Hello. I'm Claudia. I'm with the Peace Corps

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  Kingston, Jamaica
Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Hello All

Where do I start? So much has happened since I last wrote. For the past two weeks I have been living at my site with my host family. My site is the town that I will be working and living in for the next two years. I was used to going to classes all day and being around other Peace Corps volunteers so when the day came for us to leave I was excited but also nervous and apprehensive. I knew that I would be alone at my site, living with a family and working in a community that I know nothing about. We were told that our supervisors would be the person to take us to our site. On that day I had my things packed (it was such a pain having to pack again). I was dressed professionally, sitting in a room with the other volunteers waiting for my supervisor to show up. So I was sitting there patiently, kind of scouting the room trying to see if I could spot him or her before him/her spotted me. To relieve some tension, I turn to my friend and start chatting with her. A couple of minutes into our conversation a man walks up to me and asks "Are you Claudia?" It's my supervisor. My first thought "Oh, he looks nice." So we chit-chat for a while. He tells me about himself, I tell him about myself and then he tells me about the agency, the town and what my role will be. After completing a workshop that the Peace Corps had planned for us that afternoon, me and my supervisor head out to my town. And that's where the story begins......

Okay, this isn't bad.

beach

I can do this
So we are driving, driving, still driving. And as we are driving the scenery is changing. Where they were a lot of people and buildings there is now sugar cane fields, animals and open space. I see the mountains and shanty towns built on them. I'm thinking to myself "is that where I will be?" We are talking the whole way there. I'm asking a bunch of questions, trying to get as much information as I can to prepare myself for what I about to see. So we finally pull up to this home in a rural community and my first thought is "okay this isn't bad. I can do this." I was actually expecting worse so I was pleasantly surprised. So I see a lady sitting on her porch and little children surrounding her. My supervisor says "Hello. Mrs.______________ I'm__________. I'm here with your Peace Corps volunteer." After the formalities with my host mom, he helps me get my stuff into my room and then he leaves.

Introducing Mrs. Blossom and Vanessa
I live with a lady that I call Mrs. Blossom and her granddaughter Vanessa. Mrs. Blossom runs a daycare out of her home so there are always little toddlers running around the house in the mornings before I leave for work.

Mrs. Blossom is:
*Funny
*Kind
*Blunt (In Jamaican culture if you are fat they will call you fat or fatty, any attribute that you have will be used to identify you. They are not trying to be rude its just part of the culture.)
*Loves soap operas---her favorites are Passion, Young and the Restless and another one that I just now forgotten
*She loves country music (When I told her I was from Texas both her and Vanessa got really excited.

beach shack

Country music is really popular here. So is Kenny Rogers and Celine Dion.)
*Seven Day Adventist---If you are like me and don't know what that is...Seven Day Adventists are Christians who believe the same core Christian beliefs except that they believe the Sabbath is on Saturday so therefore they attend church on Saturdays. I went to church with Mrs. Blossom and Vanessa and we attended morning services for three hours and then came back in the evening for more church-that service lasted a little over an hour. That's not too bad another volunteer who is living with a Seven Day Adventist attended services for 9 straight hours. They also don't eat shrimp, crabs, lobster basically any seafood is prohibited besides fish because they consider those types of seafood unclean. They follow the Bible closely. If the Bible says don't do it or eat it they will not.

Vanessa is:
*11-yrs-old
*Funny
*Very sweet
*Kind
*Generous
*Protective of me--- the first night I was there I had to go to the grocery store and Vanessa said that she would walk with me. I was new so I didn't feel comfortable walking to the store at night. I asked Vanessa if it was safe she says "don't worry, I know karate. I'll protect you." I absolutely adore her. I wish I can bring her back to US with me. Also whenever I go somewhere for the first time by myself, she will call me to make sure I made it there safely. She gives me advice on where I can and should not go. And what I should do if any of the men approach me.

boy on horse on beach

She is very street smart as well as book smart.

Popo is:
The cat that lives with us. She was pregnant during the time that I was there. She had her kittens-3 kittens.


My living conditions are:
*I have my own room inside the house
*There is no hot water--- Taking a cold shower in the mornings was such a pain but now I'm getting used to it. I found out that I am actually fortunate to have cold water. Some PC vol. have no water in their homes. I'm not drinking the water here. I'm drinking bottled water which is getting to be expensive. I eventually will have to drink the water from the sink. My host family drinks the water from the sink. It's safe but my host mom says that since I am not used to it I should wean myself into drinking it. Some vol. are drinking rain water-they boil it first.
*No air conditioning-a/c is a luxury here in Jamaica. Majority of the people and businesses don't have a/c and in some places it is cool enough where a/c is not needed. My place is hot and I would love to have a/c but I am managing with a fan.

You are welcomed here
The program director told us before we left for our sites that if we get there and our site is not what we expected then don't get discouraged but make that site your own. I took that advice to heart. I didn't know what to expect but I was going to put in the time and effort to make the best of whatever situation I was placed in. My community has been very welcoming.

Coming back from a hard day of kyaking

For the past two weeks I have been going to different (with my host family or my supervisor) introducing myself and letting them know what I am doing in their town. Jamaica has what they call "parishes" it is equivalent to our "states." Each Parish has its own capital. I live and work in St. Catherine which is the most populated parish in Jamaica. People from my community and the people at work have been so nice to me. The PC emphasizes integration and I definitely feel that I am integrating into my community. There is so much more I can tell you about my experiences in my community, and at my job but that will soon come.


"Not changing no course"
The above statement is the popular catch phrase for Jamaica's current Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller. It means that she and her supporters like the way Jamaica is being run and they will continue to follow that course. She represents Jamaica's "People's National Party" (PNP) and her opponent is Bruce Golding who represents "Jamaica's Labour Party" (JLP). The colors for the PNP is orange and red. Although Portia is a part of PNP she has her own color which is yellow. The JLP color is green. Whenever I visit or drive through certain towns I see flags baring the colors of the parties hanging from business or lampposts. Also I see the words JLP or PNP written on the walls of the buildings in those communities. The election will be held Aug. 24 and the atmosphere here is varied. Some of the Jamaicans that I talk to believe that the elections won't be violent and that if there is a transfer of power it will go smoothly. Others feel that the elections may turn violent and especially if there is a change of power. The PNP have been in power for 18 years. The majority of the people that have expressed their opinions to me want a new change of government. But there is a lot of skepticism as to whether or not the JLP will do a better job than the PNP. From the polls I have seen in the newspaper, the JLP have a good chance of winning but then again I was told not to believe the polls. I personally feel safe, I am in a safe location. Don't worry about me. The Peace Corps has a plan to evacuate us from the island if violence does start. We are all waiting to see what will happen.


I hope that you are all doing well. Likl muor (I'll talk to you later)

Claudia

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Emancipation Day Celebration	Friends before leaving for the beach	Gabriel---she wouldn't smile for me	group photo
host mom--she wouldn't look directly at the camera	in the beach shack	Lala and Dee	Love, Dee, and Me
me and lala	Me on the Beach	me posing in front of the kyak	My friend Love and her friend
My host mom	My Vanessa	Off we go	Pulling onto shore
slow and steady	The babies	the babies again	The fish was so good
the town that I work in	Us about to depart for kyak adventure	Us again	Us and our kyak instructors
Us coming back from kyaking	Volunteers dancing at Emancipation event	Volunteers singing at Emancipation event	walking to the beach
Yes, I'm in the middle not paddling

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