A trip with Ms. Winnie

A trip with Ms. Winnie

It was around 1:30 on Thursday afternoon, and by that point I was completely immersed in my work—myself and John were sizing and cutting the wood for the swings we planned to make for the kids, and were entirely “in the zone”. That is, until Kaye and Thea came over to me and asked something of me: due to the fact that we were building the swings from scratch, we had to source chain to use, and there was one hardware store around 45 minutes away that had the kind we needed. Ms. Winnie, the owner of the hotel we were staying at and a close friend of Kaye’s, had asked if someone could accompany her to the store; and since I was involved in the designing of the swings, Thea and Kaye thought it would be a good idea for me to go for the ride. And although I initially thought to myself that I didn’t want to leave the work site so I could continue to build the swings, I figured it would be a good idea to go so not only was I there to keep Ms. Winnie company, but I could ensure that we bought the correct chain.  I agreed to go, and as I went to get in the car Thea pulled me over and said “This will be really good for you, be sure to ask her a lot of questions!” I nodded in agreement as I sat down in the car and shut the door, and as I waved goodbye to everyone at the school, I had an undeniable feeling that this wasn’t going to be your typical car ride.

Our trip began with the usual "awkward silence" as we both looked to the road ahead, trying not to make any noise to disrupt one another. However, being a person who loves to pick people's brains (along with the fact that Thea had hinted to me to ask her things), I couldn't help but break the ice and asked the simple question of how long she has had Taino Cove for.  I figured that she would either answer the question politely and return to keeping to herself, or the query would turn into a full-length conversation with no apparent direction (which we all know is the best type of conversation). She was quick to respond (as if she was waiting for me to say something) and told me that it'll be her 10th year with the Cove this December, and even gave me some insight on how she used Hurricane Ivan as a means to figure out what how she needed to reinforce the building's foundation and outer perimeter. After she finished her brief story I felt the air beginning to get stagnant again, and replied with a follow-up question, asking how long she has known Kaye for (Kaye was our guide and Service Expert for the week). Boy oh boy am I glad I asked her another question instead of allowing the car ride return to unbearable silence, because the next hour of conversation that ensued was some of most inspiring I've ever had.

She began explaining to me that she's known Kaye for just about the same amount of time that she's had the Cove, and that they first met while Kaye was on one of her countless service trips. It seemed almost as if she used that to segway into a different topic, as she delved into how she left Jamaica at the age of 18 in search of an education and overall better quality of life. It wasn’t until the early 2000’s that she returned to her home country, and along with her came a single purpose—to improve conditions in the place she formerly called home. After being away for so long and truly realizing the situation that Jamaica was in, she gained an undisputable yearning to do all she possibly can to help. She decided that she wanted her first site to be St. Mary’s Primary School, as it was a school she herself attended as a child and had caught word that Hurricane Ivan had done a number on it. However, being that she had just returned to the country, she essentially had no resources in order to implement her plan of action; that is, until she remembered Kaye’s work. She immediately emailed Kaye inquiring about an opportunity to do a build at St. Mary’s…and ladies and gentlemen it’s all history from there. Since then, she’s organized service trips to over 10 schools in her area, completing projects ranging from paint jobs to full playgrounds. She’s become an inspiration to an insurmountable number of people; whether they’re locals or members of one of her service trips—and I can happily say I too have become motivated by the works of this incredible woman. As if this trip hasn’t already encouraged me to become a global citizen enough, the selfless acts of Ms. Winnie simply made the fire inside of me burn that much brighter.

We wound up filling the rest of the car ride talking about our personal lives, from how cancer has affected our loved ones to our future aspirations, and everything in between. We shared the “Watershed moments” we’ve experienced while participating in service events, and connected on a level that can only be reached/understood by two people who have truly been touched by events like the ones I’ve had on this trip. Words can’t express how glad I was to be able to spend some time with Ms. Winnie, and hope to be given the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with her again to see our dreams come to fruition.

-Andrew

Departed with Departing Thoughts

I thought I would be more excited to see the New York skyline and the familiar views of Hoboken, but I thought wrong.

