"Never look back"

How many times have we all heard this? Growing up in America, I was taught not to look behind me, but ahead. Why do you need to look back anyway, what’s done is done and that’s all there is to it, right? But I’ve started to realize more and more that looking to the past can be useful. Your past experiences, and the lessons that you’ve learned throughout your life are what keeps you grounded. And now more than ever, I need all the help I can get in staying grounded.

As of Friday, May 15^th, my Peace Corps Training came to an end, and my work as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) officially began. After a week in Kingston spent doing some final reviews and evaluations, myself and the other 32 members of my training class were sworn in as volunteers at an official ceremony at the US embassy here in Kingston. Unfortunately, since it was at the embassy, we weren’t allowed to take cameras inside, so I have no pictures of the actual ceremony. A PC staff member did take some official pictures, but I haven’t gotten them yet (as they say in Jamaica, they will soon come…but that could mean anytime between tomorrow and next year). I do have some pictures of the rest of my two months here, and I’ll post a link to my facebook album at the bottom (and yes, you can use this link if you aren’t a member of facebook). But the ceremony was very official, and our oath (the same one they take in the military) was administered by the acting ambassador.

Being done with training is actually a little overwhelming. Since arriving here, finishing training has been a milestone I’ve been looking forward to, and something tangible. I had tasks to complete, a time frame to complete them in and in two months I would be done. Two months is an amount of time that I can wrap my head around – it’s something that isn’t too overwhelming and something that I can see the end of. Now, I’m looking at two years, and not too many milestones laid out for me. I am still very excited about my work here, and not regretting my decision to join in the least, but it’s just a lot to take in all at once, and it’s a feeling that has kind of caught me by surprise. I’ve never really liked to think about time in large chunks like this, and now I’m kind of forced to do so. But maybe that’s good for me, maybe it’ll teach me a new life skill.

It’s very easy for me to get overwhelmed with the prospect of living here for two years, with my job, and with this life that I have chosen for the near future. But that’s where I’ve learned to look back and reflect on the experiences that have brought me here. I’ve done difficult things before, and I’ve made it through. Like everyone else, I’ve been overwhelmed by life before, but if I’ve figured it out in the past, why should now be any different, right? I just need to remind myself to breathe, and remind myself of the things that have brought me here, and what they’ve taught me. I think a healthy dose of reflection on the past is a very good thing. To throw out another old cliché, the past is prologue, and so without looking to the back, you won’t really have a very good idea of where you’re going or why you’re going there.

All that being said, I’ve also been trying to focus on the future, specifically the very near future, and on my work here with WHROMP. We had a long meeting today that was surprisingly productive. There were a few projects proposed that I will be helping out with, and I think that I will be a lot busier in the near future (meaning I’ll have less time to gchat…sorry guys). The projects cover a pretty big range – mangrove re-planting, re-introducing sail fishing (as opposed to using gas engines), working with schools, beach clean-ups, bird watching tours, and more. I’m by no means an expert in any of these things, so it’ll be interesting to see what I can bring to the table. But those are the details that will only work themselves out with time. Until then, I’m going to keep learning whatever I can and finding ways to make myself useful here. And most importantly, I’m going to remind myself to breathe. 

As promised, some pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2249473&id=5301199&l=3ae318f61b

On Jamaican food*

By far, one of the best things about learning about a new culture is getting to try all the new foods. Jamaica has no shortage of unique foods, and trust me, I’ve done my fair share of sampling in the past 6 weeks. So I thought it would be fun to give you all an idea of what I’ve been eating lately.

Jerk – Probably the most famous Jamaican dish and it’s usually chicken or pork (though the pork probably isn’t the best idea right now…). To be perfectly honest, I was a little disappointed by this one. Not because it’s not delicious, because trust me, it is. It’s just not that different then other slow cooked, smoked chicken I’ve had. But, like I said, it is tasty. The spice level really varies with the cook – sometimes it’s not hot at all, and other times it is smokin’ hot. What makes it jerk is the spices, and that’s where the variation comes in. Serious jerk chefs usually make their own blend and use that to season the meat. After the meat is spiced, it is slow cooked in a grill and becomes really tender. It’s usually served with festival – little sweet breadsticks that go really well with the chicken, especially if it’s a little spicy. The most interesting thing about jerk is where you usually find it. Besides the “jerk centers” around towns, there are usually a few people in each neighborhood who cook jerk chicken and pork on weekend nights at the end of their driveway. In Hellshire, this became a community event, with people eating and chatting with their neighbors. It’s not as much of an event in my community here, although I did meet Colin this past weekend, who sold me some delicious jerk chicken and festival – a huge portion that I had trouble finishing for only J$290! (That would be just over US$3.00)

