Negril

We have been in Negril for three days now. This place is so beyond expectations. My site (the Theadora Project) is an amazing organization started by a Presbyterian minister (Margaret) whose mission is to help youth and young adults gain control of their lives by empowering them with literacy, math, computer, and life skills, as well as career guidance and individual counseling. Most of the students have dropped out of traditional schools and have little to no financial support or family stability. As a result these men and women are usually weighted with personal, family and social hardships and likely have been exploited (most commonly sexually/human trafficking). Unfortunately, resort communities located in economically depressed areas attract dark sided opportunist, and even worse is that there is a demand for it. The casual observer won't necessarily see it in the streets of Negril, but it is there (as anywhere). Dissertations have no doubt been written on the subject. I will refrain and move on for now.

Tomorrow is my first day! The Theadora Project and Shared Hope is starting a Summer Camp tomorrow, so I will get a relaxed introduction into the organization. "Camp" is a bit different from their school in that students from the community are invited regardless of home life. It should be a great way to meet some of my neighbors considering Brian and I only live about a mile away. Margaret (my supervisor) was psyched to meet Brian and is scheming ways to get him involved. She not only needs his IT skills but also wants him as a mentor/role model for the young men. He is hoping to be able to split his responsibilities with his primary job in order to hang out with us at the Theadora. What is his primary job? It's an "All Age" school (next door to where we live) serving as an IT and reading specialist. Sound familiar? That's what happens when you have 20 plus years experience in technology/education AND you are really good at what you do. He is still struggling letting go of the beekeeping job.......... no doubt by next year he will have found a way to justify a secondary project requiring production of honey.

OK - where do we live? In an insanely non Peace Corpsish home a block from the water. It's a two bedroom "flat" complete with kitchen and bathroom that is attached to our landlord's house by an outdoor walkway. The place is beautiful (a hot box but beautiful). On our property there are two stand alone apartments where two additional Peace Corps volunteers live, so our place feels more like a Peace Corps camp than a traditional Jamaican household. The advantage to this is that we are scoring a lot of good advice and insider tips for how to get around. Most valuable tip so far? Where to get Red Stripe on the beach for about a buck. Am I in the Peace Corps or is this all a dream? The reality - with our wages we still can't afford it! Makes for a nice splurge though.

Public transportation is insane, but no surprise there. Always an adventure. And our neighborhood is a taste of true Jamaica: a church around every corner (with a beer shack across the street), older men and women sitting under shade trees chatting in Patwa, kids racing up and down the hills on their motorcycles and bikes, children playing in the street, roosters crowing, dogs barking, music playing in the background, the sound of dominoes being shuffled in the distance, the sporadic, subtle hint of "ganga" hanging in the air......... and this is all before noon. Despite the "resort strip" located about a mile down the beach, Negril is very much a laid back town.

(not your average) Negril moment:
* standing on my porch at sunset reflecting on the day while absorbing my surroundings, feeling immersed in Jamaican culture...... and 2 Mormon missionaries ride by on their bikes complete with shirt, tie, helmet and headlamp. Did that really just happen?

It is currently 10:18 PM and the temperature in the house is still above 90 degrees, so I am off to take a cold shower before bed. Looking forward to mango and pineapple for breakfast tomorrow, and then a mile walk to work.

By the way, our PC friend from training just called. He is living in a remote village located in the heart of the Blue Mountains on a pig farm. He has to walk miles in order to reach public transportation, there is no store so his host family feeds him what they grow in their garden, AND his PC required cell phone doesn't get consistent service. He is 23 and struggling while Brian and I are both thinking "lucky dog"! Makes us smile.

All is well. Wishing you the same. Blessings, Y