The "Real Jamaica"

We've been in Chapleton for four days and seen alot. There are so many things to tell, but we'll start with travel. Not much more can be said beyond the fact that Jamaica has the third highest death rate on the roads than any other country worldwide. Yikes!!

The country is so poor that travel time is money to them. Most Jamaican's rely on getting somewhere to make money whether it's a bus driver or a farmer. The faster they drive the sooner they get to their destination, the sooner they can make some money and turn around to go back. We've ridden to the nearest city, May Pen, twice; three bus rides and a taxi. They were like the wildest carnival ride you've ever experienced.

Roads are maintained by each very poor locality so you can imagine the size of the pot holes. Nonetheless, drivers are not deterred. Country roads are curvy and narrow so the rides are harrowing. There's a local song about the "Bum Bum Bus" that describes the bouncing of your bum as you speed along the road with the music blaring and passengers "smalled up" [crammed to the max-busses don't leave until full- more money to be made that way].

More the next time we're able to get to the local library. Waak gud!

We leave for our assignment site 7/18

Just got our assignment this afternoon, Chapleton in Clarendon Parish. It's dead center in the middle of the island in the sourtheastern Blue Mountain foothills. There appears to be NOTHING there; phone service, internet the whole lot. Even the hospital we're working out of doesn't seem to have any service. Jamaica reportedly is 95% wired and of course we got the 5% assignment. The great thing is that we're going to both be working on developing a Health and Fitness program. We're replacing a couple with Nutrition backgrounds who did the same on that topic. We're meeting our host family tomorrow and will have a clear picture of the living accomodations for the next posting.



It will be nice to get out of Kingston to meet and interact with Jamaicans. So far we've been quite sheltered during training. Once at our site I'm sure we'll have lots more to tell about the culture, our work and the life in general.



We'll be at the site for two weeks and then return to Kingston for another week of training. The training is very intense with long hours and little time to prepare for the next day. I can't fathom what it must be like at other PC posts where training is 13 weeks of being holed up in a compound. Thank goodness we hit Jamaica while they pilot this new MO of 8 weeks interspersed with with site based training. SSS



Attached are photos of a field trip the group took to a beach on the southeastern tip of the island. I was very sick and stayed home but Gary represented us. There's also a few shots of our training site, Shortwood Teachers' College [prounounced Shothud Tiichas Colej].



Kiip yu fingas crosd fi di nes leg ov wi adventur.

We're so tired

They are working us hard. Each day is filled with training in language [Patois], culture [when we have more time we'll share some of those aspects with you-they are very interesting], safety [gets the most attention], volunteer health issues, Jamaican history, the upcoming work sector assignment, etc. The training by the Jamaican's is well organized and interesting; there's just so much of it. Our brains are borderline blitzed.

Where we're located I manage to get in a daily run or walk [eksursais- patois for exercise]. Hope our site assignment will allow me to keep that up.

The weekend was very interesting. Saturday we spent the day on a "walk about" in Kingston. There were three volunteers to one Jamaican guide. We were taught how to safely use public transport [no cars or motor bikes for volunteers]. Kingston is a gritty city with a 24/7 electric energy. Riding in some taxis and buses was akin to "Mr Toad's Wild Ride" in Disney World/Land. Understandably, Jamaica has the third most frequent auto accidents in the world. At one point the police pulled our driver over for some undisclosed reason. We shopped in the frenetic city market and had our first real Jamaican food. Gary had curried goat and I had pigs' feet and red bean soup; both were tasty.

On Sunday we finally had time to get ourselves organized. Then we walked to a market [past a country club that made Gary yearn for a swing or two] and washed our clothes by hand and hung them out to dry [just before the showers began].

Otherwise, all is well. Stay tuned.

Day 1-2...Kingston

Well, we're here in Kingston....long day on the 3rd...left hotel in Miami at 6 am for an 11:10 flight and it was 45 minutes late...arrived in Kingston at one o'clock and then stood in customs for at least 1 1/2 hours. The island weather is hot and humid; and there's no air conditioning in the classes during long sit down meetings. But, the training staff works hard to keep it varied and stimulating. We're staying at a teacher's college that has no air conditioning in our dorm room or screens on windows, which we share with another couple from NH....no water after 8 pm...starts again at 5 am. We promise to have pics with out next posting.

The interesting group of 52 volunteers we're training with come from quite varied backgrounds, knowledge and ages. Some just graduated from college in June and the eldest is 67. They are from all over including Hawaii and Alaska; one's a former California District Attorney others are teachers, photographers, business men and women, etc.

Our schedule looks like this for the next eight weeks:

Week 1 and 2: here at Shortwood Teachers College
Week 3 and 4; we travel to our work site (stay with host family) which we won't know until probably a few days before we leave
Week 5: back here at STC
Week 6 and 7: back at our site
Week 8: Final preparations, testings, and swearing in ceremony

While we are here at STC we just found out that we can use the computer lab which we are now using.....from 6-9 pm. At our host site...who knows.

Otherwise, it be irie. Margaret and Gary

24 Hours!!

D-Day is almost here. After a two year slog through the application process it seems as though we're actually going to serve. We're both eager to get going and a little anxious about whether or not we'll be up to the task.



The "Last Supper" will be tonight in Greenwich, CT with our son, John. Earlier we had a whirlwind tour of the country (Santa Clarita, CA, Tucson, AZ, Dania Beach, FL, Allenhurst, NJ, Tuxedo, NY, Greenwich, CT) to see our children, grand-daughter, brother, sister, long time friends and colleagues. Tomorrow we leave from Hartford, CT for a two day "staging" or orientation to the Peace Corps in Coral Gables, Florida. After 1 1/2 days we leave for Kingston, Jamaica on Thursday, July 3rd. For the first 6-8 weeks we will be in training in Kingston and at our permanent site (still to be determined). Approximately, September 1 we begin the real deal. Hope to keep you all informed via this medium...assuming that we have regular access to the internet. Our intuition would have us believe that it should not be a problem.



If you get the urge to visit Jamaica let us know; we can have visitors after January 1, 2009.



Go Sox!! (and Marlins, our youngest works for them). Gary and Margaret

JAMAICA,Mon!!

About two weeks ago we finally got the word...we are going to Jamaica in July. We head for our 2-day orientation in Miami on July 1, and then on to Jamaica. We are finally glad to have heard and can now plan the last 80 days before departure. Come visit, Mon!

Finally!!!

In June, 2006 when we applied to the Peace Corps we had no idea it would take this long....but after going through FBI scrutiny of our medical records, about ten phone calls to the medical office, and physician letters verifying that our health is actually pretty good for a couple of seniors...we have received notice that we WILL depart for the Caribbean in July of 2008. We will find out which island country in about 2-3 weeks. Margaret will be working in the general area of health and I will be working in water/sanitation.

Will keep you posted!