We’re on our way home within a week. What a ride it’s been: satisfactions; frustrations; lessons learned; friends made; observations and experiences anew; raging heat and humidity; sweat soaked clothes; pouring rain; mangoes; gorgeous clouds; bammy; litter; a four month drought; dogs and livestock roaming the streets; ackee and salt fish; miles walked each day (literally and figuratively); grateful people; callaloo; reggae and gospel music all day long; a lock down for all PCV’s; appreciation; and the realization that much more needs to be done.

Gary returned eleven days ago after three long months of separation. He went right to work helping me finish-up the closing and completion of our many projects. It has been made so clear to us that even people we don’t ever recall meeting greatly appreciated our returns. Those actions reassured so many that they were important and worthy enough for us to feel the need to return. In the first few days after Gary’s arrival, the walk to town was long and slow; everyone, including people he’d never met, stopped to welcome him back.

Our original plan was to finish the projects, take four days to visit a part of the island we hadn’t seen, head to MoBay for our host mother’s birthday party and then spend three days in Negril for the Close of Service Conference where we would see all our fellow volunteers who arrived and trained with us. None of that happened.

If you’ve followed any of the recent happenings regarding the extradition of Dudus, a West Kingston Don, you know about the violence and death that has occurred in Kingston. The Peace Corps has to be very conservative about our safety and security in those situations. None of the PCVs were at risk in their respective sites; the problems were travel beyond the sites and the prospect of violence spreading. In order to ensure our well being we were required to stand fast [not leave our communities] for a week; the PC had to be prepared to evacuate us immediately if the turmoil became widespread. Of course that week fell at the outset of our final adventures. And then, the drought ended with a rush; heavy, heavy rains, and thunderstorms; so much so that we’ve been not only confined to our town but essentially locked down in our house. We’re calling it the Chapelton Chalet and pretending we’re at a spa.

So, here we are with nothing to do and no place we can go. As the say in Jamaica, no problem, mon. You just have to roll with the punches, there’s no fighting the forces in Jamaica, whether they are man made or naturally driven.

Some of the nicest things about our last days have been the appreciation extended individually and collectively. Appreciation ceremonies are a tradition in Jamaican culture. A gentleman, who recently died, was given one a few months ago. Their premise is to say thank you before you die [or in our case leave]. They turn them into big events to celebrate the honoree. We’ve had two so far. They are touching, surprising and heart warming. Gary’s had a tough time maintaining his composure. We’ve been given so many memorabilia items that Gary suggested to one audience that we will start a Jamaica room in our new house.

If you ever want something to do that gives you a new perspective while challenging your mind, body and soul think about the United States Peace Corps as an option

After we get home we’ll move into a small home we bought in East Chatham, NY [western foothills of the Berkshire Mountains] and get started on the next stage. We hope to pursue the construction of a family compound in Canaan, NY, about 20 minutes away. Margaret's also going to see about getting a part-time job as a Peace Corps recruiter serving the colleges in the area, or to work as a Healthy Lifestyles Consultant at Canyon Ranch, a health spa in the Berkshire Mountains. Gary’s going to hunt, fish, and play golf.

Jamaicans never say good-bye, it’s too permanent. The only say lata.

Lata,

Margaret & Gary

THE END

The drought continues in our area and it’s getting a little worrisome. Yesterday I had to buy 2 fifty gallon drums of water because we had nothing,… nada, ….not a drop for any purpose. Until last week I got by with bucket baths [about a half gallon a day and one if I washed my hair] but I actually went four days only sponging off with a wash cloth and not washing my hair. Gary was shocked; he couldn’t recall one day in our 41 year history of my missing a bath/shower.

Each day has been a new lesson for me in water conservation. After not washing any clothes for ten days I had to get some done. The Jamaican women take theirs to the river, a half mile walk carrying it on their heads, but I chose the luxury of doing it by hand in a bucket using 5 gallons of my newly purchased water, two for washing and three for rinsing. I washed everything by hand, towels, sheets, and clothes; wrung them out well; and dumped the left over water in the toilet tank. Then I discovered a great way to get more mileage out of the rinse water. After rinsing a few items I skimmed off any soap bubbles then rinsed more pieces. That gave me enough water to rinse each item twice [what a luxury!] then I dumped the remaining water in the toilet tank. All that water in the tank allowed me to flush for the first time in two days [thank goodness for toilet lids].

On the streets of Chapelton everyone carries multiple containers hunting for water, women, children, and men. I watched one young teenager with three full five gallon containers transporting them to her house two blocks away, Someone who had a bit of water must have given it to her family. At two cups of water per pound each one weighed 40 pounds. She solved the dilemma by ‘leap frogging’ them all the way, carrying one jug 20 feet, going back for another, and then for the third one….all the way down the street.

Apparently [I didn’t hear the actual report], the government has said the drought is officially over and everyone now has sufficient water. Today I spoke to a young man who lives in an even deeper rural area than Chapelton, where there are only farms and a few shops; he said they have water. What’s happened here is that I live in a “scheme” [development] which is densely populated [about 1/8th of an acre per house]. We rely on a single water tank about a mile away to supply us all. The story is that the tank is full but its pump is broken. Now in the US that baby would be repaired over night or there would be riots; not so in JM. Gary and I have seen water main leaks run for weeks before any repair is made. I don’t know if it’s a lack of willingness to get it repaired [if in fact this story is true] or that, because the government is so broke, there are not enough mechanics available to get all repairs accomplished in the parish. What seems obvious to me is that once the tank is operational we’ll be back to square one, a continued water shortage. When the water begins to flow it will be sucked up by 4,000 empty home storage tanks. Mrs. Rumble said it will take her a year to get her two tanks filled. The real worry is that if a hurricane hits this summer the difficulties will double without sufficient water stored.

No one complains. One of the Jamaican mantras is “tings cudda wurse”; so I suppose that approach helps those in rural JM cope with the frequent calamities they face.

On the up side, the Peace Corps has granted me an Advanced Close of Service. I will return June 5, almost two months early and prior to the thick of hurricane season. I’m very grateful for that. I miss Gary a lot. So, I’m busy finishing up projects and/or getting Jamaicans to take them over. Gary will come for a visit May 18 and stay until June 4.

The ACOS is considered a completion of service; thus, I will be qualified to take a government job, that I am qualified to do, on a non-compete basis. What I’d like to look into are Peace Corps college recruiting positions in western Mass/eastern NY. I think I might enjoy that on a part time basis.

Tuesday I will defend my parish title as female seniors track champion. This year there is one woman from Chapelton who may give me some real competition for the title. I hope to leave JM as the only white track star in the Caribbean. I consider it quite an accomplishment here where track rules the sports scene. Their recent CHAMPS series, the national high school championships, were run as if it were the Olympics. Every event was televised and the athletes were treated as world class sports stars. The Seniors don’t get the same attention, but it’s nice to know I can represent my country and be considered a valid competitor in a sport they value.

That’s all for now; I’m off to take a bucket bath while there is water to allow it.

Stay crisp, Margaret

Things change again. I was in Massachusetts for three weeks during Gary’s surgery to remove his prostate and now we’re optimistic the procedure was successful. We will have a more definitive evaluation around April 6th when he receives follow-up PSA test results. If the score is 0.0 that indicates all cancer cells were likely removed. If it’s any higher than that he’ll re-do the PSA test for confirmation. If the second result supports the first positive score then other treatment measures will be taken. I returned March 21 to Jamaica and left Gary walking three miles a day. He plays his first round of golf today {Easter morning] with John. The miracles of modern medicine are truly astounding. So, right now things look rosy, but if the April 6 test results are positive I will separate from the Peace Corps right away to go home a help him with the next stage.

I would have stayed in the States if there had been anything to do for me at this point and nothing to be done in Jamaica. Gary’s busy, he: heads to Tampa next week to visit Stephen in; his oldest son, Todd and his grandchildren the following week and then he’ll make preparations for us to move into a home we just bought near the land where we’ll build our family compound in Canaan, NY. Presently it’s occupied by renters until May 11th. Unless Gary’s results are positive, I will stay on and wind up our roles in the various projects we’re involved in, take an early end of service on June 4th, and come home. I didn’t get the big grant and that’s turned out to be a blessing, I can see my mind would not have been fully engaged in the project.

I returned March 21st to a full fledged drought that has been going on in the Caribbean since I left. We’ve all heard about and/or experienced drought in the US but nothing that matches what’s going on here. We literally have no water. For Mrs. Rumble, my host mother, and I it’s not a catastrophe because we have the cash to buy water to drink, wash our hands, and clean our dishes [note I didn’t mention any of the luxuries like bathing, washing clothes, mopping the floor, etc], but for the majority of the community, who didn’t have $$$ to begin with and who relied on their agriculture for food and the river for water, it is bleak. There’s no means for all these farmers to earn anything if only for trading or bartering. All day long people walk the streets with empty plastic jugs looking for water. There’s been an outbreak of gastroenteritis because citizens’ can’t wash their hands. There’s a gray haze over everything, literally from the toll that’s been taken on the people and virtually from the dust haze. Jamaica is no longer green and is getting browner by the day. It all feels like what I imagine the “dust bowl” of the 1930’s must have felt like. Please think about how precious your water is as a resource, it is finite.

On the upside, in the midst of what many have told me is the worst of times in their lives, the Sangster Heights Citizens’ Association held it’s 2nd annual Sacred Concert for Community Unity on Good Friday. This time we let people come in for whatever they could afford to pay rather than the $200JM [$2.25US] charged last year. It was such an uplifting experience for all of us, an opportunity to have a good time and forget their worries. Those who didn’t have any money just stood outside and listened to the great band and all the items [JM for local contributions to the performance]. They danced, celebrated, and laughed all night, it was wonderful to see. The irony of our success was the band’s fee was covered by the local Funeral Home. I’m sure they’ll get some near term benefits if this drought doesn’t end soon.

Finally, on a familial note, both of our sons have changed jobs in the last week. For those who know Stephen it has been a monumental reversal. After dedicating his life to baseball for ten years plus he came to the realization that life in the big leagues is not what it seems. His schedule as a scout for the Texas Rangers began January 15 and much like his internship roles never stopped. He was on the road evaluating talent so much so that he saw he would never have a family life, ever. His schedule was non-stop 10 months of the year with two off in November/December. He wasn’t even able to come see Gary during his surgery. That did it for him. So, he started looking and John put him in touch with a commodity trading firm that specializes in alternative fuels. Once they found a spot for him he put in his two weeks notice and started a week ago. What was odd about this event was that three weeks ago the president of that same company, OceanConnect, out of the blue, took John to dinner and offered him a very nice position running one of their main desks, petrochemicals and alternative fuels. At the same time he received word that a big financial mortgage deal he’d been working on for nine months with the German Landis bank came through. Yikes!! As he said, so many are jobless and I have two fantastic opportunities. He stressed for a week,…. which would be the right decision??!! As he said, it’s better to have this kind of angst than being out of work. As of tomorrow he and Stephen will work for the same firm. John leaves April 15 for three weeks in Singapore and Korea to meet some of his staff. Then he goes to London to do the same. Both are very excited about their new opportunities and we’re happy for them.

And, what have I learned from all that’s happening to and around me……….. Stay flexible, things change and you’ve got to be able to adapt. As the Jamaican’s say, “tings cudda wurse”.

Hope ‘ever ting be crisp’ [happy], Margaret

P.S. Results just in Gary's PSA is 0.1...according to the Dr...that's great!

Things change!! That was the theme of one of the church sermons we heard a year ago and that’s certainly proved true for us. Up until two weeks ago I hadn’t had enough hours in the day to get everything done for two months and now I’m sitting and waiting ……….for many things.

First, Gary has been medically evacuated to the US. He’s been diagnosed with moderate stage prostate cancer. It appears he may not be allowed to return. The PC policy for medical care is that when it takes more than 45 days to resolve they separate you from the PC. They will take care of him but he will no longer be able to serve. As one of the medical officers said to me last night, “you never know; miracles do happen”, but the expectation is that he’s finished. Our first clue was in preparation for departure the PC completed all closure paper work in the event he didn’t return.

After many tests in Kingston over six weeks, he left two days ago for Boston armed with all his results from PSA scores, digital exams, and a sixteen site biopsy report with accompanying tissue slides [Considering that a prostate is about the size of a walnut I can’t imagine much is left of his now]. He will need a few more tests in the US to see if it’s spread. Then he’ll consult with doctors before deciding which procedure and by whom the procedure will be done. The Jamaican urologist recommended he get this taken care of within the month, so that’s the target.

He sees his first doc Monday morning and after that we ought to have a pretty good idea as to which procedure and when it can be done. He’s scheduled to see another doc Friday morning and then will decide from there if more need to be consulted. With that information I’ll have an idea of when to schedule my emergency leave to be with him.

What comes next is up in the air. As we understand it oncology test results are simply estimates of a patient’s status and not until the doctor is able to see and test surrounding tissues do you have a reasonable idea of what is next. If it turns out to be a routine prostatectomy and he has laparoscopic and/or robotic surgery he’ll be up and at ‘em in about 3 weeks. If he needs standard surgery it could take six to eight weeks. If they find it’s spread beyond the prostate other interventions will be required.

So, here I am waiting and hoping all will be well for him. It’s tough and lonely without him. At this point [I may change my mind] the plan is for me to stay on here in Jamaica and just take the brief leave [I’ll get to the rationale for that shortly] if the first or second situations occur. If the latter occurs I will separate and stay home to be with him.

Another thing I’m waiting on are the results of a mega-grant proposal I submitted in January. [It’s unbelievable how things unfold and then appear to collapse before your very eyes]. In late October I was asked by a Jamaican leader to submit a proposal to the National Health Fund [a Jamaican Foundation] to take the concept of the Healthy Lifestyles Seminars I mentioned in the July 30 blog to a national level. That’s why I’ve been so busy. There have been meetings and consultations with Ministries of Health and Education officials, parish leaders and educators, and local people I have already worked with on this project. That plus the research and writing process took up 90% of my time and focus for the last two months. The grant was submitted January 26 with the understanding that it must be funded no later than March 15 [all along NHF officials have said “no problem mon”….we’ll see about that]. If it goes through it might become a major contributor in the island’s fight against the chronic disease epidemic. Over three years it will cost more than JM$300,000,000 [US$264,000] to fund the project and if it goes to the six years I recommend it will be in the JM billions. Below is the proposal’s executive summary so you get an idea of what is proposed.

