Roaring River

Roaring River has to be one of my favorite spots that I have visited during my stays in Jamaica. Absolutely gorgeous, clean water flows from the hills to irrigate the sugar cane on a plot of land that was once home to a slave plantation. The caves on the piece of land are filled with stories and must-see rock formations, all of which can be pointed out by one of the local tour guides.

I feel as though I’ll say this many times, however this was one of the experiences that many of our students realized how special and wonderful the opportunity to participate in this program is. Each and every student was wowed by the “bottomless” swimming hole (said to be about 250 feet deep in actuality), the healing mineral springs rushing from rocks, and the beauty of the stalactites and stalagmites creating echoing caverns and tiny tunnels.

While I’ve known the majority of students for at semester at the least, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly a wonderful and unique experience can bring people together. Discussions and conversations I’ve had with different students have been enlightening and exciting. Although many of the students came for a variety of different reasons, they are all experiencing the same fantastic result.

School time

Each morning, “Mom” (which we have taken to calling our housemother after she deemed us her daughters) took us to school. The 21 SRU students split up between the Coke’s View Primary School (grades 1 through 6), the Whithorn Early Childhood Insitution (ECI – age 3 through 5), the Water Works ECI, and the Galloway ECI.  I spent each day at Coke’s View working with Grade 5. Each morning started with devotion – the entire school (about 215 children) stood outside and recited the Jamaican national pledge, the national anthem, and read a passage from the bible.

Grade 5 was a unique and challenging experience. Their regular teacher is currently on maternity leave, and no substitute has been hired yet. For the past week and a half, one of the students’ mothers had supervised the group and the principal supervised when she was unavailable. Corey, Oliver, and I stayed with this group all week, and we had one or two people come in and out throughout the days.

After our first look at the class, we were stunned. The school itself is made of two separate buildings and the classrooms within it are separated by partitions that don’t reach to the ceiling.  So while listening to fifth grade math, you can also hear sixth grade geography and fourth grade social studies in the next two rooms. Similar to the rest of the classes, Grade 5 had 40 students.

The classrooms are broken up into two groups of students, those who perform better in school, and those who are struggling. Many of the SRU students were surprised by this method – especially as it seemed to create double the work for the teacher.

Day one in the school was wild. Grade 5 was considered the “bad” class, and as they had no permanent teacher currently, it made it even more difficult. We struggled to not only come up with enough material to teach to both the higher and lower performing students, but at the same time monitor which kids left for the bathroom, answer all the students yelling, “Teacher! Teacher!”, and break up arguments or fights that oftentimes ended in the kids punching each other. We were exhausted, overwhelmed, and confused.

The evening of day one we spent learning about the culture of Jamaica and debriefing on our days experiences. After each of the students had their fill in asking about everything from reggae to politics in Jamaica, the 22 of us sat down and talked about our days. Why are we here? What impact are we making? What are your personal goals for the program? – These were some of the many topics discussed. Once we hashed through how and why the education system is so different in the United States and in Jamaica, students started to get a handle on the issues that arise when there are limited resources for schools to work with. The results of this? Larger class size, fewer books, fewer supplies, less staff in the schools (no nurse, phys ed teacher, vice principle, etc..), and many other things. What impacts do these have on the performance rate in schools? What about the aspirations of kids who are pigeonholed as “slower” or “lower performing” – the questions kept flowing. Mr. Brown came in at the end of the discussion and reiterated many of the points we were discussing.

The SRU students left that evening feeling again reenergized, with renewed purpose and understanding of the larger picture. It’s not just about donating some pencils or helping a child with a math problem – its also about playing a game at recess, showing individualized attention, sharing stories about America and hearing many about Jamaica. It is about the long term exposure of the outside world in these small schools, and the impact that has on both the Americans that are visiting and the children they interact with. 

Homestays and Galloway

Within a day or so, our students fully adjusted to island time. While there were a few concerns regarding what our schedule looked like for the following days, most were happy to go with the flow and used Amizade’s “Okay, good” philosophy.

 

We are being housed with different house mothers in Galloway. Michelle and I are with Mrs. Kasantaroeno, the principal at Coke’s View Primary School in Galloway. Other groups stayed with Mrs. White, Mrs. Wright, Mrs. Palmer, and Mrs. Fenton. All seven of our male participants were at Mrs. Fenton’s – who they swore was the “best” house mother (mainly due to their competitive nature) and soon had nicknamed their home as the frat house.

 

Mrs. Kasantaroeno made our stay very, very comfortable and was too nice, as the AOC house mothers tend to be. We’ve eaten Jamaica’s national dishe of Ackee and Saltfish, we’ve eaten Curry Goat, Jerk Chicken, and many other delicious dishes. Each morning and evening, what we ate for the previous meal is always a hot topic amongst the SRU students.

More to come....

Jamaica round 1

And now I’m off – on a another plane this time across the Caribbean, to the familiar town of Petersfield, Jamaica. Having visited Petersfield for 5 days this previous May, it felt strangely like going home as we drove across the country from Kingston to the western parish of Westmoreland.

 

This time we had a new group of students – 21 to be exact, each of whom are studying at Slippery Rock University. In addition, Dr. Bruce Orvis, professor of business marketing, served as our advisor.

