At Site...

Soooo, I got placed near Falmouth, Trelawny, on the north coast of the island working with the Ministry of Education guidance department. I have been at site since my last post, and have been loving it. My host family is great – my father is a bishop and my mother is a pastor. They are both very kind and have been helping me with my transition. My house brother is a great guy who has shown me how to cook breadfruit, scale fish, and fry fish Jamaican style. Sweet.

A road near my home, with an old sugar silo on the left

The good thing about being placed in the GC dept of the MoE is that I will have a relatively structured job with specific expectations and be working with a group of people who want me to have lots to do. The bad part is that during summer session, there isn’t much for me to do. But that actually might be a good thing right now – I have had a lot of time to network and meet people around town, as well as get familiar with my surroundings and try lots of new food and visit lots of beautiful places. A lot of people have had rough situations to deal with, but I really haven’t had that experience. My host family has been great, and I got a placement and job very similar to what I wanted, so as of right now I am quite content with my situation.

A random goat, in a field. Quite explanatory, really.

The reason for the length between posts is that I don’t really have a high speed internet source to post pictures online. I AM however, fortunate enough to have a 56k connection in my house, which is how I am posting right now. My room is quite nice, all things considered – significantly nicer than my junior year room at Williams, and nicer than my senior year room at Hoxsey. I have my own bathroom and own private entrance, and the temperature here is quite similar to back home. I have enjoyed peace and quiet and a beautiful neighborhood, and have been able to go running during the days. At night the area isn’t well lit and I have heard some rather troubling stories about security, so I am trying to be home by night and reading before bed.

Hurricane damage to a field near my house.

I have visited a few very nice beaches since getting placed up here—for those who don’t know the north coast and west coast are generally the ‘touristy’ areas of Jamaica, but Falmouth manages to have the scenery of the north coast without the bustling tourist crowd, allowing me to get around town without being hassled for the color of my skin, while still enjoying beautiful scenery and trade winds. The trade winds are key. Kingston has none, and is the weather is stifling there. I guess I do get people shouting, “MoBay! MoBay!” in my direction every now and then while walking around town, but these calls have decreased significantly as people see my face around and realize that I am not another tourist. Anyways, yes. It is quite enjoyable up here.

This Friday is Emancipation Day, one of the major holidays in Jamaica. It should be a scene – I hear Falmouth closes down its central square and has a huge party. Should be interesting.

Another random field...

SOO, yeah. Not much else to report… if I was doing better about posting I would have more interesting things to say, but hopefully you enjoy these pictures, and hopefully I can get a more regular/easy way to post in the near future.

Love,
Tommy

P.S. Jerk Pork is delicious, especially with the skin still on. Except for the hairy parts. Also, Jackfruit is delicious. And eskovich fish is delicious (I think that is how you spell it) – a whole fish fried with oil and seasonings that you eat with your hand. Guinep is still my favorite new fruit.

P.P.S. Ocho Rios isn’t the best. Don’t go there unless you want to get ripped off. There are better tourist spots that are less oppressive.