If healthy lifestyles are the bedrock of wellness the Jamaican health care system has been ‘rocked’ in the last ten years with a precipitous 10% increase in chronic diseases associated with unhealthy lifestyles. The financial and human costs are rising annually. Jamaican research suggests inactivity is the leading cause for obesity and overweight in 90% of women; 28% of males smoke; 98.5% of all Jamaicans eat less than one fruit and/or vegetable per day; and 30% fry all protein foods [Wilks, 2008; Ferguson, et al 2008]. Further, up to 38% may suffer from depressive disorder (Brown, 2005). Diet, activity levels, overweight/obesity, stress, and smoking, each modifiable lifestyle behaviors, positively correlate with the incidence of chronic diseases that Jamaicans now face at an ever increasing rate: Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, breast and prostate cancers, dyslipidemia, and osteoporosis.

Chapelton Hospital and the US Peace Corps are partnering to address this issue in Upper Clarendon. Presently three all age schools, St. Augustine Boys Home, and the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Chapelton, all in the Chapelton Health District, have had teachers, parents, youth and/or church members trained in healthy lifestyle practices (hygiene, exercise, nutrition, and stress management) during six-day (nine hours total) seminars at their respective sites. The aim of this model was for each participant who qualified for certification (according to written and practical examinations) to teach others: adults and children. Three all age schools, Chapelton, Rock River, and Wood Hall used HLS:TT certified teachers to instruct parents at PTA meetings and professional colleagues at staff meetings. As well, parents reached out to church members during services. The intent was to provide training for their colleagues to teach students and for parents to sustain the instruction at home. The objective was to provide a consistent message and skills that support the goal of reducing rates of chronic disease.

Acting within the structure of the Ministry of Education’s Health and Family Life Education Project (HFLE), the current proposal intends to test the Chapelton model, expand the concept of the HFLE project, and broaden the outreach of the Healthy Lifestyle Seminar to two parishes with distinctly different demographics, rural Clarendon and urban Kingston. In year one a random selection of 20% of public all-age and primary schools in both areas will test the template (with smoking cessation added) used in the Chapelton Health District. Certified Healthy Lifestyle teachers will conduct these seminars in their respective schools. Pre- and post-testing will identify knowledge gained as well as assess participants’ likelihood of changing their lifestyle behaviors in any or all of the five topic areas. On a monthly basis, certified teacher trainers will provide support, follow-up and further evaluation of progress at each participating school. During site visits trainers will also work with parent leaders regarding their skills development and participation in the effort.

The HLS:TT two-stage pilot and all-island project will: 1) be a partnership between MOE, Clarendon Health Department of the Southern Regional Health Authority, and the US Peace Corps; 2) run 39 months from March 2010 to June 2013; 3) reach 25 pubic schools in stage 1, 122 in stage 2 and 605 in the all-island effort ; and 4) cost $15, 194,761 in stage 1, with $ 13,106,761 requested from NHF, and an estimated $72,000,000 in stage 2. Yet to be set, costs for the all-island stage are estimated to be 3 ½ times those for stage 2. Pilot stages will identify successful strategies that best apply in rural and/or urban settings, allow for refinement of procedures, and ascertain more precisely the required materials/equipment. Using information and procedures developed in the two stage pilot, a revised effort will be developed for an Island-wide program designed to reach each parish with a similar concept. As we attempt to dramatically reduce the incidences and rates of chronic disease in Jamaica, this project will be a two-front attack from home and school on the current lifestyle practices known to be the sources of the current chronic disease epidemic.

So, I wait…..to see what happens with Gary…… and the proposal. Regardless of the outcome of the grant I won’t stay to implement it if Gary needs me, but it would be fulfilling to be able to see it through.

On the upside we’re still waiting on the Computer Center opening but it is eminent. There is a management committee in place, a J$983,777 grant was awarded to the Citizens’ Association for this, equipment is ordered and expected to be delivered next week, the room is secured, all tables and chairs are set up and waiting, phone and internet lines are in the cue for installation and the same is true for the burglar alarm. We’re planning a Grand Opening for the end of February [I’ll be away in the US but am sure they’ll carry it off in fine Jamaican style].

Another positive is that Gary’s situation may have accelerated the rate of project ownership by many of those in the community. Several of those we’ve worked along side appear to have realized they have to take over from us or all their efforts and money will have been wasted. With our scheduled departure only seven months away many have recognized the need.

What has been interesting to watch is how over time the belief and trust in what we’ve facilitated has been accepted and owned by the residents. It’s a demonstration of why two years is necessary. Initially, Gary and I had to do most of the work and we rarely had any leads on who to go to. Just last month someone stepped up and offered to find a truck to pick up five metal drums from a Kingston distillery who was donating them to the Citizens’ Association for water storage and garbage collection. When it was time to clean and set-up the Computer Center room people I’d never seen before showed up. A carpenter offered to donate his time to install a secure door for the Computer Center and a furniture maker is building a storage cabinet for the computer room tomorrow morning. Now that we’re about to leave we’re seeing residents appear from seemingly nowhere to contribute. All of this is reassuring that there may be a measurable residual once we leave.

I’ll keep you posted on Gary’s status; in the meantime keep everything you have connected to your body crossed for him. More lata, Margaret

It’s been a while since our last blog sometime in October. We got sidetracked with activities here in Jamaica and with the expectation of heading back to the U.S. Our family got together in the US for Thanksgiving and a good time was had by all. While it wasn’t particularly cold it was a relief to get away from the heat and the first time we were back in the states for any length of time since last Christmas. We arrived in Hartford on November 24 in order to beat the Thanksgiving traffic. Our destination was Hardwick, MA with our good friend Art Dell Orto. Our two boys arrived on the evening of the 25th when the celebration began in earnest (See Pics). In addition to good food, family, friends, and good ole’ R & R our time home was great. This is our last trip home until we depart in late July or early August. In addition to the R&R I ended the trip in Boston and specifically at Boston University, where I attended the dissertation defense of my last doctoral graduate student (we’ve been communicating via email and phone for the past year). She did a great job and will finalize her writing prior to the birth of her second child in April.

On the Jamaican front it was pretty quiet during the month of December---the English influence brings things to a slow (slower than normal) pace during the Christmas holidays. As soon as we returned from the US Margaret found out that we (the community) were awarded a $983K grant for a computer center at our local Community Center. This application began over 6 months ago. The next goal is to get the Center secure so that we can house the 10 computers and peripherals. Exciting times for the community!

Stephen came to visit for Christmas. It was great fun to have him here. He spent 2 ½ days in Chapelton and saw us at work. He even helped the Senior Citizens’ group deliver food packages to elderly shut-ins. Then we took him to the north coast and Ocho Rios where we spent the day at Dunn’s River Falls. The Falls are about ¼ mile long and we climbed them together with him then he did a timed climb of 8 min. 50 seconds. It was fun and exciting. We stayed in a villa of a couple US missionaries we’ve met. We had a beautiful view of the Caribbean .

Leaving Ochi our destination was to get indirectly to Kingston. So, we headed east along the coastal highway to Port Maria. It seems that the southwest [recall Treasure Beach] and the northeast coasts are the nicest places on the island, relatively untouched by tourism. Yet both areas are distinct in vegetation, dry and arid in the south and wet and tropical in the north.

Stephen’s last 24 hours were in Kingston. We stayed at our favorite hotel where it was very plush: a pool, gym, internet service, cable tv, wonderful food, a tropical ambiance, and great service. Then we walked over to the Peace Corps office where he met several staff members. We ended his stay with a taxi trip to downtown through the grand market [blocks and blocks of higglers in stalls selling anything and everything] and over to the rural bus park where we got out to catch a bus home and he was taken to the airport. He headed back to Florida to start his new job as a scout for the Texas Rangers [team not police].

I (GS) have written two grant proposals for two different communities. The Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives funds projects all over Jamaica for democratic governance and human rights. I worked with the Social Development Commission in an attempt to provide funds to move a rural Basic School that currently is held in the last five rows (pews) of a local church to a one room Community Centre. The CC needs an addition so that there is a kitchen and toilet facilities for faculty and students. The problem with holding the school in the church is that when they have events during the week (conferences or revivals) the school takes a back seat and is closed during this time.

The second grant, also to the CFLI, is for sanitation facilities for seven residents here in Sangster Heights. When the Health Inspector did a survey last spring they discovered that almost 10% of those surveyed had no toilet facility in their dwelling. This proposal simply asks for money to provide pit latrines or toilets for seven of these residences. I submitted a similar grant last June to another agency that has yet to fund our request…though they haven’t rejected the proposal. The CFLI meets in May to decide whether to fund these projects.

Not to be outdone Margaret has been working on a LARGE grant from the National Health Fund to establish a healthy lifestyles program that basically will train teachers and parents on the essence of health lifestyles (exercise, nutrition, hygiene, and stress management). They will then train others…a pyramid type methodology. The chairman of the grants section of the NHF is a friend who we have played golf with on a number of occasions. Sometime during October Margaret had spoken to him about a series of lectures she was doing on lifestyle. He was impressed with the content and asked Margaret to submit a grant so that this program could be implemented Island wide. She is currently working on a submission deadline of January 15th. This grant has the potential of being in excess of $1 B Jamaican which is the equivalent of 11 million US. Margaret may stay in Jamaica for the next 10 years to run this grant! NOT!

NOT is right. The six year project is designed to be self sustaining by the end of the first year. I expect that after we leave in August that I’ll have to return on a consulting basis a few times over the next 18 months but after that they ought to be fully operational on their own. Twice I’ve told our friend that I’ll be leaving and will need to return on a consulting basis and he never blinked.

There's only 18 minutes left on our computer time for today and so much to tell. Some ups and downs to report. Our camera is broken so no more pics until we get one in Novemeber when we return for Thanksgiving. John and his girfriend, Ashley, visited for a long Columbus Day weekend. They had a whirlwind tour of western JM. They spent 2 days in Chapelton, two in Negril and 2 in Rose Hall at that Ritz. They saw the full range of Jamaican life. It was wonderful to have them with us, albeit too brief. We've struggled to help the hospital get a major fundraiser off the ground; the second effort was just canceled but we're ever optimistic that the next effort will be the right one. They desperately need things like reliable water, a washing machine to launder the linen, computers for the records room, garbage bags for the garbage. Items you and I take for granted in the most basic hospitals. Hopefully, we're on the right track this time. Gary's writing more grants to get toilet facilities for homes and schools. I'm preparing to teach certificate programs to teachers and parents in Healthy Lifestyle Living. A few friends have indicated they may or will visit us in the winter. We'll be glad to have more American's around. Many of the volunteers who started with us and who are still here are counting the days until they come home. Although we're still busy and doing meaningful work we too are anxious to come home next summer.

Keep everting crisp, Margaret

Two weekends ago (August 23) one of the coaches that Margaret is tutoring in exercise physiology decided that it was time to go on a day trip to a part of Jamaica we hadn’t visited. So on Sunday morning we took off at 8 am (scheduled for 7am) and headed to the south shore to a place named Alligator Pond…the beach was called Little Ochi (named after the north shore town of Ochi Rios). The beach was pleasant, not crowded and different in that the sand was black…the picture attached to this blog doesn’t really show the color very well but believe me it was black. After an hour or so beach walk, some lazy Sunday morning lounging and some wonderful shrimp and Red Stripe for lunch we ventured back on a little different course and stopped off in Mandeville (a town nestled up in the mountains and always cooler than wherever else we’ve been) to take in a cricket match.

I will not bore you with the details of the match except for a few common-like features that were similar to baseball. It really didn’t matter who the match was between…we were trying to decipher which were the offense and the defense because they all wore the same color, except for the umpires. The “pitch” (similar to a baseball field in that it had an outfield and an area that was representative of a diamond – although not a diamond but a rectangular shape) was the playing field. The “bowler” was the counterpart to the pitcher. The main difference with the offense was that there was no such thing as a foul ball…everything hit was in play….and that balls that were hit and rolled past the outfielders and past the limit of the outfield were scored as 4 runs and balls that were hit over the limits of the outfield (like a homerun in baseball) were counted as 6 runs. Anyway we finally got the knack of the game after a couple hours…the winning team won 102 – 101 in a game that had a limit of 15 overs for each team. Each “over” consisted of 6 deliveries by the bowlers of each team. GOT IT?!!!!

Last weekend (Fri) was my birthday. We celebrated by playing two rounds of golf in Kingston and staying in our favorite hotel which had the last of its “summer specials.” It sounds crazy but we were in heaven and enjoyed a king size bed, air conditioning, wonderful Jamaican breakfast buffet, pool, and gym…in a quiet area of Kingston called New Kingston (which BTW is where the Peace Corps office is located). My present from Margaret was six books…I’ve already read 17 books since we landed in Jamaica……that’s essentially a result of no night life after 6pm.

Summer is basically over, just as in the US but you’d never know it with regard to the temperatures….(not like the temps I noticed on the NY channel we get which showed 50s and 60s for nighttime lows near the end of August). Children go back to school after Labor Day, just as in the US, but it’s not called Labor Day here…that was back in May.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first guests (John and his new girlfriend, Ashley) scheduled for Columbus Day weekend (US). We plan to show them around Chapelton for a day or so and then venture to Negril (the capital of “chill”) in the far west of Jamaica. We’ve not been there yet so it will be an experience for all four of us. They will be treated to Jamaican taxi and minibus transportation on the way. After chilling for two days we will end the long weekend in Rose Hall (Montego Bay) with a round of golf at the White Witch Golf Club…which is named after the ‘White Witch’ of Rose Hall…an old sugar cane plantation back in the 1800’s…Rose Hall is the name of the main house located on the plantation, where the White Witch (Annie Palmer) lived and supposedly murdered three of her lovers (husbands and slave lover)…it was burned down by the slaves during a rebellion and then restored in the mid 1900’s by an Englishman. The course is now located on part of the old plantation grounds and is supposed to be very scenic overlooking the Caribbean on many holes. Johnny Cash’s Jamaican home is very close by on the grounds of Cinnamon Hill Golf Course [it does sound as if we only play golf in JA, trust us, that’s not the case, it’s an escape on the occasional weekends we have nothing to do].

Till next time…walk gud!!!

