Not much new to report

So, this week, not a lot happened. I didn't take any major trips over the weekend and nothing all that interesting happened at my agency. My roommate and I did do "American" day on Saturday. We went to Wendy's for lunch and then ate ice cream from Baskin Robbins. It was, I must admit, a lot of fun, if not all that exciting.

Jamaica got to me a bit on Tuesday. It took me a long time (about 90 minutes) to get to my agency (I have to take two buses and there is no regular schedule), so I was already pretty hot and tired by the time I got to work. Then at the end of the day I had to commute for another hour across town to pick up a paper from my university, due to miscommunication and technology issues. The public transportation system is not a lot of fun here, but I made it. I think it was just one of those days when things just get to you. In my reflection class (yes, I have to do reflection) we talked about how roughly 5 weeks in or so you tend to hit a wall when you are living in a foreign country. The newness of the situation has worn off and you have time to notice the inefficiencies, or other things that are annoying. This hasn't only been true for me either; it seems like this week each member of my group has picked a day to just feel kind of blah. We're bogged down in homework and getting tired. No worries though, in my case at least it was just like a 24-hour bug, and I was feeling all better by Wednesday.

I did get one major hurdle out the way this week in my Jamaican history class. I had to lead the class on the "Freedom Experiment." I was pretty nervous, but I think it turned out pretty well. If you have any questions on the Abolition of Slavery and its aftermath just ask. Oh, and I learned about Samuel Sharpe and Paul Bogle, who both led rebellions in Jamaica and are two of Jamaica's National Heroes.

The next couple of weeks should make for some more interesting posts. I am going on a trip to see some housing projects in Jamaica on Saturday, a hike up the Blue Mountains to see the sunrise the following weekend, and the weekend after that I will be in Port Antonio which another city on the beach. Oh, and a few weeks after that, I'll be in Montego Bay and Negril.

I am posting a couple of pictures from the Bob Marley museum that is located here in Kingston. I went about a month ago, but the pictures are still cool. I am trying to publish some pictures everyone can see more than what shows up on the blog. The internet, is as usual, a bit slow and that is causing me uploading problems. But as soon as I figure it out, I'll send out the link.

Have a great weekend!

PS-so, the pictures won't upload right now, but I'll put them up when I can.

Ocho Rios and the Supreme Court

Last weekend a group of us were able to go to Ocho Rios which is on the North Coast of Jamaica. It is one of the major stops for cruise ships when they dock in Jamaica, but luckily for us Saturday is generally a slow day (which seems odd to me). So we were able to enjoy Ochy (as Jamaicans call it) in relative peace. Of course that meant that every street vendor wanted us to come to their shop, but at least it wasn't crawling with people.

The North Coast is beautiful (as you can see in the picture above), but it also shows how much Jamaica's economy is currently in the hands of tourists. There is a mall (an azungu mall, for those that know the term) full of clothes that are way too expensive (and too small) for the average Jamaican to afford. They also have are very stereotypical Jamaican shirts. I still had a good time though, seeing the view and hanging out on the beach.

On Sunday we went to a famous attraction in Ochy called Dunn's River Falls (which is also pictured here). It is a beautiful waterfall with cool water that flows into the sea. We climbed up to the top, and as a bonus we were able to pay the local rate, which was about $8 US cheaper than normal. As you all know I am not the most coordinated of people, but I am proud to report that I did not injure myself. It was a ton of fun and even though it is geared toward tourists who want to say they "saw" Jamaica (seriously, they had a guy video taping us who made us say phrases like "No Problem, Mon)it was totally worth it. I recommend it!

It was back to work on Monday, and this proved to be a very interesting day as well. I got to go to court with the lawyer who works at Jamaicans for Justice. It was the opening day of the Supreme Court session (which is their version of the lower court, or district court). They had an "opening ceremony" with singing which was fun. It is also the first time in Jamaican history that the Chief Justice is a woman, which is pretty awesome. Since Jamaica used to be a British Colony all the lawyers wear the black robes and bow as they go to sit down and when they leave the courtroom. Another odd thing is that lawyers from both sides (Defence and Prosecution) sit on what looks like choir benches with a desk next to each other. The neatest part for me was the fact that the judges wear the white wigs (also due to those British ties). They even have a ceremonial wig (which I saw her wear in the beginning) and a working wig when she got down to business.

Unfortunately the legal system is in desperate need of reform here in Jamaica. There are over 200 cases that need to be tried (in a country smaller than many of our states) and some are several years old. It is notoriously hard to get jurors to show up and serve and often witnesses simply "disappear." I was able to attend about a half an hour of a civil case. It was a little depressing because a gentleman was suing for a what seemed to be around Jamaican $10,000 for medical bills. This sounds like a lot, but is really only $150 US or so. It brings home how much poverty there is in the country.

