(not so) attack of the pigs

In the country, and those who do not have a washing machine, people hand wash their clothes. I wash mine on Saturdays or Sunday morning. The clothes are hung up by the time the sun reaches them and dries them up nice. One laundry morning I was washing my clothes and up walk a pig. I freaked out.

I have seen pigs before. I see them in pig pens and dead on skewers. But not sniffing with its big snout near my cleaned laundry.

 I scrambled all my things and then ran to get my camera. Because even though I was scared, I thought it was funny too. I come back out and three jumped their pens! I call my host mom who had gone out, and let her know they are rampant in the yard (alright, I exaggerated- I was concerned!) I was assured the pigs will be manageable and the farmers will help the pigs back in. ( what she foretold came true).  Whew. I was saved by the big sniffing pigs. I am now better emotionally prepared to handle this situation should it arise in the future.

The end. 

belated new year

Happy Belated New Year everyone! I hope this year brings resolutions we can keep, and a positive, determined focus on our goals.

In my new year, I am in a new site. My previous site did not work out. Unfortunately that happens. So I have been sent to somewhere else! I am now a parish over. But it is quite the difference! I no longer sweat. Much. I am now living in the mountains of Manchester. And can I tell you- I get a stunning view from up here!

I now work with a primary school ( elementary school) in aid to the PE Teacher and hopefully do other youth related activities as well. For now, I am quite new to my new town, so I will be taking these next few months to get to know my peers, my students and neighbors. I will bring more news about my beautiful change for 2013 sooner than later. That is one of my resolutions. Also, below are some others:

-          Meditate for at least 5 minutes ( my mind wanders off a lot)

-          Do 15 pushups a day ( 2012 resolution was better upper body- but I didn’t do squat. So I must be specific.)

-          Do yoga and run a marathon ( beginner yoga for now, and marathon will be for the end of the year…hehe)

-          Write more and create more ( that’s including blogging)

Cheers to 2013- we survived the Mayan apocalypse! 

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Halloween isn't celebrated in Jamaica. Not like in the USA anyways. There are probably some halloween themed parties in Kingston, but that'd be about it. And I was unprepared in creating a costume for this special day. Therefore my "costume" is a cop out. I am a nudist on strike. Meaning just a person wearing clothes. That's okay though. I'll be celebrating to myself by buying some chocolate candy. And downloading a halloween themed movie-most likely not too scary, because I watch those with my eyes closed :D

Now this past weekend was quite eventful! I got to meet a currently popular dancehall artist. His name is Tommy Lee. This name is also known from Motley Crue and  or the actor in MIB. This is what Jamaica's Tommy Lee looks like ( my friend, Tommy Lee and I)

Try and google the name Tommy Lee and see what pops up. If you type Tommy Lee Sparta... you may get more hits and info. Anyway, I met him after his concert on Friday. I also got a t-shirt to represent his music. Upon talking to him, I found out where he gets his tattoos. Don't be surprised I asked, I'm determined to find a good tat artist here. And the man has a lot, of course he'd have some recommendations. :) haha!

I also got to see a Roller Cart Darby ( gotta say it that way). The darby was in May Pen, Clarendon. This social event was a way to strengthen bonds between the Police/ JCF (Jamaican Constabulary Force) and the citizens of May Pen. The Crime and Prevention Committee  helped organize this. They act as a liason between the two parties to increase police visibility in a positive way. The event was very successful. There were eager racers and some funny races witnessed.  For instance, in the second heat, the first place finisher almost came in second.

 He stopped not five feet from the marked finish line, thinking he had already croseed- he did a victory twirl with his roller cart (above).  **Note his roller cart is painted with the Jamaican Flag!
When the spectators saw this- we all yelled at him to finish!! The second place finisher approaching saw his opportunity and literally pushed his cart forward with no person on it, in hopes of getting first place. The spectators were laughing sooo hard. ( Here's all the race cart participants)

Weekends such as these are great. I get to learn a little more about Jamaica and then share it with you, my friends!

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy came and went. In preparation for her arrival on Wednesday, I picked up batteries, some canned baked beans and an aromatherapy candle of lemongrass to ward off mosquitos. I was eagerly awaiting her to come strong when I saw the forecasting on Tuesday afternoon. Heck, I even thought maybe I'd have to group up with some other PCV's to wait out the storm.