This trip was an assortment of different things. Of course, it was educational in many regards. I learned about Jamaican culture and history, I physically sat in a fourth grade classroom and learned like a student attending a Jamaican school, and I learned from Thea, Kaye, and my fellow GSI members. My time in Jamaica also gave me some time to reflect on myself as an individual. We learned about the steps towards being a "global citizen." Prior to Jamaica, I found myself to oscillate between "volunteer" and "conscientious citizen." Now that I've traveled, served, and made it back to the grand ole USA, I think I have achieved the level of global citizen. I've become more curious, more concerned about the root causes of things. I think I've grown over this past week, and I want to continue to nurture this maturation throughout my time here at Stevens and in my adult life.

I wasn't concerned that I didn't know any of the students on this trip when I signed up... however, I didn't imagine that we'd become such a close bunch! We shared our watershed moments and our privileges, we laughed well into the night playing charades and Cards Against Humanity, we became an unbeatable team that could accomplish anything within a day's work. In just one week, I have made 10 more friends that I would only have the pleasure of serving with again and again. I thank Megan, John, Andrew (Matt), Kevin (James), Evan, Julia, Morgan, Alli, Jane, Elise, Thea, and Kaye for being such open, inspiring, fun, and energetic people. You made this experience much more than I anticipated, and I am so thankful.

It's strange to realize that I will go back to my research on Monday, thousands of miles away from James and Miss G at the Whistling Bird, Miss Winnie and Dr. Hilton at Taino Cove, Merit, and the beautiful children at both Gordon's primary school and Pedro Plains Primary School. Life continues on as it always does, but my trip to Jamaica with Stevens GSI will continue to resonate in my memory and impact my decisions as I proceed. 

I'll end my post with a quotation that Kaye shared with us on our last night at Taino Cove. It perfectly encapsulates the trip, and I hope it inspires future Stevens students to not help, not fix, but serve:

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these grounds. Broad wholesome charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired be vegetating in one little corner of the earth over one's lifetime."--Mark Twain

--Olivia

Traveling home

Our #StevensGSI crew has safely traveled home after a transformational experience serving in Jamaica #travel #globalservice #jamaica 

My Reaction to "Life and Debt"

One evening we watched part of a documentary called "Life and Debt". It can be found on Netflix and I encourage you to go and watch it! Take the time to educate yourself about global relations because I found my view of global politics and economics to be inaccurate after watching just a portion of this documentary. I am certainly planning to watch the whole thing when I get back home. It explained why Jamaica's economy has suffered since the 1900s and the reasons really surprised me. Growing up in an individualistic and capitalistic society, I had an underlying assumption that poverty was caused by poor people not working hard enough to achieve success. I guess there are certainly cases of that in the world as well, but I had never imagined that poverty can be the indirect result of other people's actions. For example, the documentary explained how the IMF and World Trade Organization would lend a Jamaican business money to increase their exports, decrease their imports, and improve their economy. This sounds great in theory, except for the fact that they also wrote many restrictions into the contract. This resulted in the larger and more powerful economies who control the IMF and WTO to benefit while Jamaican businesses could not compete. The sad part is they couldn't even manage to sell their products in their own communities because the larger economies were then allowed to import their products into Jamaica and sell them for cheaper than the Jamaican business could. The business that was supposed to thrive ends up bankrupt and abandoned while the larger economies continue to take advantage of now being able to sell their goods in Jamaica. The fact that the three largest and most powerful economies in the world, including the U.S. by the way, control the IMF and WTO while any smaller and weaker economy cannot. This is where the true problem lies. Dr. Hilton, one of the owners of the Taino Cove where we are staying, also talked about this topic with us. Hearing a first hand account of what this country has been through from a local Jamaican really impacted me. He emphasized how this documentary discusses a world problem, but just the case in Jamaica. It happens to many other countries as well. The system is broken and if developing countries were given the chance to actually develop without being taken advantage of, maybe there could be less poverty in this world. These are real issues in the world and being in Jamaica to see the poverty first hand is an experience unlike watching a sad commercial on TV. You all know what commercial I am talking about. Seeing it first hand and learning the causes behind it is compelling me to act and become a global citizen. I want to research into more of the causes of poverty and what I can change within my own lifestyle to make a difference, no matter how small. To make big change happen, small change must come first. Leading by example is one way to raise awareness of how the way people live and the choices we make can really affect global issues. This trip and the discussions within our group have educated me enough to understand that I was not educated about global issues initially. I encourage you to educate yourself because you might be surprised by the information you find and the feelings you have from it. Remember, nobody can ever take knowledge away from you.  

