Football is on the mind...

Sooo in ten days a qualifier game for the 2014 World Cup will be hosted by the Jamaican national team. And they'll be playing the USA team. Who’s excited?!?!

This girl.

Anndd all the other football fans in Santa. Thus they walk to me and talk about how the Reggae Boyz will be winning the match. ( I politely disagree, and I express this to those who say otherwise).  ( I got the reggae boyz logo from google images).

Even this morning on Smile Jamaica, a morning news show, the gamekeeper was interviewed about the preparation for the field. It’s quite exciting! September 7^th will be the start of the second games played for Group A: USA, Jamaica, Guatemala and Antigua & Barbuda ; not to forget the other groups too. Costa Rica and Mexico play their match for Group B too! I will be looking out for the results on that match as Mexico will be playing in Costa Rican territory.

This past Sunday, I went to a school boy football game. It was STETHS (a high school here) versus Manchester (another HS). There was a vuvuzela vendor who was hitting on my friend and I. After failed attempts of getting him to stop talking to us and move on, the vendor and I began talking about the upcoming match. His prediction is that Jamaica will win 3-1. I say it will be the other way around. Football is on the mind…

( Google images: and I wonder how many Americans will be at the Stadium for the game next Friday...)

And that includes American football too!

I’ve been tracking the NFL a little, as the preseason is here at last. Panthers play the Steelers this Thursday. And I used to be clueless about the NFL, actually about football in general because my household has always leaned towards the other futbol. Thank you mom. But with the help of a diehard USC Gamecocks friend in high school, she patiently explained the basics in her living room while USC was playing a team I can’t remember. haha, and now I know what most of the positions in a team is, I get confused sometimes, but essentially I know what's meant to happen. If anyone wants to educate me further, be my guest. 

What makes both these games (american and international football) exciting of course is being their live. To have the energy going into the stadium and connect the energy of the spectators. To lose your voice in the process. Watching a game is exhausting. Especially when you’re screaming at a TV screen or the actual players that can’t hear you.

I have two little flags on my desk with the SDC. One is the USA flag that I brought into the office for July 4^th. The Jamaican flag was put there by staff, when Jamaican’s independence came, to compliment the USA flag. It’s a conflict of interest when I want the Reggae Boyz to play well and succeed, while having the strong patriotism for my own country’s team. Sigh. What’s a girl to do? J

It's worse before it's better

Or as one of my co-workers said "Chantal is not going back upstairs."

I have experienced six summer camps thus far. Basically one new summer camp, in a different town, every week. Each town has their own flavor and excitement. The children are thrilled to be out of their home. They can barely contain their energy when asked to sit in their seat to hear what they get to play at day camp. I remember when I did day camp. I was just as eager and curious. Camp is a terrific way to meet new peers and learn life skills through games- how can you beat that!?

Now, these six weeks of camp have grown the mental data base of songs, games, and grout (shout out to Camp Ernst for using that term ) that I have when interacting with the likkle picknees (little children). The ability to invent a game or use masking tape and a permanent marker have become invaluable for me. I am so grateful for masking tape. I use it a lot (as do the other camp facilitators with me), especially recently- already on my second roll! Like I said, it helps sooo much to have masking tape!!!!!

I've used masking tape for the following:

• name tags
• to mark the beginning of a line 
• make four square
• make a masking tape ball to throw around 
• use you imagination!

I have one more camp next week. However today's events have given me much to reflect upon. 

The funding for this week's camp has been fantastic. It's completely free to the children. Also free to the parents who signed them up. Giving a free camp attracts a whole heap of children who need a week of something to do. Typically I see kids using their time wandering the neighborhood or not at all (my guess is they're inside watching tv, playing with the sibs or bothering their parents, like all kids in elementary school -- I know I did, and I doubt the inside activity for children has evolved much). 

Anyways, focusing on today. I helped make a game called Minefield. It's where you take yarn or string and wrap it around posts and chairs crossing a room to make "laser beams". Then, you take trash bags and label them with masking tape (haha! another reason why masking tape is awesome) with Dynamite! TNT! or Explosive! You throw those on the floor of the laser ridden passage, and viola! There is your minefield. 

We split the fifty-ish children into three groups...I reflect now, and I should have done more groups, or have chosen a better suited game. Each group chose one person to be blind folded and guided by the team through the obstacle course, with one person on the team  to tell the vision impaired team mate where to go. I had camp facilitators manage each group. I guided the blindfolded and their teammate in the minefield.