I've never been in a direct area for a hurricane before. I had mixed emotions. I was nervous about the intensity of the storm. I also was excited to see what would happen. What I didn't consider is how underwhelmed I'd be sitting in my house for nearly 48 hours. Fortunately! I had power for most of Wednesday. The power went off and on for a few hours but then I'd get it back.

For preparation, my host dad boarded up the vulnerable windows (above, mines on the right)  which made half of my living space very dark and for me claustraphobic. When H. Sandy came to visit for her two hour stay, she was destroying the east side of the island. Therefore all I got was some wind and some rain.

But that didnt stop Peace Corps from keeping us bunkered down at site. We're still told to keep at site. Unfortunately, there are reports of looting and bad roads. So hopefully by tomorrow that will go away. Some cities across Jamaica have curfews to reduce the looting. Isn't that awful? Taking advantage of a natural disaster. rude.

I occupied my inside time with teaching my host family how make popcorn from the stove, catching up on Homeland (such a great show!!) and sleep. When this morning showed signs of calm I went for a run. Opening the door to the outdoors and the light sky, I cringed back. I felt like a vampire about to burn! Only seeing grey skies and rain had my eyes set on nocturnal mode. The run this morning was freedom. Everyone was out and about in town and things were being picked up from where it was left off.
I only hope that the electricity and flooded roads get repaired soon for eastern Jamaica. Because that's no bueno.

End of September

The next world cup qualifier match is this Friday. I'm excited about the game as the USA needs to get more points! The Jamaica v USA in Kingston early September was upsetting. Though, if any a year for Jamaica to be successful, it is this year, their celebration of 50 years of independence! 

 Even yesterday, the West Indies Cricket team won the World Twenty/20 Championships! Here's a picture from today's Gleaner ( http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20121008/sports/sports1.html the article for anyone who likes cricket.) 

I was in Kingston yesterday and while I was walking down one of the roads, I hear loud male voices coming from a house on the opposite side of the street. Then I see about 50 yards ahead of me, on that other side two people screaming and jumping up and down running toward the male voices. The men who I heard came out and were yelling Windies Won!! We're Champions! Windies WON!!! AHHH!!!  ( perhaps not exactly like that, but give or take yes.) By the looks of the photo, Windies were pretty stoked. I'd like to be part of that celebration. whoop whoop! 

The end of September I participated in the PCJ Early Service Conference (ESC). This is held at the six month point of our service. It's a week long conference in which the PCV brings their counterpart/ project partner (interchangeable terms) and we engage in sessions for the betterment of our respective communities. Another part of ESC is to discuss our experiences at site with our sectors (mine being the Youth Sector) and having the support from staff and our fellow PCV's on what to look foward to.

The first three days was a project management workshop. Here is where we did organizational sessions and goals sessions, lots and lots of sessions. Then the project partners leave and the last two days are about us. In YAPII we talked about our challenges, successes, stabilizers...everything. Not seeing everyone together in months was a delight and then talking out our individual situations was therapeutic for me. Another aspect of ESC was our CASI ( Community and Sector Inventory). This is what we worked on for the beginning of our site integration. It's a paper and presentation given at ESC about the needs of the community, the current resources any and anything relevant to our stay here in Jamaica. I talked and showed pictures of my Santa Cruz life, while other PCV's had some amazing presentations. This too gave people a way to take in how similar and different our sites are. It was cool. 

ESC was in Ocho Rios, and our sweet little hotel was at the beach front. The water is amazing!! I swam in it every morning before the day started. The water was cool and warm. I was told that something to do with the limestone, there's fresh water that mixes with the ocean water, especially near the coast. So the very top layer, as I would put my arm in for a stroke, I would get an ice cold chill before the warmth of the ocean. 

The weekend after ESC I stayed with a PCV with some friends. It was a good way to ween me off of seeing everyone before heading solo back to my site. I learned to play Settlers of Catan! At first I was confused, but I enjoyed it. Here (above) are two other PCV's and I playing ( Photo by PCV Marie) 

More to come, hopefully sooner, and in closer intervals... haha. :-) 

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.