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Debs is Back from Jamaica

Old 06-01-2006, 01:49 PM
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Debs is Back from Jamaica

I am back and I have been changed forever. There is no way humanly possiable for me to describe everything I have seen while I was in Jamaica. It was a mixture of the most beautiful awesome experience I have ever had and the most emotionally heartbreakingly painful experience I have ever had. I made many friends in the market, they called me by name by the time my trip was almost over, they were not trying to sell me anything anymore they just wanted me to talk to them. The Jamaican people are awesome people very strong and resiliant, they have to be to servive in the poor areas where we were. The women are so creative and amazing. The men are so talented with the art and wood carvings. The women were showing me how to weave baskets and the men were "trying" to teach me to carve. That was very funny. The places we visited to help were Windsor House for Girls, Widow's Mite, Hilltop Correctional. In Kingston we went to Alpha House for Boys, Bellevue Mental Hospital, The Lords Place, UNICEF, Hope for Children, We also went to Trench Town and walked through with a guide from Richard Troups Hope for Children, If you don't know what this is, it would amaze you, it is a maze of rows and rows of little tin huts connected together with just a narrow trail about 12ft wide space in the middle to walk between with people who live in these huts. They do not have running water or bathrooms or kitchens ect. they are just huts. There are donkeys , chickens, and goats, just roaming loose within the middle and kids playing. I thought the kids would be dirty b/c of the lack of access to water, I was wrong these ladies and their kids were cleaner than my kids are most of the time. A lot of the girls were scared b/c we were told that this was a very dangerous part of town. I didn't feel any fear I actually felt very comfortable I talked to the ladies they showed me their babies and seemed very proud to show them off. They were so beautiful. We were not allowed to take pictures here though. When we went to visit the bush people that live on the mountian a woman followed me for 3 miles with tears streaming down her face begging me to take her 2 yr old baby to the USA so she could get food, health care and school. b/c she could not afford to provide it for her.I was crying too I wanted so badly to take her with me. The laws would not allow it. I cried for the rest of the day. And Im still praying for this child her name is Kimberly. I did go to an AA meeting while I was there. I wanted to go to more than one but my classes interfered with the timming. It was really great b/c 2 other people in my group went with me. This is just a small, very very small report of what my trip was like. If anyone has any questions about the Jamaican people and their culture I would be very glad to share what I have learned. The facilities we visited are always looking for people who want to come and work there, or donations of money or supplies. Through my homework assignments I learned a lot, I don't know everything however but if I don't know I can find out for you b/c I now have friends in Jamaica I can contact. I am very glad to be home I really missed my family. But at the same time I will also miss the friends I made in Jamaica.
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Old 06-01-2006, 02:05 PM
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Debs,

I'm glad you're back!

Your experience in Jamaica is just amazing. I don't even know what to say.


Blessings,
Jane
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Old 06-01-2006, 02:29 PM
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Glad you are back with us...
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Old 06-01-2006, 02:29 PM
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Thanks janeeyre, Im glad Im back. One of the hospitals I went to I saw a beautiful young mother about 18 yrs old with AIDS she and her baby had to live in this filthy place b/c if you have AIDS you are not accepted in the population and she had nowhere to live. She did not look sick at all. She was absolutely beautiful and so was her baby who was about 2 months old. My first thought was the only difference between her and I was where and when we were born. That could just have easily been me. Why was it not me? I gained much gratitude and humility from this trip. I have many many stories I will take with me forever. I have written them all down so I will never forget not even one. Love to all Debs
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Old 06-01-2006, 02:33 PM
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Thanks Carol.. It took from 5:30 Wed morning till 3:am Thurs. to make it home we missed every flight we were scheduled for b/c customs "violated" us lol. at least thats what it felt like. I have never been out of the country before and I had no Idea what they did to you!!! It was almost scary.. I servived though. I did miss you all.
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Old 06-01-2006, 07:36 PM
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Glad your visit was a moving one. I share many of your emotions on a daily basis.

Poverty is just one symptom of much deeper problems Jamaica has to face ( illiteracy being one of them). Problems only further compounded by a corrupt government that has for the past 15 yrs, presided over a massive transfer of resources from the poor to the rich.

