whoa my first blog....
That being said.... whoa jamaica. Or as Olivia says, Jamaica Jamaica Jamaica. So I'm here now. I'm can finally join the ranks of my fellow PCV's in saying that I am now officially a Peace Corps Trainee or PCT. Oh baby let the fun begin! Here's how my adventures started: I left for Atlanta, Georgia at 4am for a one-day training called staging. We all met each other, got all touchy-feely, discussed expectations, and were promptly driven back to the airport at 2am to catch a 6am flight to Miami then Jamaica. We arrived off the plane in sort of a chaos of lost baggage and immigration paperwork. Sooo.... how bout that immigration paperwork: length of stay (27 months... maybe....), place of residence (no idea where I'm going), person of contact (do I even know my country directors name?!) After much confusion, I asked the nearest immigration office what to write for Peace Corps. "Peace Corps? What's that? No, you're not staying for 27 months, where's your return ticket?" Me: "Ummmm... I don't have a return ticket" Him: "Yes you do you aren't staying for 27 months." First thought: oh god, I'm going to be deported back to miami. Second thought, oh god I'm going to be deported and probably arrested. After some time, other volunteers found me and explained what I should write, and to go through immigration. Luckily, immigration knew about peace corps and I was eventually allowed entrance into Jamaica narrowly avoiding deportation.
Following, we were greeted by various staff and helped with luggage, (I must have looked great walking backwards trying to roll two pieces of luggage down a ramp) group picture taken, and bussed off to the Kingston Peace Corps office for a 50th anniversary of Peace Corps Jamaica celebration (just what we wanted to do after 48 hours of no sleep and flights whoo!) Surprisingly though, it was a lot of fun meeting staff and current PCVs and we were even serenaded by a famous Jamaican chorus group called Nexux one. After two nights of hotels and daily training sessions we were shipped off to our first homestay experience-- which is where I am now.
soooooo I decided to join my peace corps friends and create a blog about my experiences. I just want to say.... this is me. this is how I feel at the time I write what I do. These are my feelings, my experiences, my sights and subtle sounds*, scattered thoughts, tastes, etc. If you don't like it's fine but whatever you do PLEASE PLEASE REALIZE: THE OPINIONS STATED IN THIS BLOG IN NO WAY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE US PEACE CORPS. Yeah, I had to do that.
That being said.... whoa jamaica. Or as Olivia says, Jamaica Jamaica Jamaica. So I'm here now. I'm can finally join the ranks of my fellow PCV's in saying that I am now officially a Peace Corps Trainee or PCT. Oh baby let the fun begin! Here's how my adventures started: I left for Atlanta, Georgia at 4am for a one-day training called staging. We all met each other, got all touchy-feely, discussed expectations, and were promptly driven back to the airport at 2am to catch a 6am flight to Miami then Jamaica. We arrived off the plane in sort of a chaos of lost baggage and immigration paperwork. Sooo.... how bout that immigration paperwork: length of stay (27 months... maybe....), place of residence (no idea where I'm going), person of contact (do I even know my country directors name?!) After much confusion, I asked the nearest immigration office what to write for Peace Corps. "Peace Corps? What's that? No, you're not staying for 27 months, where's your return ticket?" Me: "Ummmm... I don't have a return ticket" Him: "Yes you do you aren't staying for 27 months." First thought: oh god, I'm going to be deported back to miami. Second thought, oh god I'm going to be deported and probably arrested. After some time, other volunteers found me and explained what I should write, and to go through immigration. Luckily, immigration knew about peace corps and I was eventually allowed entrance into Jamaica narrowly avoiding deportation.
Following, we were greeted by various staff and helped with luggage, (I must have looked great walking backwards trying to roll two pieces of luggage down a ramp) group picture taken, and bussed off to the Kingston Peace Corps office for a 50th anniversary of Peace Corps Jamaica celebration (just what we wanted to do after 48 hours of no sleep and flights whoo!) Surprisingly though, it was a lot of fun meeting staff and current PCVs and we were even serenaded by a famous Jamaican chorus group called Nexux one. After two nights of hotels and daily training sessions we were shipped off to our first homestay experience-- which is where I am now.
