Days Off

This weekend was a holiday weekend here in Jamaica which meant that we had off Friday and Monday.

I already described farming on Friday. On Saturday Shameaka and I went into Papine, a district of Kingston close to the steep mountains and then to Kingston... and then back to Papine. As you snake your way down the mountain, houses and buildings get closer together and nearer to the road when finally the road levels out and Papine is before you in all her urban glory. To the left of the road is blocks of buildings holding cell phone stores, hair and nail salons, the off track betting/gambling outlet and of course various shops selling 'sweetie' snacks and drinks. The road splits into two one way roads with a park-like square in the middle. To the right of the square is a grocery market and a bit more of the same, with some jerk chicken sellers here and there. If you look beyond the line of businesses on the left, it drops steeply, following a road further into the valley, and directly across the way, another mountain side dotted with fancy homes taking in the view. Of course there's also the beautiful sight of garbage pretty much everywhere you look, regardless of location.

In Papine we visited with Shameaka's cousin who does hair and got a pattie for lunch. Patties are cheap fast food type concoctions, a flaky turnover-like crust filled with one of several options: beef, chicken and sometimes veggie chunks (soy). One can put this between a fold of sweet white coco bread to add some more carbs but I generally prefer the comfort of a side of fries. After lunch we headed into town (Kingston) with Sham's other cousin who recently found that she is 2 months pregnant with her third child (her other two girls are sweethearts, the youngest of them has just the biggest eyes and the sharpest tongue). In town I followed the women around the busy streets towards coronation market, where I'd gone with Peggy 2 weeks ago. Sham bought some sunglasses and earrings but the open and crowded layout was too distracting for me to actually shop, I never realized how partial I am to the quiet and orderly mall setting. I was glad to move to the produce market where the prospect of fresh fruits and veggies laid at arms reach. I bought some broccoli to put in pasta, and tomatoes and cucumbers for lunch sandwiches.
We went back to Papine where I waited for Sham to get her nails done. As I sat, a man came in with a suitcase and began to take clothing out of it. All the ladies knew this man, stopped what they were doing and asked him to throw them things if they liked how they looked. They then appraised the quality, fit and price before taking it of throwing it back to him to pack back up. He visited for a bit and on his way out asked for my number so he could get to know me. Psh, classic Jamaican.
By the end of Friday I was exhausted with a headache and feeling sick, I've been fighting something for a few days now, but I'll get to that.
Sunday was Easter, I skyped with the family and stayed inside most of the morning due to rain. Once the rain stopped I met up with the other trainees and we took a long walk up the hill to Jack Allen, a kind of district of Woodford (the town I'm in, I'm supposed to be discrete about public displays of location...PDL?)The district I'm a part of is Freetown, which one can see from Jack Allen. We took the back way instead of a road so that it would seem more hike-ish, it was my first time among those houses I said I'd no idea how to get to... I can't imagine being old in one, how could they get groceries up the mountain with no car access??

Sunday there was to be a wedding in Kingston and I was invited to attend by another host family. I think the last wedding I went to was Uncle Toph and Aunt Holly's and I don't remember it as I was a likkle pickney (have i mentioned this yet? 'little child'). A 7th day Adventist wedding reminded me of a more chauvinistic Roman Catholic wedding though, lots of emphasis on the role of a man vs the role of a woman in a marriage. A 7th Day Adventist wedding is a dry wedding, no alcohol and finally a 7th Day Adventist wedding is one where you sit and listen to people give speeches and toasts while you eat food for 4 hours- there was no dancing. The wedding got me really excited to plan my own, something that has never crossed my mind unless it's to think "I wonder why I never feel compelled to plan my own fairy tale wedding? oh well, come on Lucy let's get muddy."
While I'd expect no fairy tale, I'd expect something along the lines of my going away party, except I'd get to wear a pretty white dress and spend the rest of my life with someone special. Daaw.

Today (Tuesday) I went to training feeling under the weather as has been the case since Thursday. I called Viola, the PC nurse to let her know that I scratched my eye over the weekend, not expecting her to tell me to leave immediately for the doctor. With 500 JD (jamaican dollars) in my pocket and no ID to speak of, I took a taxi with Robert, one of the trainers, down into Kingston. I was not in a great mood and felt sicker as we got in. I have a mild corneal abrasion and must use antibiotic drops however, the sickness is simply a cold, nothing to diagnose and I must stick it out. I opted to come home after the doctor's instead of go back to training, I slept for a few hours to the tune of some anxious dreams and now find myself awake with a bit of a fuzzy brain. Hopefully I can find enough rest tonight to feel better tomorrow... the thought of the walk home feels very daunting this side of Wednesday.

