February 24, 2009

February 23, 2009…Burrrrr!

Thought that would get your attention….but Burrr!...NOT! It’s actually starting to warm up. There was a noticeable breeze during November, December and January…but now it seems that the northeast trade winds are abating and dehydration now becomes the issue.

During the month of February I experienced, first hand, another of the cultural events in Jamaica….dying, death, and the funeral. Our wonderful host grand-father (Sir Dawkins, a.k.a., Sir D) of 94+ sustained a stroke on the day we returned from the states (January 4th) . He really never recovered and was bed ridden until his death on February 1. We were at church when he passed but our host (Ms. Rumble) said that he died quietly and without pain…which was pretty much how the last month went. During the month he probably comprehended what we were saying but he couldn’t really communicate because of the stroke. For the next two weeks preparations were made for his eventual funeral on Valentine’s Day. Because I wasn’t too busy during the period I was able to accompany our host “mother” (his daughter) on most trips to arrange all the details of the funeral…including the funeral home, the church, and the burial ground.

About 50 years ago Sir D purchased some land (~5 acres) in Mocho, about 45 minutes from here, but only about 3-4 miles as the crow flies. Mocho is higher in altitude than Chapelton and his land has been sitting there for many years without any tending except for the locals who know this and walk around the property and help themselves to the: oranges, grapefruit, avacados, cassava, apples, bananas, plaintain, etc., etc. It is a wonderfully fertile area and about 5-6 degrees cooler than Chapelton with a beautiful view of the hills to the east. The first thing we had to do, which started about 7 weeks ago, was to clear some of the land so that we could select a site for his burial (which he requested). I went on two trips with 7-8 other Jamaican men with machetes in hand and started the clearing project. By the time Sir D died one acre of the land was roughly cleared; the next thing to do was select a site and dig the hole for his burial (Margaret in a previous blog told you about the wonderful cooperation in an event such as this). During the week following his death another trip to Mocho provided a final clearing and a decision where he would be buried. On Feb 11 I ventured up to the property to help dig the site. I arrived about an hour or two after the other men started this project. Upon my arrival one of the men gestured to me to take the shovel or pick and lend a hand. I proceeded to start swinging the pick….it felt like I was trying to dig a hole in a sidewalk! In the first hour the men had dug through the 7-8 inches of top soil and gravel; by the time I got there it was pure limestone…all rock. I did two shifts of “picking” and “shoveling” and worked up quite a thirst and a little low back stiffness for the next two days.

In addition to all the land preparation there was a lot going on at home…mostly food preparation by the local women friends of Ms. Rumble. Starting with the first Thursday after his death, people would come over after dinner and play dominoes, chat, and drink beer and rum until about 9 or 9:30…during this time the women continued to prepare for the “set-up” (the night before the funeral) and for the reception at the funeral (which was in our terms…”a cookout on the Mocho property” after the interment of Sir D).

The set-up capped the week off with a huge block party that took place at our house, with a large tarpaulin draped across the street to our front gate. In the carport under our room was the DJ and his electronics…across the street, about 10 yards from our room were two sets of 6 giant speakers. In the back of the house the cooking took place with giant pots of soup, fritters, rice, chicken, and curried goat. Hard to tell how many people attended the “set-up”…but there was enough food and drink for everyone. We were told the music would go on until 4 or 5 in the morning…we breathed a sigh of relief when the DJ closed things down at 1:20 a.m. The next morning we traveled to Four Paths and the United Church for the funeral service. In the program Margaret and I were list as the “adopted children” of Sir D and were given the honor of giving a tribute during the funeral. After a 2 hour service those who wished traveled up the mountain road about 12 miles to Mocho for the interment. The unofficial count at the interment was ~125 people! During the interment the cooks were busy preparing yet another meal for all in attendance.

In our tribute to Sir D we talked about how much we had learned from him in just eight months. He taught us how to age and die with grace. Never did Sir D complain about anything, not even our clumsy attempts to make him more comfortable or our American cooking. He was always grateful for anything we could do for him. What a lesson that was.

On Monday, February 9 Ms. Rumble’s children, John and Kerri-Ann, arrived from Maryland and NYC, respectfully. It was great meeting them and I’m sure it was comforting to Ms. Rumble. John was a pall bearer and Kerri-Ann read a passage at the funeral. After two weeks of preparations, the five of us, Ms. Rumble, John, Kerri-Ann, and Margaret and I left Sunday morning for a trip to Dunn’s River Falls…near Ochi Rios for a day off (See picture).

We’re off today to plan for a major clean up of the Community Center on Ash Wednesday [we’re hopeful the Minister of Labor will be visiting next week and then to begin teaching a Health Inspector how to apply for major grant money [he’s surveyed Sangster Heights, where we live, and determined that 10% of the homes don’t have toilets or running water].

This coming weekend we are off to Ochi again to visit an old college friend who works at Mayo Clinic and is presenting a paper at a conference entitled “Advancements in Medicine 2009: A US and Caribbean Perspective: Transforming Research into Policy and Practice.” Can’t seem to get away from the academics!


Wak Gud