Sunday, April 25, 2010

Tings cudda worse!

The drought continues in our area and it’s getting a little worrisome. Yesterday I had to buy 2 fifty gallon drums of water because we had nothing,… nada, ….not a drop for any purpose. Until last week I got by with bucket baths [about a half gallon a day and one if I washed my hair] but I actually went four days only sponging off with a wash cloth and not washing my hair. Gary was shocked; he couldn’t recall one day in our 41 year history of my missing a bath/shower.


Each day has been a new lesson for me in water conservation. After not washing any clothes for ten days I had to get some done. The Jamaican women take theirs to the river, a half mile walk carrying it on their heads, but I chose the luxury of doing it by hand in a bucket using 5 gallons of my newly purchased water, two for washing and three for rinsing. I washed everything by hand, towels, sheets, and clothes; wrung them out well; and dumped the left over water in the toilet tank. Then I discovered a great way to get more mileage out of the rinse water. After rinsing a few items I skimmed off any soap bubbles then rinsed more pieces. That gave me enough water to rinse each item twice [what a luxury!] then I dumped the remaining water in the toilet tank. All that water in the tank allowed me to flush for the first time in two days [thank goodness for toilet lids].


On the streets of Chapelton everyone carries multiple containers hunting for water, women, children, and men. I watched one young teenager with three full five gallon containers transporting them to her house two blocks away, Someone who had a bit of water must have given it to her family. At two cups of water per pound each one weighed 40 pounds. She solved the dilemma by ‘leap frogging’ them all the way, carrying one jug 20 feet, going back for another, and then for the third one….all the way down the street.


Apparently [I didn’t hear the actual report], the government has said the drought is officially over and everyone now has sufficient water. Today I spoke to a young man who lives in an even deeper rural area than Chapelton, where there are only farms and a few shops; he said they have water. What’s happened here is that I live in a “scheme” [development] which is densely populated [about 1/8th of an acre per house]. We rely on a single water tank about a mile away to supply us all. The story is that the tank is full but its pump is broken. Now in the US that baby would be repaired over night or there would be riots; not so in JM. Gary and I have seen water main leaks run for weeks before any repair is made. I don’t know if it’s a lack of willingness to get it repaired [if in fact this story is true] or that, because the government is so broke, there are not enough mechanics available to get all repairs accomplished in the parish. What seems obvious to me is that once the tank is operational we’ll be back to square one, a continued water shortage. When the water begins to flow it will be sucked up by 4,000 empty home storage tanks. Mrs. Rumble said it will take her a year to get her two tanks filled. The real worry is that if a hurricane hits this summer the difficulties will double without sufficient water stored.


No one complains. One of the Jamaican mantras is “tings cudda wurse”; so I suppose that approach helps those in rural JM cope with the frequent calamities they face.


On the up side, the Peace Corps has granted me an Advanced Close of Service. I will return June 5, almost two months early and prior to the thick of hurricane season. I’m very grateful for that. I miss Gary a lot. So, I’m busy finishing up projects and/or getting Jamaicans to take them over. Gary will come for a visit May 18 and stay until June 4.


The ACOS is considered a completion of service; thus, I will be qualified to take a government job, that I am qualified to do, on a non-compete basis. What I’d like to look into are Peace Corps college recruiting positions in western Mass/eastern NY. I think I might enjoy that on a part time basis.


Tuesday I will defend my parish title as female seniors track champion. This year there is one woman from Chapelton who may give me some real competition for the title. I hope to leave JM as the only white track star in the Caribbean. I consider it quite an accomplishment here where track rules the sports scene. Their recent CHAMPS series, the national high school championships, were run as if it were the Olympics. Every event was televised and the athletes were treated as world class sports stars. The Seniors don’t get the same attention, but it’s nice to know I can represent my country and be considered a valid competitor in a sport they value.


That’s all for now; I’m off to take a bucket bath while there is water to allow it.


Stay crisp, Margaret

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Post Surgery and Post PC

Things change again. I was in Massachusetts for three weeks during Gary’s surgery to remove his prostate and now we’re optimistic the procedure was successful. We will have a more definitive evaluation around April 6th when he receives follow-up PSA test results. If the score is 0.0 that indicates all cancer cells were likely removed. If it’s any higher than that he’ll re-do the PSA test for confirmation. If the second result supports the first positive score then other treatment measures will be taken. I returned March 21 to Jamaica and left Gary walking three miles a day. He plays his first round of golf today {Easter morning] with John. The miracles of modern medicine are truly astounding. So, right now things look rosy, but if the April 6 test results are positive I will separate from the Peace Corps right away to go home a help him with the next stage.

