Harmons, Jamaica-2nd day of school

Day3--Friday (however written on Saturday)

Yesterday, we got to the school at about 9am. Again, school starts at 8:30, but the teachers had yet to begin teaching and students hadn't really made their way to their classrooms yet (probably because the teachers hadn't either). I don't really quite get what is going on in the school here. Is it that they don't have hope of making something huge with their lives so they don't care about school? I don't entirely think this is true since when I ask the kids, they all know what they want to be....teachers, pediatricians, cooks, etc. Is it just a lack of resources that the teachers are just burnt out trying to do as much as they can with very little? Perhaps. at 10:30, the students have their break, so the teachers came into the computer lab with Liz and I to learn some of the software that we brought for their students to use. After about 45 minutes of us just working with the teachers, a couple of students figured out where we were, and they made their way into the computer lab.

Within just a couple of minutes, there were about 40 kids in the computer lab surrounding the computers and teachers...it was a priceless moment.

We then sent the teachers back to the rooms (in hopes of them teaching) and just kept a couple of students in the lab to work with individually on the computers.

As you can see, the teachers didn't really take the other students with them...so I ended up taking the extra students outside so Liz could work more closely on the computers with just a few of them. Outside, we played a lot of games...spider in the web, blob tag, hokey pokey, you name it...it was really fun...and also quite tiring.
Some kids just wanting to pose for the camera...

At the end of the school day, we walked home with the kids...many of them hanging off of us. It was about a 2 mile walk, and just as we were about home, it started pouring rain! Within minutes, it started looking like a hurricane minus the winds, and the power went out...for 8 hours! Actually, I think I was more surprised about it coming back on, than I was about it going out.
We decided to go out to dinner with Candy and Lloyd at a little place in Harmons.

The door on the left (with Candy peaking out) is the restaurant, the door on the right is the shop where you can buy bread and such. The restaurant was about 4X9' and had 4 stools in it that you could sit on to eat at the bar. They cooked the food in their house and would bring it in for you to eat. It was very very very good...fried chicken!


Well, I'm going to head out and see what needs to be done...the rest of the volunteers are coming tomorrow and there aren't enough beds, benches, or tables, so today is going to be a building day of sorts...

Jamaica Day 2--at the school

Day 2 (Thursday)


Liz all dressed and ready for the first day of school!

Today we went to the Harmons all-grade school. There were 134 kids in the school, 1st-6th grade, and only 4 teachers. Many kids stop going to school after 2nd grade, so by 6th grade the class size is much smaller than it had been in 1st grade. School costs $40/month, so many can’t attend because of the cost. Won By One has started a school sponsorship program though that allows many kids to go that otherwise couldn’t have. The kids all have to walk about 2 miles to get there, and then again 2 miles to get home.

When we got to the school, we met in the principal’s office for a few minutes before she announced that the 6th graders had to take an exam today and she need us to be the proctors. While the kids were taking the exam the principal gave me a copy of the exam and told me to try it. So, I went through and answered the 80 multiple choice language arts questions…not knowing if my answers were right…but just doing it because she suggested for me to, and I had nothing else to do in that moment. After the exam was finished, she collected the papers and then asked me to grade the papers using my answer key. What?!? I didn’t know I was creating the answer key! The exam that they were taking was a mock exam for what they will have to take next week to place them into high school. All kids get placed into a high school based on how well they do in school. There are no high schools in Harmons, so if they end up going to high school, they have to take a taxi to get there….yet another expense that I’m sure most cannot pay. Out of the 22 6th graders, only 10 were taking the exam. The other 12 will have to repeat the 6th grade. And of the 10 who will be moving on, 1 is illiterate and another cannot read past the 1st grade reading level, yet because of their age, they can no longer stay at the school.

During lunch period (which lasted over 2 hours), the kids brought food outside to eat and then ran around. I got to play “red light / green light”, a version of “mother may I?”, “duck duck goose”, and “brown (or for me “white”) girl in the ring”…not sure what to think about that game…they didn’t seem to think anything of it.


Kids surrounding Liz as she tries to write lesson plans...the kids said this was their first time seeing a computer.

Liz met with the teachers to discuss the computer lab and find out their knowledge level of computers. Then, later in the afternoon we went around and met with the teachers to discuss ways in which they can implement computers into their lesson plans. Two teacher seem like they are willing to try it, another seems like she’s going to fight us on anything and everything we suggest, and the fourth we didn’t get to meet with today. It was pouring rain at the end of the school day, so we got a ride back to the Harmony House with the principal instead of walking. Tomorrow we are going to bring software to the school and show them how to use some programs and how they could enhance their teaching. The tricky part is making sure the teachers don’t let the computers do all the teaching/babysitting.


the school


the outhouses

Well, now it’s really time for bed…

Ja Ja Jammmaica!