I hope good health and happiness is following you all <3

Farming

Told you I'd have more time to blog :-p

The town I'm living in is one predominantly made up of farmers, a perfect place for the Green Initiative to begin our specified learning. Each of the Green Initiative members were invited to serve under even more specific titles such as Agroforestry (me), agrobuisness/tourism, environmental education and so forth. While these sub-titles are not as important as the overall sector title, it is interesting to see how each of our skill sets drive us to ask questions and give answers. Some of us ask questions applicable to the worth of a crop or the sale of it while others ask about ground cover, crop rotation and pest control. Our trainer Anika and our other teachers are not actually educated in any environmental fields, their true strengths are facilitation and of course, being Jamaican. Anika will always find an answer for us if she doesn't know it, but she knows everyone in town who holds information we can use and so she invites them to our training sessions regularly. It's useful to watch Anika work and teach as our overall purpose is to be a facilitator ourselves so that the success and sustainability of a project doesn't land on our shoulders. We've been told it may take up to 2 years just to get our project off the ground, and for Americans this can be frustrating. We're encouraged to find alternative outlets such as tutoring in schools or starting a youth program outside of our assigned organization so that boredom and frustration does not get the best of us.

Yesterday (Friday morning) Pat and I shadowed a farmer, a man hosting a fellow volunteer. The front and side of his house is lined with thick greenery, some flowers for show but also tomato plants, mint and parsley, cho-cho vines, guava trees and various seedlings being prepared to replant in the fields. For confidentiality I'll call this man Mr. Gill. Mr. Gill received us warmly, put on a pair of tall rubber boots and grabbed his machet (machete, but it looks like a short dull sword). He led us behind his house, past a hutch of hens and down a sloping clay path. We were immediately plunged into lush greenery as he pointed out his coffee plants, the difference between banana and plantain plants, guava trees and so forth. The first field we passed was his by law, he owned it and he farmed it. The adjacent plot was not his nor was he the one farming it- this one had grapefruit, guava, mango and other fruit trees. We snaked down the path as it got skinnier and wetter, hearing the soothing sounds of the 'river' (more like a small stream at this time' down below. As we got closer and then crossed the stream, Mr. Gill pointed out the high water mark where the water would be around october-december, a good 7-10 ft from the current level. We continued walking to his next plot, government owned but citizen farmed. We asked the legal process involved and he replied that there is none, he had pointed out his third plot to us earlier as we descended the mountain, a square of banana trees a bit higher than where we stood, up the opposite slope, this too was government land.
Mr. Gill plants with no particular rhyme or reason, so he says. He has a few cabbage growing beneath some banana trees, gungu peas in a patch below that and somehow, he points out, a ganja plant found its way in among a patch of red peas. Someone probably smoked there and dropped some seeds. Mr. Gill uses chemicals to combat pests when it is needed, we did not ask how often or how much as we did not want to seem offensive or like we know better. He also slashes and burns to control weed and invasives growth however, the majority of his current plots are completely covered in plant growth, the only exception being a month old patch of banana and pine (pineapple) which was recently sown. He says that this is his biggest concern if a big rain were to come, it would wash everything away, however with the amount of growth just a month brought, I imagine he'll be safe until October.
Mr. Gill does not farm for the money, he is a carpenter and mason by trade and giggled when I commented that he is a man of many skills. He pointed out baby beans and a new cho-cho vine like they were his children, adopting a slightly higher pitch and a loving tone when indicating their wherabouts, letting out a little giggle saying 'see da baby cho-cho der? Jus climbin up the mango tree *hehe*' What a proud daddy.

My life shifts when I return home, my young host mom sent her son away with his dad for the long weekend and she is feeling happily liberated. I see her more as a friend than a mother for sure, which is great but kind of has me more reserved since she plunges herself into social situations while I stand quietly, knowing that the boys are looking me up and down as they yell 'hey whitey!'... Shameaka told me to call back 'wa'gwaan black man!' I tried it on her brother last night and his crew laughed and left me alone so I suppose I'll try that one out again. The color thing doesn't bother me as much as the stares from the men like I'm a prize or a piece of meat. American men at least pretend to be your friend, even if they want to take you home. I'll never complain about indecent American boys again I promise you that.

