Day 3: YS Falls and Appleton Rum Factory

Well this morning we were supposed to be ready to leave at 8:30 to head to YS Falls but due to the fact me and my roommates slept in til about quarter to 8 we didn't really get out on time. After everyone finally got all set to go we headed out for a hour and a half drive to the falls. We stopped at a bakery on the way and got the best bread I have ever tasted in my life! Once we got to the falls some of us went zip lining and the others went to lay on the rocks by the falls. I went and laid on the rocks. We had a really nice guide take us right next to the falls and take pictures for us. I also worked up the nerve to jump from about 15 or 20 feet up into the water after much deliberation.. but it was worth it. Once we left YS, we made our way to Appleton Rum Factory. It is just amazing to me that a business can be so successful that it can be open for 260 years! Our wonderful guide Hugh showed us the process of making rum and the equipment they use. We also got to taste the molasses they use in the rum...which was pretty disgusting but Tammy likes it. We learned that the longest amount of time they age rum for is 30 years and we went into a storage building where there were rums that were barreled in 1983! I just found it so interesting that rum is Jamaica's #1 export and is so popular here in the country. After we were done at the rum factory, we headed back home and went to a Jamaican supermarket. As Alyson pointed out, it is really weird being the minority and especially when you are being stared at for just shopping in a store. Once we made it home we went to a restaurant just down the beach from us and had supper with American food. Some of the girls aren't liking the Jamaican food so much so we took a break from it. After supper we came back to the hotel and now me and Lindsey are just chilling in our room waiting to get tired enough to fall asleep. We have to get up kind of early tomorrow to go back to the school and finish painting so we want a good nights sleep. Well til tomorrow then!

Service Day: The Beginning

So after a wonderful night sleep last night, I woke up at 7 a.m to the sound of Tammy's beautiful voice at our door. My roomies (Lori and Lindsey) and I got ready and headed off to breakfast which was awesome! They made the bacon just the way I like it, a little chewy drippin with grease. After our morning preperation we piled into Robert's van and headed to the school. I was a little nervous about how today was going to go but it ended up being better than I could ever have imagined. We arrived at Uppertop Lincoln Early Childhood Institution and were greeted with curious stares. The kids were sooo cute. Of course all it took was for Tammy to warm up the group, well both groups to be honest, and then it was like we were there the whole time. We played ring around the rosy along with some intense games of duck duck goose. I couldn't believe that the kids didn't know how to play duck duck goose! Me and Alyson were pros at teaching the game though so our group had it down pat in no time. Well except for the little boy Michael who spent about 10 minutes going around saying duck and not picking a goose ever. The kids especially enjoyed playing with our digital cameras. It was like being swarmed by an angry mob except they were adorable kids. I did especially enjoy a little boy named Omario. He was sooo polite and cute. I wanted to take him home but Nicole reminded me that it would be considered kidnapping so I gave up that dream due to the legal consequences. After playtime with the kids we began the work. We started to move stuff out of the room we planned on painting today and we were welcomed by some disgusting inhabitants, cockroaches. It made me sick to think that these kids played in the toys that these cockroaches inhabit. It was hard not to show emotion when one sprung out at you suddenly, but a couple of the kids in the room assured us they did not enjoy them either. We painted all morning and afternoon and accomplished alot. We decided we will finish the rest on Sunday when the kids aren't there so we can get a little more done and not have to worry about running them over. We will visit the school on Wednesday also to give the kids some school supplies (which are a hot commodity here in Jamaica) and toys. After our service work we came back to teh hotel and got ready for dinner at The Three Dives. I got to taste authentic jerk chicken from Jamaica and decided I should probably lay off the jerk sauce because it was HOTTT!!! After dinner was done, our wonderful driver Robert drove us home and I headed to bed and got to talk to Austin (my boyfriend) which made me feel better before I went to sleep. So now I'm completely wore out and babbling. Goodnight everyone I'm going to go cuddle with Lindsey now since we get to share a bed : ). I can't wait to share more of my adventures with you tomorrow!