-Julia

To Be Is To Be Perceived

After staying at Whistling Bird and getting to experience the great area of Nigrel, we traveled south to a much more rural and remote setting around the Treasure Beach area. One of the first things I noticed about the area was that there were a lot more space around each property. The place we are staying at is different from anything I've stayed at before. Each room is spacious and looks out over the outdoor pool and the beautiful ocean. Here we are able to leave our windows and doors open because the resort is located at the end of dirt road that is basically deserted. It really feels like  am in my own little world and I never want to leave.

When I arrived at the next school their were many things that surprised me about the differences from the first school we worked at. This school was much bigger and looked much more kept after. It had two separate buildings, one was a basic school that had young kids about the same age as the first school we visited. The other building housed grades ages one through six. The school overall was very clean and like before had great kids that were very excited to have visitors. I was with the group that worked on painting the barriers of the fence around the school with oil paint. It sounds like a simple job but actually it was rather difficult and took a lot of time. One of the things that I was told was to prevent getting paint on any of the children's clothes because corporal punishment is still used here and it really surprised me to think that this still happens. I grew up living in certain conditions and sometimes things don't click for me until I experience them directly. While painting one of the neighbors of the school stopped by to say hello and thank us for the work being done. I don't know why but it always surprises me when people from the area come by and talk with us but the genuine interest they take in the community makes me realize how stuck in our own little world we are back in the states. When we broke for lunch, we were provided food from the school this time. It was delicious! I then got to spend some time with some of the kids and play a game of freeze tag and red rover. It was really cool to see that these elementary school games that I played growing up are universal at every school. 

When we got back from working at the school we had are nightly discussion focused on privilege. We stood in a line and took steps forward or backwards based on whether we had been discriminated against or if we had some form of privilege given to us while growing up. I thought it was a very cool activity that showed to never judge someone by what is seen on the surface because we don't know what they have experienced throughout life. No matter how much privilege we are born into or come to have in life it is important to be aware of where you stand and possibly use that privilege in some way that can give you more of a worldy view. When I am spending time with theses kids I know I am more privileged then them but it never really crosses my mind because I am just communicating with them on a basic human level that consists of kindness and understanding. When I reflect back on it at the end of the day it's very humbling to realize. It reminds me of a quote from the movie Cloud Atlas that says "To be is to perceived. And so to know thyself is only possible through the eyes of the other." I think that is very applicable to my situation at the moment. By meeting these different people through this trip I have learned more about myself by becoming aware and having more of an understanding of the world around me.

Morgan

Are You Smarter than a Third Grader?

After the few transformative days that we spent in Negril and Savanna-la-Mar, I didn't anticipate the southern coast of Jamaica to have anything that was too vastly different from everything that we had already seen. Of course, I was very wrong. As we moved further from the western coast of the island toward our next destination, the landscape became decidedly more rural, sparsely populated, and forested. Getting a chance to go through the hills and see so many farms, vegetation, and even a waterfall was incredible; we got a peek at some of the defining qualities of a large quantity of the Jamaican parishes that somehow never make it into the tourism ad campaigns, despite their beauty and the significant role that they play in the culture of the people. Arriving at the second school this morning was also very surprising. As we came upon a large, well-maintained, and colorful building on the bus ride, I figured that it must be another large home or business that we would simply pass. I was very confused as we pulled into the driveway. 

This second work site has a Basic School for children aged 3-5, and a Primary School for children in grades 1-6. The school building is massive in comparison to Gordon's Basic School, and it's evident that the school receives much more funding. The children, however, were just as thrilled to see us coming to work in their schoolyard and to play and talk with them. With the greater age range and student population, there were many more games and activities played outside in the yard, and a huge diversity of subjects and projects in the classroom.

After a couple of hours of painting the fence that encloses the school, I took lunch and played with a group of third graders during their break period. I had expected to go back to work when their break was over, but the group swindled me into the classroom where I proceeded to sit with them and engage in a conversation about the environment, pollution, and conservation efforts (for those of you who don't know me, this is stuff that I find downright enthralling). 