I've been living with my homestay family: a sister whose my age, her daughter age five, and a mother in her 50's in Hellshire Jamaica for two weeks trying to learn Jamaican culture. From 8-5 we sit in a classroom setting learning Peace Corps rules, Jamaican culture, etc. After training we go home to attempt our first Cultural Integration. Ohhhhhh cultural integration. Peace corps is so big on this understandably since it basically determines our survival and effectivness in this foreign culture. Basically integrate or die. On that note, or really just randomly, I must mention how my homestay mother peels and cuts things. It's incredible. She makes a pineapple look like a work of art. I then attempt it myself and transform the poor pineapple into sad, cut up, emaciated piece of fruit.
with my homestay fam hellshire, jamaica
Anyway, during the weekends we hang out with fellow volunteers usually involving red stripe on the beach. On Sundays we go to church with our homestay families like good little Catholics/Christians/Seventh Day Adventists/Pentecostals.
On Monday it's back to PST or Pre-service training. Overall PST is alright, 9 weeks of getting the paperwork out of the way, with a few breaks *awesome breaks might I add* where we learned Jamaican dances, African dance, and steel drumming at a local university. The language and culture teachers are amazing, bringing us to such events and are extremely creative in their teaching methods-- dressing up as characters we may meet, explaining and actually having us play various games we may play with the children we work with.
pre service training hellshire, jamaica
Still though I'm really antsy to get to Monday where we break off into different towns by sectors (Youth as Promise-- that's mine-- goes to one town and Green Initiative and Education go their individual towns.) During these five weeks we obtain job specific training (mine will be in HIV prevention) followed by permanent site placement.
Today, to get us and the staff thinking about site placement we had our program manager interview, which essentially went like this: "So how are things going?" "Well things are great only I have no idea what I'm doing in the HIV Sector as I meet none of the qualifications." "Well, your interested right?" "Oh yeah human sexuality is definitely interesting." "Ok great well we'll be able to find you something to do." "Ok great thanks!" Welp it's a good thing I'm interested I guess haha. On a plus note I did find out I'll be placed in a "peri-urban" area... still unsure of what that means...
with my homestay fam hellshire, jamaicaAnyway, during the weekends we hang out with fellow volunteers usually involving red stripe on the beach. On Sundays we go to church with our homestay families like good little Catholics/Christians/Seventh Day Adventists/Pentecostals.
On Monday it's back to PST or Pre-service training. Overall PST is alright, 9 weeks of getting the paperwork out of the way, with a few breaks *awesome breaks might I add* where we learned Jamaican dances, African dance, and steel drumming at a local university. The language and culture teachers are amazing, bringing us to such events and are extremely creative in their teaching methods-- dressing up as characters we may meet, explaining and actually having us play various games we may play with the children we work with.
pre service training hellshire, jamaicaStill though I'm really antsy to get to Monday where we break off into different towns by sectors (Youth as Promise-- that's mine-- goes to one town and Green Initiative and Education go their individual towns.) During these five weeks we obtain job specific training (mine will be in HIV prevention) followed by permanent site placement.
Today, to get us and the staff thinking about site placement we had our program manager interview, which essentially went like this: "So how are things going?" "Well things are great only I have no idea what I'm doing in the HIV Sector as I meet none of the qualifications." "Well, your interested right?" "Oh yeah human sexuality is definitely interesting." "Ok great well we'll be able to find you something to do." "Ok great thanks!" Welp it's a good thing I'm interested I guess haha. On a plus note I did find out I'll be placed in a "peri-urban" area... still unsure of what that means...
The only other thing particularly of note was my trip to the local market, a place deemed so dangerous we must tell our security officer anytime we travel there, even when with our homestay families. The chaos of the market is overwhelming, and probably un-navigationable as of yet... still very interesting. It's a blur of veggies, yelling, weed, crumpling and throwing of money, and carts being moved through incredibly small spaces. Just when I thought I'd seen it all, a blind woman came through and sold me a necklace phone holder, at the right price of 30J which is equivalent to a little more than 30 cents. Unreal. I also saw an egg vendor addressed as "Eggman" which I immediately wanted to blog with the title "I am the eggman, I am the walrus." When I thought we couldn't possibly carry one more bag of food, my homestay mother unmercifully bought more and incredibly we managed to carry home what seemed like 80 pounds of food through buses and walks. And that was that.
As of now, those are all the mentionables. Feel free to comment, hate, laught, smile, cry, throw things at your computer... whatever you feel is necessary.
As of now, those are all the mentionables. Feel free to comment, hate, laught, smile, cry, throw things at your computer... whatever you feel is necessary.
One Love,
D
*Those of you who know me well knew I had to throw at least one Phish reference in there.
*Those of you who know me well knew I had to throw at least one Phish reference in there.