I have also had a busy week of classes with several papers being due. I have to apologize that this post has come a little late in the week, but internet access has been iffy this week for some reason. To make up for it I will leave you by telling you that as I was walking in front of the US Embassy today (it is in my neighborhood) I completely missed a step up and went flying across the sidewalk. It was reminiscent of my wipe out in Tanzania for those of you that have heard that story. I am sure the Jamaicans were wondering what this crazy American was doing.

Hope all is well and I will post again soon!

Classes Have Started. (Eek!)

This past week was an almost normal week for me, finally. None of us Americans were allowed to leave the house on Monday because of the Jamaican General Elections. In these elections, held every five years, Jamaicans vote for their area representative in Parliament. In the General Election all 60 seats were up. It is very important for a part to win a majority because the head of the party becomes Prime Minister. So, the people don't actually vote directly for their Head of State, though I guess technically we don't either (darn electoral college). There are two main parties in Jamaica: the Jamaican Labour Party (JLP) and the Peoples' National Party (PNP). It has been a very hotly contested election and it looks like the JLP won. The PNP have been in power for 18 years or so, and I guess people were ready for a change. Oddly there isn't a whole lot of difference philosophically between the two parties so it is hard for me to understand who one would choose. It goes a lot by area here, there are strong JLP and strong PNP areas. There can be a lot of violence on election day which is why we had to stay inside. There were some rumors of gun fire, but nothing too major. Since the election a recount was demanded and now there have been reports of people winning that may actually not be legally able to hold a seat. So, I'll keep you posted on that.

I was finally able to go to my agency, Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ), on Tuesday. I didn't really have a whole lot to do since people were still recovering from the election. I did learn a bit more about the agency. One of JFJ's major areas of focus is in trying to fight police brutality and corruption. The staff lawyer has represented a lot of families that have lost family members due to police violence. They also take phone calls from people that have been victimized and get a lot of info out to the media. JFJ has recently moved into the area of Community Organizing and are going around to very poor towns and teaching people about their Human Rights and how to organize and gain more community resources. It looks like I might get to go to court with the lawyer during some of these cases, and/or go on some of the town meetings. It seems like it will be a good way for me to get out and really see Jamaica, though I am a little worried that it will make me want to go to law school. (That noise you just heard was Kymberly crying out in pain)

The one thing I did get to do on Tuesday was some research on a case that is in the appeals process. Four people were murdered in Crawl (or Kraal, I saw it spelled both ways) Clarendon (which is parish here). It seems as if the police came in, shot these people, and then planted evidence to make it look like these people got killed in a shoot out. And the police won the first time! So, I read some court documents and press clippings. I read a statement from another police officer talking about how he saw others plant this evidence. The legal system is in dire need here. Apparently they want me to also read the court transcript, summarize it, and give my opinion. To be honest that intimidates me a little bit, but it will def. get me involved in the process.

I also had a full set of classes this week. I am taking a lot of classes dealing with Jamaica (the history of Jamaica, the literature of Jamaica, Contemporary Jamaica) and so far they have been very interesting. I have class with only three other people so it is very small and intimate and you have to participate. Though, it isn't like I have a hard time talking. It seems like I will have a lot of papers to write. I suppose this is graduate school.

I have put with this blog some pictures of the little guest house that I live in. It is the front door, the porch, and the back "yard." The house of the family that I live with is about 5 feet from my front door, so we are just a hop, skip, OR a jump away if we need them.

I think that is all for this week. I will update again soon. Keep up the emails or comments, I enjoy them and it gives me a little taste of home.

Missing you.
-Sara

Hurricane Dean and His Aftermath: My first weeks in Jamaica

Well I have to say that my first couple of weeks in Jamaica have definitely been interesting. I arrived right before Hurricane Dean and have seen first hand the immediate aftermath of a hurricane. Unlike a tornado which just comes up on you, when a hurricane is coming you have a bit of time to prepare. Because of this, my host mother, Mrs. Rattray, had already gotten lots of water and coolers full of ice for us. She also took us (my roommate Rocsy and me) to the grocery store within the first twenty minutes of our arrival on Saturday so we could “stock up.” The day of the hurricane (which was Sunday, August 19) was a real eye-opener for me.

