Today was our first full day in Jamaica. Naturally, I've been absorbing as much as I possibly can of my surroundings and the people I interact with here. We had some free time in the morning to rejuvenate from our full day of traveling yesterday so I went for a jog on the beach. There were some small shops where locals had goods for sale, restaurant/bars, and resorts along the way. The locals here did not seem to be shy about shouting out to get my attention or trying to sell goods to me. I jumped into the crystal clear and warm ocean water when I got back to the place we are staying and was able to interact with a starfish! I let it shift across my palm in awe!
Around noon we went to a local Pentecostal church to sit in on their service for about an hour. This was the first time I could truly get a personal glimpse on the culture by participating in it - and what an experience it was! The musical instruments being played and the person singing and chanting through the microphone were very loud. This encouraged the people in the church to fully express themselves through prayer. When a song was playing, the people in the church would dance and clap and sing along. When there was a break in the music, one person would remain standing to express their thoughts, experiences, and emotions to the entire church. This was very new to me in a church setting because I grew up attending mass at a Catholic Church where our prayers are structured and sometimes silent. The energy throughout this Pentecostal church radiated through me and compelled me to dance and clap along. One aspect of this type of prayer that stood out to me was the reactions of the people in the church as these people would individually express themselves. They would automatically show their support by their physical and vocal reactions. As a person sitting in on this service, they came across as a group of people who are not ashamed to express themselves, ask for support, and receive support in return. They portrayed a true sense of community.
"Too blessed to be stressed." I heard this said and extremely supported today during the church service. To me, it plainly represents an aspect of the Jamaican culture that I have noticed so far. They may have many important things to stress about; like shelter, food, caring for their children, and giving their children an education. Many of us take these things for granted back home in the U.S. and we tend to stress about other things in life that may actually be quite trivial. These people in church today were able to recognize everything they have to be thankful for. They know how they must keep in mind that everything will work out one way or another and as long as they have each other and life, they will be okay. This is a part of the culture here that I admire. I remind myself of this from time to time in order to keep my thoughts from racing out of control and stress from taking over, but to live by it is a completely different thing. This is one cultural difference I have noticed so far.
Reflecting with the group today about what we are here to do also helped put things into perspective for me. We discussed how service can be a different thing from simply helping somebody. The concept of helping somebody can create inequality between the parties involved whereas service is done through equality. It is a different way of thinking about the work we are here to do and what both parties involved will take away from the experience. It is a give and take relationship that is established and it is carried out while keeping in mind that we are all humans and equal. Throughout this trip, I am consciously going to put myself in others shoes to try my best to understand their point of view and their life experiences. I am hoping this will allow me to serve and not just help. I also think any work we do here is important because it creates experiences that people carry and pass on. Humanity is put as a priority during service and that is something that should definitely be carried and passed on by anybody who experiences it.
Let's do this!!
-Julia
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