Newsletter dalla Giamaica

First of all let me say that trying to write about two months worth of experiences in a country that in many ways is very different from what most of the volunteers are used to (including myself) is far from easy. So it is safe to say that when the lovely staff of Projects Abroad asked me to write a page or two for the newsletter I felt both a little lost and nervous – because how and where do you begin to explain how it feels to stay in a foreign country?

Living abroad is not just learning a new language. It's not just walking through the streets and meeting different people and diverse cultures. It is not only the value of money that changes. It's not just work on something that you would never do in your country. Not only be able to earn much more money than you used to earn.

Talk about a proactive approach to newsletter articles from host families- Mrs. Dawkins was very much on the ball when she called the office to ask if the Social Manager was ready to interview her... The interview progressed with a familiar ease, it was like talking to a long time friend, the follow-up questions and the occasional laughs came easy.

Soft spoken in a comforting lilt and if ever there was a smiling voice it would be Mrs. Hanson‟s. Mrs. Ann Marie Hanson, her husband and daughter reside in Sunset Close, Knockpatrick, in a cozy home, reminiscent of „mamas‟ kitchen where the tastiest meals and a friendly atmosphere await.

Patois and Culture Class debuted for the first time as the earliest Social Activity for November, held on November 1, 2011 in the volunteers' lounge. Thirty-three volunteers attended the class; we began with introductions, they were also given an opportunity to present any Patois word or phrase they wanted to share with the group or that they would like to know the meaning of.

The month of October was a meaningful one. In total we have had two volunteers on the Culture and Community project, Kristina Hanke and Astrid Kerler. At first Kristina was on the Building placement and currently now both volunteers are on the Farming project. This is really good because it is the first time that we have had two volunteers at once on the Farming project.

My name is Sarah Callus and I LOVE JAMAICA!!! I am 22 years old and live in Australia. Jamaica has been my dream destination for many, many years, to be able to go and help out was seriously one of the best experiences of my life so far. Of course everyone is going to have their own unique experience when they travel to this amazing country but I‟m going to tell you a little bit about mine.

For the month of August there were a total of nine volunteers - three on the Disaster Management Projects and six on the Building Project. The volunteers continue to do their best and dedicate themselves selflessly to the cause of the projects.

“It's finally here” were the shouts coming from our “schoolas.” They must have the students waited with bated breaths and at the sound of the bell on the final school day “ring, ring, ring, ring, ring” I imagined they sounded Vybz Kartel‟s summer time Lyrics “Oh, oh, here we go, summer time is here! You know! The holiday, school is closed! We feel the vibes enuh, Summer time inna Portmore Summer time inna Kingston Summer time inna Country.”

A sandy beach, with a clear blue ocean stretching for miles in every direction and reggae music floating, sending mellow notes to your ears, is a typical dream of the perfect vacation. Treasure Beach is a place where this peaceful vibe is not ruined by huge groups; instead after spending one night in town you will basically know everyone.

There is no stopping us now we‟re on the move to the unspoilt beauty of Portland. The volunteers were involved in repairing houses, constructing houses, repairing roofs and putting on hurricane strips. The Building Project affords volunteers the opportunity to assist persons within the parish of Manchester as well as venturing out to other parishes within Jamaica to help fulfil specific building needs for those less fortunate Jamaicans who welcome the help with an exceedingly glad heart.

This month we opted for a different form of dance fitness so we combined reggae and soca for a serious dance workout. On the Jamaican and Caribbean scene March and April is a vibrant soca period as such we paired the two for an exhilarating fitness session on the Projects Abroad Jamaica roof. March 5, was the selected date, twenty four volunteers and staff members attended the class.

Arriving in Jamaica after a trip through South-East Asia I was unsure of what to expect. I had seen poverty and hardship in the last month, especially in Cambodia, where a reliable food source for many was rubbish scraps. How would Jamaica compare? Would I be able to cope? What would my host family be like? Would I actually make a difference in one month? I was full of questions and felt a mixture of excitement, adrenalin and fear as I flew across the Caribbean.

I am really grateful to Projects Abroad Jamaica for having me as one of their host families. I recall many fun-filled moments, one of which was the cook-out day at Mile Gully in June 2010. Thirty or more volunteers, staff and other host families went by bus and taxis and upon reaching our destination we saw the Projects Abroad Jamaica staff preparing the breakfast.

For January 2011, four volunteers arrived for the Disaster management Project; Sabrina Møller, Erin Fyfe, Fanny Hellsing and Amanada Rahahl. About a year ago Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake. The people were not prepared and it seems that there was little if any earthquake awareness campaigns or earthquake preparedness talks/strategies to inform the public about possible earthquakes.