I would never have expected to learn so much in a room full of 8-year-olds, but the teacher went through explanations of how different Jamaican sewage, filtration, and garbage disposal systems operate, and offered up ways that the children can be more environmentally friendly. The teacher shocked me by asking me to talk to the class about how the US handles things like pollution and conservation, as he was a native Jamaican and had never left the country. Soon enough, my Reader's Digest version of American pollution sources and regulations, recycling plants, and waste-water treatment facilities turned into a Q & A session. The students were so curious about things that I simply take for granted in my everyday life and truly opened my eyes to aspects of the daily life of Jamaicans that I would never have even thought about. They asked me what my favorite fruit was, and what fruits we have in America, were enraptured by something so simple as me discussing how and where blueberries and strawberries grow, and responded by saying that bananas are a rare treat for most of the students, but are generally too expensive for families to afford; they asked me if it ever gets cold in America, if I had ever seen snow, what snow feels like, if you can actually make things out of it or hit people with it; they asked what Stevens, my family members, and my house are like, and continued to describe their own siblings and home life. The discussion eventually involved myself, every student, and the teacher, and I think that it's safe to say that everyone in the room learned so many new and incredible things about one another as individuals and about the cultural differences and similarities between areas of Jamaica and areas of the United States. When the dismissal bell rang, we were all sad to have to abandon our conversation, but as everyone (teacher included) gave me a hug good-bye for the day, we all made it very clear to one another that the side-track was more valuable than any class experience that we'd had in the past. Needless to say, I can't wait to go back tomorrow to continue the working and learning experiences that this school is sharing with us.

Alli

Kicking back and relaxing at our second location at Taino Cove

Reflection

As someone who has previously had work experience on construction sites I have had my fair share of experiences in how women are treated in the work force. Over the past few days I have been able to experience a different side of the spectrum. While on the worksite at the beginning of this week I was able to work closely with the day laborers, and I was shocked at the patience and passion that they had with working with me and teaching me different skills. The laborers were very good with showing us how different procedures were performed but also letting us try them ourselves. I must have spent a good two hours attempting to chisel an area out of cement blocks and lets face it I'm not very strong nor do I have a good technique... so after giving everyone a good laugh they were ready to come show me ways to make it easier and respected the fact that I was willing to do actual work. It was refreshing to know that my efforts were appreciated and to actually feel like part of the team here; at home typically most opinions or work would be overlooked solely for the fact that I am a young female working in a "man's job."

This is something that has been a major difference that I have noticed in my time here; Jamaica is very much so a community, and while there are many different people everyone is a family. In many ways they have a system that is superior to the way our country works in the manner of being supportive of each other and wanting to see everyone succeed. It is sad to think about the potential that lies in this country and the fact that they cannot go anywhere with that.

Tonight we watched a documentary called "Life and Debt" which discussed the financial problems that Jamaica has been facing. It is something like this that demonstrates how corrupt the world really is. It is because of people in superior roles and corporate companies who have the ability to take a stand and make a difference, but choose to worry about bettering themselves. When watching this documentary, a decent amount of what I was watching were facts I had already been aware of. It is sickening to think that people here are working full work days, 6 days a week and making less in that week than people make in a few hours in America. Better yet, the fact that people are slaving away in factories for large companies who are clearly making an immense amount of profit, and yet they do not reap any benefits of the work that they put in to make that product. 

When reflecting back on the past week it is hard to sum up everything that I have experienced and learned, everything seems so important. However something that is commonly referenced here is being "one." If I take nothing out of this I learned what it is like to be a part of one unit, and how they have made themselves one here, even in the worst of circumstances this community has come together in these tough times. This is something that I hope will one day transfer back home, and hopefully one day the Jamaicans will be able to experience the full joy of having a comfortable lifestyle with that same mentality. 

 - Megan

Going coast to coast

It's hump day, everyone! Usually I'm glad to say that when school is in session; however, I am quite sad that our time here in Jamaica is quickly passing. Today, we said goodbye to Miss G and James at Whistling Bird, and I can say with certainty that our experience there was truly a pleasure. We departed early in the morning, all equipped with coffee beans, homemade banana bread and carrot cake, and peanuts (courtesy of James).

After we said our goodbyes, we traveled a short distance to a store where we had the opportunity to pick up some gifts, either for ourselves or family/friends back home. Kay knows the owner very well, and he was nice enough to give us discounts (tax-free too!). I weaved through the aisles, overwhelmed by all off the red, green, black, and yellow colored keychains, t-shirts, coffee mugs, and     shot glasses (don't worry Mom, I didn't even think about it). All of us left the store, happy with our purchases, and we were ready to embark on our next adventure: a trip to the YS Falls!