Day 1 (Wednesday)



We have arrived in Harmons, Jamaica! In case anyone is curious, we are essentially on Central Time. Technically, Jamaica is EST, but they don’t observe day light savings, so time-wise, it’s CT.

Liz and I both just got done typing to our Ryans (her husband’s name is Ryan as well)…and we’re pretending we’re in an internet café (wifi of course), even though we are really on bunks in our dorm room…the wifi (via satellite) part is true though! ☺

My flight from Tucson to Newark, was pretty entertaining. I sat next to a 76 year old woman who was really engaged in the safety video. Anytime they said something like, “We at Contintental are the best in our business”, she’d chime in with a “wow…really!?”. Or, when they said, “Thank for choosing us and welcome aboard”, she gave them a firm “Thank You” back. She was very sweet and cute indeed.

I met up with Liz in Newark and we flew together to Montego Bay, Jamaica. The excitement of that flight was getting a hot roastbeef/swiss sandwich and a salad! And, the fact that twice the pilot had to comment on the intercom about people smoking in the bathroom and how that is illegal.

Arriving in Montego Bay…it’s very very humid here! I’m used to the heat, but the humidity is unreal. The airport was a lot like Nogales, Mexico in the sense that everyone was offering to carry bags, show you where to go, etc…all for a tip. That is always such a hard thing for me. Here they are trying to work and make money, yet we’re told to say “no” and be firm. And, once we say “no”, they pretty much back right off. Which, I think is the best thing to do…but is it? I don’t know…it’s a hard thing to know I suppose.

We got picked up at the airport by a couple (Lloyd and Candy) who live here for part of the year leading groups down to Harmons, Jamaica (Manchester County) to do service, building houses and relationships. I don’t usually get car sick, but I have to admit I was feeling quite nauseas part way through the drive because of all the winding roads up the mountains. It’s almost a 3 hour drive to Harmons from the airport…and the entire way is winding roads and cars almost hitting one another. (Mom, you’d love it! ☺)

Just before we reached Harmons, we stopped at the closest town and had dinner…Burger King. I don’t even like going to chains when we are in the states, let alone in another country, but who am I to complain…it’s probably fancy dining for a lot of people here…I have a lot to learn this week, I’m sure.

Our first interactions upon arriving in Harmons were very tear jerking. As we drove down the street the kids that were outside ran to the street waving because they recognized the Won By One van. Then, when we pulled into the driveway a woman came towards us with a small child (about 4 years old) and was very upset and told us that over the weekend her sister had died. She had gotten sick and went to drive her to the hospital, but she died on the way, and the little girl with her was the daughter of her sister who died. It was neat to see that she wanted to come and share this right away with us in a way of knowing that the people at Won By One really care about her.

Harmons is a village, with very jungle-like landscaping. It has a population of about 2,500 people, and an unemployment rate of 80%. There is no running water or telephone lines anywhere in the village, with the exception of the Harmony House. The reason that the Harmony House (where volunteers stay) has water, electricity, and even wi-fi is so that they are able to communicate with groups and bring down so many people to help, and be able to provide the resources that they can to the village. Normally people who come down, don’t bring computers like we did, but since Liz and I are going to be working in a school setting up a computer lab…it’s a bit different for us…and allows me to communicate with all of you! (although, please don’t expect emails returned) ☺

So, to tell you a little bit about the organization I’m down here with. It is called Won By One, and was started in 1996 when the current director's parents came down to Jamaica after Hurricane Gilbert. He felt like he was being led by God to Harmons, which really, he had to have been led by God, because there is no way he could've possibly found Harmons any other way...it is soo remote.
At that time he had come down with his wife and 2 children (one of those children being the now current director) and they slept on the floor of an ‘abandoned’ government medical clinic. During the day they would go out and build relationships with the people of Harmons and help people in any way that they could. They only stayed for a week or so and then went back to the states.
They came again the next year...and then the following year they came a couple of times, and friends of theirs had asked to join them...so it grew...and then those friends had friends they wanted to bring down...and those friends had youth groups and college groups to bring down...and it just kept growing and growing on its own...and the guy said he felt like he was being called to make a big difference in a little place, as opposed to a little difference in a lot of places...
so, they built the harmony house (where all the volunteers stay), and now they have about 600 "friends" come down every year to serve.
The Harmony House/Won by One is the largest employer in Harmons. They employ 40-55 Harmons residents to do cooking, cleaning, farming, etc...and it's considered one of the best job to have in Harmons. I’ve only been here a day, and already I have a lot of respect for the organization and what they are doing here. They are always looking to create new jobs so that they can begin employing more people of Harmons.

