CanJam Camp 2009

What a busy, busy week I have had. This past week our PVI group teamed up with a group of college students to help run a summer camp for inner city kids in Kingston. This camp has existed for three years now and its goals are focused on introducing and teaching the kids about values and common respect within their community and the world. The camp has two different sites that are a few streets away from each other; Myrh Villa and Whitfield. I was originally signed up for Myrh Villa to work with the six year old and under kids but when we arrived Monday morning the Canadian group needed an extra person in Whitfield so I decided to go. My plan of working with the younger kids changed and I was assigned to work with the 12 year olds and up. I was so nervous!! Not having a lot of experience with this age group and being very intimidated with the group I was very unsure of what the week would bring. But I also knew that this could be a very good experience for me so I jumped into it! Our first morning started in a one room building and started with about 40-50 kids and by the end of our songs there were about 100 kids. It’s always more hot in downtown Kingston and the sun was beating down on the one room “club house.” The camp was set up with themes for each day of the week.
Monday: Game Show Day
Tuesday: Earth Day
Wednesday: Around the World Day
Thursday: Sports/Olympics Day
Friday: Field Trip to YS Falls
Saturday: Party!!!!
I think the overall theme that we all struggled with all week is the matter and concept of time. Nothing starts on time which can be a huge frustration when you have things that you would like to accomplish but also a blessing when you are enjoying the company around you and not feeling a rush to do the next thing. Our first activity Monday was to design name tags. Each person in the group was given a card to write their name and to draw something about themselves, something they like, don’t like, and something they would like to be. It was really interesting to see how long it took them. The kids in my group age 12+ just aren’t confident in themselves. They had a hard time coming up with things to describe themselves and even there likes and dislikes. I found that there was a need for consistent positive reinforcement. It was also really hard to get and keep their attention and I ran into this issue all week. It was frustrating feeling like I need to be tough and sometimes hard on the kids but if we didn’t say anything then we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything this week. By Wednesday I had almost had it with our group but Andrea our community leader came by and spoke to the group…Andrew (my co-counselor) and I gave them the responsibility of organizing Saturday’s party and all that it entailed from the set-up to the performances. We put them into two groups and sent them to work and by lunch time at 12:00 they had finalized stuff for the party on Saturday. It’s hard to describe the feeling I had to actually see them positively communicating with each other and taking the activity seriously. I did find some relief early in the week during lunchtime and free play after lunch when we interacted with all the kids. The Canadians brought soccer balls, skipping ropes, and a few other toys. We filled the intersection and streets with kids playing and spending time together. The girls loved my hair because it is so different from theirs and according to them my hair is “so soft.” They enjoyed taking out my hair tie and braiding/playing with my hair. I found that I constantly had one of the little ones in my lap just looking for attention. I learned a lot of things this week. The older kids are definitely products of their environments and act out because of what they see at home. It is completely acceptable to them to hit and talk down to each other. It seems as though many of the kids once they are done breast feeding and can walk on their own are expected to survive sometimes without the comfort of a parents hug. Many of the little ones just want to be held and have some attention fully put onto them. When looking back on the week overall I had an absolute blast and it reminded me of how much I love being a camp counselor. For the week though the kids all got a meal, some fun activities, and some positive role models which might be lacking in their everyday life. In Friday we went to YS Falls which is a natural waterfall about three hours from our home in Stony Hill. We loaded up the buses around 7:00am and headed off. The buses in Jamaica have two seats on one side with a fold down seat attached to the two and then a single seat on the other side. We fit about 6 people across, which is a lot but hey…it’s Jamaica. I had a little girl sleep on my lap all the way there and on the way home she curled up in my lap slept the whole way home. The day was a blast and probably the least chaotic day that we had during camp. There was a pool for the kids to play in with water from the natural waterfall and the kids played for a few hours while we as counselors played and swam with them. Matt, Tracy and I went up to falls and took turns swinging from a rope swing into the falls. They also have zip-lining there and I hope when I have guests to take them there. As I said before the week was quite chaotic and we played a much larger role then we were anticipating but I had a blast. I was completely exhausted at the end of the day but a good exhausted.
Today was my first day back into my mission in a week for mass. Its crazy how much I missed being there and being around the people in my mission. What started off as a small group grew and by the end of mass it was quite full. I while we were singing some opening hymns and looked around the room. For a community that has so little there was an immense amount of joy and love in the air. That moment brought to mind an experience I had in Honduras and shared about while in Pittsburgh which was when I felt God’s love around me. I had experienced a very powerful experience in Honduras but this was completely different. I felt God’s love in the voices of the people. In every voice, tambourine tap, and clapping to the rhythm in that church. “If the Lord is keeping you, what you have to worry about” is a line sung often by Aunt Daphe and in church. I find it so true and really speaks to the people of Devon Pen...they believe the Lord keeps them in his heart and looks out for them…as long as they have life everything is alright. I find it’s the simple things that I’m learning so much from and absolutely loving it.