Tidbits from the Caribbean

Happy Birthday to me; I’m 65 today and “everting bi crisp” [all is well]. We’re going to Ocho Riios tomorrow for a weekend celebration. It’ll be decadent American style: an all inclusive hotel with a king sized bed; restaurant; a gym; and air conditioning! Common place for most of you but a great luxury for us. We’re playing golf twice over two days. Although a standard for Gary before we left, I haven’t played two days in a row since we golfed in the British Isles four years ago.

Mangoes are almost gone but fortunately Mrs. Rumble has a late bloomer in the yard that’s still providing us with those luscious treats. The days are “hot-hot”, as the Jamaicans would say. We’re soaked 200 yards after leaving our house [literally dripping sweat]. There’s a slower languid pace about the days right now.

My community exercise class has grown so large that I’ve had to close it to new participants, at least until a few stop coming. For those who haven’t taken a class from me, it’s individualized for each student so I’m running around at a frantic pace trying to meet everyone’s needs. There’s a wide range of participants: one young man, three 13-16 year old girls, four women in their 20’s, four middle-aged women and three 60 and over, so you can imagine how varied each workout must be.

The computer center at the Community Center may open for operations this fall. We’ve gotten: free internet and phone service from an island provider [met a company VP playing golf and voila!]; six stable 6’ tables and 15 very strong metal and wood chairs from Food For The Poor; money’s been raised to secure the site; and the computer funding looks like a go from a government agency. The latter did an inspection of our site and their representative seemed impressed and indicated he would support action on the request for ten computers and all the necessary hard/soft ware, equipment and supplies at an upcoming meeting. Of course Jamaican semantics for ‘action and upcoming’ are not the same for Americans.

We’ve come to accept that rarely does anything go as planned or expected. For instance, the huge August 1 Emancipation Day Fundraiser the hospital had organized and planned for three months has to be postponed. Five days ago we got a response letter from the Parish [county] manager telling us the event couldn’t be held because, according to our letter to him dated June 1 announcing the event, it would be sponsored by friends and staff of the Chapelton Hospital. Government employees cannot raise money for government use. Fine, but did he have to wait until July 24th to respond??!! He claims he only received the letter July 20th, yet interestingly others in the same building received theirs by June 5. So, now it will be held October 19, Heroes Day. People were really looking forward to this event but, like so many other aspects of their lives, expectations are just “mashed up” [Jamaican for defeated or crushed].

I’ve been asked to develop a parent seminar course on Healthy Lifestyles for a nearby All Age School [gr. 2-9]. They want it to be a certificate program whereby the parents graduate from it. It sounds like an interesting project that I should enjoy.

If you’ve read about my recent foray into emergency medicine and dentistry you’ll realize that Jamaica is two worlds, the developed and developing. Some parts of the urban areas in Kingston and MoBay are, in many ways far ahead of the American standard, whereas the rural areas may as well be halfway around the world. It’s hard to believe that this small island [50 miles X 175 miles] has such variation. We step aside for oxen teams, donkeys, goats, and cows on a daily basis. No water, electricity, shoes, etc for large numbers of the rural people. And then I get world class medical treatment. By the way, it looks as if the speedy, skilled medical action has led to my tooth reattaching. Who would have thunk it??!!

We just returned from the aptly named, Treasure Beach. What a wonderful find for anyone with modest means. Unsullied by commercialism and tourists, this place in the southwest corner of Jamaica is really something to “treasure”. It has a climate and vegetation unique from the rest of the island, hot and arid. Rainfall is low because the Santa Cruz Mountains to the north and east block most of it from reaching the area. There are loads of cacti varieties and relatively little vegetation compared to the rest of the island. Even though it’s hot, there is a constant cooling breeze from the time the sun dawns at about 6 AM until it sets at 7 PM.

We spent 4th of July weekend there to gather with our fellow volunteers for a one year anniversary celebration for those of us who have survived thus far. From the original 52 who arrived with us a year ago (July 3rd) only 63% are left; 33 hardy souls remain.

But, back to Treasure Beach and its wonders: Peace and quiet; no loud music or barking dogs, day or night. Just a few healthy looking dogs wandering the streets, but, like the sheep of Wales; goats wander freely about the community. They all seem to be tagged and owned by someone and each one appears to know to which herd it belongs and where they collectively coalesce. No beggars. No sexual harassment or innuendos. In 48 hours we were only greeted with friendly ‘hellos’, ‘good mornings’, and the Jamaican “good evening” which is ‘good night’. Relatively little litter, probably not more than we see in America. The highlight of Saturday morning was a six mile walk where only three vehicles passed us. One was a small pick-up truck carrying large fishing pots out to the beach (see pix). The walk took us down a peaceful winding road that was above the Caribbean Sea all the way until it gradually made its way down to the sea…as we walked west the sea was on our left; to our right the land rose fairly dramatically with limestone outcroppings all along the way. Great restaurants with affordable prices; we ate at Jakes, probably the most well known, where the tail of a two pound lobster cost $15. Very private beaches and [it seems] beautiful beach front and ocean view properties still available.

All in all it was the first locale in JM (that really looks like Jamaica – and not a US resort) that we both agreed we’d like to go back to. It allows the visitor to simply relax as if they we’re visiting a private island, but at an affordable price. The cost of a round trip flight from NYC to Montego Bay is now $250 and with bus and taxi fares visitors can get to Treasure Beach for under $1,000 JM/person [~$12]. At the lovely guest house where we stayed it was $60 US/night and included an ocean view, a few rides to area locales, king sized bed in a large room, delicious English breakfasts [the gracious owner, Roger, is from the UK] with a Jamaican touch, internet service, and enough DVD’s to keep you entertained for months.

On another front Margaret was in Montego Bay two weeks ago for three days of training on “exclusive breast feeding”. The Jamaican Ministry of Health has made it a priority to get every mother to exclusively breast feed for the first 6 months and to continue breast feeding with complimentary feedings until at least age 2. Their purpose is to improve the health of both mother and child and reduce the ‘Nestle Impact’ which will also save precious $$$. It was three days of intense training with 38 very motivated and knowledgeable health professionals. These people will become the trainers of trainers throughout the island.

On the second morning Margaret went for a run at 5:30, tripped on one of the frequent rough spots in the sidewalks [she’d just picked up her pace in a modest attempt to challenge herself for the impending National Seniors Sports Day Championships], fell with her hands missing the street edge of the sidewalk where she was located, landing face first on the curb edge and rolling into the street. She hit the curb’s corner edge on a diagonal across her face from the right eye to the middle of her mouth. She broke her upper right front tooth, it passed through her lip, she had a knot the size of a golf ball above her right eye and lots of blood. But otherwise she was fine.

The Peace Corps sent her to a private hospital where she got standard American treatment in the emergency room AND THEN she went to a dentist office near the hospital for further care. That was an unbelievable experience! The dentist, John Gordon, had all the highest-end technology. Within minutes of entering the dental chair the doctor took an x-ray with a hand held camera; it appeared instantly on an adjacent computer screen and showed the clear break above the gum line of the twisted tooth. He told her what he could do in the long and short term which would involve seven long 5-6 hour one-way trips to Montego over 6 months in order to replace the tooth with an implant because the break was too high up for him to do a root canal and crown. Then he emailed the x-ray to “the Caribbean Endodontist”, Dr. Shasha Nallapati in Kingston. Three minutes later they were discussing the options over the phone and Nallapati said he’d have no problem doing the crown on a root so short. They decided to push the tooth back in place and splint the tooth using a thin wire [looks like a retainer] and clear laminate to hold tooth in place. The wire and laminate are now placed over the front four teeth until she heals and meets with Nallapati on July 7.

The story gets even better after that. Gordon then sewed up her lip with 8 stitches on the inside and one on the outside. He lasered the outer stitch and all the severely abrased areas on her face. He told her not to expect any scarring. Not only are there no scars, some of her wrinkles and age spots are gone [of course on only one side of her face]. One Peace Corps Volunteer who saw her two days after the accident and then at Treasure Beach a week later said she wants to start doing whatever Margaret is doing to heal so fast.

As a close to this saga, on our way to Treasure Beach Friday, Dr. Gordon called to see how she was doing. Never has a dentist done that for either of us in the USA. As a further example of how caring Jamaican’s are, each of the 37 other conference attendees [who had never met her before], at some point in the remaining day and half [she made it back for the afternoon session that day], made it a point to check on her and let her know how concerned they were about her. So, for a while she looked like a domestic abuse victim [when Gary first saw her the next day his first words were “you look horrible”-in JM they call it Mashed Up]; but with great treatment and lots of ice she’s nearly back to normal.

Wak Gud, Margaret & Gary

Mangoes and more Mangoes…and Labor Day!

None of you can imagine the impact mangoes [mang is pronounced like song or mongoes] have on daily life in May and June. It’s a veritable community passion for those little babies. Everyone’s eating them [including the dogs] and comparing theirs with those of others’. Just here in Chapelton there are thousands of trees each with many hundreds hanging from them; they are simply everywhere. You can’t look in any direction and not see several mango trees within your reach. And then there are the pits, large and golden [~ 1” X 2”], scattered all over the roads, the product of the locals’ mango orgy that ends with a simple toss to the roadside.

The varieties are called Common, Milli, Black, East Indian, #11, and a dozen other titles we haven’t yet learned. So many have shared their bounty with us that we could get sick [Mrs. Rumble eats six in one sitting] if we didn’t resist to some degree. So far Milli’s are our favorite. Common aren’t bad but they leave long stringy fibers hanging from your teeth. All are soft, juicy, and sweet. There’s another month left with more new varieties appearing each week.

We get them either from our friends and neighbors or just pick them up off the trail or street where they have fallen from a tree. The library has two large mango trees and we make a point of looking for drops each time we go. Many others do the same; so, unless you arrive early the ground’s already been cleared. When you come upon a tree with lots of drops the view is something akin to a fish feeding frenzy, everyone grabbing for one of those tasty treats.

Labor Day!

Two weekends ago the Jamaicans observed their Labor Day. Very unlike “our” Labor Day in September. The Jamaican Labor Day is a day for volunteerism particularly meant for residents to go out and do something for the community. This could include cleaning the streets, cutting the grass back off the streets up to the curb, planting trees in the park (something that Margaret helped with at a local park), picking up litter, or any other job that would help to beautify the area. The recently formed Senior Citizens’ Association, of which I am an ex-officio member and facilitator, decided that the Labor Day weekend would be a good time to run a fundraising dinner to feed the various workers who didn’t have time to prepare meals for themselves. This event took many days and lots of seniors to plan. After all the provisions were bought the cooking and preparation began about three days before the event, Monday, May 25. Our fare was fried chicken, curried goat (and yes I helped butcher the goat for the event), mackerel rundown, goat soup, and of course rice and salad (a slaw without mayo). The event went off as planned, albeit a little slow with customers. From noon to 6 pm on Monday the 25th many seniors helped with the cooking, serving, and general organization of the event. The economy here is no better than in the US….as you can imagine the number of people able to come up with $250-$300 Jamaican (about $3 US dollars) significantly affected our proceeds. After all was calculated we took a loss…but learned a lot for next years attempt. One of the most important factors (as suggested by one of the seniors) was that we had no music. Music is a big draw to any event in Jamaica…although I thought the sunny and breezy day without the ear throbbing reggae was quite pleasant.

Butchering of the goat was quite an experience. The Jamaicans are quite resourceful (as we have mentioned before) and this process was no exception. They used the head, the stomach, intestines, skin, not just the muscle we use for meat. Without going into specific detail about the whole process I will mention one thing that further convinced me of this. Nearing the end of the butchering process I took one of the hoofs of the goat, cut it off the leg and then discarded it in the trash. The man who was the main butcher about 30 minutes later said, “Gary, where is the front foot?” I responded rather sheepishly, “it’s in the trash.” He immediately gave me a lecture about how the Jamaicans use all parts of the animal and that I should retrieve the hoof. I found the hoof and was informed that the process was to take the foot and roast it over the outside wood fire….until the hair was burned off…then it was scraped of the skin and then put into the “manish” goat soup for flavor. WHO KNEW!

The summer is pretty quiet with regards to holidays…the next events will focus on Emancipation Day, August 1st, and Independence Day, August 6th. Margaret and I will join a number of other Peace Corps volunteers on a southern coast beach for the U. S. July 4th weekend. The younger volunteers are going to rent a house which will have wall-to-wall sleeping arrangements. We are going to check-in to a local motel!

We’ve just completed our second Trimester Report for Peace Corps Jamaica and the US Government. It’s a fairly comprehensive outline of all that’s been accomplished in the last four months. While filling it out it occurred to us that you might be interested in some of the smaller activities we’ve been involved with beyond the Wellness Program and the Citizen’s Association.

Our level of involvement may be an explanation for how well accepted we are in the area. The Jamaican’s seem to appreciate all we do. Almost everyone knows our name and greets us with enthusiasm. We are accepted members of the community; they look after us and are concerned for our well being and comfort. So, here is a brief description of what we’ve done in the last four months.

The Citizens’ Association had a huge breakthrough last week when we were in Dallas seeing the boys. They met without us, had the largest turnout ever, and new business items were introduced by residents!! It was great news to our ears. Everyone was very excited about the result. Before our departure the Executive Committee was anxious; until this success they all thought nothing would/could occur without us. We told them that if that happened our work would have been a failure.

Margaret’s been tutoring high school athletic coaches on improved training techniques; the football, basketball and track coaches attend weekly one hour sessions on relevant issues affecting athletes’ health, conditioning, and performance. Topics include: orthopedics/biomechanics and anatomy/physiology. The football coach has taken this very seriously and has totally revamped his training and conditioning regime for the players. She taught him how to analyze posture imbalances in order to identify potential future injury sites. That all began because several of his players complained of back pain. Now he’s analyzing everyone in site, players as well as his high school faculty/staff colleagues.

256 pairs of exercise shoes have been collected by US residents; 100 have been received and distributed thus far; the last 156 are still sitting in California waiting for us to get clearance for receipt of them. Each day Margaret gets a request for a pair of shoes from someone: a player, her exercise students, athletes, children on the street, and/or doctors for their patients. It’s been difficult to understand why receipt of the last 156 has been so hard to come by.

Then there are the regular weekly presentations to the Hospital patients on health related topics like: hand washing, healthy snacks, food preparation, STIs & HIV/AIDS, violence prevention, oral hygiene, exercising tips, breast cancer, cervical cancer, “Active Children and Their Health in Childhood and as Adults"; "Health Concerns for Sedentary Jamaican Women"; and "Osteoporosis, the Invisible Epidemic for Jamaican Women”.

