I took this picture last week when I went in to do my first Life Skills lecture at the Boys School. This is the main (biggest) classroom. This young man showed up and hour early and worked diligently on his reading while waiting for the other students to arrive. Keep in mind, these young men do not have to come to school, they WANT to come to school. They want a better life.
This week I was in Ocho Rios for a Peace Corps Early Service Conference. This get together is held once volunteers have settled in and have identified the real challenges and promises of their assignments. Like pre-service training, it involved a lot of talking about one’s feelings, team building games, and exorbitant amounts of clapping for each other. I feel extremely fortunate that I’m involved in the Youth Sector of Peace Corps, because we especially like talking about our feelings and encouraging each other as well as participating in mass group hugs. The other sectors like Environment and Sanitation… not so much. Youth sector is the feely sector.
It was great to see everyone and hear what each of my fellow volunteers has been doing at their sites. Some of them are so well integrated into their communities and have already touched so many lives. I was truly inspired by what they have accomplished so far. Others, like me, are seeing slow but tangible progress and have been reminded to keep plugging away and working hard. It felt really good to get re-focused and re-committed to my goals… and also a hot shower didn’t hurt. Unfortunately, in the middle of the week-long conference I came down with a nasty stomach flu and threw up so much that I think I pulled the muscle of my tongue. I didn’t know that was even possible. It’s the second time in 4 months I’ve gotten some kind of bug but luckily it didn’t last more than a day and I recovered speedily.
I was happy to get home safe although I had quite the range of interactions with Jamaican men on this particular trip. I shared a crammed taxi ride with a lovely Rastafarian man who talked about inner peace. Then at the next taxi stop I had to physically fight off a man trying to wrap his arms around me while telling me how he’s going to make me his wife. Yeah. Nice. I remember back in training how they told the female volunteers that in order to be safe in this country we had to be extremely assertive. I was actually worried that I wouldn’t be able to do that… I was wrong. I’ve never had a problem using my voice or physical force to get a man to back off; it’s just a natural, necessary step you have to take to make sure you don’t get hurt here.
Anyway, enough about things that are probably making my mom worry. It’s Saturday, my favorite day besides Sunday! I love the weekends here at my little home. I just do the simplest, most mundane of tasks to fill my day. I hand wash my laundry and hang it to dry, sweep out my room, play guitar, swing on the swing, take a stroll, attempt to cook, whatever I want! There is no stress and there are no time constraints. Just me and my weekend.
If some of you are wondering why I haven’t called in a while it is because I did not buy any international phone minutes this month. I am going to be using Skype, the online chat/phone thingymabob to make contact with you all. So if you see me online, Skype me. I have my camera all hooked up so you can see me too!
Coming up this week for work I have a presentation on HIV/AIDS for a group of 100 high school and junior high students at a nearby school. I’m really excited about it but I have a lot of work to do still! Also, December 1st is World AIDS Day and to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS our office will be holding a poster competition among the schools, handing out red ribbons (6000 of them that I personally helped to make) and we will also be linking up with the Ministry of Health to do some activities for the community. This year I am really just assisting the branch with doing what they normally do and then hopefully next year I can bring some of my ideas to the table and make some new things happen.
They are already playing Christmas songs on the radio here. And luckily I haven’t gotten depressed when I hear, “Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays…” or “I’ll be home for Christmas…” because I will be home for a whole week in less than a month now! Make sure you put in your orders for what you want me to bring from Jamaica soon!
A girl from a church in Negril gave this to a volunteer friend of mine and I thought I’d share it with you:
It says, “In this time of war and uncertainty, when neighbors are enemies and danger lurks everywhere HOPE FOR PEACE is what gets me through the day. Thank you for everything you do.”
Isn’t that beautiful and kind? I have it on my wall and I look at it every day.
Love you all. Miss you all. ~~Gracie
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