It was pretty windy when I woke up on the day of the hurricane. I asked Rocsy, who is from Puerto Rico and has experienced hurricanes, if this was the hurricane. She laughed and said that it was just the beginning. As the day wore on the wind blew harder, the rain came down heavier, and the true “hunkering” down began. Rocsy and I live in a little apartment off the back of the house so when Mrs. Rattray brought us food around 2 pm she said, “I’ll see ya tomorrow.” We lost power and water around 4 pm and I would say Dean truly greeted us around 6 pm or so. The wind was so loud that we were basically yelling at each other in order to be heard. The curtains were blowing in the wind despite the fact that all of our windows were shut. The rainwater was coming in under our front door so we had a little pond as well. I fell asleep to the sound of Dean around 9 pm or so. I woke up a few times trying to gage where he was and I would say around 9 am the next day things we much calmer—storm wise at least.

Monday started the long stretch known as the “aftermath” which we are still dealing with. Our electricity was restored on Thursday and our water on Friday. I am told that I should consider that a miracle since the last time a hurricane hit Mrs. Rattray was without either for two months. There are still many areas on the island without water and about 30% still don’t have electricity. We still don’t have our phone line back and thus no internet at home. All of the internet providers were down for about a week, but there is a delightful little coffee shop close to my house which has the internet I am now using.

School which should have started this week will officially start next week. I am getting excited to get going and also am fairly nervous. It has been a while sense I have been in school! I have been out to my agency once and will also start there next week. They have a website, so if you want to check it out here ya go:

http://www.jamaicansforjustice.org

I want to thank everyone who sent me emails regarding the hurricane. I promise I will get to all of them as soon as I have more reliable internet. I will also try to get into my habit of updating this site weekly.

Ok, my internet time is up, so I will email you all soon.

A new adventure...

So here is the happy post I promised. It is going to be pretty short as I need to unpack and get ready for this Hurricane-thingy that is heading Jamaica's way. I had a great week at my M.A. Orientation in Atlanta this week. My classmates have proved to be great people thus far. They are very inclusive which is awesome! I also met a couple of my profs and I am quite looking forward to learning from them. I also have to give a shout-out to Martha and Romelle (who has answered all of my million questions) from the International Partnership of Service-Learning. All around a great group.

I am in Jamaica and with my host family. Kingston is interesting as it is somewhat developed with fast-food restaurants but there is also a lot of poverty. And this is just from my trip here!

I'll post a lot more details later once I have had time to process them!

Saying Good-Bye...

I waved good-bye to my life in Kansas yesterday. It is hard to believe how fast two and some years go by. It was in 2004 around this time I started contemplating becoming a VISTA and moving to Leavenworth. It is amazing how much things have changed since then--after all I have found something I can be passionate about! I never thought three years ago how long I would end up staying in Leavenworth or how attached I would become. Yes, to Leavenworth, and especially all the people.

So here is where I tell you about all the hard things of the past few days. It was really hard to tell Monica (my Little) bye. I met her when she had just turned 5 and now she is 6 and half and going into first grade. It was one of the more difficult things in my life. It was hard to finally turn in my keys for Saint Mary and truly have that phase in my life over. It was hard to tell Kymberly and Justin au revior, my two constant friends. It was hard telling the other KC kids bye. It was hard to move out of Annie's and realize that we won't be around each other for the first time in two years. It was hard to say bye to Lexi when it seems like she just got back from Africa. It was hard telling everyone I have formed relationships with the past two and half years bye, those of you from USM, BBBS, and the other various places I met you! Heck, it was hard to tell my Starbucks and Cingular co-workers cio-abunga. I'm going to miss good ol' KC and I am definitely going to miss my Chipotle!

So this blog is all about my good-byes, because gosh darn it, I have spent the majority of the last few days either crying or wanting to cry. I promise the next blog, which will be soon, will be much happier. That's because it will be all about new beginnings and the next adventure I will be facing. After all, I was sad to leave all my St. Louis friends and my family two years ago and look what happened. I had a great time, grew personally and professionally a whole lot, and well, met a lot of new friends.

So to all of you friends I was blessed to meet while I was in the Kansas/KC area, I love you and I will miss you! Keep me in your thoughts and/or prayers and keep in touch. You are fabulous people.

See ya!

I'll Miss You Harry (and Ron and Hermione)

Well it is done. The last Harry Potter book has come and gone and there will be no more. I was so excited for the book, but I was also a little sad. As I read the last pages I was more sad than happy, not because of the ending of the book, but because the books were over. The more I have time to think about it the more I like it. I would say that I loved the first third and the last third of the book. The middle was a little slow, but I just think J.K. Rowling wasn't quite ready to let go either. Anyway despite what I didn't like, it was a great series and a great book. And I will definitively will miss you Harry, Ron, Hermione etc. Three Cheers!