Week 3

I finally made it to Devon Pen on Friday after a long week of running errands and tying up loose ends. As I have said before everything in Jamaica takes a lot longer than in the states. Jamaicans love to have everything stamped and to have many letters of referral before approving you for anything. But as for now most everything is done that needs to be done for awhile. I picked up my passport from immigration on Thursday so I have officially become an immigrant of Jamaica! Crazy huh?!
I had a teachers meeting on Friday at 10:00AM in Devon Pen where I met all the teachers and got a feel for what my school days will look like. I will take some pictures of the school soon and post them but haven’t had a chance yet. After waiting for about an hour to get on a bus Jared and I finally caught a cab up to our missions. I arrived just a little after 10 to the meeting. I met all the teachers which are only 4 teachers and a principal. Miss Burrell will be the acting principal this year…she hasn’t been officially approved as principal yet but to my understanding she will be at some point this year. She told me that she would like to see a lot of open communication between myself and the teachers. Miss Style, Miss Reed, Mr. Davis, and Miss Wilson are the four teachers I will be working with this year. It seems as though I will be doing a lot of work with literacy and reading in the school. When children finish sixth grade they must take the GSAT which is a placement test that students take. There score determines which high school they are eligible to go to…the better the score the better the high school. Many children in the school once they fall behind can’t seem to get back on track and leave school not being able to read. I think it is going to be a very interesting year in school. I think it will be completely different and a challenge to get used to the differences and similarities that I see in the states but I’m excited about this challenge.
I spent the rest of the afternoon at Aunt Daphe’s just hanging out. It’s amazing how I have found comfort in a home of a stranger.

Photos

Aunt Daphe's House


Devon Pen


Oshine

View from my runs

Humbled

After mass at Immaculate Father Lucian, Ryan Peralto, and I drove up to Devon Pen for our 2nd of three masses that day. This was the first time I have ever gone with Father Lucian to a mission for mass. It was possibly one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had. The group in mass today was small but the way Father Lucian spoke to everyone during his homely was amazing. You could tell everything he was saying was genuine and meant to really inspire the people in Devon Pen. He spoke of coming together as a community and not to grieve God because when you do that you aren’t letting God into your life. He encouraged people to embrace God and to welcome him into his life. It was as though the community and the church brought so much life out of him…they brought that energy. On our way back to Stony Hill we stopped at Miss. Molly’s and Father Lucian blessed her house and said a blessing over her. You could tell by the look on her face and through her kind words how much it meant to her. We also made a stop at Aunt Daph’s house to deliver communion to Mas John. I listened as Mas John told Father Lucian how wonderful his wife Aunt Daph was and how much he appreciates all of her hard work. She goes through sleepless nights because he is up struggling to breathe or just can’t get comfortable. Then she is up early in the morning working to keep the house functioning with almost little complaint. Father Lucian listened with an open ear and open heart really understanding the whole struggle that the family is facing. It brought me to tears watching Father Lucian’s gentle hand feed Mas John the Eucharist. As we sat and drank juice with Aunt Daph in the living room after prayer I got to thinking how I can relieve some of their stress and struggles. They are really having a hard time making ends meet which is heart-breaking to hear and see. I talked with Father Lucian and Ryan Peralto on the way home about what can do maybe stay a night a week and help with the night care but that would be a huge commitment to one family. Ryan made a really great point that just being there and helping when I’m there would be huge. I hope to talk to Aunt Daph this week and get an idea of help they could use once and awhile around the house!
On Sunday as well I got to see Micheal a Jamaican take his final vows as a Passionist. I had met him while in Chicago at Discernment weekend. He was attending seminary school in Chicago at Catholic Theological Union. He and Ian another man in seminary school talked to us about life and Jamaica and kind of gave me my first taste of Jamaican life especially the church aspect. Many people attending the final vows mass including many other Passionists and the Archbishop of Kingston. I had met the Archbishop earlier in the week when he had us over for juice and to talk to us about his work in Jamaica. The whole ceremony was really incredible…the music, presentations, and that the celebration was in Jamaica.