First Day

Well today started out a little rough to say the least. We left Tammy's house at midnight like scheduled and made our way to Chicago. After a very cooolllddd bus ride, we unloaded and headed into the Ohare national airport. We were one of the first people in line and because we are such lucky people, ended up with probably the least thrilled attendant to help us get our boarding passes. We boarded at 5:30 a.m and sat on the plane in anticipation of take off. Well take off didn't happen for 3 hours! We almost got out at 6:30 like we were supposed to but it just so happens that there was maintenance problems so we left 2 hours later than expected. With that delay our whole day was pushed back a bit. Robert, our driver, picked us up from the airport and from there we went to the school we will be working at tomorrow. We went over what colors they wanted to paint the two rooms of the school. I couldn't believe that they have 50 kids that fit in those buildings! I'll have to put up pictures later so you can see. It was too late to get paint supplies when we were done so we checked into our hotel and ate an excellent dinner they prepared for us. Now I'm sittin by the beach writing my blog and realizing how wiped I am from the entire day. I think it's time for bed. Goodnight all

Today is THE Day!!!

So at midnight tonight, or tomorrow morning, however you look at life I guess, we will be leaving for Jamaica FINALLY! I'm pretty nervous just for the fact that my mom likes to tell me worse case scenarios. For example, "Well, there's been a lot of earthquakes and tsunami warnings lately. What if you're on a boat and there is a tsunami?" Yes I know this sounds very unrealistic but for someone who is paranoid about open water as it is, it sounds like it's going to happen tomorrow. But I've been trying to put my fear of, well pretty much everything, and focus on all the great things we'll be doing. I can't wait to meet the people and experience the culture. I also can't wait to do our community service. I've done community service before definitely not something of this magnitude. I love the feeling when you're done that you did something that just changed a person's day, week, maybe even life. One thing that I want to do is to experience something out of my comfort zone and go for it. I don't know if that means defying my fear of heights, the ocean,...giant bugs that must be from another planet. Well maybe not bugs, but definitely something else. Well I have to finish packing because my procrastination seems to have gotten the best of me.

Children and Violence

I decided to research a little bit about children that are subjected to violence in Jamaica. I was appalled by murder rates among children. According to http://www.unicef.org/jamaica/violence.html, over the past five years over 300 children have been murdered and the majority of that is boys. Another statistic the website showed was that in 2006, children and adolescents made up 78 percent of all sexual assaults and rape cases.
And to think that those are only the ones reported. I think it would be hard to live in a place that you would have to fear. Because of this violence many adolescent boys turn to gang behavior because people expect them to underachieve. Lastly, the website told of thousands of children living in residential care and over 200 that live in institutions where family care is not available. This absence of family makes them more vulnerable to violence and abuse. I know that the U.S is not perfect, however, this seems like a lot of high numbers for such a little country.

What Am I Getting From This...

So a recent question was asked,"What do I plan on getting out of this experience?" It's a hard question to answer since there are so many things I would like to gain from this trip. First and foremost, I want to feel the accomplishment of helping out people that are not given the same luxuries and opportunities that I get everyday. It's easy to forget that not everyone wakes up and watches their big T.V. and go on their computer to check their facebooks. I also would like to gain some more self awareness. IN my first semester of the Human Services program we learned about reflection and how it aids in self awareness. With this blog, I will be able to reflect daily on my experiences in Jamaica. Lastly, of course, I want to gain friendships and bonds that can't disappear with time. That sounds a little corny but when you have to live and eat and sleep with people for a little over a week you get to know them better than some of their close friends. On top of that, we can always look back on the experience and share memories and remember what it was like together. I'm a little afraid of being so far away from home in a place I know very little about but I guess that's half the excitement right?

Jamaican History

It has been too long! I was having some trouble getting into my blogger account but I have it all figured out now so I'm up and running. Well since the trip is a short two weeks away (sooo excited) I thought I'd look a little bit into the history of Jamaica. What I became most interested in was the original people of Jamaica, the Arawaks. The Arawaks are also known as the Tainos. 2500 years ago they left South America and settled in Jamaica. They named the island Xaymaca, which means, "land of wood and water." To me it seems their lifestyle was much like that of Native Americans in the U.S. They grew sweet potatoes, corn, fruits and vegetables, and tobacco. Tobacco was popular to grow because smoking it was a pastime for the Arawaks. They usually settled villages along the coast or by rivers so that they were skilled fisherman and that was a main source for food. They were peaceful until the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. Columbus went to the island because he heard that there was gold there. Eventually the Spanish killed them off through brutal treatment, slavery, disease. Their numbers went from around 60,000 to 0 in a matter of 50 years. I love history and learning about people that really owned the land like the Arawak people. I hope you found this as interesting as I did.