The bus ride was around 2 hours long, but it was well worth the travels. The bus dropped us off at the main building, and we were driven up by a van to the falls (usually, visitors are brought up on a gitnee, a cart pulled by a huge tractor). The YS Falls, which opened in 1992, is absolutely beautiful. The main spectacle? Waterfalls surrounded by natural flora  attract many from all over the world, and we were lucky to get a day at the site. We all agreed that ziplining was a must. We all suited up in our harnesses, helmets and gloves, and we were off! Personally, I am not a fan of heights, but I just had to do this. The view from several hundred feet in the air was breathtaking! There were five different lines that we traveled on; the third was the best, stretching directly over the falls for over 1000 feet! Parents, if you're freaking out, please don't worry. All members of the Stevens GSI made it back safely!

In addition to the zipline, we also had the opportunity to jump into the falls by swinging on rope, hang around two different pools, and explore the environment surrounding the falls. It was a nice break from all the hard work we had done the past two days. After we had our fun, we got back onto the bus and took another hour-long drive to our next destination: Taino Cove in Treasure Beach!

Whistling Bird and the western coast had charm, but Taino Cove is unlike any other place I've been. It is quietly situated on the southern coast of Jamaica, and the views of the ocean are marvelous. Miss Winnie owns the place, and she immediately welcomed us to her place. I was lazily lounging on one of the sleeping chairs near the pool, but I watched as she sat down with other members of the group, both as a hospitable businesswoman but a warm friend. It seems as if everywhere we go, we are only greeted with kindess. It is upsetting that I don't feel this sense of hospitality in my own country, but I will take this opporunity to appreciate the kindness that we've been shown in our short time here.

After dinner (which was delicious, of course), the group gathered in the lobby to watch a documentary called "Life and Debt." This video is a documentary that really shows the stark difference between the tourist life and the native life of Jamaica. We were educated about how Jamaica has been in economic turmoil since the end of World War II, and how despite the numerous appeals to the IMF and World Bank, it is still stuck in a vicious cycle of deficit and exploitation. It was an eye-opening film for me; it's upsetting to know that Jamaica (as well as many other countries) are continually exploited by the "bigger guns" in the global economy, and the future seems dim. Miss Winnie's husband joined us and gave us his perspective as a native Jamaican, a perspective that we all needed to here. I find it hard to fathom that countries such as Jamaica are continually oppressed in this way, and I don't know how the problem can be fixed. In order for big change to occur, a revolution of some sort needs to occur (as per Evan's discussion point). But how we do we start this, when America is one of the players to blame?

"Life and Debt" was a great conversation starter, and many of our group members spoke passionately about the issues at hand and the need for change. For me, it's overwhelming to think of where to even begin. We can talk all we want, but will that bring back the banana market to Jamaica? Will that truly level the playing field for all countries participating in the global economy? I'm not sure. That's another blog post.

So, where do I end? Kay asked us some questions to answer in our journals before we all dispersed from the library, and perhaps I'll end with my answer to this one: If money were no object, how would you spend your money and why? I think that is a difficult question to answer. I would love to spend my days, baking and traveling and spending time with the ones I love. However, there is a lot of work to be done in the world. Social justice is at the top of my personal list. This trip has shown me the importance of understanding culture and asking the why's. So, I guess I'd spend my time asking "why" all the time. Like Socrates, I'd bug the hell out of people until I got my answer. And then I'd do something about it, because for me, that's the right thing to do.

--Olivia

Watershed Moments/First-half Reflection

Going into this trip I knew that this week  was going to be a life-changing experience, one that would expose our group to situations we have never encountered before and truly allow us to transition from being simply conscientious individuals to full-blown active global citizens. With a drastic change like that not only comes a massive alteration of how we think and view the world, but also an accompanied responsibility to preach the importance of global citizenship. And by accepting the offer to go on this trip, we all accepted the fact that we may return home as completely different people. Now that we have just finished our time in Negril, I can say that my expectations were a complete underestimation. 

Many people like to think that there are certain events in one's life that act as defining moments, occurrences that illuminate the path that they want to follow for the rest of their life. These "Watershed moments" rarely occur more than once for any given individual; however in my time here I have been blessed to have had two of these experiences.