Like many nations we struggle with our issues and I admire your courage to walk in places many Jamaicans themselves fear to tread, however I hope you had ample opportunity to visit some of the other aspects of Jamaican life.

Happy you made a meeting.
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Old 06-02-2006, 03:13 AM
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debsjsu,

Thanks for this trip report. Jamaica as a whole is quite possibly my favorite place on the planet. You are so correct about the people who live there. They are so open and friendly. I have a friend who was born and lives in Orange Hill. The times I've been out see him and meet his neighbors remain very fond memories.

Was there anything different about the A.A. meeting?
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Old 06-02-2006, 08:03 AM
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Welcome back maan! Good to have you back. How was your trip?
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Old 06-02-2006, 12:06 PM
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I did get an oppertunity to see some of the awesome beauty of Jamaica one of the very first things I noticed was the beautiful vibriant flowers they are everywhere and the most amazing colors I have ever seen. Im not normally a flower person but I was awe struck by these. We went to Dunns River Falls and I am ashamed to say I didn't make it up. I am so short that my legs couldn't reach to get me up the next level. I thought I was going to drown. It was very funny though. I was rescued by a fellow student and escaped on the next exit. It was such a beautiful place. We also went to the Bob Marly House and I really enjoyed that. I wanted to go to Cranbrook Farms to see more flowers but just didn't have the time. Fren Gully was absolutely breathtaking to me. Many of the girls slept on the bus trip from ocho Rios to Kingston and back but I could not I was afraid I would miss something. I just couldnt soak in enough of it all. I could have stayed 6 months and still I don't think I would have gotten enough. My most favorite place was the market place though. Thats where I went to sit and just talk to people lots of people. The worst thing I learned is that the US made loans to Jamaica under totally absured interest rates that would be illegal here in the states. It made it impossiable for Jamaica to pay the loans back. Then the US demanded payment, added more interest for late payments. The only way Jamaica could repay the loans was to take away from their people, education, health care, housing they had to cut any government funding programs for the people to pay the US. Basically what we did was rape them and add interest. I was truly ashamed of my country when I learned this. Jamaican children do not get an education unless their parents can afford to pay tution and books and lunches and buy uniforms. Most of the people cannot afford all this, so a lot of the children do not go to school. Sometimes we don't realize how good we have it until we get the oppertunity to see how other people live. The women I met in the market that couldn't afford to send their kids to school take turns teaching them what they know using old text books. They really work together to help each other like a little community. Gratitude and humility I got a dose every day. It was so very wonderful. I truly love Jamaica. I could live there and be very happy. I didn't go to the beach the entire time I was there, it wasn't about the beach. Although there is one thing I didn't understand. If I ordered a coke in a restaurant I couldn't drink it b/c it tasted like it had rum in it. I asked repeatedly to make sure It was just coke they assured me it was just coke. I had my instructor taste it and smell of it. It didn't smell like rum but it did taste like rum. so I had to drink Ting or water, I couldn't drink the coke. Even if it didn't have rum in it just the taste wasn't a good thing for me so I didn't chance it. Not worth it.
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Old 06-02-2006, 12:15 PM
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AA was the same except they didn't read the promises. their were only 2 people there from their group, the rest of us were from our school. It was a good meeting.
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Old 06-02-2006, 03:03 PM
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so I had to drink Ting
I long to endure such hardship!

(for those who don't know, Ting is a grapefruit soda, kinda like Squirt but infinitely better mostly because you can't buy it at Wallmart)
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Old 06-02-2006, 08:20 PM
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Funny findingout, Yes it was my first experience with Ting and I loved it. I brought some home for my family to taste. But my luggage was so heavy with all the stuff I had bought from the crafts market that I couldn't hardly carry it so I couldn't bring much home. I wanted to bring everything home with me. Not the merchandize stuff but the stuff actually made by the people. I was so amazed by their talents. The things I actually watched them do. No Ting was not a hardship, but I did not understand why the coke tasted like rum. I still don't get it. All the recovering alcoholics in my group said the same thing. They couldn't drink it either. Have you had the same experience?
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