Margaret teaches two sections of exercise classes twice per week for staff at the hospital and residents at the Community Center. So far there are ten regulars with more enrolling each week. They are dedicated and disciplined about getting in their exercises. They even met when we were in Dallas.

Margaret is teaching two men how to read. One has some simple basic goals like being able to right his name but the second wants to become a minister and be able to read the Bible.

Gary has developed the Electrocardiography Laboratory & trained nurses, community health aids, and doctors on how to use it. He’s collected loads of data during this project and wants to find a Jamaican source where it can be presented. Among other items he’s identified that men are three inches taller than their female counterparts but 30 pounds lighter; i.e. rural women are generally obese and the men lean.

Gary also submitted a grant for improvement of sanitation facilities in Sangster Heights, Chapelton environs. 11.2% of households in the community lack toilets or running water. He’ll learn in January what the result will be.

He also participated in a health fair in Canaan Heights, one of the most dangerous places in Jamaica. A wonderful humanitarian, Bill Shagoury, was the source for this initial venture into an otherwise off-limits area. He provided safe transport in and out of the community. It was a possible lead up to our opening a Wellness Program for those residents.

We both participated in the Sangster Heights Football/Netball Association fundraising. Recall we did the same for the Football Assoc. last December. Then the girls got themselves organized to the point that it’s now a joint association.

Finally, we both recently began planning for an Emancipation Day Fundraiser [Aug. 1] for Chapelton Community Hospital's purchases of two computers for the Records Room [Recall the hospital has 69,000 registered patients and all those records are currently maintained manually] and a DVD player for the Patient Waiting Room, as well as funding to repair the water piping system [there are copious leaks] so the hospital can depend on a daily supply of water [imagine your hospital operating without water; it’s a regular occurrence here].

There are more things in the works that we’ll begin working on as each of these activities becomes independently functional. Each day we are occupied with one or more activity[s] but that doesn’t mean we don’t miss many of you and those comforts of home. Several of you have asked if we’re having a good time. If it’s fun they are thinking of, no [accept for our times with Mrs. Rumble and/or our times on leave], there’s nothing fun about our roles. Rewarding, yes; we feel like we’re developing some sustainable programs that will remain after our departure. That is a heartwarming, albeit unfun, feeling.

More lata, Margaret and Gary

We’ve just completed our second Trimester Report for Peace Corps Jamaica and the US Government. It’s a fairly comprehensive outline of all that’s been accomplished in the last four months. While filling it out it occurred to us that you might be interested in some of the smaller activities we’ve been involved with beyond the Wellness Program and the Citizen’s Association.

Our level of involvement may be an explanation for how well accepted we are in the area. The Jamaican’s seem to appreciate all we do. Almost everyone knows our name and greets us with enthusiasm. We are accepted members of the community; they look after us and are concerned for our well being and comfort. So, here is a brief description of what we’ve done in the last four months.

The Citizens’ Association had a huge breakthrough last week when we were in Dallas seeing the boys. They met without us, had the largest turnout ever, and new business items were introduced by residents!! It was great news to our ears. Everyone was very excited about the result. Before our departure the Executive Committee was anxious; until this success they all thought nothing would/could occur without us. We told them that if that happened our work would have been a failure.

Margaret’s been tutoring high school athletic coaches on improved training techniques; the football, basketball and track coaches attend weekly one hour sessions on relevant issues affecting athletes’ health, conditioning, and performance. Topics include: orthopedics/biomechanics and anatomy/physiology. The football coach has taken this very seriously and has totally revamped his training and conditioning regime for the players. She taught him how to analyze posture imbalances in order to identify potential future injury sites. That all began because several of his players complained of back pain. Now he’s analyzing everyone in site, players as well as his high school faculty/staff colleagues.

256 pairs of exercise shoes have been collected by US residents; 100 have been received and distributed thus far; the last 156 are still sitting in California waiting for us to get clearance for receipt of them. Each day Margaret gets a request for a pair of shoes from someone: a player, her exercise students, athletes, children on the street, and/or doctors for their patients. It’s been difficult to understand why receipt of the last 156 has been so hard to come by.

Then there are the regular weekly presentations to the Hospital patients on health related topics like: hand washing, healthy snacks, food preparation, STIs & HIV/AIDS, violence prevention, oral hygiene, exercising tips, breast cancer, cervical cancer, “Active Children and Their Health in Childhood and as Adults"; "Health Concerns for Sedentary Jamaican Women"; and "Osteoporosis, the Invisible Epidemic for Jamaican Women”.

Margaret teaches two sections of exercise classes twice per week for staff at the hospital and residents at the Community Center. So far there are ten regulars with more enrolling each week. They are dedicated and disciplined about getting in their exercises. They even met when we were in Dallas.

Margaret is teaching two men how to read. One has some simple basic goals like being able to right his name but the second wants to become a minister and be able to read the Bible.

Gary has developed the Electrocardiography Laboratory & trained nurses, community health aids, and doctors on how to use it. He’s collected loads of data during this project and wants to find a Jamaican source where it can be presented. Among other items he’s identified that men are three inches taller than their female counterparts but 30 pounds lighter; i.e. rural women are generally obese and the men lean.

Gary also submitted a grant for improvement of sanitation facilities in Sangster Heights, Chapelton environs. 11.2% of households in the community lack toilets or running water. He’ll learn in January what the result will be.

He also participated in a health fair in Canaan Heights, one of the most dangerous places in Jamaica. A wonderful humanitarian, Bill Shagoury, was the source for this initial venture into an otherwise off-limits area. He provided safe transport in and out of the community. It was a possible lead up to our opening a Wellness Program for those residents.

We both participated in the Sangster Heights Football/Netball Association fundraising. Recall we did the same for the Football Assoc. last December. Then the girls got themselves organized to the point that it’s now a joint association.

Finally, we both recently began planning for an Emancipation Day Fundraiser [Aug. 1] for Chapelton Community Hospital's purchases of two computers for the Records Room [Recall the hospital has 69,000 registered patients and all those records are currently maintained manually] and a DVD player for the Patient Waiting Room, as well as funding to repair the water piping system [there are copious leaks] so the hospital can depend on a daily supply of water [imagine your hospital operating without water; it’s a regular occurrence here].

There are more things in the works that we’ll begin working on as each of these activities becomes independently functional. Each day we are occupied with one or more activity[s] but that doesn’t mean we don’t miss many of you and those comforts of home. Several of you have asked if we’re having a good time. If it’s fun they are thinking of, no [accept for our times with Mrs. Rumble and/or our times on leave], there’s nothing fun about our roles. Rewarding, yes; we feel like we’re developing some sustainable programs that will remain after our departure. That is a heartwarming, albeit unfun, feeling.

More laita, Margaret and Gary

It’s Sunday and the end of the month so things are quiet. We’ve both been able to do a lot of catching up, among them is this blog; but tomorrow things will likely change on two fronts. First, last Wednesday the government passed a 20% increase in the gas tax [among other tax increases] and it goes into effect tomorrow [pretty quick turnaround for a country known for takin’ it ezee]. “Demonstrations” [some say riots] are expected. Ten years ago the same happened and after three days of rioting the tax was rescinded. Now the government says they won’t do the same again [there’s a ¼ trillion dollar budget deficit]. We’re safe in Chapelton, there’s enough food, water, and good people to take care of us; but island-wide PCV’s have been warned to stay near home and get their shelves stocked. Keep an eye on the news for updates on the situation.

Second, it’s the time of the month when our work picks up. We’ll be doing our Wellness Evaluations, planning for the upcoming Citizens Association, Senior Citizens’ Association, and Youth Group meetings [meet with Executive Committees, make flyers, put them up around town, & attend the meetings], teach exercise classes, make presentations, meet with individuals, do EKG’s, etc.

On Good Friday the Sacred Concert was a big success. Its theme was community unity and we think it struck a cord with many attendees. Because of that we anticipate a very large turnout for the next Citizens’ Association meeting [at least we hope so]. It was one of the first activities that Jamaican’s played a major role in. We had a fundraising committee that came up with the idea and plans and I just helped facilitate it. It went from 4-8:30 PM and the only complaint was that it wasn’t longer. So, next time, the second annual sacred concert will go until10 PM. At the event several churches brought “items” [song, poem, reading, skit, etc] and three speakers talked briefly about community unity. There was a band that kept things lively and a chairperson [emcee] who really livened up the performance [she was an item unto herself]. Over a hundred showed up and we raised $25,000 JA [sounds like a lot but it’s only about $270 US]. It will be enough to soundly secure the Community Center’s room where ten computers will be housed for training and community access.

One reason the Concert was so successful may have been that there is so little to do in Chapelton. An event is something people don’t want to miss. Taking that into consideration I suggested to a woman who directed a charming skit for the concert that we think about having an evening of dramatic skits. She jumped at the chance and said Jamaican’s love the idea of drama. We’re going to do it in June and see what happens. I’ll keep you posted.

Following on the theme of nothing to do for community members, we will help raise money for the Hospital’s Emancipation Day event. The staff at Chapelton Community Hospital is planning to hold a Jamaican Cultural Day Fundraiser on Saturday August 1. The twofold purpose is to raise money for: 1) all that is involved in computerizing their Records Room [all records are manually maintained…… all 69,000 of them]; and 2) re-piping the Hospital’s water system in order to regain greater control of the water supply [presently there is no water available other than in barrels about 50% of the time…pretty tough going for a hospital]. It seems the pipes are very old and leak so badly that when the water tank is filled to supply the Hospital for two weeks it only lasts a day or two. Since there’s no money from the government [they can’t even afford plastic bags to line the garbage cans let alone new piping] the staff decided to take things into their own hands.

The day will begin at 10 AM with a parade through Chapelton, complete with a traditional Jonkoono band [historic Jamaican band with instruments we haven’t seen] and mascots [guys on stilts, giant cow heads, etc]. The parade will end at the Market Place in Chapelton Center where authentic culture foods will be sold and historical items will be on display. The day will close with a concert from 6 to 10 PM. It sounds like a very big event where they hope to raise at least $200,000 JA [~$2,200 US]. That will be enough for two computers; security & voltage regulation for them and a chunk of the data processing to get many of the 69,000 records electronically entered. Any extra monies will go toward addressing the water debacle.

The computer side is so inexpensive because I organized an island-wide movement to get a Jamaican PC provider to sell refurbished computers to Peace Corps projects for $120 US. The service will offer the computer, monitor, all cables, voltage regulation [very important here, Gary’s first EKG was fried because of it], all necessary software for personal and internet use, 2 ½ year warranty, and technical support for that price. The two computers and security will cost $440 US and the data entry will be $2,000 US. Will keep you abreast of how this project unfolds. AND! Please pray no hurricanes hit on August 1!!!

It’s getting hotter and more humid, approaching what it was like when we arrived last July. We shower and clean up for work and in ¼ of mile we’re soaked. It appears that the comfortable weather runs from November to mid-April. Keep that in mind if you’re thinking about a visit.

Mangoes are everywhere, hanging like sexy little teases from every fourth tree. I can’t imagine what the feeding frenzy will be like once they’re ripe in May and June.

We leave May 7 for five days in Dallas. Not that we’re too excited or anything! We’re also coming home for two weeks at Thanksgiving and already have our itinerary set [not just the flight schedule, the day to day plans]. Some would call that sick….. we call it missing home, homeland, and the boys. Thank goodness we’re in Jamaica.

Love to all, Margaret

Recall our original assignment had been to Sub-Saharan Africa. Initially we were both let down when the Dark Continent became Jamaica. I couldn’t imagine their needs could be greater than that of Africans. Similarly, I was disappointed when we got our Chapelton (dead center of the island) assignment instead of more exotic sites like Ocho Rios, Treasure Beach, or Negril posts. I’ve finally come to realize that I was meant to be here, if for no other reason than to work for those who are in such great need. There was no necessity to travel halfway around the world; we only had to fly 75 minutes south of Miami for the experience.

On Saturday the second Football/Netball Funday Fundraiser was held. We helped with the effort to raise $$$ for the teams to get uniforms so they can qualify to play in Parish contests. If I haven’t already mentioned it, there haven’t been teams in our district for fifteen years. With NOTHING to do for the youths one dedicated citizen took up the task of leading the fundraising effort.

Now, fundraising in rural Jamaica has no semblance of what we’re accustomed to in the US; a donation of $ 2.00 US is considered reasonable and $20 is very generous. After months of planning, 80 man-hours of work on Saturday with 10 volunteers we raised $2,300 JA or $26, about enough to buy three shirts for the team. It will take a lot more fundraising to get 15 shirts each for the football and netball teams. In the meantime, players share shirts during a game. As a player comes out he/she takes off the shirt and gives it to his teammate to wear.

Uniforms are nothing, though, to what I experienced at the food booth where we worked that day. The major way to raise the necessary money is to sell food and drinks during the games. We sold traditional Jamaican fare; chicken, goat head soup, slaw, and rice & peas (red beans to us) along with beer, juice and water. At the end of the day the players were hanging around the food booth to see if there might be any leftovers for them. They couldn’t afford the J$250 (~$ 3.00 US) to buy the food. Finally, I was able to dole out to the girls’ net ball team the one chicken back left with a large serving of rice & peas. Ten of them carefully split it up and shared equitably without complaints or groans. A little later I was able to serve up the soup but there were only six cups remaining with perhaps 50 servings left in the pot. These hungry kids (perhaps 25-30) stood in line, got a cup, ate it and handed the cup off to a friend. They tried to use plastic soda bottles found on the field that had the top ripped off, but when I realized the bottles had been lying on the ground, ants crawling all over them, and who knows drinking from it I said no to that (not that the shared cups were any more sanitary). Only until the pot got low did a few kids get pushy about getting some soup.

But then I began to serve out the remaining rice and peas and that was the most telling incident of all. It was in half of a five gallon pot that had cooked all day and was dry and burnt. No matter, they were hungry and needed it. We had many more plates than cups and no utensils so only a few had to share plates but all had to eat with their hands. Fortunately, the rice was dried out so that I could spoon it out in large chunks, so eating it was easier than if it had been moist and separated. Needless to say there wasn’t a grain of rice, a drop of soup or even a chicken bone left to clean up. No food was thrown away. As I was serving the soup and rice & peas I couldn’t stop thinking of how fortunate our American children are. Even under bad financial times like these I can’t imagine many, if any, asking to eat what we would consider inedible food under quasi-sanitary conditions.