The first occurred at the Pentecostal church, during the service we had attended on Sunday. I had been told that Jamaican Pentecostal services were comparable to one you would find at a Southern Baptist church, both which were completely different from the Roman Catholic traditions I was raised on. Unlike the rigidity of a typical Catholic ceremony, the Jamaican Pentecostal one served more as an open forum for individuals to express their praise and faith in God and his works. As more and more people stood up and gave their testimonials, it occurred to me that their faith was at a higher level than anything I've ever seen before--they didn't just believe in God, but they knew that he would guide them through their troubled times and lead them into righteousness. About halfway into our stay there it began to downpour torrentially, to the point where the ceiling began to leak in a few places from the sheer volume of water that was accumulating. The striking thing to me wasn't the fact that it was raining so much, but that I couldn't hear a single drop hit the tin roof. I saw the rain falling, and even smelled it, but why couldn't I hear it? I soon came to the realization that the hard pitter-patter of the rain was being completely drowned out simply by the volume of the hymns and prayers being projected from the church patrons, and almost immediately was taken over by a feeling that I truly cannot explain in words. It occurred to me that I could feel the faith in these people, feel their emotions as they came together and manifested into a perfect storm of their own. From that moment on I was overcome with feelings of strength and support, almost as if the Jamaican's spirits were reaching into my soul and lifting my spirits higher than they've ever been. That, my friends, is the true power of faith.

My second moment occurred the next day, at the school where we were re-building a wall for their kitchen. During the bulk of the day, I spent my time with the three Jamaican day laborers, as we demolished whatever was left of the existing wall and erected a completely new one from cinder blocks and cement. As I got caught up in the hustle and bustle of the physical labor throughout the course of the day, it was easy to lose sight of exactly why we were there building that wall in the first place. Towards the end of the day when we were getting ready to leave, I was informed that one of the handles of a see-saw was broken and needed to be fixed. I figured it would be a quick fix, so I immediately began working on it and had it put back together in just a few minutes. And as I was hammering in the final nail, the kids came running outside from the school to play before they too had to leave. They instantly noticed that the see-saw was now fixed, and a crowd of eight students ran over and jumped right on. I took a step back to let them enjoy their ride, and as I was standing there watching them play Thea came to my side, pointed to the children laughing and having fun, and said "You did that." I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little emotional after that-- the fact that just a few minutes of my work on such a simple task could make a group of kids that happy rendered me speechless. I became overwhelmed with emotions, and all I could do was smile as more and more ecstatic children ran up to get a turn. 

I am forever grateful to Stevens and Thea for giving me the opportunity to go on this trip. I've always been driven to volunteer my time to help anyone in need, but this experience has lit a completely different fire in me. It is a fire that yearns to spread to other torches, and is fueled by the sparks created by the sight of a smiling child or the hymns of a Jamaican Pentecostal service. I am certain that there are torches in all of you just waiting to be lit, just as mine has been; and with the help of a few sparks your fire will burn brightly, eager to pass to the next torch. And so I ask you again, what are you waiting for?

-Andrew 

 

Moving on!

Our group is off to another part of the island today to explore some natural falls and experience another part of Jamaica. Tonight we check into Taino Cove in Treasure  Beach and will then gear up for our next school improvement project. Internet is scare where we will be so stay tuned for more updates! 

My Service Experience

      Over the past two days, we have been serving at Gordon's Early Childhood Institution. And to be honest, it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. From the moment that we pulled our van into the property, the children's faces lit up and they were all getting excited and cheering, which was amazing! However, once we got there, we immediately had to set up and go to work.

      The result of our work was a new wall being put up. And as simple or difficult as this may sound, to whoever is reading this, it was much more challenging than I had expected. Yet through this challenge, all of us came together as a team and were able to complete this task in TWO days. As we left, I found it profoundly rewarding how this wall will be able last for years and hopefully decades, and that I was able to be a part of that. This is why service is so amazing. It's because what may seem like a menial task or just a small, modest project could give so much to others in ways unexpected.

      But honestly, what is service? Is it just helping someone when they want your help? Or is it just naturally having the drive to help someone knowing that it is going to benefit both them and yourself positively? Personally, I believe it is the second option. I went into this experience thinking to talk to the children that I would be helping by putting up this wall. And I did this because I think that it is important to make a connection with those who you are serving, and because it makes all of the work more meaningful, knowing that it is going to help someone you know/care about. 

      So initially, when I went into the school to meet the children, I put up my hand for high-fives just to be welcoming and friendly. But the response I got from them was incredible! The amount of excitement that they got would have made someone think I'd given them a million dollars. And the fact that I was able to make them happy, even for just those few seconds, made my experience all the more meaningful. Overall, so far, my service experience has been amazing and I am glad and grateful that I have been able to participate with something so great.

