Hello! Sorry it has been a little while since I posted, but things have been really busy. First off, we just came off a holiday weekend. Whee! I went to the parish of Portland on Friday and Saturday, which is considered the “undiscovered” portion of Jamaica. It is pretty untouched my tourists and it is gorgeous. I stayed at a great lodge called Great Huts, which has several African-themed huts to stay in. I got to take an outdoor shower that you may recall was one of my favorite experiences in Malawi. The lodge has a beautiful beach surrounded by a bunch of cliffs. I actually jumped off one (that was pretty low). It was completely safe, but I had a moment of freak out. This was after I had actually jumped and was heading toward the water. My scream was truly authentic and a quite exhilarating.
One of the unintended byproducts of my trip this weekend is a great appreciation for the American infrastructure. This is something I have realized before, but after a very bumpy long ride to Portland, I was once again singing its praises. And if I ever want to talk about how “bad” Missouri roads are I better at least think twice before seeing it.
The past couple of weeks before break were pretty difficult, mentally. I took a statement from a gentleman whose brother was shot and killed by the police. Listening to him say that “the police will pay for killing me brother” nearly brought tears to my eyes. If I hadn’t been trying so hard to keep it together I would have. It is so sad because I have heard that in the past four years not a single cop has been convicted of killing someone in Jamaica. I don’t hold out much hope for Asquit’s (the brother), and it broke my heart watching his brother demanding justice that may never come.
I have also been learning so much about colonialism in Jamaica, and its aftermath. Slavery really did a job on the island, and the people are still trying to recover. When the slaves were emancipated they were given no training or compensation, and many of these former slaves’ descendents have not advance economically. I am also learning firsthand how the United States economic policies have negatively affected small islands like Jamaica. I always knew intellectually how IMF and World Bank loans keep developing countries in a revolving door of debt, but to see how the United States benefits from this was hard. I don’t know how we as citizens can change this, but I know we have to keep trying.
Today I was at the Bob Woolmer inquest. Woolmer was the English coach of the Pakistani Cricket World Cup Team. The day after they unexpectedly lost, at the Cricket World Cup, which was partly held here in Jamaica, he died. At first Jamaican officials claimed it was foul play, and later said it was of natural causes. Jamaicans for Justice had me in attendance to help keep notes and monitor what happened. We also passed out flyers stating that there are over 4,000 cases in backlog in Jamaica, but because this is a rich white foreigner it has been pushed ahead. It was interesting to say the least, and hopefully it can provide a template for getting through these backlogged cases.
I am still working on getting my pictures on-line. My photo library got corrupted (ok, well I am messed with some files, and I some how corrupted it), and I just got them back. Now I have to go through and re-put them in photo albums and then try to PhotoCast them. Hopefully, time willing, this will happen soon.
Other than that I am traveling to Montego Bay and Negril next week so I get to take a week off from JFJ and UTech. It is will definitely be a well-needed break! I will write again when I can!
My semester is half over, so wish me luck in getting everything in on time. Hope to see you over Christmas. My pictures won't load on the blog right now, so once again, I'll put some up when I can!
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