Category: * Peace Corps

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps

Training the Ears

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More than any other sense, I’ve noticed that my sense of hearing has gotten more “tuned” since I’ve been in Jamaica. Listening and discerning sounds has become more important for both enjoyment and survival here.

On my daily walk to the school, where the shoulder of the road is slim to none, and where the sides are getting overgrown with long grass, I rely less on visual cues sometimes than I do on the auditory warning of an approaching vehicle. In some ways it’s good that the undetectable hum of the Toyota Prius has not yet made its way to Jamaica. Its only when cars are not around that the road is tranquil, making it easy to discern where the next car is coming from and how far away it is. Plus, the drivers love to honk- both as a general greeting and Continue reading “Training the Ears” →

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps

We are in it.

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Yeah, we’re a little tired. It’s been an eventful few weeks. As mentioned in previous posts, we both had our own summer camps going on last week. This week I (Michelle) am doing my own summer literacy class at my school in the mornings. I’ve had 6-10 kids each day, and I am so glad there are not more than that. Classroom management, behavior, and focus is the biggest challenge right now. Jedd is starting to plan his own summer camp, teach a few more small computer classes, and work on the community center’s website, among other things. Continue reading “We are in it.” →

* Jedd Thoughts, * Peace Corps

Summer Camps 2012

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Last week Michelle put on a two-day summer camp to inspire some boys in her school to be more motivated in the classroom and to think about their futures. As for me, I supported a week long summer camp for 60 children that was led by the wonderful women of the Y’s Menettes (a social/service club for older women). It was a great week for both of us to be around and serve some of the youth in our area. Was there times of frustration? Yes. But overall it was a great experience. More stories from these camps to be posted soon. Special thanks to our fellow Peace Corps Volunteer Josh, who helped and wowed both camp groups with his amazing magic tricks. – J

* Life Updates, * Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps

Boys Camp

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I’ve spent the last month and a half assessing a long list of low-achieving students provided by each teacher. One at a time, I pulled them out of class and sat down with them to find out about their home life, their interests, and also their reading level. Using the Jamaican Ministry of Education’s reading diagnostic tool, I determined that most of the kids I saw were still confusing some letter names, were not familiar with saying the sounds that letters make, had no concept of how to sound out an unfamiliar word, and didn’t know the sight words for their grade level. From first through fifth grade, about 1/3 of the students at the school were below their reading level with a vast majority reading below the first grade level (including many fifth graders).

Jedd teaches life skills with a game for the boys

But this week was the start of summer, and the guidance counselor and I had put together a two-day program for some of the low-achieving boys. Continue reading “Boys Camp” →

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps

PCJ By The Numbers

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Our Peace Corps Jamaica Experience: “By the Numbers”

Poster series made for our bare living room wall

4.09– number of years we’ve been married

1– the average number of cockroaches we find in the apartment on a daily basis (and we’re very grateful that we usually find them on their backs)

10– the largest number of baby chicks hatched by one of the chickens on our property

8– the number of miles from our house to Jedd’s work

270– the number of students registered at Michelle’s school (though not nearly the number who have been attending)

30– the approximate percentage of students at the school reading significantly below their grade level

82 cents- the cost in US$ of bus fare from our house to the nearest town/city (Sav-la-Mar)

2007– the date of the last category 4 hurricane in our area (Hurricane Dean). It was 50 miles off the coast and caused minimal damage.

79– the average temperature here, in Fahrenheit (but lately it’s been more like 90)

8– the number of Peace Corps volunteers currently serving in our same parish

4.5– the average number of vendors we buy from during a weekly trip to the farmer’s market

4.90– price for a gallon of gas here (after conversions)

51.72– minimum wage in US dollars, per week (may not apply to free trade zone factory wages)

* Jedd Thoughts, * Peace Corps

When Life Gives You Cucumbers

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A Jamaican friend told me recently that during our tenure here life would never be boring, something interesting is always happening. This has been true.

This past week brought rolling storms with some of the loudest thunder I’ve heard in my life. We had an unexpected farewell (we will miss you D). Boxes filled with goodies and treats from our respected homes (Michelle’s and mine) in the states. A stern reminder about safety in Jamaica from a concerned community remember. A reminder of the struggles Jamaica faces as told through the documentary, “Life and Debt”. And finally, the promise of a visit from a good friend that Michelle and I haven’t seen in years. As I write I also remembered that we had a chaotic week at both our work sites but those stories will come soon enough.

Yes, life here has definitely been a roller coaster of emotions and new challenges, but Continue reading “When Life Gives You Cucumbers” →

* Life Updates, * Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps

Updates

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Inspired by the Jamaican national pledge and doctor bird logo for the Jamaica 50th anniversary celebration

We just wanted to make our “readers” aware of a few updates on the blog:

1. The Peace Corps Info page (you can find the link under our header photo) has a few updates, including our Packing List for future volunteers and slight changes to info about sending us packages. 

2. Now both of us have twitter and you can see our thoughts from the blog homepage on the right side column. Look for “Jedd’s Thoughts” and “Michelle’s Thoughts.” Since we don’t have regular access to internet, we can text twitter cheaply from our phones and send out little updates that way.

* Jedd Thoughts, * Peace Corps

The Quick Adjustment to a Slower Paced Life

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Enjoying a fresh coconut on the streets of Montego Bay

At some point in ones life, it’s good to take a break, travel to a new destination, buy a refreshing coconut from a local street vendor (if one happens to be there), and remind one’s self that they are living a life they could never have imagined for themselves. I’m learning how to enjoy a slower pace of life.

Life on the island moves at extremes. In some ways things move fast here and seem chaotic, like the roadways and the downtown of our city/town. Cars and buses move fast. Situations can turn ugly here very quickly. For example 20 mins of downpour easily cause flooding and chaos on the roadways due to lack of drains and litter clogged drains. But for the most part, life on the island seems slow. A few examples… Continue reading “The Quick Adjustment to a Slower Paced Life” →

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps

Life at School

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I’ve been contemplating the overwhelming challenges in the Jamaican school system. From the tradition of lax structure and hands-off supervision, to the limited resources and shortened class schedule, the limited vaue in education among families, all the way up to the constraints on the Ministry of Education’s budget at the national level. There are so many symptoms and broad, deep root causes. The same is true with all issues, all over the world. The problems are overwhelming. To ponder them is important but it cannot become too burdensome. For me, faith is critical to keep on going and know that the burden doesn’t all fall in my hands. But more on that later…

Photos: Students who want to help me open the classroom in the morning. My walk to work along the main road. My classroom in the old teacher’s lounge.

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps

In with the Rain

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Rainy season has begun in Westmoreland. I’ve gotten accustomed to adding a side bar when I tell people here that it rains a lot in my hometown. In Jamaica, when it rains, it pours. I imagine a Jamaican translating our explanation of the northwest’s prevalence for rain as one continuous deluge that floods the streets for months on end. Here, a ten minute rain storm will literally flood the streets of Sav-la-Mar (the town nearest us). And the other day, while we were at home during one of the downpours, we witnessed one particular, common rainstorm occurrence: rodents running for shelter. Despite our self-installed mesh screen on the front door, a little mouse rushed the house, apparently shimmied under the mesh with ease, and made a beeline to the corner of our livingroom, right under our noses.  We tried to shoo him out, but we haven’t seen him since. The next morning, we also found three dead cockroaches and one live one- an increase of three from our daily average. So we’re currently devising more ways to secure our entry ways from creatures, especially during the rainy season.