Thank God For Life

It’s 7:00am on a Sunday morning and in about an hour we will head over to the Immaculate Conception church for our first of three masses today. Today is a little unusual because the third mass is for Brother Michael a Jamaican man who is taking for final vows. I really love Sundays for a number of reasons but the biggest is the people in Devon Pen. They are so honest and open with their relationship with God and church. One of the biggest things I have learned so far about the people in Devon Pen and I’m sure its universal for all the people in our missions is how much they value life. They truly value being alive. A hurricane could blow through their town and wipe out there home but they would still appreciate just being alive.
On Friday I had the opportunity of taking Charity up to Devon Pen with me to spend the day visiting families. We started in Friendship Gap visiting Miss Vera, her husband, and many grandchildren. It was my first time visiting with Mr. Davidson and I spent about 20 minutes sitting and talking with him. I am still having a hard time understanding Patois the language spoken in Jamaica other than English. Ioca’s uncle Chevy said later that day at the river, he would teach me. Mr. Davidson is a shut-in and doesn’t leave his home due to his really bad arthritis. He told me he used to work on a farm and that he was an incredibly hard worker. He can’t really walk anymore because of the arthritis and he said it’s so hard watching people walk by every day. He envies those who can still walk and work. He said it’s so hard to watch people who are capable of working not take advantage of that. After Miss Vera’s we headed down to Aunt Daph’s. Mas John was doing well and was very talkative which was wonderful and we had a really great conversation. Stopping by Aunt Daph’s is kind of like stopping and checking in at home. Aunt Daph helped me to track someone down in the mission who is going to build us two of our 6 dining room table chairs for our table at the apartment. We just got a dining room table but we don’t have any chairs so we thought what a great thing it would be if people in our mission could make them for us and we would pay them. Marvin will be making me two chairs which will be ready next weekend! I’m really excited about them. After Aunt Daph’s we walked down to the river to meet Ioca, Ava Ke, Junior, Chevy, Steve, and a few other children. I picked up Osheen on the way down to the river as well. We spent about an hour and a half at the river. Chevy asked me lots of questions about school and where I was from. He is in 8th grade and had lots and lots of questions. I’m having a lot of fun learning from everyone in Devon Pen but I especially enjoy learning from the children. Chevy and I talked about everything from fishing, to running, to school, to traveling. The kids played in the river swimming and catching small crayfish. I was taken a little a back but was also really moved after Osheen finished swimming she came and crawled up in my lap and just sat with me while I talked to people around me. She is Mommy’s 2nd youngest and starved for attention. It’s hard not to get caught up in wanting to provide for her. It would be really easy for me to make my focus Mommy and her kids but there are so many people in Devon Pen that have lots to offer. I guess I kind of consider it an accomplishment to be able to provide a small snack and some attention to Osheen that she doesn’t get at home.
I said to Father Lucian yesterday that I didn’t know when to expect when I came here but if I could have expected anything it would have looked exactly like this. There are struggles but there is also so much joy and smiles that I try to let that joy outweigh those struggles. Well I’m off to get ready for mass!

