Dear Family and Friends,
Thank you all for your letters and prayers 🙂 -they are gratefully
recieved. I am, as always, having a good time. Jamaica is so much more
than I could possibly imagine when I was back in the States. People here
are so much friendlier than I imagined. Everywhere I go, I always find
myself with what we in Jamaica call “picknie,” aka, children. Granted,
there aren’t kids in our training sessions, but there are plenty of other
opportunities to be with them and talk to them.
Tomarrow, I have an interview with some staff, which happen to be friends of
mine. That interview is my opportunity to talk about where I would like to
be in Jamaica, what living conditions I need or would like to have.
I am still having trouble with the food–to me, it feels like every jamaican
meal has too much seasoning, but my host mother is very
understanding–today, she made my breakfast without any seasoning at all and
it was perfect. Breakfast in Jamaica is a big meal, often with veggies or
any number of other things. My host mother is also getting the idea that I
only want and need small portions.
In my host family’s house, we are among the few that have a washing machine.
we also have showers, which not all volunteer’s host families have.
If I haven’t mentioned it yet, Jamaica is on St. Louis time until the Fall,
and then on Eastern Standard time because we don’t have daylight savings.
The Rastafarians here do not have that big of a presence. All of the ones I
see are introverted and quiet, usually in a state of self-imposed poverty
and keeping to themselves. I haven’t talked to any though. THey are only
about 15% of the population.
Overall, the key to Jamaica is being loving, smiling, courtesy, and
interaction. Jamaicans want to be recognized, so I make sure to greet them
(obviously, when appropriate).
I love you all!!
Sincerely,
Rachel