Sham and I are heading down the mountain today into 'town' ie Kingston. Should be a fun use of a day most of my co-trainees are at the 7th day Adventist church. HA, they'll be there from 7-4 if their host families are super religious. I'll be celebrating my holy day in nature if all goes to plan.

until next time, peace and love to you all <3

Aaaand New Scene

It's been about 5 days since I left Hellshire and I do apologize for not being more on top of the blogging thing. The rest of last week flew by with group training wrapping up with a tour of Port Royal and the national art gallery in Kingston. As you can see from my photos on facebook, we had a great deal of fun at Port Royal where my affinity for historical ruins and abandoned buildings was apparent to my new friends. The city was once the most prosperous in the Indies but was ravaged by several earthquakes, sending it's outskirts into the sea and depleting the actual city to about 1/3 it's actual size. Captain Morgan reigned there and lived in Fort Charles, the featured location in my photos. From the fort, one can see the ocean on three sides.
When we got home from the field trip we found that our host families (a particular few) had been cooking all day and setting up a nearby park for a grand sendoff feast. Curried goat, BBQ chicken, fish, pasta and egg salad, festival (a sweet, bready fried-dough-like stick), salad and I can't even remember the rest were laid out on a table while host families, friends and our training staff got together in rare form. By darkness, the volunteers walked the 2 blocks to the bar and finally a few of us ended up at a community members birthday party. The Jamaicans taught the PCT's some dance moves and we had what I felt was our first true night out.
Sunday morning we woke, packed and gathered in the church parking lot to say goodbye to our hospitable host families, and to each other. For the next five weeks we will be training in our specialized sectors, groups of 12, this is called 'hub' training. The Green Initiative has since moved to the mountains, while the Youth As Promise (HIV ed) and the Education sectors have moved to areas outside of Kingston.

The town I live in now is in the John Crow (jahncrow) Mountains, named for Jamaica's only breed of vulture. The John Crow Mountains become the Blue Mountains as the peaks grow higher towards the center of the Island. The highest point is the Blue Mountain at approx 7,000ft. Getting to my homestay from Kingston is reminiscent of driving in the Andes mountains of Peru. While a lower elevation, these are steeply sloped and layered, the roads snake back and forth, the potholes are immense and I'm still shocked two vehicles can fit side by side (sometimes they just can't due to construction or...goats...). Houses are quite nestled into the slopes, I still can't figure out to get to some of them, and often the rooftop or second story of a home is even with the road above it.
We are more spread out here, five of us live along my road, four live up another (2 couples) and another two live down the mountain closer to school. The walk to school is about 30 minutes while the walk home is closer to 45. The slope on the walk home is relatively constant and sometimes almost impossibly steep- my legs are gonna look niiiiice by May.
Training this week has been so interesting to me (usually). It's basically intro to environmental studies-Jamaica style and come on, you know das mah jam. The defiant 'stick it to the man' attitude here combined with a post-colonial culture makes a potent concoction for environmental reform, especially when 'the man' (ie ntl govt) has a hard time following or enforcing it's own laws. We got a good look at the challenges we'll be facing and how to pose environmental problems as social ones to capture public attention. Also, the constantly percolating coffee was a huge plus.

Today we went on a hike at the Hollywell Protected Area and learned about the local plants and invasives. The views are amazing here and we summitted 4,000+ ft... I can't wait to climb the Blue Mountain eventually.

I know I'm leaving things out, but I'll be here for the next four weeks so ask me questions if you have them and I'll answer them in subsequent posts. Also more pics to come... the internet is slow at night so they load real slow.

I have the next 4 days off for Easter break, tomorrow morning I am shadowing a local farmer which I'm really excited about and Sunday we are planning for an Easter hike. Miraculously I think mine is the only host mom not interested in Easter mass and while my religious tendencies are limited at best, It'll be the first Easter I've not gone to church with the whole family.

On a related note- A blaring and heartfelt Happy Birthday to my Grandma Josie, I feel her presence every day in the beautiful land of wood and water. I send big hugs to Daddy and my aunts and Pop-pop (and of course the rest of my family because I love and miss you all).

Finally I leave you with the meaning behind the colors of Jamaica and her flag:
"Hardship there is but the land is green and the sun shineth"

May the spring sunshine bring smiles and warmth to you all back home
<3

Keeping It Talawah!

'Mi likkle but mi a talawah' is my new favorite Jamaican proverb. I bet you can guess why- Talawah means powerful, strong, mighty...
On a related note, the national bird of Jamaica is (drumroll please) the HUMMINGBIRD. Small but mighty my friends, small but mighty.