New Pictures

Kingston View from my room

Ya Man

Week two started yesterday and I am already feeling more at home in such a new place. It was nice to be back at mass and Devon Pen and have people know who I am and welcome me into their place of worship. Aunt Daph was there even though her husband was home sick. Also there were lots of children there that I had met earlier in the week so there were lots of familiar faces! My understanding is that my role in mass is to sit with the kids and keep them as quiet as possible and eventually I will start teaching Sunday school. After mass everyone stands around for about 15-20 minutes talking and such. I drove up to Devon Pen with William (who is two months away from being a deacon) and on our way home we piled about 12 kids into his car and drove them to friendship gap to cut off some of their walking.
The Devon Pen church is small…only about 10 pews and a few chairs set up in the back. When it has people in it, it tends to get hot! I found William homily very interesting as well…he really engages everyone in church and encourages their responses. I’m already catching on to some of the hymns so I can sing and clap along. While I was in Pittsburgh, Brother Paul gave a presentation on his life in Jamaica and he gave us a list of things that will let us know we have finally arrived and one of those things was that you won’t be standing so rigid in church and really get into the music. I’m still not completely comfortable but I find the music so engaging!
Most of the homes that I visit in Devon Pen are made of concrete, wood, sheets of metal, or a combination of some or all. They tend to consist of 1-3 rooms all together. The families usually consist of 5 or more so as you can imagine space is tight. Amazingly enough they make it work. I think what has taken be back the most is the over whelming amount of generosity. For people who have almost nothing they are the most giving. The other hard part is that it’s so rude to say no thank you if you’re offered something but you also know that food could feed a few. I take biscuits up with me to the missions and give them to the kids when we go to the river or out playing. Biscuits here are known as cookies and we got a large donation of them when we arrived. The roads to the homes are not paved…only the main roads are and it is quite a walk to many of them. The nature aspect up in the mission is beautiful but there is so much poverty in it.
On Tuesday I spent about 2 hours at Aunt Daph’s. I sat with Mas John for awhile talking and listening to him, Aunt Daph gave me some cornmeal porridge with bread and butter! Another first and I loved it. Her grandson Richard and I played games with some kids from Miss Vera’s and shared a mango together. I got to see Aunt Daph’s daughter Patricia kill chickens that they will sell to a local restaurant up the road. A lot of my visits are just sitting, talking and getting to know people. Aunt Daph is a great resource and I am looking forward to getting to know her and her family more this year!
Charity came on Tuesday as well which was really exciting! The family is coming together!