My first week in Jamaica was a bit hard, because of the new environment, people and culture. Luckily I wasn’t the only one who felt this way - almost all new volunteers’ experience is that their first week is somewhat challenging, you experience homesickness and first-rate culture shock. I arrived on the weekend and got to know my host family. On Sunday my host mom brought me to church to share in the christening of her grandson; the experience was great!

At first I wanted to go to South Africa with Projects Abroad, but my parents didn’t really like the idea. So I checked the website for more options. Luckily I did, because otherwise I never would have discovered Jamaica, the sunny reggae Holiday Island. However, on the other hand I was looking forward to making myself useful to help people who are really in need.

I arrived In Kingston, on a big day for Jamaica. It was 6th August, a public holiday, celebrating Jamaica’s independence since 1962. My nine hour flight went smoothly and after immigration I was met by my driver, Kevin. The two hour journey involved stopping to try some Magnum and taste my first guinep. That was one of a few fruits I needed to be shown how to eat! I had a lot of fun trying.

I am very glad I participated in this project. It was my first trip abroad and I had fallen in love with Jamaica and because I was able to have many experiences. I was the only person who participated from Japan, but the people in Jamaica were very kind and warm hearted. And my host mother and staff in Jamaica were very helpful.

The addition of a new community to the CLP was also an improvement in efforts to expand the project and assist more community members. The Tulsa Road community was selected and they responded with eighteen students coming out to register. Two volunteers were to begin with each student based on the timetable being seen at least twice for the week.

So, how to start writing an article for the Projects Abroad newsletter and write about what, it’s been a main concern since I was asked to do so yesterday. I guess I’ll start by telling you about myself. My name is Mikkel Kunwald, I am 26 years old and have for the most of the last four months, been a medical volunteer at the Mandeville Regional Hospital.

I am Steffi Geisler and I am a new staff member in the Jamaican Projects Abroad Team. When I arrived four weeks ago I was very excited about the job and its responsibilities, the volunteers, the host families and all the placements, in all about the whole Jamaican experience and I must say I like it here!

Volunteers are always excited to know more about Rastafarianism and so when they heard that the cultural trip for this month was to the Rasta Village they just could not wait to go there. This month's day trip gave volunteers the opportunity to learn about Rastafarians their way of life, philosophies and meet with the Rastas in their "village". On April 29th, they visited the Rasta Village which is located in the quiet hills of Montego Bay.

Just a few days from its second birthday, Projects Abroad Jamaica has already begun to talk the language of volunteerism, walk the roads to success and has taken a few jumps up towards becoming a popular destination.

Projects Abroad has been a remarkable program and has had a great impact on Jamaica, especially for the tourist industry. The experience is especially wonderful for me, as I am learning different languages which I really enjoy. There is absolutely no race barrier, as we "mix and mingle". Sometimes we cannot understand each other so we normally just have a big laugh. It is fun to be around these volunteers.

The month of January was a pretty good month for the care placements. Overall we have had over 20 volunteers, and most of our placements had the privilege to get a volunteer. At the Hanbury home we currently have 4 volunteers who are working in different departments with the children. The volunteers are really happy with the children and the cultural exchange that they are getting.

Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meats are dry-rubbed or marinated with a very hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice. Jerk seasoning is traditionally applied to pork and chicken. Modern recipes also apply Jerk spice mixes to fish, shellfish, beef, sausage and tofu. Jerk seasoning principally relies upon two items: allspice (called "pimento" in Jamaica) and Scotch bonnet peppers (among the hottest peppers). Other ingredients include cloves, cinnamon, scallions, nutmeg, thyme and garlic.

The community of Black River is approximately 1^1/2 hours drive from the town of Mandeville. The river, "Black River" is one of the longest rivers in Jamaica. At a length of 53.4km (33 miles), it was believed to be the longest until it was discovered that the Rio Minho was 92.8 km long. Its name refers to the darkness of the river bed caused by thick layers of decomposing vegetation. Over 100 species of birds have been recorded in the Black River morass.

The original Jamaican Maroons are the ex-slaves or descendants of enslaved Africans brought by the Spaniards and who had fled to the hilly regions of the island. It is held in some accounts that they also intermixed with members of the Taino population still existing in these regions, who had themselves fled the oppression of Spanish occupation. This has been one of the bases on which the Maroons have been declared and recognized as indigenous people. Their existence as indigenous people therefore goes back as far as the 15th century.

Each month Jamaica is blessed to have volunteers coming to make significant contributions to the growth and development of "Jamaica Land We love". Nine new volunteers arrived this month and there were twenty six volunteers here at different times within the month. Volunteers continue to work hard to improve the lives of the persons at their placements.

We have been fortunate to receive enthusiastic and dedicated teaching volunteers Abbey Cullen and Alison Evans. The volunteers worked mainly with remedial students at the Hanbury Children's Home who needed help in Arithmetic and English Language. The staff at the home welcomed their efforts.

