that surround the people in King Weston.  But, there is one particular view where, on a clear day, one can see the north shore.  Today was one of those days and I could actually see the whiteness of the waves as they crashed into the shore.  The people in King Weston do not have much, but they do have the land.  Mangos fall from the trees in abundance and a fresh banana is out of this world!  The goats, cows, pigs and dogs enjoy the fruits of the land as I ride along the mountain roads to King Weston.   Oh yes, and the fresh, sweet air of the mountains is another thing to be thankful for. 

I am also starting to really appreciate the Jamaican people as well.  They are hard working, kind, generous and beautiful people.  They have made us feel welcome and at home. 

So, this week I will be thankful for all the beauty that surrounds me each day.  And be thankful for each day I have.

Peace and love,

Matt