Quickly, things went sour. Children started all at once yelling commands to their team mates where to go. That's fifty-ish voices all at once. I tried settling them down, I asked the camp facilitators to help settle them down. The kids were getting competitive and excited. Therefore, in this case, they were not listening. 

I yelled. I yelled at the top of my lungs for them to calm down and be quiet. I had their attention. The fifty-ish of them. I asked for them to respect their camp facilitators and listen to them. They calmed down. for 2 minutes. Then they started up again. I let them try another way of going through the minefield, then stopped the game. 

Everyone wanted to go through the lasers so I let them. This quickly changed to tearing up the string and using the trash bags as devices to hit other kids. I approached the chaos and boys who thrashing about and removed the bags and got everyone to sit down. I was so upset. So disappointed, that from Monday, I met the most well behaved, respectful group of children... to turn into creatures of nightmare in four days. 

During snacks, I talked to them all about my disappointment and my apologies of raising my voice ( I truly felt bad, but the ability to control the situation was lost to my temper.) So I resorted for most of the rest of the day in the downstairs of the building where I could talk to my co workers, and regroup ( just like this meditating baby. a pic I found online, tho how funny it was for the person who captured this moment). 

In all of this, I discovered a lot of insight and feedback from the camp facilitators and my co workers. Of their annual experience with these children. Of the difficulty of getting volunteers to assist with the camp. Of getting funding for meals. For sport equipment and camp supplies. The children VERY MUCH need attention and direction ( of which most, as I was told, may not get at home). Today was the worst day of all my camps. I don't want to say worst camp. But it was a true test for me. And that's why I didn't want to go back upstairs where the open room of children dominated.

oh and my electric kettle decided to break. so stove top kettle replaces number 3 fav house hold item , haha. 

My 3 Favorite Household Items

I'm in cleaning mode, so this is what's been on my mind.

1. Bleach:

Today I cleaned my home. I do this weekly (well, I try). I have found bleach to be my best friend when I do. I am appreciating tiles more and more. In comparison to carpet, tiles definitely win. Though if I didn't live in the hottest place in Jamaica, I'd probably want carpet, its softer. But then I couldn't slide around in my socks....

After I sweep the tile floors. Which, to be honest, I first thought was stupid, but I did it from imitation of other tile floor owners. And MAN! Do you know how much loose hair and dirt get on these tiles?! Like, A LOT. It's gross. I also wonder how I'm not bald.
I also get a chance to kill all the little spiders that have somehow made my home a spider refugee. I don't think so Anancy. Get out.
Back to the bleach, I use a mix of water and bleach to mop the floors of the main space, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. The floors get disinfected and aren't grainy from the dirt. And again, each room I find my hair.  Gross.

I also use the bleach to get stains out of my clothes. I got ginep fruit (these little green fruit with a big seed, you pop open the outside and suck the seed that has the fruit) stains on my dress. I just dot bleach straight on it. However, I got a little too excited on the amount a drop of bleach means, and I think I may have bleach stained my dress. The dots turned the white yellow. Ugh. Whoops! Maybe I'll just dye it a different color? Like....yellow? :)

2. Electric Bug Swatter

This should probably ranked first. But because I cleaned my house, and I smell bleach. Bleach was first. But in terms of use- I am constantly swatting mosquitoes down. My favorite thing ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I always have my swatter a hands length away, because the moment I see a little black dot drunkenly bopping around ( that's what mosquitoes fly like), I turn the on switch and press the button and wave the racket like a mad lady. There is no real technique, because of the pattern less flight of the blood sucker. Then  ZAP! I got it. Sometimes it gets even crazier when the mosquito gets stuck in the racket, then it cooks. And it smells like burnt bug. Ew. (yet I'm so happy).

3. Water Boiler

It cooks my oatmeal, my tea, and my ramen. Done. and done.
The only bother is the little thumb ants are attracted to it. I dont know why. Plus the treated water (with chlorine) gets separated from the water and cakes on the metal plate. Do ants like chlorine? Because I catch them sometimes IN the kettle, in the water. bleh. I rinse them out though. I don't like ants in my tea.


I hope to get a camera soon, so I don't have to tell you about my cleaning habits, and show you other interesting things that I do. Haha.