On the upside, we had a joyous First Annual Sacred Concert and Community Unity Fundraiser on Good Friday night. Our purpose was to raise money to buy computers and secure them in our local Community Center. Christianity and their churches are very important to large numbers of Jamaicans so a sacred concert was appealing particularly when there’s nothing much else to do. Many of the area churches sent “items” (an act) for the performance: choral groups, soloists, musicians, children singing, skits, and readings. We invited a director from the Social Development Commission and two ministers to speak about community unity. The new president of the Citizen’s Association was the chairperson (emcee) and she was a pistol, a veritable one woman show. Eighty people paid JA$200 admission and another 40 stood outside the gate to watch and listen. We didn’t know what to expect; but it was intended to run from 4-6 PM and went on until 8:30 with moaning that it should have gone on longer (It was outdoors and we only had one fluorescent light once the sun went down). We haven’t totaled the earnings because some money is still coming in from churches but I expect we made $16,000 or about $170 US. That’s enough to get a good start toward the computer room security and voltage regulation installed plus do some other small things for the Center.

Mango season is coming and the anticipation is much like that for Christmas. Citizens have been talking about it for months. Apparently you eat nothing but mango in all its permutations for two months.

More good news, we think we’ll be getting a high speed internet hook-up at our house next week (Jamaican next week could mean within the month). If that’s the case we may be able to produce more blogs and certainly spend more time communicating with all of you who email us.

If you’re not already doing it, count all your blessings,... the Jamaican’s do it each day!!!!

Blessa, Margaret

Something’s happening in rural Chapelton. It’s become physically noticeable since we’ve been here; more and more men have taken on a gaunt ghost-like appearance in their face. It seems to be related to the downturn in the economy and the subsequent loss of income and thus available food. There is 60% unemployment in Clarendon Parish (our ‘county’). Forty percent of women are clinically obese and many more, who are undocumented in the research, are overweight; so, it’s harder to notice weight loss in them. But in the men it’s easy, only 16% of men are overweight according to the research. With men already lean, any fat loss will be noticeable. I hadn’t identified it earlier even though it may have already been happening because men tend to wear loose clothing; I assume to keep cool. But, as I’ve made more Jamaican friends whom I regularly see and talk with, there’s an opportunity to see and grasp what is happening. These men, young and old, are farmers trying to feed their families and are sacrificing their personal well-being for their children and “wives”.

I’ve written letters requesting financial assistance from the government in the name of two of these men who are illiterate (this is the standard approach for those affiliated with the political party in power…those in the other party are just out of luck until or if there’s a change with an election). It’s heart breaking to hear their stories as I interview them for information to include in their requests. There simply is no work and thus no money to buy food beyond what they specifically grow or raise. There is lots of sharing and bartering but it must not be enough.

Sometimes when I consider the wellness programs we’ve started I feel a little foolish. Yes, the obese and overweight women benefit, but there is an underlying larger issue; we don’t have the tools to deal with seeing that all 3,000 residents have adequate and nutritious food supplies. One thing I’m going to suggest to our nutritionist is that when she sees the Wellness clients that she ascertains their ability to access food and, where applicable, school them on what Jamaican foods give the biggest bang for the buck.

And then there’s one effort Gary’s working on; he’s trying to get some kind of basic sanitation facilities to 11% of the dwellings in our immediate neighborhood that have no toilets or water. He’s written a grant to see if funds are available to have them built. We’re confident he will get at least four toilets built for one very large family compound. At that location we’ve tried to estimate how many people actually live on the site and are certain that it’s at least 25 but likely many more. Currently these people use the helicopter approach: eliminate in a plastic bag, tie it shut, twirl it around, and let it fly into the bush. You may be disgusted or amused by the approach but at this point there’s no other option. At the same time, just try to imagine what it would be like if 11% of your neighbors did the same; like here, vectors would be everywhere spreading infectious disease.

What lessons we’re learning!!!

On a high note, I had a fellow stop me recently and say, “hey, you’re the lady at the hospital who taught me how to wash my hands so I can stay healthy (most Americans do it all wrong too). I said yes, I’m the one, and then asked him three key questions: what is the one thing you have to have to kill the germs when you wash; what kills the germs; and how should you dry your hands? He got them all right!!!: clean water, friction (rubbing hard) all over the hands, fingers, and under the nails, and either let them drip dry or use a clean paper towel. It was good to get that simple but very positive feedback; I hope all those hundreds of other souls listening to me in the hospital waiting room over the weeks have learned as much.

We’re coming home again to see John and Stephen for a long Mother’s Day weekend in Dallas and are really looking forward to it even if it will be short. There’s nothing like hugging the two of them. Most of our fellow volunteers spend their time and money seeing the island (we’ve done a little of that) but we’d rather save up our days-off to see those wonderful guys.

Laita, Margaret

March 27, 2009

Fruits, veggies, and more…..

Our regular walks in the community are usually dictated by the weather. If there has been a significant rain the night before we avoid the bush walks because of all the puddles and mud. So we are then relegated to the road walks which aren’t bad if we stay off the main road where some crazy taxi drivers come ever so close to picking you off.

On our most recent walk through the bush (where we usually find an orange or two to nibble along the way) we noticed that the oranges were for the most part picked…we were informed that it is the end of the orange season. A few trees still are full of oranges..mostly because these are the sour oranges..apparently they use these to make marmalade. But to our surprise we noticed little buds and then on one tree some flowers…the turn-around time from the last orange to new buds is quite fast. I stopped and asked a man in one of the orchards…he said that in five or six weeks there will be new oranges on the trees ripening. Right now it is spring…but it seems like summer with many other fruits starting to become available. Papayas are now coming into season…not very sweet yet, but good nonetheless. And then there are the custard and star apples, they taste and have the texture of custard. We cut them up and put them on top of cake or cookies, it makes a delicious substitute for ice cream and it’s much healthier. In about 6 weeks mangos will be the rage…I’ve heard lots of Mango stories…all types of varieties from big to small…from sweet to very sweet. For all intents and purposes we have been told that there is less cooking going on from May to mid-July because of all the ripe mangos. When we arrived last July the mango season was coming to an end….…so we’re looking forward to the mango harvest.

We started a garden (small area) last fall to grow some basil…(can’t find it in the produce departments of the food stores)…it is now flourishing. Our host mother has had most available parts of the property turned over for planting….tomatoes, callaloo, spinach, peas, beans….already on her property (which is a small lot about 20 ‘ x 60’) is sugarcane, banana plants, breadfruit tree, ackee tree, apple tree (Jamaican apple), and gongoo peas. You’d think it was summer back home…but its spring. Speaking of fruits and veggies the tomatoes in Jamaica are great….they are good all year long..not just during August in New England. The one thing I miss is nice green lettuce and romaine lettuce…we only have access to iceberg lettuce here…dark green callaloo replaces the spinach and is quite good.

Straying from the gustatory delights of fruit, we’ve noticed that culturally there are frequent births and deaths in our community. There are only 1,500 people in Sangster Heights which is the district or neighborhood of Chapelton where we live. There’s a funeral every week or two and twice that in births. Strangely, we have never seen or heard of one marriage that has taken place since we’ve been here. We can’t explain it culturally but it is hard to understand.

Otherwise, we are getting very busy. Yesterday's schedule was how it's becoming. 6:15 AM: ran two miles, 6:45: breakfast and shower, 7:30: Walk to hospital, 8: presentations to patients on handwashing and obesity, met with hospital staff about a fundraiser for buying computers for the records room [Chapelton Hospital is only one of two in the Parish that still handles patient records manually], & misc work in our office, 10: walked to library, 10:15: searched on the internet for information on teaching adults how to read, 11; walked to town to get some phone minutes, met with the manager of the local bank about free checking account for the local Citizen's Association and the donation of a computer or two for the hospital, walked to the Middle School to see if they had a literacy screening test that I could use with adults, walked to a local restaurant to get some flyers copied to advertise a community meeting, and had lunch, 12:45: walked to the high school for a weekly tutorial in Exercise Physiology for the football, basketball and track coaches, 2: walked back to the hospital to prepare and teach a 3 PM exercise class for staff who have done the Wellness Evaluation; 4:15 walked home, 5 waited for my second literacy student who turned out to be a no shoe [I was so thankful for the break], 6: ate dinner, 6:15 PM walked to meet a local Bishop about borrowing his church's drum set and keyboard for a Sacred Concert the Citizen's Association is holding on Good Friday. Came home and watched American Idol and was in bed by 8:30.

Tek cyar of usef an odders, Margaret & Gary

February 23, 2009…Burrrrr!

Thought that would get your attention….but Burrr!...NOT! It’s actually starting to warm up. There was a noticeable breeze during November, December and January…but now it seems that the northeast trade winds are abating and dehydration now becomes the issue.

During the month of February I experienced, first hand, another of the cultural events in Jamaica….dying, death, and the funeral. Our wonderful host grand-father (Sir Dawkins, a.k.a., Sir D) of 94+ sustained a stroke on the day we returned from the states (January 4th) . He really never recovered and was bed ridden until his death on February 1. We were at church when he passed but our host (Ms. Rumble) said that he died quietly and without pain…which was pretty much how the last month went. During the month he probably comprehended what we were saying but he couldn’t really communicate because of the stroke. For the next two weeks preparations were made for his eventual funeral on Valentine’s Day. Because I wasn’t too busy during the period I was able to accompany our host “mother” (his daughter) on most trips to arrange all the details of the funeral…including the funeral home, the church, and the burial ground.

About 50 years ago Sir D purchased some land (~5 acres) in Mocho, about 45 minutes from here, but only about 3-4 miles as the crow flies. Mocho is higher in altitude than Chapelton and his land has been sitting there for many years without any tending except for the locals who know this and walk around the property and help themselves to the: oranges, grapefruit, avacados, cassava, apples, bananas, plaintain, etc., etc. It is a wonderfully fertile area and about 5-6 degrees cooler than Chapelton with a beautiful view of the hills to the east. The first thing we had to do, which started about 7 weeks ago, was to clear some of the land so that we could select a site for his burial (which he requested). I went on two trips with 7-8 other Jamaican men with machetes in hand and started the clearing project. By the time Sir D died one acre of the land was roughly cleared; the next thing to do was select a site and dig the hole for his burial (Margaret in a previous blog told you about the wonderful cooperation in an event such as this). During the week following his death another trip to Mocho provided a final clearing and a decision where he would be buried. On Feb 11 I ventured up to the property to help dig the site. I arrived about an hour or two after the other men started this project. Upon my arrival one of the men gestured to me to take the shovel or pick and lend a hand. I proceeded to start swinging the pick….it felt like I was trying to dig a hole in a sidewalk! In the first hour the men had dug through the 7-8 inches of top soil and gravel; by the time I got there it was pure limestone…all rock. I did two shifts of “picking” and “shoveling” and worked up quite a thirst and a little low back stiffness for the next two days.

In addition to all the land preparation there was a lot going on at home…mostly food preparation by the local women friends of Ms. Rumble. Starting with the first Thursday after his death, people would come over after dinner and play dominoes, chat, and drink beer and rum until about 9 or 9:30…during this time the women continued to prepare for the “set-up” (the night before the funeral) and for the reception at the funeral (which was in our terms…”a cookout on the Mocho property” after the interment of Sir D).

The set-up capped the week off with a huge block party that took place at our house, with a large tarpaulin draped across the street to our front gate. In the carport under our room was the DJ and his electronics…across the street, about 10 yards from our room were two sets of 6 giant speakers. In the back of the house the cooking took place with giant pots of soup, fritters, rice, chicken, and curried goat. Hard to tell how many people attended the “set-up”…but there was enough food and drink for everyone. We were told the music would go on until 4 or 5 in the morning…we breathed a sigh of relief when the DJ closed things down at 1:20 a.m. The next morning we traveled to Four Paths and the United Church for the funeral service. In the program Margaret and I were list as the “adopted children” of Sir D and were given the honor of giving a tribute during the funeral. After a 2 hour service those who wished traveled up the mountain road about 12 miles to Mocho for the interment. The unofficial count at the interment was ~125 people! During the interment the cooks were busy preparing yet another meal for all in attendance.

In our tribute to Sir D we talked about how much we had learned from him in just eight months. He taught us how to age and die with grace. Never did Sir D complain about anything, not even our clumsy attempts to make him more comfortable or our American cooking. He was always grateful for anything we could do for him. What a lesson that was.

On Monday, February 9 Ms. Rumble’s children, John and Kerri-Ann, arrived from Maryland and NYC, respectfully. It was great meeting them and I’m sure it was comforting to Ms. Rumble. John was a pall bearer and Kerri-Ann read a passage at the funeral. After two weeks of preparations, the five of us, Ms. Rumble, John, Kerri-Ann, and Margaret and I left Sunday morning for a trip to Dunn’s River Falls…near Ochi Rios for a day off (See picture).

We’re off today to plan for a major clean up of the Community Center on Ash Wednesday [we’re hopeful the Minister of Labor will be visiting next week and then to begin teaching a Health Inspector how to apply for major grant money [he’s surveyed Sangster Heights, where we live, and determined that 10% of the homes don’t have toilets or running water].

This coming weekend we are off to Ochi again to visit an old college friend who works at Mayo Clinic and is presenting a paper at a conference entitled “Advancements in Medicine 2009: A US and Caribbean Perspective: Transforming Research into Policy and Practice.” Can’t seem to get away from the academics!

Wak Gud

We notice on the few weather reports we get, especially for those of you east of the Mississippi, that this was the winter for us to head to the Caribbean. I know we’ve complained about the heat but now that seems a little sadistic. No more weather woes on our part.

I’m home with a little down time while Gary is headed into Kingston to meet with medical personnel from Mayo Clinic at the Jamaican Ministry of Health. It feels good to have an extra day of rest because this month has been very busy.

Two topics for today: vegetation and segregation. Now that we’ve been here for seven months, more lights have turned on in my head. Each day I walk between six and seven miles primarily getting to and from home, the hospital, downtown Chapelton, the bus stop to May Pen, and the library. As you can imagine there’s tons of vegetation and some of it I’ve come to realize is familiar. What grows on the roadside here as weeds are carefully cultivated plants in the US. Marigolds are weeds; they are all over the place. No one plants them each year, they’ve been here forever. Hibiscus is similar. I had one that I pampered, fed, watered and basically fussed over for years just to get one or two blooms a year. In JA those babies are ubiquitous; everyone has them spilling all over their yards. Have you had a ficus [sp?] tree, aka fig tree? They must be placed carefully in full light so as not to get too much sun, but enough to keep the darn thing from shedding its leaves all over your living room rug. They are a common hedge material in JA. No one pays much attention to them other than to trim them once a year. These are just a few of the botanical wonders I’ve come to recognize in JA.

