“Footprints:
Some people come into our lives and quickly go… some stay for a while and leave
footprints in our hearts, and we are never the same.” - Unknown
On
March 8th, 2012, students from SUNY Fredonia, Potsdam and Indiana
University traveled on a ten day educational experience to the southern
districts of Jamaica. The trip included a stay at the “Irie Rest” Guesthouse
located on the southern shore of the St. Elizabeth parish at Billy’s Bay of
Treasure Beach. The parish is poverty stricken and most homes can be found
unfinished or suffering from wear and tear
Volunteering in a third world nation is extremely
complicated, mostly because of huge differences in language and procedure. The
language is mostly proper English but there is a mix with the children of a
language known as patois. This broken
English simplifies verbs and nouns and in a way mashes words together or
simplifies them. For instance, instead of handling the diphthong in the word down in patois would simple be dung. In essence it shortens the vowel
usage and sometimes combines consonants like th in the to di. So a sentence like “to go down the
gully” would sound like “go dung di gully.” This being a problem in our
perspective because when we would phrase a sentence during instruction we would
have to make sure to place all consonants carefully so they understand us best.
If we failed to do so, a simple phrase like “follow my example” can be heard as
one large word “follwmyexample” and can be very confusing for the children. One
thing I noted as I taught them how to sing the music and play the recorders
that we had brought, is that through a method of audiating and visualization
they learned best and made the need for talking obsolete. They followed finger
patterns as I showed them and based their success off of the noises they
produced. It was rewarding to know that when it comes down to it music is
sometimes the only language we all can follow.
It was tough to come to the realization that the country
was coming off of the practice of corporal punishment. All over the school you
could see pictures of “silence zone” as a reminder to zip it or face a ruler or
backhand from the principle. I was unfortunate to witness a young boy get
several back hands form the principle simply for not calling her “ma’am” when
he was being addressed. At one point I remember a young boy saying something
that was apparently in some form disrespectful and as his classmate reminded him
I remember he took a step away from me as if he expected repercussion – but I
had no idea what his offense was or any inclination to react in the manner that
his instructors do. I had talked to my team mates about this reaction and found
that several had the same experience. To summarize my volunteer experience,
every moment was a rewarding moment. When you see a child trust a person who
they may never of heard of outside the television or stories form their
relatives, succeed in music – something they would never be instructed in their
years in school – and the joy that it bring them to the point where both
instructor and student were in tears, you realize just what a program this is
regardless of the challenges.
Days two through four of our Jamaican adventure brought
us – especially me – new adventures that sometime we can only dream about. As
we explored the shores of Treasure Beach we visited Great Bay which was home to
a small path up to a lookout point. The dirt was read which was a sign of rich
iron deposits that when mixed with the salty sea air and mist produced the
vibrant color. Much of the rock formation had indications of coral and
shellfish growth over the years – maybe a sign that at one time the ledge was
underwater many years ago. The rich soil
allowed for plants such as various cactus, agave and native herbs to grow
amongst to rocky cliff sides. I remember specifically the agave plants, used
mostly in the world for production of tequila and sugar, with twenty plus foot
high stalk with bright golden flowers. You can see them as you walk through the
thick brush towering over the trees and other foliage. Come to find out the
plants served more of a medicinal purpose that a recreation drink ingredient.
Some
of my favorite indigenous plants include the Blue Mahoe which is found
throughout the island, but is no longer abundant as it is commonly used as a
source of lumber. The blue flowers on the Blue Mahoe are the national flower, Lignum Vitae. It’s a small pretty flower with
purple/lilac colored peddles. We were fortunate to have one right outside our
guesthouse. Also another favorite picture that I took was that of a species of
orchid located in the mountains of Accompany. The flowers were bright red and
resembled that of a red geranium here in the states. Other flowers were
varieties of lily, fern and cactus. All over the parish and island we could see
banana trees – mostly called “sweeties” – a small, very sweet banana. Our
Guesthouse host introduced me to a variety of coconuts available on the island
ranging from the Jelly Coconut whose inside was soft and jelly like in
consistency. The water is sweet but the jelly itself can be pasty and bitter.
Most of these coconuts are bright green in color, but when they reach an
orange/brown color they have either ripened to what we are used to when we see
shredded coconut in stores, or over ripened and bad for eating. Also thanks to
our host, I experienced a cashew apple. The cashew apple is an oblong fruit
that bears one single cashew nut. Come to find out the nut is completely
poisonous until it is roasted but the apple is sweet and tart as if you were to
drink a very dry white wine. I may want to add the wild and cultured marijuana
plants also known as “ganja.” While it is illegal within the country many
locals, especially the Rastafarians and Maroons, use it as holistic medication
and for recreation.
