This past week marked the end of Team Jamaica tourism training and the ability to articulate a brainstorm that had been rumbling in my subconscious for a long time, stemming from the inconsistencies with the demonstration plot plan that I’d been trying to rectify within me. A greenhouse had been promised to the community, courtesy of a funding agency slash stakeholder group, and while it was ‘supposed’ to have been started in March, we have recently come to find that the business plan is only now being written and solidified. Certain misgivings I have for the entire thing led me to pursue meetings with the agency liaison to no avail in order to iron out the finer details and better understand the intent of the operation. At the moment the plan involves a large and expensive structure to employ a few people and produce a large amount of vegetables to be sold to the nearby all inclusive hotel. Think like me and you’ll find a few bumps and misgivings in this plan as it relates to the overall community (particularly of farmers).
In order to save myself an ulcer so early in my service, I put the greenhouse out of my mind and asserted to my supervisor that there is more space on the land set aside as a Demonstration Plot, and that any outside stakeholder will take more interest in assisting projects if those projects are already being spearheaded by the community. Ideas for shade houses and seedling nurseries had been thrown around since before my arrival and I posed the idea that we should '”tun han mek fashion” (turn hand make fashion- make something out of nothing) and start building a nursery structure in the most low budget way possible. Bamboo structure and gutter system for rainwater catchment, seed trays out of reused plastic bottles, raised beds of old tires and as much donated material as we could muster. Because I love the idea of having a project I can wrap my head around, I have spent the week appraising the demonstration plot and drawing up a plan. I seriously regret never taking an actual planning class, not based on theory, in college. However, I have been repeating my favorite land use mantra, in so many words: “people won’t support a space if they don’t feel like a part of it” and so we will hopefully be working many community activities into the building of this space, including children and farmers.
Meanwhile, I have been balancing my days with work on the demo plot, home for lunch then back for CDC work. I open the CDC office and boys immediately come to the door asking for the football while girls sit beside me watching me work on the computer and unabashedly inspecting my hairline (why does my hair grow in front of my ears?), my ears (why yuh have so much bores?), stroke the hair on my arms (which is becoming silky and blonde as my skin tans) and trace the hummingbird which permanently resides on my back with their fingers. They also love to comment on how sweaty my face is and how many bug bites I have (yep, I’m super sexy these days). A few boys who like to just be around where I am like to hear me say things like a Jamaican, and they call me Agri, which I have no problem with: “Agri, Agri say ‘ah yah so nice!’” and a giggle fest ensues when I do say it. Sometimes I don’t if they’re being particularly annoying, or rude.
Ok I’m trying something new with the photos… I hope this works. Shots include the entrance to the plot, looking into the plot, right and left- the wood slats are the remains of an unfinished shed I took apart to start a compost space.
Since I’m trying out this new photo format I’m gonna throw in some photos I took a few weeks ago at the football match. They’re up on the Beeston Spring CDC FB page too.
In order to save myself an ulcer so early in my service, I put the greenhouse out of my mind and asserted to my supervisor that there is more space on the land set aside as a Demonstration Plot, and that any outside stakeholder will take more interest in assisting projects if those projects are already being spearheaded by the community. Ideas for shade houses and seedling nurseries had been thrown around since before my arrival and I posed the idea that we should '”tun han mek fashion” (turn hand make fashion- make something out of nothing) and start building a nursery structure in the most low budget way possible. Bamboo structure and gutter system for rainwater catchment, seed trays out of reused plastic bottles, raised beds of old tires and as much donated material as we could muster. Because I love the idea of having a project I can wrap my head around, I have spent the week appraising the demonstration plot and drawing up a plan. I seriously regret never taking an actual planning class, not based on theory, in college. However, I have been repeating my favorite land use mantra, in so many words: “people won’t support a space if they don’t feel like a part of it” and so we will hopefully be working many community activities into the building of this space, including children and farmers.
Meanwhile, I have been balancing my days with work on the demo plot, home for lunch then back for CDC work. I open the CDC office and boys immediately come to the door asking for the football while girls sit beside me watching me work on the computer and unabashedly inspecting my hairline (why does my hair grow in front of my ears?), my ears (why yuh have so much bores?), stroke the hair on my arms (which is becoming silky and blonde as my skin tans) and trace the hummingbird which permanently resides on my back with their fingers. They also love to comment on how sweaty my face is and how many bug bites I have (yep, I’m super sexy these days). A few boys who like to just be around where I am like to hear me say things like a Jamaican, and they call me Agri, which I have no problem with: “Agri, Agri say ‘ah yah so nice!’” and a giggle fest ensues when I do say it. Sometimes I don’t if they’re being particularly annoying, or rude.
Ok I’m trying something new with the photos… I hope this works. Shots include the entrance to the plot, looking into the plot, right and left- the wood slats are the remains of an unfinished shed I took apart to start a compost space.
Also last Sunday we held free HIV testing at the container during the football game. It was an eye opening look into how the community handles personal health issues. Megan, a PCV who works with the health department in Sav-la-Mar was there and it was really nice to show her around, give her a rural experience and help her reel people in to get tested. She worried that the heavy rain would prevent people from coming to the game but I told her to be patient, people always come out for football. Sure enough, the rain stopped and the footballers arrived, closely followed by the crowd of spectators- who took a great deal of convincing to get tested.
Since I’m trying out this new photo format I’m gonna throw in some photos I took a few weeks ago at the football match. They’re up on the Beeston Spring CDC FB page too.
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