Socially, JA is far more integrated than the US. It never occurred to me that I lived a segregated life but recently the light went on in my head. I don’t think anyone reading this would consider themselves a segregationist but I hate to tell you, like me, you may be too, even those with the best intentions to avoid or overcome the notion; even my dear sister, Aimee, who is married to a Mexican-American, much to my recent realization, lives a pretty segregated life. Some of us are better at limiting it than others but our worlds are still very segregated. In the US we are overcoming, to some extent, racial, ethnic and religious segregation, but there are so many avenues we don’t consider. Americans generally live in neighborhoods where the population is of similar educational background [have at least graduated from high school]; with incomes that pay for transportation, phones, cable, food, taxes, etc [yes, even in the these tight times we get the basics done]; with neighbors generally in the same age range. The elders have either left for retirement villages, assisted living homes, or nursing homes; children play with their schoolmates, teens “hang out” out with their friends and would rather lose a limb than be seen with their family, while adults are generally with friends from either work, church, or their children’s friends’ families [all segregated situations].

Except for the few areas where many embassy people and the very wealthy live, JA appears to be fully integrated, particularly in the rural towns. People of all ages, educational levels [illiterate-can’t even write their name- to graduate degrees], religions [Rastafarians, wide range of Christian faiths, and non-believers- haven’t encountered those of Judaic, Muslim or other faiths], incomes [homesteaders who live off the land and community water supply to those with Mercedes and the associated amenities]; all are interdependent on each other and literally live side-by-side in this community.

They aren’t all best friends but they all depend on each other. The poor illiterate farmer brings his fresh produce or fish to our house where we gratefully purchase it for our convenience and consumption and his financial benefit. Or, if a senior citizen is alone in his/her home the neighbors of all ages stop to chat and bring food on a regular basis. If an emergency occurs it is remarkable how quickly so many people arrive within minutes to help, seemingly without being called, they just seem to know when help is required. Having never lived in one, it feels like what I imagine a giant family compound might be like. Everyone depending on each other and everyone expected to contribute. All this takes time, but recall that Jamaicans’ use time very differently from us.

Da al fi nou, Margaret

It’s been a long time since we last wrote on the blog; sorry about that. Things have gotten wildly busy, but it’s been great. We’ve had some real successes: 1. the new EKG is operational; 2. the Citizens’ Association is now official; 3. the same is true for the Youth Club and Senior Citizens’ Group; 4. I’m starting a second Healthy Lifestyles Club at another school; 5. I’m coordinating the acquisition of somewhere between 200-440 used computers for 34 PCV’s projects around the island; 6. after celebrating a Jamaican Christmas in Chapelton we went home for eight days to see the boys; 7. our host grandfather had a stroke about 20 minutes before we returned to our Jamaican home, and sad to say, is really on the wane; and 8. Gary’s working on the idea of getting equipment for a hearing study and possibly starting a Big Brother Big Sister Program in Clarendon Parish.

The EKG was used January 5 for a Wellness Screening of Chapelton Hospital Staff. What a slog that was to get the second one out of customs. It arrived on November 15and sat in storage until January 2nd when the Ministry of Health approved the $7.00 duty for it. But now we’re off and running and have a waiting list for future testing sessions. During the follow-up counseling sessions most staff/clients voiced appreciation for all the information, guidance and help we were able to offer. In February I’ll start exercise classes for anyone who has completed the Screening. If we continue on this particular track of success our next step will be to begin training staff to do our jobs so the program can be sustained and expanded after we leave. We’re doing some of the same BU/Pitt testing but have added depression, posture, and dental screens to the protocol. The latter has given us a few headaches because the Jamaican dentist has been chronically late; 2 ½ hours this week. I talked with him and hopefully we’ve arrived at a plan/solution that will get his fellow colleagues back to their work stations in a timely manner for the next testing date. As well, Gary will now begin to train the nursing staff on general use of the EKG for patients.

Thursday night we had our largest turnout for the Citizens’ Association, 45 people and it was a raucous event. The election of officers was held and it looks as if it could be a successful group. The Jamaican Social Development Commission will train them on how to be effective at their jobs. We’ll work with them until they get on their feet. We’ve learned that unbeknownst to anyone [why no one knew has yet to be explained] there is money in the SDC’s budget that had been earmarked specifically for our community center; all that has to be done is to write the request for it. So much is needed; it will be interesting to see how they choose to spend that money. If the election was raucous who knows how the battle over dollars will go.

The Senior Citizens’ Group looks as if it’s going great guns. They elected their officers Sunday evening [all these elections are necessary in order to become a recognized entity and qualify for things like government support and grants]. They had a wonderful holiday social in early December. We sang songs, told jokes, ate delicious Jamaican holiday fare and had a Yankee Swap gift exchange that brought a lot of laughs. Gary and I had given a phone card and a lottery ticket as two separate gifts. The lottery ticket was the most unusual of the gifts. Our host mother, Mrs. Rumble was the last to draw a gift and she got it. If the ticket won it would be worth $50,000 JA. She could keep it or give it to one of the other seniors and take their gift. Now you have to know Mrs. Rumble to appreciate the situation; gambling is not part of her vocabulary. She howled and moaned in agony over the decision for five minutes. It was comical; in the end she kept the ticket and eventually got nothing [not even one number came up].

The Youth Club has moved along in fits and starts. They also have expressed a desire to get organized so they can have something to do. I know that’s the cry of all older children but, except for school [if they go] there’s literally nothing to do in Chapelton; no movies [theater or DVD rentals], no sports, no swimming, no clubs, no computers except at the time limited library, no jobs, nothing but socializing on the street corners listening to music and watching older men while they smoke ganja and play dominos. Sunday evening they are going to give it another try. I think something may happen this time, but we’ll see.

As for the Healthy Lifestyles Club, my supervisor at the Hospital asked me to consider starting a second in another town and use the model of the first one. I just returned from Rock River All Age School to discuss the plan with them. It looks as if it will happen. I’m looking forward to giving it a try.

The computer situation in JA is limited at best. One reason we write so few blogs is that we’re limited to 30 minutes at a time on the local library’s PC [s]. The parenthesis represents the widely varying number of units available. For the month of December there was only one operational for most of the month. For the last several days before we left for the US there were none working. Anyway, it’s an island wide problem; I wanted something done; so I joined the ITAG committee of the PC [don’t recall what the acronym stands for but it’s something to do with technology] and became the point person for coordinating the purchases of 34 of my fellow volunteers for a sizeable number of computers. I have managed to get a shipper to donate his services to the cause [and possibly for the shoes too] and it’s just a matter of which computer refurbishing company we can get the best deal from all around [product, time frame and tech support] before we start the process of raising money [~ $80 US/unit with monitors, printers and Word loaded for Pentium 3’s and 4’s]. It’s all rather absurd with me doing this because I’m the most technically challenged human on the planet but I do see the need in Chapelton. The records department story you’ve heard, but the Community Center could offer PC’s for community use [oh yes, we’ve also learned that our neighborhood has been identified as a computer access point for the north central portion of our parish [again, who knew?!].

From our first encounter Mrs. Rumble asked us to stay for the Christmas celebration because of its festivities. So, in August we decided to honor her request and leave for the US on Christmas night after the major portion of the holiday was completed. We suspect that Christmas in Jamaica, like much of the Christian world, was subdued this year. Decorations were few and far between. But we did see some interesting cultural traditions around the season. Beginning in late November the US version of spring cleaning began and it was serious all over the Island. Even the government got involved with cleaning, clearing brush, and repairing roads. For the month people worked furiously to rehabilitate their property with painting, repairing, and renewing. One unusual tradition in that process is the painting white of tree trunks, stone boarders, midsized to large rocks embedded in the earth, and tires used as flower pots. Of those we asked they felt it was esthetically pleasing and desirable to have it done to their property. We asked several Jamaicans the source of the tradition but no one seemed to know; but all agreed it had nothing to do with an artificial representation of snow like we see in America.

So then we got to Connecticut and spent four days with John and Stephen while Todd and Riley joined us for two days. It was great to see those guys and feel their hugs. It’s the longest we’ve been away from them. We saw a movie, ate pizza and US beef, used a computer freely and watched television. Gary got to watch the Patriots do well but get knocked out of the playoffs. It was eye opening to realize how much we have always taken for granted; the comforts we’re all accustomed to are simply not available even in a country as developed as Jamaica. Gary also spent three days in Hardwick with his buddy Art Dell Orto [I was there for two days and left early to dog sit so John could ski].

Updates on the boys: Stephen has taken a player development internship with the Texas Rangers. He say it’s the next step toward his goal of becoming a GM someday and that it is the last internship. He’s literally on his way as of this writing to Arlington, TX. The Marlins gave him a wonderful send off. John and Todd were in Miami to see him in early November and said it was clear that everyone in the head office really liked him and the work he was doing. John is doing well in the commodities trading business. He trades chemicals internationally and specializes in chemicals for biodiesel fuels and compounded pharmaceuticals. It’s reassuring to hear that even in these tight economic times that our offspring are doing well. Todd was working away on conference calls with his IBM employees while he was with us and says he’s also doing just fine. Riley was a gem. At 2 ½ she’s charming even when she’s clear about not wanting something. She got to know us and seemed to have a lot of fun with each of us; it’s just a shame we will likely only see her very intermittently for many years to come.

As soon as Gary and I stepped out of the cab that brought us back to our Jamaican home from Connecticut I knew our host grandfather, Sirdee [the neighbors call him Oldie but he asked us to call him Sirdee] had had a stroke. Several people were trying to help him and when I got to his side I was the only one he recognized. We have a special relationship; he’s taken his role as host father very seriously with us and me in particular. I am his white daughter thus he always wanted to know where I was and that I was safe. We had many interesting discussions about world history and government. At 94 he had a wonderful spirit and since of humor. Now he’s taking this new condition with grace. He seems comfortable and never complains when we clumsily roll him over or readjust him. Mrs. Rumble, a retired head nurse, has chosen to care for him at home, so it’s almost like a hospice environment. Friends, neighbors and family drop by to see him even though he just lies there and can only mumble a syllable or two. Mrs. Rumble is taking a group of men, Gary included [fortunately I gave him a machete for Christmas; in Jamaican culture it’s like a very large version of the Swiss Army knife, real men wouldn’t been seen without it], to a remote plot of land Sirdee owns so they can cut a path to the top where he wants to be buried. I hope he’s able to go peacefully.

Now it’s Gary’s turn to share his thoughts & observations. Have a safe & happy New Year, Margaret

How do I top that “dissertation”…..? The only story I can add is one that happened about a week before Christmas when we were both (at the last minute) invited to a reception/dinner for a number of people that were either retiring from Chapelton Hospital or changing jobs…it totaled about 6 people altogether. The invitation came via phone call the night before the event and the person who called said “Ms. Rowe(the CEO) expects you to attend.” The event was scheduled for 2:00 pm on Thursday, a week before Christmas. After Margaret’s lectures and my meetings we arrived at the timely hour of 2 PM. The tables were almost fully decorated but no one was there except for the people who were working to set everything up and a couple of the retirees. It was clear that nothing was imminent. I retreated to my ECG office, did a little paperwork and returned every 15-30 minutes to see if the pace had picked up. Finally at 4:30 the event began with the six honorees and about 10 guests (including the two of us). The turnout was embarrassing but those in attendance made the best of the evening…..Don’t know if we mentioned this before, but cell phones are BIG in Jamaica; they may not have much…but almost everyone has a cell phone. And they are used incessantly, in meetings, in taxis, while eating….etc. As the host was announcing the first honoree (a retiree), his cell rang and he proceeded to answer it and have a conversation with whomever while the host continued the accolades about the man’s contribution at the hospital!!! One might think that was the exception but it happened once again during the accolades to another honoree. With all this waiting around, it'a a good thing I'm retired.

Lata, Gary

Things have changed for us electronically. The library where we use the internet won't allow us to use flash drives anymore because of the potential for virus infections. That means pics will be limited. We should be able to attach some after Christmas once we get to John's.

The weather is incredible where we are; akin to a lovely New England summer day. In the last few weeks we've stopped sweating like crazy 24/7, sleeping is much more comfortable and life is simply more comfortable. Not so 10 miles south in the plateau region of May Pen. Thankfully, we're down to one or two trips there per week.

Had a community meeting last night and 35 showed up.......AND MOST WERE ON TIME!! The downside was that the guest speaker we had from the Social Development Commission, and who everyone came to hear, sent a sub who wasn't well prepared. It was a one step forward two steps back moment. We'd worked so hard to get residents out and now it's not likely, for the time being, to happen again. Just have to re-group and try another tact.

Thanksgiving was a step back into the US. A big-wig in Jamaica invited 30 guests, among them eight PCV's, for an American Thanksgiving. Gary fixed the turkey. It was fun. Also made some valuable contacts for donations to projects.

We're helping a local fellow try to get a youth football [not gridiron type] going. He's having a fundraiser fun-day of football competition next Saturday, 12/3. We're helping with organization and donation acquistions. It's a lot of work on foot rather than via car, email, and phone but we're learning who has something to donate and who doesn't.

Eager for Christmas and seeing the boys. Once home we're going to see a movie, eat pizza, and hug those guys.

Wak gud, Margaret

WHERE’S THE SNOW!

It’s November 19….it’s 85 degrees, and there are no snow plows around! Ever see the movie “Groundhog Day”? Well, that’s what it’s like in Jamaica. Not the radio alarms..(they wouldn’t think of it….”I’m late…no problem”) but the weather every day. Sure, we get some rain and wind (every now and then), but I’m still soaked after walking a mile to work or the library. I know some of you think I’m wacko, but I was telling Margaret this morning……”can’t wait to get a few days of cold air in my lungs when we get back home for Christmas.” Someone at the hospital told me back in September that we would need sweaters in November and December! How does it go…”yeah, right!” The only time our room fan has been off is because of a power outage. Not really “skrinarplaining,” but never realized I missed the seasons, especially the fall, so much.