The words "Bob Marley Museum" were enough to spark the interests of volunteers. On July 30th, in a "jampacked" bus, we went to the Bob Marley Museum approximately 1 1/2 from Mandeville. As we departed from the bus, the heat of the city was overbearing, but volunteers were enthused to learn much more about this reggae legend.

These volunteers become readily beloved by staff, students and community citizens for their consistency and encouragement. Visiting current volunteers Daphne, Jennifer, Sophie and Helene has been a joy. To watch the effort put into the delivery of their lessons was a good experience. It was clear that planning had taken place. Some were known for their constant evaluation of their classes so as to improve on their approach the next time around.

Jamaica Land We love - while this is the sound that resonates in the Jamaican National Anthem, it is not only true for Jamaicans. Volunteers have grown to love Jamaica and are eager to contribute to its development. In May we had eight new arrivals; the total number of volunteers moved up to thirty one for the month. Our volunteers continue to touch the lives of children and patients at their placements as well as impact the lives of staff, host families and Jamaicans in general. We are grateful for the hardwork, dedication and team spirit of the volunteers.

Most of our volunteers are enjoying our Patois class and so we decided to give them a double dose this month. Patois classes were held on April 2nd and April 21st, where volunteers (even the new ones) could be heard saying the popular greetings – "wha gwaan?" or "wha happen?". In the first class, volunteers were encouraged to ask whatever question they had on slangs or phrases they heard but had no clue of the meanings. In the second class, volunteers learnt some new words and the meanings. After this, they were given a quiz.

Built in 1820, with limestones cut by slaves, the Mandeville Courthouse, situated in the centre of the town, is an example of "indigenous" architecture. Today, it is still be used to carry out many court cases.

Jamaica is the third largest island and is uniquely positioned almost at the centre of the Caribbean Sea. The island is 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of Cuba and 160 kilometres (100 miles) west of Haiti, its two nearest countries. The latitude and longitude of the capital, Kingston, are about 18 degrees N and 78 degrees W.

All you need to know about reggae dance can be had in our two hour dance class every month. On January 7th we had the largest dance class ever; 17 volunteers participated. We had volunteers from Australia, Germany, England, Canada, United States of America, and Austria all blending in to ‘buss di place’. This dance class was like none other as volunteers were exposed to the latest dance moves.

The Social Development Commission (SDC) has committed to working with us on the youth, literacy and parenting projects that are now being developed. The SDC is an agency of the government charged with creating and deepening mechanisms for the involvement of civil society in the management of their affairs at the community and national level. The vision of SDC is "a Jamaican society where all citizens actively participate in a process and benefits from the resulting good governance, economic prosperity, sustainable environment and social wellbeing".

To strengthen the partnership and cultural exchange along with the Projects Abroad volunteers local volunteers will also work on these projects. The Parent Teacher's Association at the school and volunteers from the National Youth Service will work on the projects. The mandate of NYS is to tackle youth issues and make a meaningful impact on the number of unattached youth (youth that are unemployed and not enrolled in school) in Jamaica now totalling over 140,000.

Two weeks? I’m staying here for one month, and half the time has already passed. I can’t believe that! Well, I always wanted to come to Jamaica, and of course there were a few thing that I’d expected when I thought about what it would be like. Actually, all expectations have become true but in a way that I hadn’t expected! Everything is so colorful and the music that surrounds you no matter where you are – love it! Also the family that I’m staying with is so friendly and helpful, no matter what I’m ask for. So I have another two weeks left, and I’m sure that I’ll enjoy it as much – actually maybe a little bit more, because I have a guitar now.

Do you want to learn all the latest reggae dance moves? This includes Dela, Bogle, Signal Di Plane, Log On, Gully Creeper, Flowers A Bloom, Umbrella, Rum Ram, Cut Dem Off, Shovel, Ever Fresh Ever Clean, and many others.

Maybe this is cliché but Jamaica has truly become 'one love' I will always treasure. In a matter of just four short weeks I have met some of the most wonderful people. At my home I have been spoilt with delicious food, comfort and care, all making my adapting to the culture much easier. It has been a while since I have really felt like such a part of a family, and even though they laugh when I try to speak Patois, I have loved trying to catch on.

We are most grateful to the placements that accommodated Project Abroad volunteers from May 2008. These include Kendal Primary School, Villa Road Primary and Junior High, Hanbury Children’s Home, May Day High School and Anna Miller Basic School. Both the placements and volunteers have benefited immensely from this experience. I was impressed with the competence of Dominik Rohe and Thorsten Rosch and their level of commitment in assisting the children in learning new skills. The volunteers for the most part punctual and respectful to students and teachers with whom they interact. We are grateful for the cross-cultural exchange, this is an excellent initiative and I hope we get more volunteers soon. Their time was too short.