Life In Jamaica

I arrived in Jamaica on July 24th after staying in Philly the night before. I didn’t get to my hotel until 10pm on the 23rd so I went straight to bed only to be up at 3am the next morning! After a flight from Philly to Atlanta and Atlanta to Kingston I had finally arrived. Because I had been planning on this for about a year it was almost hard to believe I had finally arrived. I was supposed to fly in with Jared, Matt and Charity but because of complications with flights and passports I flew in by myself. Father Lucian, Sister Maureen, and Lauren (a current volunteer finishing up her final week) picked me up at the airport and we headed to Stony Hill, my new home. It’s hard to even describe what the sights were like driving through Kingston. The airport is located on a long peninsula so we had to drive through a lot of Kingston to get to our apartment. There were lots of street vendors selling local fruits, soda, juice, and an assortment of Jamaican goods. It felt like I was in a completely different world. It was about 85 or 90 degrees with lots of humidity so as soon as you get out of a building or car you begin to sweat. I was quiet on the way up to our apartment really taking it all in and kind of in shock not really knowing what to expect. Lauren seemed like such an expert and all I could think is how will I ever become accustomed to all the newness that lay around me. They pointed out land marks along the way but as I look back on it, all of it seemed a blur. We drove up a long road-Hillstone Heights which is where our apartment is and at the top we pulled in next to a large yellow apartment building. We unloaded the car and I brought my stuff up to my room that I will be sharing with Tracy and Charity. I didn’t unpack right away but I did get to spend the afternoon with a little boy named Jamal who was hanging around our house while his dad was working construction on an apartment in the back. It a situation that seemed so unknown I found comfort in just sitting and being with him. Lauren and I also talked for awhile about her experience over the year. She had lots of helpful advice and I would soon learn over the first week to take in everything Betsy and Lauren said…they knew it best…they had lived it for a year. We picked up Jared that evening and got him moved in as well. Matt flew in the next morning so then there was three!
My computer ran into issues on the way down so I have gone without a computer for a week and with so many new things happening this makes for a very long blog today. Sunday was church day we left around 8:15 and headed over to Immaculate Conception Church in Stony Hill for mass. The celebrant was Father Gaston. Mass in Jamaica is a big deal and can take awhile but I loved it. The music is much livelier and is more open and friendly. As new volunteers we were all welcomed in by Father Gaston and the community. Betsy and Lauren were also recognized for their outstanding work this year. Watching how effected Lauren and Betsy were by their community and the love that was poured out to them made me so excited for this coming year. You could see how much they had touched so many people throughout the year and that as new volunteers we have some very large shoes to fill! After that mass we headed to the rectory where I met Father Gaston who would take me up to Devon Pen…my mission for the year. I had found out on Friday when I arrived that Devon Pen would be my mission but I had no idea what it would look like. Lots of names were thrown at me but had no idea who the people were and what they would be like. While headed to the mission I was filled with lots of excitement and nerves. What would it be like, what would the people think of me, would they be welcoming or the opposite? We drove up Junction (a long twist-turny and dangerous road that leads to all of our missions). Mass was lively and long! It lasted about 2 hours but because it was so new and different I didn’t seem to notice much. After mass Father Gaston took me to Aunt Daph’s house to deliver communion to Mas John her husband who is very sick and can’t leave home. We sang some hymns and said a few prayers and Father Gaston anointed Mas John and delivered the Eucharist. It was really beautiful and was really grateful that he allowed me to be a part of it. I also soon learned that Aunt Daph would become kind of my segregate mother for the year in Devon Pen. She is widely known in the community and it well respected. She welcomed me with open arms into her home which was so wonderful and reassured me that this is right where I need to be.
Father Gaston brought me to Lorraine’s in Stony Hill after where a large meal had been prepared for us. Lorraine is on the formation team and will be a person that we can call or see any time for anything. She has lots of connections in the community and told us that she already considers us her children!
The week was busy but slow all at the same time. I am quickly learning that things that take only minutes in the United States can take all day here. We have already made two trips to the bank and need to go back for a third time to finalize things with our accounts. That is one of the many examples of things that seem to take forever!
On Tuesday afternoon Betsy took me up to Devon Pen where I finally got to see firsthand the homes id be visiting often this year. Devon Pen is made up of three sub-communities- Friendship Gap, Devon Pen, and Thomas field. In Friendship Gap I visit Aunt Daph, Miss Vera and all of her grand and great grand children, the Dunn’s and Miss Molly and her grandson Jordan. In Devon Pen I visit- Mommy and her many children, Miss. B, Winesome and her kids and in Thomasfield Ioca and her family. There are more people for me to get to know and introduce myself to but that will come in time and I have enough to keep me busy for a while. On Wednesday and Thursday I took the public bus up to the mission and spent the two days re-visiting families I had met previously. I’m feeling much more comfortable with the area. Taking the bus was interesting…sometimes there is standing room only and that standing room is right in front of an open door. I have been driving as well…in Jamaica they drive on the other side of the road and its completely different from driving in the United States.
Firsts Since I’ve been here:
· Pattie-Jamaican Favorite: dough with beef, chicken, cheese, or veggies in it
· Fruits: breadfruit, mangos, bananas, gynips, papaya, root, jelly coconut
· Acai and salt fish
· Curried Goat
· Red Stripe
· Appleton Rum
· Sweet Bun and Cheese
I’ll write more soon but this is a very long blog. I’ll give more details on what it looks like. I have posted a few new photos and plan to take more this week! Enjoy!