Why service?

"Why service?" appears to be a simple question but everyone's answers are different.  Many want to improve the community, whether it be their own or another human being's.  Others simply have to fulfill service requirements.  Or the volunteer is directly or indirectly involved in the project they work on. For some, service makes them and what they work on better.  It is a win-win situation in the end.  It might be a mixture for some people.  I like to think for myself that it is a mixture.

We have worked at Gordon's Early Childhood School the past few days, and it has been a wonderful experience that everyone has enjoyed immensely.  Honestly, as someone who hasn't been involved in service much before this point, this was probably the first project that really impacted me because the way it has been set up.  We see every step of the process, we see where the materials are sourced, we see the community we are helping, and we also see the actual results.  We also experience the surrounding community.  We pulled up to the hardware store and observed how it was different from what we expected.  We renovated a kitchen at the school in two days.  We were able to play with children from ages 3-6 who may otherwise not get as much attention, and you could really see that they enjoyed our company.  When I had a free moment to spare as there were not many jobs I could do, I would visit the children at aftercare.  I can't tell you how many children I gave piggy back rides, let play with my hair, or pushed on the swing.  They were all begging for my attention and I felt like I was going every which way.  But this is what gets you through the day, seeing how you are really directly impacting the community as this kitchen is incredibly important to them, and our time is valued at the end of the day also. 

Volunteering has impacted me more in the past two days, simply because when we pulled up in our van the first day, I saw this whole class of children smiling and waving from outside the building, looking extremely excited that we were there.  For this project, for me, the answer to "Why service?" is simply, "the children."

First Day of Work - Megan

When I woke up this morning, I knew I would be enjoying my day and was more than excited to work on the school and getting to meet the kids; however I didn't imagine feeling the immense amount of love and care for these children that I experienced today. 

It all began when we pulled into the school driveway and all the kids were outside cheering, waving, and jumping with excitement at our arrival. I couldn't even fathom how they could have so much excitement to see people they have never met, did they really understand what we were coming there to do? I couldn't wait to have the opportunity to spend time with them during their recess, but until then it was time to learn about the process of how things were done here in Jamaica. Having had some previous experience on the work site before I was amazed at how "home-made" the process is here. Using your resources and reusing what you already have in order not to waste anything was a large part of our process today,whether it be removing nails from the old pieces of wood or shoveling dirt and sand to make concrete mixes, you really saw how every material held such value. 

Most of the morning was filled with demo work, making concrete, and learning how to do mason work; while being able to work with the day laborers while learning about the processes was amazing, the best part of my day occurred when I was asked to help one of the other students on our trip get a piece of plywood. We began walking to the front of the school and before we could even enter to get the plywood, I had a group of school children surrounding me, they were intrigued with my hair, the texture, and the fact that it was blonde. While I tried to continue to make my way and be helpful, I couldn't resist the excitement in their requests to braid my hair and play with them. I sat down and at that exact moment the ability to play with my hair and make me "look pretty" was like watching kids on Christmas morning, running to the tree to rip open all the presents, fighting over who gets to open what, except in this situation it was who got to braid what portion of my hair. While there was a slight fear that I might be leaving the worksite that day with half a head of hair from them fighting over the different sides, all of that worry disappeared when one girl sat down on my lap. She was genuinely interested in who I was, learning all about me, and making sure that none of her schoolmates hurt me. For some reason I felt an instant connection with her, and when it was time for them to go back inside, she didn't want to be let go of, and the feeling was mutual. All the kids proceeded to give me hugs and you could see their genuine happiness in the fact that we were there and doing something as simple as playing with them for 40 minutes, however that one little girl made a point to say goodbye twice, and kissed me goodbye saying that she hoped she would see me again. 

While this may seem to be irrelevant to what the point of going to the school was for, for me it opened my eyes to how innocent and trusting children can be. They see life in another way than most adults do, they realize there are struggles and hardships however they seek out the best in every situation. These children here have grown up with so little, and are going to a school that recently got electricity just a few months which provides very little light, they are dealing with a partially functioning bathroom, and many parts of the building that are falling apart; however this does not stop them from showing up and getting excited about counting or playing outside. 

When we went to the school today, we were able to see the difference in cultures in a very clear manner, and for me it is disappointing that at home people get so easily caught up in what is thought to be necessary or fashionable, and everyone is willing to complain about the smallest things. Yet here, in a place that has so many more hardships than we do, has such faith and good spirits. 