Ackee and Salt-fish – This would be the national dish of Jamaica. (Yeah, I didn’t know countries had national dishes either. I guess America’s would be a bacon cheeseburger, fries and a coke?) Ackee is a red fruit that grows all over the place in Jamaica – on the tree it looks a little like a red pepper. It is poisonous until it opens on its own on the tree, when the middle can be taken out and cooked. It looks a lot like scrambled eggs when it is all cooked up, but doesn’t really taste at all like eggs. I’m not actually sure what it tastes like… the salt fish I had it with was so amazingly salty and fishy that I really couldn’t taste anything else. I think salt fish is cod, although I’m not really sure. Like I said, it is really, really salty. So much so that it actually doesn’t have to be refrigerated or kept cold. The whole dish just tastes salty and fishy and is obviously not my favorite. Apparently salt fish grows on you, but in order for that to happen, I’ll have to eat it a few more times…something that I don’t really see happening.  But when I try the ackee sans salt fish, I’ll let you know what I think.

Rice & Peas – can accompany pretty much any Jamaican dish, and I’ve already found myself craving it lately. The rice is usually prepared with a little coconut milk, giving it a slightly sweet taste. And mixed in are beans (beans are known as peas here) – usually red kidney beans, but sometimes a few other varieties. Like I said, this is a side with almost every meal, and the portion of rice is usually about the size of my head. I have no idea how Jamaicans eat so much rice and aren’t all 300 lbs., but they can seriously put it away. It’s impressive.

Stewed chicken – I think this is my favorite dish so far. The chicken is stewed in a pot for a while with just a slightly sweet sauce and its own juices – no oil or anything needed. As a result, the flavor of the sauce really comes out, but doesn’t overpower the flavor of the chicken. I feel like when people in America cook with sauces, we tend to just throw the sauce on there and that is kind of all you can taste. But when you can actually taste the meat, it’s just delicious. Jamaicans eat any part of the chicken, and the breast is actually most people’s least favorite part. People think I’m a little weird when I ask for it, but I can deal with that. It is usually served with a heaping side of rice & peas and/or what Jamaicans call food…

Food – a general term for starchy vegetables served as sides. This usually consist of yam (there are over a dozen different kinds of yams here…), potatoes (sweet, Irish, etc), and boiled green bananas. That’s right – unripened bananas are boiled and eaten here. They are surprisingly tasteless and turn an unappetizing grey color when cooked. They’re not exactly my favorite. There are also dumplings – little pods of water and flour that are not near as tasty as what I know of as dumplings. All of these items are usually placed in one pot and boiled, usually with no spices or anything added. For a culture that puts so much flavor into their meat, it’s shocking that they wouldn’t think to add even a little salt to this mix. It would definitely go a long way. But alas, no culture is perfect, right? And yes, food is used both in context, as well as in the way we would use the word. And yes, this does get really confusing. I never thought I would hear someone ask, “You want some food with your chicken?” 

As a side note, Usain Bolt, the current fastest man in the world, is from the parish bordering mine, Trelawney. That parish is actually also home to several other of Jamaica’s best sprinters. Trelawney is also where most of the yam in Jamaica is grown, and it’s said that all the yam is what makes them so fast. Personally, I’d say it’s the combination of luck and hard work, but you know, that’s just me. 

Patties – These are similar to a calzone or an empanada. It’s pretty much just ground up meat in a fried dough. The most common type is beef, although you can also get chicken, fish, veggie, and beef & cheese. They are surprisingly good, and pretty cheap. They are awful for you, and I’m pretty sure the meat would be somewhere around grade D in the states, but it’s best not to think about this when you’re eating them. They make a really good fast, cheap lunch and like most things that will give you a heart attack, are pretty tasty.

Bun & Cheese – definitely the most processed meal on this list. Thankfully, it’s usually only eaten around Easter – it’s definitely one of those things you can only eat a few times a year. The bun in this combo is a spiced muffin type of thing that’s sweet and a little sticky. It’s cut in half and served sandwich style with Tastee Cheese inside. The best way to describe Tastee Cheese is to think of a solid version of cheez-whiz – the “cheese” that comes in a can like whipped cream. The cheese comes in a can and doesn’t need to be refrigerated until it’s opened. I was a little hesitant of the combination at first, but it’s actually surprisingly delicious. But, like I said, something you really only want once or twice a year. I think eating it any more often than that would kill you.  

There are a few Jamaican delicacies I have yet to try including oxtail, pig tail, chicken foot (usually cooked in a soup), conch, fish head and manish water (goat head soup...). 

Gah. Two pages in and I haven’t even touched on all the fruit yet! Well, that’ll have to be another entry on another day. I could keep talking for days about food, but I think I’ll spare you all. 

*this entry is dedicated to Lindsay Giesen, mostly because she’s probably already trying to figure out how to make all of these things back in DC.  

23 days to go...

I only have 23 days until I am sworn in and officially start my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV)! Some days it feels as though I’ve only been here a few days, and others it feels like I’ve been here a year already. Things are still going really well, but the days can be pretty jam packed, and I have been taking in a whole lot of information lately. Training is definitely exhausting – that’s something that other PCVs have told me before, and while I didn’t doubt in the least, I also didn’t fully understand how true it is until now. But it is all important stuff, so I'm willing to push through it.