So week two is beginning to breeze on by out here on the southern coast of this little country (the size of the state of CT incidentally). Training has been chock full of information from culture and language to safety and security and all that falls in between. The highlight of my days are always the first and last segments of the day: Culture and Language; Sector Rooms. Culture and language is just great because it offers me the hope that someday, maybe, I'll understand what the people around me are saying. Sector meetings at the end of the day focus on the responsibilities and expectations of the Green Initiative program. My sector leaders are fantastic- easygoing, knowledgeable and encouraging- and the subject matter is so applicable I can't help but be excited and attentive, even at the end of the day when we're sticky, hot and drained from previous activities. This being drained that I speak of comes in both physical and emotional/mental waves.

This past Friday I went to karaoke with my friend and his host dad. The event was at a ritzy hotel in Kingston and was unlike any karaoke I'd ever seen. White chairs were lined up along the side of a pool in the courtyard. The pool was spewing an elegant fountain from it's middle and lighted trees protected the chairs, which faced the stage at the front of the pool. I chose to sing Rolling in the Deep by Adele, even though I'd never actually sung the whole song. The night hadn't even begun yet when they called my name to sing and as I was caught unaware, my walk to the stage was long and awkward. As I walked they explained that this is the first time a newcomer has opened the night. OY.
I sang the song to the best of my abilities as the DJ interjected on the soundboard with bytes saying 'WOWEE' and ridiculous things like that... I've never been to a karaoke that actually reacts AS the person is singing. People clapped and smiled as I finished and the emcee grabbed the mic saying 'wow what a little girl with a big voice!' or something along those lines. The rest of the night carried some real talent- people obviously accustomed to performing and showing off... no one was actually BAD. Also, a man proposed to his girlfriend via song dedication and on the way home we ate jerk chicken that was handed to us from the grill on the curb through the window of the car. This is a common occurrence in Kingston and I suspect in the rest of Jamaica.

Saturday, Peggy took me to Coronation Market, an activity all host parents were expected to do so that we could learn to barter and negotiate the crowds. The market is huge and is located in Kingston, so it was also my first bus and taxi experience. The market is HUGE and spans from under a giant pavilion outwards, under crudely strung tarps that had me thankful I'm 5ft tall. Peggy was very selective about her prices and she could be because there were SO many people selling similar items. She also bought so much that we each carried a bag, and then had to share the weight of a third bag between us. It was a funny sight I can imagine and we were pretty tired by the time we returned home.

Sunday a few of us walked about a half hour down the road to Twin Sister's cave, two beautiful caves nearby nestled in a pit of Banyan trees and other flora. The caves were essentially the openings to brackish water tunnels and home to blue backed lobster, young talapia, bats, owls and crayfish as well as lots of anole-type lizards and birds. After, we went to the beach to celebrate a few volunteers' birthdays. It was so relaxing to lay out, swim and have a couple cold(ish) beers. Later that night I realized that I was burned to a crisp and currently am thanking karma that Peggy has a healthy sized aloe plant in her front yard.

Today I talked to Dan my program manager in an interview format so that he could better understand my goals and skills and personality to place me in my final location. I've been strongly identified as 'de baby' lately among Hellshire-folk, although those who speak to me eventually recognize the 'mighty' part. As I spoke about my ability to teach and lead, my preference for hands on work and my interest in music, his smile got wider and wider 'I can't say anything about placement, but I've got ideas for you' he said amidst a smile. I laughed and said I like to sing and jam out in my spare time and he smiled once again, this time proud of some little secret he had in his own head and gave me a high five. If he's not worried, I'm gonna stop worrying. His confidence translated immediately to me and I've felt good all day. While Hellshire has been a wonderful community to start my growth, I can't wait to leave for my hub training in the mountains this Sunday!

Wa'gwaan Mi Friends!