I would have stayed in the States if there had been anything to do for me at this point and nothing to be done in Jamaica. Gary’s busy, he: heads to Tampa next week to visit Stephen in; his oldest son, Todd and his grandchildren the following week and then he’ll make preparations for us to move into a home we just bought near the land where we’ll build our family compound in Canaan, NY. Presently it’s occupied by renters until May 11th. Unless Gary’s results are positive, I will stay on and wind up our roles in the various projects we’re involved in, take an early end of service on June 4th, and come home. I didn’t get the big grant and that’s turned out to be a blessing, I can see my mind would not have been fully engaged in the project.

I returned March 21st to a full fledged drought that has been going on in the Caribbean since I left. We’ve all heard about and/or experienced drought in the US but nothing that matches what’s going on here. We literally have no water. For Mrs. Rumble, my host mother, and I it’s not a catastrophe because we have the cash to buy water to drink, wash our hands, and clean our dishes [note I didn’t mention any of the luxuries like bathing, washing clothes, mopping the floor, etc], but for the majority of the community, who didn’t have $$$ to begin with and who relied on their agriculture for food and the river for water, it is bleak. There’s no means for all these farmers to earn anything if only for trading or bartering. All day long people walk the streets with empty plastic jugs looking for water. There’s been an outbreak of gastroenteritis because citizens’ can’t wash their hands. There’s a gray haze over everything, literally from the toll that’s been taken on the people and virtually from the dust haze. Jamaica is no longer green and is getting browner by the day. It all feels like what I imagine the “dust bowl” of the 1930’s must have felt like. Please think about how precious your water is as a resource, it is finite.

On the upside, in the midst of what many have told me is the worst of times in their lives, the Sangster Heights Citizens’ Association held it’s 2nd annual Sacred Concert for Community Unity on Good Friday. This time we let people come in for whatever they could afford to pay rather than the $200JM [$2.25US] charged last year. It was such an uplifting experience for all of us, an opportunity to have a good time and forget their worries. Those who didn’t have any money just stood outside and listened to the great band and all the items [JM for local contributions to the performance]. They danced, celebrated, and laughed all night, it was wonderful to see. The irony of our success was the band’s fee was covered by the local Funeral Home. I’m sure they’ll get some near term benefits if this drought doesn’t end soon.

Finally, on a familial note, both of our sons have changed jobs in the last week. For those who know Stephen it has been a monumental reversal. After dedicating his life to baseball for ten years plus he came to the realization that life in the big leagues is not what it seems. His schedule as a scout for the Texas Rangers began January 15 and much like his internship roles never stopped. He was on the road evaluating talent so much so that he saw he would never have a family life, ever. His schedule was non-stop 10 months of the year with two off in November/December. He wasn’t even able to come see Gary during his surgery. That did it for him. So, he started looking and John put him in touch with a commodity trading firm that specializes in alternative fuels. Once they found a spot for him he put in his two weeks notice and started a week ago. What was odd about this event was that three weeks ago the president of that same company, OceanConnect, out of the blue, took John to dinner and offered him a very nice position running one of their main desks, petrochemicals and alternative fuels. At the same time he received word that a big financial mortgage deal he’d been working on for nine months with the German Landis bank came through. Yikes!! As he said, so many are jobless and I have two fantastic opportunities. He stressed for a week,…. which would be the right decision??!! As he said, it’s better to have this kind of angst than being out of work. As of tomorrow he and Stephen will work for the same firm. John leaves April 15 for three weeks in Singapore and Korea to meet some of his staff. Then he goes to London to do the same. Both are very excited about their new opportunities and we’re happy for them.

And, what have I learned from all that’s happening to and around me……….. Stay flexible, things change and you’ve got to be able to adapt. As the Jamaican’s say, “tings cudda wurse”.

Hope ‘ever ting be crisp’ [happy], Margaret
P.S. Results just in Gary's PSA is 0.1...according to the Dr...that's great!