I not only learned today about the culture here and the work and how difficult it is, but it also opened my eyes to what is really important in life, appreciating what you do have in every situation. I don't remember the last time I have ever felt such pure happiness and self - wholeness than today when I was working on the school and playing with the kids. Personally, I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings when we return. 

Community

In the United States, small business owners are often considered the backbone of their respective communities, and as I learned today, the same holds true within the Jamaican community structure.  Today I had the privilege of spending my time with the owner of our hotel, James, who, while not of Jamaican decent, is from a family with deep roots in the city of Negril.  For three generations, his family has owned the Whistling Bird Hotel and Dining Club, and from the moment we began speaking, it was very evident that more than his land is permanently on the shores of the Caribbean.  I spent my morning differently than the rest of our team, as they went directly to the site, whereas I helped deliver some locally sourced materials to the site for our teams usage.  Locally sourced in our case meant sourced via a local, as James was gracious enough to both offer a better rate on cinder blocks, and delivery by his hand with his truck, and that was my first inclination as to how the community here worked.  Instead of gouging the prices to travelers passing through his hotel, he offered a helping hand to a cause that was close by him.  Originally, it seemed to make sense, he was clearing out inventory that wasn't immediately useful to him, but I soon realized it was more than that.  During our car ride over, in between sweating out any remaining ounce of water in my body, we got to talking about the experiences we both had regarding the Jamaican tourist industry, and perceived means by which it could expand.  I saw if from the perspective of a government that wasn't quite able to monetize and develop all of the available sources of revenue in its country, but the response I got from James was similar, but incredibly different in perspective.  He spoke of the same untapped potential, but in terms of what it had to offer citizens in terms of business opportunities.  After thinking a bit, he and I got further into a talk about local citizens, and offering them more means by which they could find  opportunity.  It was at that point I realized the two trips in "Betsy", his Toyota pickup, delivering brick to our worksite, weren't much different than picking up a few friends in the States on a Saturday and putting in a new set of brick stairs on your house.   All in all, they probably had a bigger impact than 500 dollars in property value in U.S.  He had that same sense of community that I've gotten used to from local chambers of commerce in the U.S., and it made me realize that in the U.S. we truly are just beneficiaries of the systems of economic development that have been in place for years and years.

You can understand the day to day examples of fortune within the U.S. very easily.  Quite simply put, the safety and relative ease of living most experience growing up in the States in middle class is not very hard to detect, especially in comparison to day to day life in Jamaica.  Today I learned that I there are subtleties that we couldn't even begin to appreciate as much as we should.  Things like small business loans and government subsidized industries in the U.S. are ubiquitous enough that they're able to give hard working citizens the opportunity to lift themselves into being their own boss and making a living.  In Jamaica, the people here care just as much about their neighbor as we do in the states, and it seems as though we simply are beneficiaries of circumstance, as they could just as easily find similar, if not more success if they had the opportunities that our programs give us.  I wouldn't venture to say that I made the rash assumption that they had no sense of community whatsoever, but quite simply I assumed their circumstances dictated they would be more self-concerned.

Experiences like today, at least for me, are sources of hope for individual communities of the world, and more importantly help me continue to realize that the "global community" is simply in need of better resource distribution.  I don't know if it is arrogance, at least not intentionally, that leads some people in the U.S. to subconsciously not realize the incredible capabilities of the belief in each other in other nations, but it does seem to be an issue we need to address in order to develop the world.  The sense of community here, from the highly successful resort owners, to the day laborers who worked for a lower wage for the school we constructed, is at a minimum, parallel to anything I've ever seen.  After working side by side with the laborers, and watching them hold the hands of students they had no connection to as they stumbled through work they had no idea how to do, I saw their sense of the greater good.  The elementary school children we built the school for today were always the end goal.  when concrete filler leaked through poorly mortared layers of block, there were no snide comments, only guidance.  When blocks were set unevenly, there wasn't a snicker, or a grabbing of tools, only a continuing pursuit of the goal, a better school for the kids.

In the end, I guess the first few days have given me more faith, but it was faith I should have had already.  Down in Jamaica, the people are just as prepared, if not anxious and more prepared, to make their communities better, they simply are at the whim of circumstance.  In returning to the States, I'd like to hep promote the same attitude in my community, and to also help enable people in environments like Negril find systems like the ones the United States has that enable further success.

-John

Ready for our first day of work!