Well I've been in Jamaica exactly 7 days and if I thought pre-departure was a whirlwind I was fooling myself. The first 3 days we spent in the capitol of Kingston at a hotel, where sleep was minimal and activity was frequent. A wonderful welcome ceremony greeted us at the Peace Corps office the evening we arrived- a day that we got a total of 3 hours of sleep at best, so we were all more closely resembling zombies.
Last Friday we headed to Hellshire in St.Catherine parish where we met our first homestay families. We met through a word matching game, I had a slip of paper that said 'peanut butter' on it, my 'jelly' I came to find, is a short older woman affectionately called Peggy. I thought it appropriate that she was wearing a purple floral shirt as she loosely resembled jelly.
Miss Peggy is a firecracker of a woman, who knows pretty much everyone in Hellshire proper. She cares for her 18 year old grandniece, who has already taught me a great deal about the younger culture as compared to Peggy's age bracket. She also sings wonderfully- we share a love of singing Adele. Upon hearing me sing, Miss Peggy told her entire church parish that I was to sing in church on Sunday. Which I did, along with a co-volunteer. We sang Amazing Grace so that the congregation could sing along and a lady of the church later told me she wished we'd sung a song no one knew so she could hear our voices. mwahaha my plan succeeded.
Hellshire is a coastal town, and a drier climate than most in Jamaica. Limestone, palm trees and cacti are predominant in the landscape, along with papaya, mango and other fruit trees. From the church where we have training class, you can see the town and the ocean beyond. The beach on weekends is covered in locals and tourists alike, shacks parallel the waterline selling seafood and beer while rasta and the like sell bagged shrimp, candies ('sweetie') souvenirs and of course, ganja. Yes this is illegal, and yes, the police are often quite nearby when this happens.
Houses are all generally open, doors are iron 'grilles' so that there is no need for a doorbell, one must simply yell the name of the person they need, and that person can hear from the back room: 'Wa'gwaan Miss Peggy!?' is a phrase often shouted by my peers as they search for me but also, they love my host mom.

Training has been exhausting, we just started language training. It's a lot of info to keep up on day by day and the paperwork is piling up but sector training offers promise of topics I can understand and provide some knowledge in. I still have a lot to know about Jamaica but for now I 'tank de lawd' for my outgoing personality in winning over the village ladies.

thats all for now my loves, until next time
<3

Unless

It's been a crazy coaster of emotion for this Miniature Muse over the past few days. Who am I kidding, it's been TWO YEARS since I decided that the Peace Corps would be my (albeit unpaved) path- this roller coaster is bumping and zigging and zagging towards the finish line. I hope.

I've been able to spend some time with my family this weekend, both nuclear and extended, and boy does that add to the ups and downs. Only family can emit tears of sadness and laughter simultaneously.

What has really prompted me to write today is the family outing we just returned from. My favorite book by Dr. Seuss, The Lorax, was recently turned into an animated movie which I was determined to see before I left the country. Amidst the last minute shopping, family dinners and re-re-re...repacking, my family accompanied me to see this film- a fantastically embellished version of the book, adding time and characters to the story. Overwhelmingly, the character who wanted trees the most was named Audrey... and of course everyone pronounced it exactly as I pronounce my given name (ahh-dree).

The movie itself was quite good, along the lines of Wal-e, feel good chills and giggles throughout. But as I sat there, watching the final musical number, wearing dopey 3D glasses and sitting between my dad and my sister, words came onto the screen- a quote from the good Doctor and the Once-ler himself:

'Unless someone cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.'

Que waterworks.

THIS is why I am leaving. THIS is why I am the person I am today. Not because of the words themselves -I honestly read the book for the first time in high school- but because I TRULY and DEEPLY care, a whole awful lot. And I have since I could look out a window and lay in the grass.

And so my friends, I pump the brake on this roller coaster.

I puff out my chest and I own myself.

I am heading into an unknown abyss on the CONVICTION that things must get better.

That people can live with respect and in harmony with the Earth that supports mankind as well as countless other living organisms that live their lives while ADDING TO OURS.

So I leave you with words from the cinematic Once-ler:

A seed...It's not about what it is. It's about what it can become.

Welcome!

Hello, Hello!

Welcome to my blog! Anything written before this was exactly as my blurb says, generally nonsensical creative thought.

NOW however, we have a focus, a purpose, a path to follow. This path will take me to the wonderful island of Jamaica, mon. I will be serving as a Green Initiative volunteer, which is an umbrella program for many, many possibilities that I have yet to unearth. Until then, this is what I know:

I will be leaving for staging in Atlanta, GA on 3/13 and arriving in Kingston, Jamaica on 3/14.

I will be training in technical, cultural, safety and language skills for the next 3 months, during which time I'll be learning with my program group and living with a host family.

On my birthday, May 18th 2012, I will be sworn in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV here on out).

Until then, I will be updating this blog, as well as my Facebook, which is linked to the photo above this post (ie: click on the photo grandparents). I have a dropbox account as well which can be accessed via my email: Adriana.beltrani@gmail.com. From dropbox you can send me documents and MUSIC which I can access from any internet source :)

Please send me e-mails and letters! (once I have an address) I can assure you that I will/do miss you ALL very much and any correspondence from you will brighten my day.

Peace, love and happiness to you all <3