* Jedd Thoughts, * Life Updates

Sustaining Gardens

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IMG_6211
ACE Staff chat with a homeowner about their planter box

Yesterday I  was not at the community center teaching basic computer classes to senior citizens. I went on an adventure.

Far across the island from our normal location, I spent the day with the ACE (American Caribbean Exchange) team doing 21 house visits in 2 different communities, visiting families that they support. ACE is a non-profit organization that has been doing sustainable community development work in Jamaica for over 25 years. You can learn more about who ACE is and what they do at their website: American Caribbean Exchange

We connected with ACE during our first year of service and were drawn to their mission. Since then we’ve been visiting the organization (located in Galina, St. Mary) here and there during breaks from our regular assignments to assist in what ways we can Continue reading “Sustaining Gardens” →

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps

Jamaica in “Winter” Photos

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The other day, a family member back home asked me if there were any flowers blooming in our yard here in Jamaica. It’s something hard to fathom, coming from the Pacific Northwest where everything is dead and gray right now, but the flowers here are always blooming. That’s one thing I love about the tropics. It never gets dreary. Here’s a glimpse of what’s growing in our yard:

jamaica flowers Continue reading “Jamaica in “Winter” Photos” →

* Jedd Thoughts, * Peace Corps

Jamaican Eats

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A fellow volunteer recently asked me how come it took so long for me to write about food, since she knows of my extreme passion for cooking and eating. I just forgot. Food is one of those things both highly celebrated or simply a part of day to day life.

As a traveller, one of the best things about living abroad in another country is getting to try all the new food that the country you are visiting/living in has to offer. If you are a Sociology geek such as myself, you’ll also love the rich cultural and historical context that food provides when getting to know a country. If you love to cook, learning a couple of local favorites is a great tool for integrating and earning respect. If you are a Peace Corps volunteer,  it’s also a great time to try different recipes and work on your cooking skills.

But in the end, for me, it’s all about eating. I love to eat.

Like many developing countries, Jamaican food is rich in tradition but more practically based upon what is accessible in terms of ingredients and equipment. In its most simplified form, Jamaican cooking can be summed up in 6 words: fresh, stewed, baked, steamed, fried, and jerked. The food nerd in me could talk for days about all of this but I’ll do my best to give you Continue reading “Jamaican Eats” →

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps

Thoughts for New Peace Corps Volunteers

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Bags packed for Peace Corps
First day in Jamaica

We’ve started to hear from the incoming group of Volunteers (about 30 come to Jamaica each year) who will start their training in March. I know it’s an exciting time for them. When I was in their shoes, I was soaking up all the information I could find about Peace Corps in Jamaica. Being less than five months away from our departure, there are inevitably a good number of lessons we’ve learned on our journey. Maybe they can help the next generation of PCVs…

Continue reading “Thoughts for New Peace Corps Volunteers” →

* Life Updates

Annual Review Exercise 2013

mcmeeshi

annualreviewHappy New Year! As mentioned in our Year In Review post, we took some time off over Christmas to reflect on the past year and cast our vision for 2014. We followed the Annual Review shared by The Art of Non-Conformity and here’s what we came up with:

What went well this year? Continue reading “Annual Review Exercise 2013” →

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps

A Year In Review

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Annual Review
This year, we’re trying out the Annual Review exercise shared by blogger Chris Guillebeau on the Art of Non-Conformity site. The basic idea is to set aside time to consider:

  • What went well this year?
  • What didn’t go well this year?
  • Next, you set specific goals for categories of your choice (Friends & Family, Service, Travel, Spiritual, Health, Learning, Financial Earning, Financial Giving, Financial Saving, etc.) including 3-5 measurable objectives for each one.
  • In the end, you come up with a summary and “theme” for your upcoming year.

Because the coming year brings a close to our chapter with Peace Corps and starts a whole slew of new things, I’ve been really looking forward to this exercise. I think Jedd and I both truly enjoy dreaming about possibilities. And because we’re not going home during our Peace Corps service, we decided to treat ourselves to a Christmas “staycation” here in Jamaica so we can rest, relax, and reflect. 

Another Year in Jamaica
In the spirit of looking back at 2013, here are ten of our most memorable moments and favorite blog posts:

Do It Yourself: Peace Corps DIY Ingenuity – It was really fun to see all the ingenious creations volunteers around the island have put togetherTP crafts Continue reading “A Year In Review” →

* Michelle Thoughts, * Peace Corps

Christmas in the Caribbean

mcmeeshi

xmas collageIt was not until I was asked to put together decorations for a Jamaican Christmas choral service at school, that I realized how much of the American Christmas celebration is really just about winter:

Snowflakes.

Snowmen.

Evergreen trees.

Holly.

These were some of my first ideas for decorations. But none of them translate to the Jamaican context. Sure, Jamaicans are accustomed to these images being imported into their Christmas. But they really don’t make sense in a place that will never experience winter as we know it. Continue reading “Christmas in the Caribbean” →

* Michelle Thoughts

Some Blog Updates

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Reggae 10k pre-race at 4:45am
Reggae Marathon & 10k
Fish fry at the Plant/Garden Expo
Outdoor kitchen at Plant/Garden Expo
Spanish Bridge at White River
Jedd jumping from Spanish Bridge
Endangered crocodile sanctuary

Photos from this past week with our visitors. Photo credit: Jedd and Aunt Susan

It means a lot to know that someone is reading our blog. I was just looking back over our list of blog subscribers, and some of you – like Mike A., Paula, and Jeff D. – have been following us for over three years now! We really appreciate you sticking with us. Continue reading “Some Blog Updates” →