Since there is no running water and Harmons doesn’t have any lakes or rivers, people collect the rain from their roofs to use it for cooking, washing, etc.

Won By One encourages anyone who comes down to serve to bring 2 full suitcases of clothes to give away to the people of Harmons. The clothes that we bring down go in a store that is part of the Harmony House, and the residents of the village are on a waiting list to come and shop...their are currently over 1000 people on the waiting list and when it's their turn to shop they pay 75 cents and can fill 2 grocery bags worth of clothes. They charge a small amount just to help the people appreciate what they are getting even more. And because of the waiting list, people usually only get to shop every 2-3 years.

Well, I think I’m going to leave you with that for tonight…I’ll type more tomorrow.

blogging bonanza!

I've let much time get in between my last post and now...so so sorry about that! I'll do my best to get y'all caught up on what we've been up to for the past couple of weeks! :)


We picked up Rachel from school and spent the afternoon making soft pretzels...

Ryan was very creative in his shapes...

Then, we taught Rachel to 'gamble' by playing a game called "left right center" to get bites of the pretzels! :)

Friends of ours got married and had their wedding reception at the Reed Park Zoo.

They had an anteater that you could pet!! Who knew that the claws of an anteater are sharp enough to break flesh and bones?!?! That's pretty darn scary...but good for breaking bark off of trees to get to the ants I suppose. :)

We got to walk around the zoo...the peacocks were the best...this male was doing a mating dance and had his feathers completely spread out. You know on rap videos where girls shake their butts really really fast? That's exactly what this peacock was doing...it wasn't working out too well for him, as the ladies didn't seem too impressed...but it was entertaining to us nonetheless.


Last Tuesday night we took a red-eye flight to new england! Unfortunately, we didn't get any time in Boston...we flew in, had dinner with Kamisha and Rachel, and then drove to New Hampshire for their first show at Rivier College. Our friend, Mauryn, was able to join us for this part of the tour.

The next day we drove back down to Boston so that we could see some friends for lunch. Ryan and I went over to Liz's house to meet her new baby, Charlene!




RH's second show was in Lewiston, Maine at Bates College...it was so fun to be back touring and on college campuses with students!

After the show at Bates, we went out and played darts with the student activities staff and a couple of students. We played Bates vs. RH...and really embarrassed ourselves with our lack of dart throwing skills...although, I must give shout outs to Ryan and Cameron b/c I think they may have both gotten bulls eyes at some point in the night!


The show in Portland, ME was at the University of Southern Maine. While we were there, we got 13" of snow dumped on us! And of course since it was a rental car, we had no scrapers or anything. We made good use of our atlas though, and had a few people offer to help push us out of parking spot and then again up a hill...I can say with confidence that I really love living in Tucson where it is warm all the time!

One of the students at the University of Southern Maine, requested a song, "Intro to Human Psych", after the show was over, and offered to sing harmonies with the guys...so they pulled out their guitars and had a little jam session with John...


Well, there you have it...our life for the last couple of weeks! :)

Tomorrow night I'm flying to Jamaica with our friends Ryan and Liz Lincoln to work at the Clarendon May Penn Infirmary until April 1st! I may have my computer while I'm there, and if so I'll keep you posted on what we're up to! Please pray for our safety in traveling and while we're there...and for Ryan while he's here! :)

Outdoor fun!

Last week Ryan and Cameron played a show on the lawn at the U of A. It was gorgeous out (until the sun went down and then I wished I'd worn long sleeves and pants), and tons of students came to listen. It's so nice being in a university town. I definitely don't take advantage of it as much as I'd like to, but there are so many neat little shops, restaurants, and people around.


After their show, we went and saw Matt Wertz play at Club Congress. Matt is doing some amazing work in Uganda building a village for girls who have run away from being sex slaves. He is part of something called the Mocha Club, which he invites his audience members to join, which says that they will give $7/month to this cause...$7 roughly being the cost of going out for mochas twice/ month.


Last night I helped out at a high school track meet! It was so much fun (and even a little emotional) to be caught up in the track atmosphere! I miss organized sports sooo much! But, I do have a running partner now, so that helps to compensate for the team feeling. There was a girl from Flowing Wells H.S. who took first (among boys and girls) in the two-mile...she ran an 11:10....it was unbelievable!

Yeeeehawwww!

It's Rodeo Week in Tucson! School is closed for 3 days, Western Warehouse is having a huge sale on Wranglers, and I even borrowed a pair of cowboy boots to look like I fit in. :)

After church today a group of us had lunch at Pico de Gallo...I even got pico de gallo (fruit with chili powder, salt, and lemon sprinkled/juiced onto it)...I know some of you may be saying, "That's not what pico de gallo is...it's salsa!, but we asked the woman who owns the place and she said that the salsa like stuff is technically pico, although it's a regional thing and it can vary from place to place what what is called. ...mom you would probably like the type of pico de gallo that I had today! :)

(Eileen, David, Melissa, Chris, Randy, Lanie, Ryan, and me)


Then, we headed down to the rodeo grounds, only to see...