To get back to
Geography, we took a tour along the coastline of Treasure Beach from Billy’s
Bay all the way to the Black river, Jamaica’s largest river and tributary. We
saw most of the coastline during this ten plus mile tour. Due to hurricanes in
the past much of the natural sand beaches had been washed away exposing once
thriving Guesthouses to the ocean front. One house was actually in the process
of falling into the water. Most of the
shoreline was guarded by a pretty rough terrain of coral reef but allowed for
us to experience much of the local animals such as bottle-nosed dolphins,
pelicans, sea urchins, starfish and sand crabs. The Black River tributary is
home of salt water crocodiles that lie amongst another common water side plant
called mango groves. These groves has numerous thick roots that bury themselves
in the clay and mud along the shore line and offer plenty of coverage form the
sun for the crocodiles and snowy egrets. By far however, the coolest plant I
had the chance to see was something our tour guide called the Shame O’Lady.
This plant when touched responded by closing its leaves. Our tour guide in the
mountainside said that it is used for water collection mostly but this herb is a popular treatment for colds and stomach
ailments.
The economy of the island is based
off of and completely dependent on tourism. It was hard to realize that my
country was partly responsible for the current state of the economy in Jamaica.
The whole problem began in the early 1970’s when Jamaica’s break off from the
rule of England created national debt and instability. While the exports of
Jamaica helped with bringing business to farm owners and businesses, eventually
they died off as cheaper resources became available elsewhere. For instance –
America at one point solely bought bananas from the island but due to
availability for pennies cheaper in South America we took our business
elsewhere. Jamaica’s fresh dairy production was huge until America tried to aid
the people by buying the milk and producing powdered milk for greater
distribution. Soon powdered milk was cheaper and the milk industry was
destroyed, evident by the abandoned buildings once used for housing cattle and
pasteurization units. As if that wasn’t enough we also brought corporation
businesses there but eventually replaced the workers with people from different
countries whose skillset was higher and employment rates cheaper… does any of
this make sense? The country is in such national debt that violence rages
through the capitol of Kingston and it seems like the unfortunate inevitability
of complete bankruptcy looms for every area outside of the tourism locations.
Depreciation of the Jamaican dollar is so bad that one US dollar equals eighty
five Jamaican. The local economy of the Guesthouse we stayed at was solely
dependent on our business and stay. Our need for housing, meals, and
transportation provided work for at least a dozen people. Our money and tips
provided them with more than they would probably see within a typical working
month for most on the island. I just wish there was more to give but as we were
told the moneys impact would reached far greater lengths than just the
Guesthouse. I sure hope so.
I have always believed that music
serves as the language of the world and it was very evident to me throughout
this entire trip. The children we encountered learned through it and the people
we shared the experiences bonded by it. Drumming represents the very heartbeat
of Jamaica which can be corny to hear but even more prominent when you learn that
an entire drumming pattern called Nyabinghi within the Rasta culture depends on
it and means “heart beat.” The most
memorable of moments was noticing the true vibe behind it in the mountains of
Accompong, the home of the Maroons. The background of the Maroons is a rich
heritage founded from a life of slavery, yet their traditions, beliefs and
culture lives on to today. The ceremonies represented by the music play an
important part in remembering and honoring their past and serves as a sharp
reminder of what we were experiencing. The culture for most of the island is
represented by one thing: love. Love of everyone and everything and without it
one cannot survive. Brotherhood is not only learned by the past of the island
but by the times of the island and the dependency on one another to survive. A
reminder of this was meeting a baby girl nicknamed Lucky who was left at the
steps of our Guesthouse and taken in by the owners. They took her in not
because they had to or wanted but because it was the right thing to do
regardless of what they had or did not have to offer. It is almost as if in the
very precious of disaster true humanity prevails.
To try and sum up an experience like
this almost does an injustice to what the real experience is like. If I had to
tell it all in few word this is what I would say: There is not a single more
eye opening experience than when you walk into a situation you were not
expecting and absorb everything you can from it. From the children who I will
never forget as I know they will not forget me, to the people who brought me
into their homes to offer me what little they had, to the locals who told me
that life is all about love – what’s so hard to understand about it? The fact
that regardless of how poor people may seem they still consider themselves rich
and even after ten days with them I can see why. It’s not about what you don’t
have but what you do with what you do. To quote a sign from one of the schools
made by a student: “I will not waste my youth in idleness, but plant seeds so I
and other may prosper in my old age”
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