The only place that we will need sweaters is our planned trip to the Blue Mountains in the middle of December. No matter where you are the weather is cooler at 7,000 ft +. Speaking of this trip it should be a real camera lover’s hike. Apparently, the guides take you to the “cabins” after hiking for a hour or so…where you eat and go to sleep (cot) and are awakened at 2 am. The hike continues for the next 3 hours or so until you arrive at the peak and are there just in time to witness the sunrise. The Blue Mountains rise to the aforementioned heights just east of Kingston and provide a beautiful easterly view for those living and visiting Kingston. Those who have taken the trip say that if the clouds are at a minimum you can see Cuba to the west and of course the sunrise to the east.

Things have been going pretty slowly the past week or so and particularly this week as we have had two functions cancelled at the last moment, even though there was no rain and no power outages! The EKG project came to a rousing halt as the machine from Mayo died about a week before administering the first EKGs….talked to Mayo and they are sending a replacement.

But we are treating this as a “fall” vacation week as we are heading to Ocho Rios (first time) for a Peace Corps conference – called the Early Service Conference – from Wednesday to Friday. Then, rather than head home we decided to travel just east of Montego Bay, about 1 ½ hours west of Ochi (both MoBay and Ochi are on the north shore) and spend the weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun morning) at Ironshore, just outside of MoBay. The tourist season (if there is one this year with the economy) usually starts around mid-December and lasts through April. This area is considered the tourist mecca. We hope to get a jump on the snowbirds and play golf while there are only a few people on the course.

Since this blog seems to be based on the weather we thought we would try and give you a sense of the roads (although experiencing them is much more fun). The roads, of course, are affected by the weather, particularly the rain. Last Friday, Nov 7, I was in May Pen (10 miles down the mountain)…and experienced the normal bad roads. On Saturday, tropical storm Palermo skimmed Jamaica and so we had some pretty heavy rains. On the way down to May Pen the next Tuesday the road was horrendous….the picture we posted shows the depth of the asphalt on top of “marl (crushed rock beneath the asphalt).” I saw 5’ X 8’ sections of the asphalt that had simply separated from the rest and floated off the marl, leaving big crevasses in the roadway. The only unsettling thing about going to Blue Mountain is the total time of travel… approximately 7 hours….”are we having fun yet?”

More ups and downs. First, the weather is cooling down, a little. We can walk to work and not always be soaked with perspiration and on a few nights we actually turned off the fan. The latter was hard to do because the fan serves three purposes: cooling; mosquito deterrent; and noise abatement. We’re not so sure if night time cooling will be beneficial in the long run.

Gary was all primed to start teaching the nurses how to conduct an electrocardiogram on patients until a few days ago. He had been given a desk and a small locked room to house the machine and one day he discovered the door unlocked, a key sitting on the desk and the EKG not working. He worked on it, called Mayo Clinic [recall they sent it], spoke to a few techs and finally realized it wasn’t going to work. So, in true Jamaican style the big training event had to be canceled. The good news is Mayo is sending another machine so not all is lost. As well, BU has one we’re going to bring back at Christmas. With used equipment you can never have too many back-ups. In the same vein, tomorrow we’ll conduct our pilot run-through for the Wellness Project; that is, unless some glitch pops up.

After several rain canceled meetings we finally held the last of our steering committee meetings for the Community Association and the big Community-wide meeting is set for this Thursday [unless of course it rains]. Rescheduling that baby will be a real challenge. We have fliers up all over town and a guy with a giant speaker system atop his car is announcing it daily. Cross your fingers that it stays dry.

A Jamaican friend of ours told us that some of the locals, who didn’t know she knew us, told her we are spies. They said they knew it because we ask so many questions. Oh well!

Wak gud, Margaret

It’s the day after the presidential election and the passionate Jamaicans are as excited about Obama winning as they were about their Olympic track team’s accomplishments. Certainly, more of them want to talk with us about the meaning of this win than they did the feats of Bolt, et al. They are proud of Obama and glorious about what the “white” Americans have done. It seems to be a statement about each of them as individuals and their legitimacy as much as recognition of America’s and the world’s need for the promise Obama’s leadership hopefully will bring. We’ve got our fingers crossed he is able to follow through on what he seems to stand for.

There have been some ups and downs in our projects. We’re home helping our host mother, Mrs. Rumble, prepare for the first ever Chapelton Senior Citizens gathering. She’s been inspired to start one after the early success with the Citizens’ Association. We’ll keep you informed as to whether or not it blossoms in to a viable organization.

The Citizens’ Association has its second planning meeting tomorrow night and it’s first full community meeting next Wednesday evening. We’re not as confident we can muster sufficient participation to make this group effective. Their first planning meeting went well but last week was supposed to be the second meeting. It didn’t go off because it rained. We’ve learned that Jamaicans DO NOT GO OUT IN THE RAIN…….EVER!!!

Since this is the “rainy season” it’s a little difficult to plan and keep momentum going but we’ll see. Can’t figure out why they don’t like rain but it’s clear the custom is spread throughout the culture.

The shoe collection efforts seem to be going great guns, especially on the west coast. Thanks to those of you who are contributing. My sister, Aimee, has set a goal of 1,000 shoes and has made contact with a Jamaican-American Association that may try to help with shipping and possible donations. Like John and me, it must be in her genes to dream big. I’m excited to see what she’s able to pull off.

The shoes will be used first for those in the community who want to begin exercising. The second group will be those who participate in the Wellness Project Evaluation. We’ll be able to give them a necessary tool to carry out the prescriptive lifestyle recommendations we make. We have a pilot run-through on five volunteers next Wednesday. If all goes well we’ll launch at both hospitals beginning January 15.

For those who are familiar with the Fitness Evals we used to do at BU, this will be a hybrid of that. Available equipment is limited so there’ll be some field test screenings like a Step –Test for cardio-fitness rather than a treadmill or bike test with an EKG monitor. We won’t be able to estimate fat volume, lean body mass or strength so we’re doing BMI and waist girth instead. But we are confident we’ll have enough risk info to estimate chances of chronic diseases and levels of wellness. Along with what’s been mentioned we’re doing resting EKGs, blood lipids and glucose, flexibility, posture analysis, nutritional analysis, oral health exam and depression screen.

We’re coming home for Christmas!!….. well, it’ll be the day after Christmas, for nine days. If any of you are in New England and are dying to see us, we’ll be in Greenwich, CT at Johns from 12/26 to the 30th, then in Hardwick, MA with Art Dell Orto until 1/3. Then we’ll return to John’s for a Jan. 4 departure for JM. We’re delaying our JM departure to the US to participate in a “Jamaican Christmas”. Apparently it’s a bigger event here than in the US. We’ll let you know what transpires. Todd may also join us for a while and bring Riley. It will be wonderful to see the boys and hug them.

Tek cyar, Margaret

So many likle observations that I can’t remember them all as of this writing but I’ll try recalling some. First, we are getting busier. The Wellness Program, modifications of the BU Fitness Center and Pitt’s old Cardiac Rehab Program, is taking off. In two weeks were doing a pilot run through. We expect to launch full bore on January 15 [only because we’ve been told normal life in JA ceases from the last week in November until 1/15 for Christmas]. If all goes as planned we will run the programs at Chapelton and May Pen Hospitals until they succeed or fail. If successful we will branch out to small and large businesses and provide the same services at the worksite. At that point we’ll begin training medical staff to conduct the Wellness Program.

The EKG training program will be off and running this week. It had an early glitch; the Parish CMO put a hold on it because she had understood Gary might be a CIA agent. Now get up off the floor; too much laughter might cause a stroke. Of all people confused for CIA, he’s the last on my list. As our host mother said, “….and why would the CIA even be interested in JA?”. Gary met with the CMO last Friday and all was straightened out.

We traveled this weekend to the poorest community on the island, Portland Cottage [such a charming name for the most beleaguered site I’ve seen], with 80% unemployment you may be able to imagine their plight. It’s the hot spot for drug and gun smuggling. It’s on the salt marshes of the Caribbean in the south of Clarendon Parish. As Gary said, it makes Chapelton look like Beverly Hills. We visited a fellow volunteer working for Food for the Poor. She took us to a beach in the region, not in the town, where I might take my Healthy Lifestyles Club members for a beach clean up and picnic.

Which leads me to the next effort. I’m teaching [advising] a group of twenty 12-15 year olds in the Healthy Lifestyle Club at Beulah All Age School [gr. 2-8, there are only upper school students in the club]. I have two co-teachers who are training to take over the class next year. Using games, skits, prizes, field trips and competitions they’ll learn about healthy lifestyles. Topics range from healthy snacks, food preparation and cooking to mental, environmental, and oral health, as well as HIV/AIDS, violence prevention, hygiene, and exercise.

After meeting with the elders of the community regarding the resurrection of the Citizens’ Association it was decided that 1.] a Senior Citizens Group should be formed right away [sort of a local AARP]; and 2.] Gary and I should meet with the leaders of the youth community and use the same techniques to fact find about their needs. Substantial numbers of youth [15-25] in Jamaica are under-educated and under-employed. The elders are concerned for the youths’ welfare and its affect on the community. Our Youth meeting will be tonight [Wed.] and the second elders’ group will be the next night. The Senior Citizens Group is ready to have its first meeting November 5.

We’re meeting with the director and staff of St. Augustine Boyz Home to discuss the kinds of workshops we might teach to staff and the boys. We just attended a Heroes Day Concert put on by them this morning [Heroes Day is like our Presidents’ Day but much more important to the populace]. These boys have been abandoned by their families. Some are disabled or disfigured internally and/or externally but most are adorable boys between 8 & 18. It broke my heart to think about their lives without any family at all. Some are starved for affection. One took hold of Gary and wouldn’t let go.

In the meantime Gary’s gotten motivated to see what he can do about the noise pollution problem. Loud reggae music pulsing 24/7 is the norm. The loud bases of giant sound systems is ubiquitous, whether in the country or city, and literally rattles windows and doors. Once all the above are rolling you may hear more about that effort. In the meantime we keep ear plugs with us at all times.

In all the preparation for these projects we’ve had to do considerable traveling to meet key people and fact-find. As you all know travel has been our bane in JA but it has been interesting to learn of and participate in a common Jamaican practice, ride sharing. In all sorts of situations and circumstances people share rides to save gas, get someplace, and/or transport something. It’s not uncommon for the Ministry of Health driver who is charged with getting us to a meeting in May Pen to have 2 or 3 others tagging along to be dropped off somewhere. In route we’ll stop at the roadside and pick up a package that needs to be dropped off on the way. All of this in a truck filled with equipment and supplies going or coming to somewhere else. No one ever just jumps in a car and drives alone to any place.

Finally, I’ll probably have more to say about this topic later as I watch and learn more about its effect; but only 30% of women with children are married. Sociologists and anthropologists don’t know if it’s the result of earlier African cultural practices or a remnant of slavery when marriage was impractical with families always being torn apart. Nonetheless, it’s interesting to know that so few individuals live with their parents; often they live with grandmothers or aunts. Women don’t seem to be bothered by this condition and large numbers of well-educated professional women choose to have a child out of wedlock. It appears they don’t want to have a thing to do with men [no, their not lesbians!!]. They prefer to have a child and a career without the father present. In the poor communities they may not have a career but they still want the children. This doesn’t suggest that men aren’t present in their children’s lives. In American I never saw so many young men carrying [no strollers, carriages, baby backpacks, etc] babies and/or walking along holding the hands of their young children. It seems to me that the males and females of this culture may not want to deal with the compromises necessary in marriage. What effect, if any, it has on children, I don’t know. What is clear is that there doesn’t appear to be any stigma attached to not having a father present in the home; it’s the norm.

Das al fi nou, Margaret

We spent Sunday at Font Hill Beach, 45 miles south of Negril, with a group of senior citizens from our community. It was our first trip to the southwest coast. The beaches were lovely, clean and quiet, except for the ever-ubiquitous reggae music. The water was warm and clear; the clouds as usual were gorgeous.

But,…….. the trip didn’t start out that well. It began as a lesson in cultures and communications between Americans and Jamaicans. We were to leave the house with our host mother via taxi at 7 AM to meet the group in a town forty five minutes north of Chapelton for the 8 AM departure; but our Jamaican taxi driver was an hour late. We started calling him at 7:10 but only got a message that his mailbox was full. He had over slept on his only day off, Sunday. Once finally on the road we called the organizer, Ionie, to let her know our status. Now Ionie is not your typical Jamaican. She spent 25 years in England and is quite western. She’s highly organized and expects everyone else to be so; her impatience with Jamaican ways is obvious. She said to me, “we are loading right now”. I asked if we should have our driver take us to a junction where we could meet the bus taking everyone; she said no. I then said we’ll try to catch the bus and asked what color it was. She said yellow and green.

Now, at that time we had understood we were headed two hours north to Ocho Rios and the junction we were headed to was right on the way; it didn’t seem very Jamaican not to be willing to wait for us but Ionie is western so we accepted it. We drove like lightning over the very worst roads in Jamaica and got to the meeting point in 35 minutes at 8:35. No one was in sight; so to no avail, we asked a few people if they had seen the green and yellow bus. All were adamant that no bus had gone by. We figured they hadn’t been paying that close attention and hadn’t noticed. We called Ionie’s phone at least eight times, to no avail. We figured the noise was too loud in the bus for her to hear the ring. After realizing we didn’t know where in Ochi they were headed, that now we couldn’t catch the bus, and the poor taxi driver realized he’d really messed up, our host mother decided she was up for an adventure and she was going to get one. At 8:45 we headed west into the hills for Moco and Smithville where she was reared. The roads weren’t bad but very narrow and winding.

At 9:30 we receive a call from Ionie asking where the heck we were and that they were waiting for us. We said we were in Thompson town, 45 minutes west of the bus, she asked how we got there!!!???; we said we were headed to Smithville. Now she was befuddled and asked to speak to the driver. She figured we just didn’t realize where we were. He confirmed the location and she confirmed they were waiting for us [its truly Jamaican not to leave anyone out]. We did a 180 degree turn and headed back, like lightning, over those ‘wonderful’ roads. It was clear the young driver was eager to do this because the thought of spending his day-off with three senior citizens in the bush really didn’t appeal to him.

