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