 

Our entrance into the community center in Petersfield is one that I will not soon forget – the local Gerreh band played down the street as we all marched in parade like fashion to the center for our first Jamaican dinner.

 

Our partner in Petersfield is the Association of Clubs, an umbrella organization for seven different clubs in the region focusing on developing the community in a variety of ways. Petersfield and the neighboring town of Galloway host students year round to participate in village tourism – or what we at Slippery Rock call a Care Break. Students from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island are also in the area this week, however they are focusing on issues in autism in Western Jamaica. They stayed with house mothers in Petersfield and the SRU students were housed in Galloway.

 

As we proceeded to our first taste of Jamaica the day of our arrival, we learned that this evening marked the Launch of the 2013 Annual Village Tourism Week – a new event that will celebrate Village Tourism and look forward to its successes and challenges in the future. The Principle of Petersfield High Schoool, the President of the local Chamber of Commerce, the Counselor, and the Honorable Mayor were present, among other distinguished guests. These stakeholders were positioned at the head table, while the rest of the center was packed full of 21 Slippery Rock students, 14 Roger Williams Students, and many, many community members.

 

We ate a delicious dinner that was followed by a program. Each of the distinguished guests spoke regarding the importance of Village Tourism and of Petersfield’s successes in this area. The professor from Roger Williams was asked to speak as was I, during which I thanked each person and organization who was able to make Village Tourism happen. While not nearly as long winded as many of the other guests, I believe that I made my appreciation clear.

This evening was certainly the first taste of culture shock for the participants from Slippery Rock University. They handled it very well – many were asking “Where did our luggage go?”, “What time are we going to our house mother’s?”, and “What are we doing tomorrow?” – and after many “I’m sorry, I’m not sure yet”-s from me, they were happily enjoying themselves, not caring what time it may be.

Matelot

Why Matelot? Is what many people may be wondering. What is the draw to this area? Why do residents think this could be a tourist destination?

 

I’ve spoken of the beauty of the area. Of the kind, generous, welcoming people. Of the fruits, nuts, trees, and other natural features that make Matelot so unique. However, the draw I find when thinking of people visiting in the future, is that the members of the community want to share everything – their homes, their culture, their food, their friendship – and every other aspect of life in Matelot. Each person we worked with met us with enthusiasm, sharing stories, legends, history, knowledge, and current day happenings in the town. They know that there is something special going on in Matelot, Trinidad, and they are determined to share it.

Teary goodbyes

As with all good things, the end of our week in Matelot brought happiness and sadness and many other emotions. In celebration of our visit, the wonderful women of the Dorca’s group threw a going away party in the community center on our last evening.

 

It was packed – I counted about 50 men, women, and children in the community center that evening. The Dorca’s had set up a table just for the nine of us (as always, they are too good to us) at the front of the room and welcomed us with dinner and many thanks. It seemed as though the entire town was fed that evening – the delicious cooking of Debbie, one of the women, fed countless people as we enjoyed the performances that had been prepared for the evening. A group of high schools students performed a traditional drumming and dance song that was followed by a drum solo. The students wowed us with their passionate performances – and the after diner show did not disappoint either.

 

The local Parang Group played songs as residents and visitors alike joined in singing and dancing – the purest form of entertainment. The Parang group has a keyboard, ukulele, guitar, and maracas – they typically travel from house to house during the Christmas season – sort of a reggae version of caroling.

 

The night ended in many sad goodbyes and promises of future visits. In addition to leaving us with warm wishes and many hugs, the women made hand crafted gifts for each of our nine participants. Overwhelmed by their generosity, we could do little other than continue to express our thanks for their kind and welcoming nature.

Cooking class

As if I couldn’t rave about the food any more, the last day  we spent in Matelot we learned how to make the traditional Trinidadian party food of Mango Chutney and Polore. Sweet with a little kick, the mango chutney is typically eaten with the dumpling-like polore.

 

Each of us had a chance to try steps in preparing the traditional dish – from grating mango to cutting cilantro to frying dumplings. The results were delicious. To try your own:

 

Mango Chutney and Polore:

 

Mango Chutney

1.      Peel 6 mangoes – preferably still green and not yet ripe

2.      Grate the mangoes using the fine side of a grater

3.      Mince 3 or 4 leaves of fresh cilantro and add to mango

4.      Grate 3 or 4 cloves of garlic into mango/cilantro mixture

5.      Add a pinch of salt and sugar to taste (sugar reduces acid in the mango)

 

Polore:

1.      Start with about 4 cups of flour and add a pinch of salt

2.      Add about 3 tbsp of saffron and 3 or 4 leaves of cilantro (minced)

3.      Add enough yeast to rise (about one quarter cup)

4.      Add about a cup of warm water and mix with hands

5.      Add water and mix until well blended and sticky (batter should be yellow-ish)

6.      Bring about 2 cups of oil to boil

7.      Drop balls of batter into hot oil (about 1-1/2 inch diameter)

8.      After they float for two minutes, remove from oil

                                                                                          

Serve Mango Chutney and Polore as an appetizer or party food. It is a finger food – use the dumpling to pick up the Chutney to eat.