When we finally arrived at the bus, it was white with a bit of blue and yellow trim and the riders had only been waiting about 45 minutes rather than the 1 ½ hours we thought. It turned out that the Jamaicans, even Ionie, are Jamaican all the way. When we originally reached the meeting spot we were actually the first ones there [so American!], even if it was an hour late. When we initially spoke to Ionie who said they were just loading up we didn’t understand that she was just getting into her own taxi at her home [unconcerned that she was an hour late] and she was guessing at the bus colors. As Jamaicans they would never leave us and said not to worry when it was obvious how terribly we felt about inconveniencing them so much.

Our story doesn’t end there. Once on the bus we realized we were headed west rather than northeast to Ochi. At first we figured there must be a short cut but then it became obvious, after an hour that the normal two hour trip to Ochi was going to be lengthy if we continued west. Finally, we asked where we were headed, and no one seemed to quite know but nonetheless happy for the company and adventure. After three hours [for us five hours] we landed at Font Hill. Only then did we understand the unspoken original message of Ionie’s refusal to meet us at a junction point to Ochi. It was truly a ‘Jamerican’ lesson in communication and unspoken meaning. From now on we’ll let Mrs. Rumble make the planning phone calls.

On a new front, my sister, Aimee, is working with a group of Southern California home school parents to collect workout shoes [sturdy, gently worn sneakers for men, women and children] for Jamaicans to use while exercising. Brian Goldenberg, a former BU student of mine is doing the same on the east coast under teh auspices of the Health Sciences Club. The rural Jamaican footwear situation is deplorable, primarily rubber flip flops or bare feet. Many are eager to walk or run with me but I can’t allow them to exercise on crumbling concrete and asphalt without adequate footwear because they will get injured. At the same time they can’t afford shoes that provide adequate support and shock absorption, even if they were available. So far I’ve seen one sports store in Kingston that looked as if it might have functional/effective training gear. If you’d like to help there are two ways: send washed/bleached slightly worn shoes with new laces; or a donation to help cover shipping costs [if the latter, make checks payable to either Aimee or Brian].

Contact information: Aimee Ibarra, 8739 Elizabeth Lake Rd., Leona Valley, CA 93551 or aimeeibarra@hotmail.com; or Brian Goldenberg: hsclub@bu.edu. If you can do anything at all it will help a Jamaican improve his/her health, fitness and resistance to the growing epidemic of chronic diseases.

Tanks an taik cyar, Margaret

Here are two observations, one about Jamaica, the other about us, as in US. As I’ve said earlier, Jamaica is a nation between two worlds, developing and developed. As such the citizens probably aren’t much different than we were in 1776, many believing in the mother country, Britain or the Western, model. For example, the majority of Jamaicans prefer the protocol of Mr., Mrs. or Miss. The closest of friends refer to each other in that way. Some how it seems incongruous and pretentious here in the bush but it may make them feel as if they are staying abreast of British ways by keeping them alive. Yet, their very oldest ways, African resourcefulness, may be of greater benefit to them. Few are proud of being able to walk miles in a day or creatively conserve; actions our planet dearly needs. They see those actions as embarrassing and demeaning, albeit necessary. If I correctly recall my American History, Britain regarded US as ruffian, archaic illiterates for nearly 200 years. Our language, values, culture [or lack of], etc. were derided.

Jamaican’s are in a similar transition phase as we were 200 years ago, many of them not quite sure of who they are or should be and not appreciating the benefits of their native culture. We had our first Citizens’ Association meeting last week [one of the missions of our tenure is to help resurrect the non-operational organization] and after leading a long discussion on the things they both like and want changed in the community several asked what we thought of Chapelton. They were amazed that anyone from America liked it and could find value in their lives. I continue to tell Jamaicans that being American or British is not the panacea for life’s ills. I suppose when literally half the population is an expatriate with some money in his/her pocket it may be difficult to accept that premise.

The saddest aspect of their transition to the developed world is their state of health. Like US they are getting fatter and have more chronic disease. As the ‘developing nation’ conditions like dengue, gastroenteritis, diarrhea, malnutrition, leptospirosis, etc. are on the wane due to improved Western [got to give credit where it’s due] health care; those chronic diseases of the Western lifestyle are alarmingly on the rise. Many of my health presentations point out that one way to stave off these conditions is to preserve valuable aspects of their historical culture and ways; total westernization will lead to suffering of a different kind. Some times I feel as if the west is like the invading Spaniards of the 15th Century who brought infectious disease and death to the natives in this hemisphere. Finding and trusting that path is a mountain few have yet to even consider scaling. For many I may as well be suggesting we blow up the world; it’s impossible and exceedingly undesirable!

As for the US observation I alluded to, if you haven’t already seen it, please consider taking time to watch Bill Moyers’ discussion with our former colleague at Boston University, Andrew Bacevich [http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/09262008/watch.html]. Our son, John forwarded it to us and we think it’s quite informative on many levels and issues regarding our current state of affairs in the US and the world.

Sunday we’re headed to Ochi [Ocho Rios] on the north shore for a day at the beach with 40 Jamaicans. This 60 mile trip should only take two hours and two transport transfers because we’re chartering a bus for part of the way. We’re eager to see how they enjoy and use the beach. Among other things, we’ll be roasting a goat.

If you can believe it, we’re yearning for those cool crisp New England days. At times all this sun and great weather is more than we can handle.

Finally, if you’ve noticed we haven’t posted many new photos recently [Sorry about that, Chris]. There are limits to how many vistas of green mountains and clouds you all want to see; and it’s getting difficult to take any with Jamaicans in them. They either don’t want their pictures taken or they want to be paid for allowing the photo to be taken. Do notice we were able to get a great one of a Brahma cow right outside our bathroom window.

Laita, Margaret

Our first weekend away from Chapelton!

We finally decided, at the urging of our Safety and Security Coordinator, that we would take a weekend off and start to explore Jamaica outside our work and home site. We checked the Lonely Planet Jamaica and decided to travel to Falmouth which is located about 18 miles east of Montego Bay and about 60 miles from our apartment in Chapelton. Found a small hotel that was close to rafting and not too far from Rose Hall Mansion and a couple golf courses. We ventured out and planned to meet our roommates from training (Matt and Karen Towne) early Friday evening. We headed to downtown Chapelton around 2: 45 and arrived at 3:10. The place was teeming with school children who were waiting to go home via the taxis and mini-buses…the same form of transportation we use. There do not appear to be school buses in Jamaica…as we know it in the states. Finally, after standing around for about 25 minutes jockeying for a spot we got on a mini-bus at 3:35 [capacity 15- # of riders 23]. The adventure began while we headed straight north; our first stop to change to a taxi was Trout Hall 8 miles north on probably the worst road we’ve ever traveled. We were in the standard Toyota Corolla taxi with four passengers in the front and four in the back. Yep, you read it right, four in the front, two in the passenger seat and two in the driver’s seat! The driver had to reach over the female passenger’s leg to shift. Eight miles should take the “Grand Prix” taxi drivers about 10-15 minutes on these roads….but not the 8 miles to Trout Hall…it took over 30 minutes…the driver could not get up enough speed because of the huge potholes and the weight in the car. Next stop, Cave Valley, another 8 miles or so which was equally as slow not only because of the road (which was not quite as pot-holed as the previous leg) but because we were heading over the peak of the Bull Head Mountains…with a lot of hair pin turns and close to the road cliffs (not a guard rail to be seen); however that did not seem to phase the driver who was driving between 35-45 miles an hour on these treacherous roads…only about 5 feet from the taxi in front of him. We were starting to squirm. At Cave Valley we jumped into another taxi that would take us about 16 miles to Brownstown. The road started to get better, NOT GOOD, just improved. Traffic was heavy (Friday night get-a-way?) so the driver had to drive slower than the previous Mr. Andretti - wannabe! At Brownstown we boarded an SUV taxi…with relatively more space but still cramped, and headed for Discovery Bay and our first view of the North coast and the Caribbean. The roads changed significantly…no potholes, wide (not eight lanes) but wide and not nearly as busy as the narrow mountain roads. At Discovery Bay we boarded a taxi that ate up the next 20 miles of road in about 13-15 minutes…at least we were on good roads and there were only three of us in the car versus the usual 7-8. We arrived at our destination (Fisherman’s Inn at Glistening Waters), 3 km east of Falmouth at 6 pm…met our friends at poolside (they had left their home site three hours earlier than we had), and I immediately consumed a scotch on the rocks…whew! We had dinner, more drinks and then a relatively early retirement…10 pm seemed like midnight compared to our usual lights out routine around 9 pm.

At breakfast on Saturday morning we made plans to take a 90 minute raft trip, called the number(s) listed in the Lonely Planet…but were unable to reach anyone. Plan B had us travel west toward MoBay past, Falmouth to Rose Hall where we took in the guided tour of the Great House Mansion, located on a former 6000 acre sugar cane plantation which was built starting in the 1750’s and completed in the 1770’s. Slaves destroyed the house in the 1831 Christmas Rebellion (for good reason I might add)…it was then left in ruins for the next century. In 1966 a couple from the US started and completed the restoration in 5 years. There is folklore, some true, some untrue about the young woman who was married to an early owner of the place, John Palmer, who supposedly practiced voo-doo…killed three husbands and then was herself killed by her slave lover. Anyway she was known as the “White Witch”….hence the name of one of the golf courses which is on part of the original 6,000 acres…White Witch Golf Course. I drooled for most of my time on the grounds…our time constraints and mixed company (not all golfers) overrode my desire to rent clubs and take off on a course where there were only three foursomes playing.

After flagging down a shuttle bus that was heading to the Ritz Carlton, a resort about a mile down the road from Rose Hall and partners in the whole track (hotel, golf, and mansion), we headed to the pool bar/restaurant for lunch. Up until the moment that we stepped into the Ritz, Margaret and I have mentioned that 99% of US visitors never see the Jamaica we’ve seen. Well….we left that Jamaica for about 2 hours during our visit to the golf course and Ritz for lunch. Felt like we had flown back to a US resort (including prices) and stepped out of our PC existence for a while.

On Sunday, after some morning pool time we packed up and headed back to Chapelton…the pace was somewhat less hectic [Margaret asked each driver if they tek taim? And each nodded affirmatively], the roads were still bad, and the frequency of taxis was less. But after 59 miles and four hours we arrived back safe and sound….oh and tired…because about 100 yards from our hotel on Saturday from about 5:30 pm until 4:30 am there was reggae, reggae, and more reggae that shook the doors (the base was so loud) to our room. The air conditioning, tv, and extra pillows were unable to squelch this “music.” We were told by the waiter on Saturday evening that they always have a party on the last Saturday of the month…Great!!! Just what we needed for our R & R.

Recently a friend asked if we have air conditioning. It was then I realized you may be curious about our living conditions. Rural Jamaica is on the cusp of moving from a developing to developed country. Areas in Kingston, as well as tourist spots in Montego Bay and along the north and west coasts have modern amenities. The only air conditioning we experience is in the ATM kiosks. No matter who’s taking out money we both cram into the space for a brief moment of bliss. From 8 AM to 5 PM it is HOT and HUMID, much like the southeastern US in the summer [without the fall respite]; albeit, ocean breezes crossing the island do make it somewhat manageable.

We look forward to dusk when the sweat abates. Sweat pours off our legs, arms, backs, heads, etc. Poor Gary is always soaked ¾ of the way on the mile and a half walk to the hospital. No AC there either. Indoors the first thing we check for are cross breeze locations and fans. Many carry kerchiefs to wipe sweat from the body. For shade I walk everywhere with my umbrella up. Men aren’t culturally allowed that luxury unless it’s raining.

Water, for any purpose, is limited. We sometimes have it, sometimes not. There’s no predicting when it will be on and for how long. It may be off for a few days and then on for two hours from 11AM-1PM or 11PM-1AM [neither time block particularly convenient]. Other times it may be on for 24 hours. We have storage tanks that are filled for the off-hours and we keep two large buckets filled in our bathroom. When the water is off our house mother has the luxury of a pump that brings it into the house. We try to use it sparingly because electricity is costly.

This may set your hair afire, but there’s no hot water for showers, laundry or dishes. I’ve learned a whole new tolerance for diminished comfort and sanitation. We’ve now been here for nearly three months and not seen anyone sick or develop rashes for the lack of hot water. There could be something to the useless wastefulness of our antibacterial obsession; and possibly our immune systems are even stronger for the lack of hyper-sanitation. We’ve learned to save water and fuel by taking cold bucket showers. We also water plants with dish and laundry water.

We’re lucky to have a washing machine. During training it was handwashing or nothing.

The laundry dries on a line, unless you forget to watch the weather and fail to note the arriving afternoon tropical downpour [those babies come on like gang busters, no light sprinkles to warn you]. Laundry water is recycled between loads. We start with the whites, pull them out for the darks and reset the wash cycle. Then spin/rinse each in the same order. It’s easier than hand washing but we have to keep in mind to watch the cycles, one distraction and 15 gallons of H2O is literally down the drain.

There’s no internet service in our neighborhood or at the hospital. We walk 1½ miles to the library to do research and communicate with all of you. Once the ECG lab is up and running, there may be enough money to fund internet service on a limited basis for the hospital. No guarantees but that was the suggestion.

Our neighborhood initially looks reasonably modern but after a third glance you see the structures are primarily shells of modernity. Most residents grow some foods in their yards: mango, pear [avocado to us], breadfruit, plantain, banana, oranges, yam, sugar cane, aki, kallaloo, etc., and share what they have with neighbors [sharing and helping is an important Jamaican value]. Visits to the grocery store are rare [and expensive], although we haven’t broken the habit yet; we’re now down to a once a week trip into May Pen to a supermarket that has some of the amenities we’re accustomed to [but don’t really need]. One reason for our diminished travel is Gary’s abhorrence of the costly, torturous ten mile trek.

The roads are shared by pedestrians, vehicles [mainly taxis and mini buses], goats, donkeys, cows, chickens, and the ever-present hoard of dogs. Sidewalks, if present, are useless, crumbling clumps of stone. All forms of transport, regardless of the species, take place in the badly pot-holed roads. It’s the pot-holes that make it safe for all to share the roads; cars can’t drive fast [except on the main roads where the taxis and buses drive fast regardless of road conditions]. That reminds me; Gary recently said that even if Peace Corps allowed us to drive he’s not sure he would feel safe driving in Jamaica. The back roads are fine; it’s the main roads that are worrisome.

Take a minute to look around you and appreciate what you have, but please don’t take it for granted or let it reduce our resources.

Taik cyar, Margaret