This is how that made us feel...


Even though we were looking like cowboys (Ryan in his Wranglers, I in my boots)...


The most we got to see was...


Next year we'll be buying our tickets in advance! :)

Hike-a-luca!

This past weekend we had gorgeous weather and took advantage of it by going for a hike with Chris and Melissa at Sabino Canyon (the telephone line trail). Part of the trail was closed due to the monsoon damage from last summer, but what we did get to hike was beautiful and gave us a great view of the mountain ranges south of Tucson. And, it was a very special occasion...the very first day of Chris and Melissa's 6th year of marriage! :)


After the hike, we went back to their house and had a great dinner followed by Scrabble! :)

Over the weekend, we also saw the movie, "God Grew Tired of Us", a documentary on the Lost Boys of Sudan. It's an incredible movie, that I highly recommend for everyone to go check-out...for those in Tucson, it's playing at the Loft right now!

Our friend Owen is in town, and Ryan, Cameron, and Owen are lounging on the couch right now listening to/playing music...I always love it when they play their guitars together!

Craftastic!

The world-famous Gem and Mineral Show has finally arrived in Tucson! I've been hearing about this big occasion since before I even moved out here, and even though I've had a year to digest it and prepare for it, it has still succeeded in completely overwhelming me! Imagine a LARGE expo event, such as at a marathon, food show, car show, etc...and multiply it by 25! No joke, this thing is spread throughout the entire city of Tucson. It has taken over hotel conference rooms, actual hotel rooms, parking lots, mansions, convention centers, etc...it's out of control...and lasts 2 1/2 weeks! I've gone down there twice so far to get some items for making jewelry with, but both times I've reached a point where I can't buy anything anymore because I'm too overwhelmed. Our friend Liz has told us her survival plan for going ot Ikea, and I think I'm going to have to attack this in the same way when we go back next week, by bringing snacks and a list of exactly what I need to buy and how much I can spend.


Wednesdays I go to a Bible study (BSF) at a church down the road, and afterwards a group of us go to lunch and knit/crochet at Christina's house. They are hardcore knitters...making sweaters, ponchos, bags, socks, etc...I like to stick to the easy stuff like blankets, scarves, and washcloths. :)


This morning I went to tumbling class with Naomi (Ryan's cousin), Elijah, and Isaiah (her two kids). Then afterwards we went to Naomi's sister's house to visit her and the new baby! Baby Naomi was born on Sunday weighing a hefty 9lbs and 12oz!


This weekend we will be honoring Grammie with her very own Grammy Award!! :)

S'mores, Sabino, and Saguaros!

Hello!

We are FINALLY experiencing the Tucson winter weather that I had been hearing about...no more of that snow, freezing nights, and slow starts for the car...(well, that's not true about the car...she'll always need a little extra rev in the morning). Oh, speaking of the car...have I even shared a photo of our new car with you?? Here's a picture I have, it's kind of dark, but her beauty shines through...

It was an amazing deal and a huge answer to prayer! It's a 1987 Nissan Sentra with only 57,000 miles...and only had one previous owner! Her current name is Gray Beauty, but feel free to post any other possibilities, we don't feel like this name is final.

Oh, back to weather...it's currently about 75 degrees. It actually made Ryan and I think of going camping the other night...so we went out and bought fixings for s'mores!




Yesterday our "Boston" (none of which actually live in Boston anymore) friends came to Tucson for a beautiful hike in Sabino/Bear Canyon! We hiked the Seven Falls Trail, which looks quite a bit different after the monsoons we had over the summer, but still beautiful!


(ErinStacy, Natanya, Paul, Abby, Ryan, and Cameron)


This morning we woke up at the crack of dawn, which for us is 6:20am, for a 7.6 mile trail run out at Colossal Caves! It was a gorgeous park with saguaros everywhere. The course was another hilly one...we gained 1300 feet of elevation within the first 4 miles, then turned around and pretty much repeated that same gain again. It was fun to run on the trails, although a little slow because they were very narrow and single file, so you could only run as fast as the person in front of you, and choosing to pass meant that you were committing to passing a whole line of people and staying at a speed ahead of them. The post-race party was at a ranch with a bonfire and a hearty southwest breakfast of eggs, beans and tortillas! :)




(Yes folks, we had pop-warner cheerleaders guiding us through the finish line!)


Well, we're off to a Super Bowl party/card playing party...Go Patriots...j/k. :)