I spent the last two weeks in Ochi with WHROMP (pronounced wee-romp), and am now back in Hellshire for this week with the rest of the group to process the experience and get some more training as a larger group. By far the best thing about this week is seeing the rest of my training class. I really like my group, and it’s really nice to hear about everyone’s site and what everyone will be doing while they’re here. In general, people seem really happy with everything. Everyone has their own unique challenges, and no one’s site is anywhere close to perfect, myself included. But people seem to be adjusting well, and I think once we get through training, start doing some work and get a little more freedom, people will be a lot happier.

We’ll all be going back to our sites this weekend, and will be there for another two weeks. Then we’ll have one final week of training in Kingston, complete with an official swearing in ceremony.
After that, it’s back to our sites to start our two year journey as Peace Corps Volunteers.

I don't really have too much else to say now, and need to get going anyway. But some people have been asking me what types of things I would appreciate being sent to me, and so I’ve decided to put together a little list, should you feel so inclined. No pressure, but who doesn't love a care package??

- Letters!
- Books (fiction, non-fiction, political, I'll really read anything at this point)
- Movies or music
- Magazines (Food magazines or current events/political ones are personal favorites)
- Food (non-perishable or non-melty stuff is probably best.)
- Yoga DVDs (A fellow trainee taught us some this morning and I really liked it!)
- Things to do in my room/house that don’t involve going outside after dark
- Really, anything else you can think of!

A new home, A new job

Expectations are a funny thing. As much as I tried to come into this experience with none at all, a few had slipped in – some that I was conscious of and others that I was not. When I decided to join Peace Corps, and even when I got invited to serve in Jamaica, I was preparing myself for any situation – living with no running water or power, being the only American for a hundred miles, working in a school, working in an office, not having access to internet, eating food I was entirely unfamiliar with, etc. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, so I had no idea what to expect. As it turns out, my situation is not at all what I had prepared myself for – not at all what I expected.

I’m living and working in a small city on the north coast of the island called Ocho Rios (Ochi for short). My house here is really nice – running water, electricity, a washing machine and very close to a supermarket that sells Ben & Jerry’s, good wheat bread, cheerios, peanut butter and a selection of beer that includes more than just Red Stripe and Heineken (and yes, that is about all it takes to make me happy). There are about 4 produce stands between my house and office and I’ve already gotten the low down on who has the best prices. Within the next few weeks, I will have hot water and internet at my house on top of all the other amenities. I’m living with a married couple – a Jamaican man and a Canadian woman who has been here for about 20 years. They are both really nice, and the woman has been giving me all sorts of tips and tricks for living in Jamaica (especially as a white woman) and in Ochi. And she cooked me a great Jamaican meal my first night – curry chicken, rice and beans, and stewed beef.

I’m working with an organization called the White River Watershed and Ocho Rios Marine Park Association (WHROMP). The White River runs for 15 miles from the mountains into the ocean, and dumps right into the Ocho Rios Marine Park. Activities in the White River’s watershed range from agriculture to tourism to mining to fishing and much more. WHROMP is working all over the watershed in 9 different “clusters” of communities over 25,000 acres to promote responsible use of the watershed. The watershed supports countless communities all over Jamaica, either directly or indirectly. And as I said, the river dumps directly into the marine park, with its beaches and coral reefs. So any negative effect on the watershed will have the same effect in the coastal communities and in the ocean.

From what I have gathered from Alex, my supervisor at WHROMP, the organization (or disorganization as he calls it) is still in the very early stages and needs a lot of work on the organizational/management side of things. And that’s where I come in. They have a lot of interest and a lot of motivated people, but need some focus and someone with an outsider’s view to come in and sort things out. So it’s a very exciting time in the organization, and a very important time as well. I was placed with WHROMP because of the watershed work that I did with the SCA a few summers ago in California, but I think that the work I did with GW Students for Fair Trade/United Students for Fair Trade (GWSFT/USFT) will be even more useful, and I’m excited to get to use and expand those skills. I’ll be working with a lot of different communities in a lot of different areas – anything from hotels here in Ochi to rural farmers in the hills. It’s going to be a lot of really hard work, and I can already see how frustrating it’s going to be at times, but I can’t even express how excited I am. The opportunity to help shape an organization from the beginning is more than I ever expected and something I feel confident I can make a difference with. It’s going to be a slow process, but I guess that’s why I have 2 years, right?

Alex took me around a small section of the river the other day, and it’s absolutely beautiful. The water is crystal clear with a sandy bed that looks almost like the sea. Just this one small section of the river supports so many different activities: fishing, agriculture, tourism, hydro-electric power, livestock, and more I’m sure I missed. Here’s a picture of the river under a bridge that was built by the Spaniards, probably in the early 1600’s – now it’s mainly a tourist attraction with companies offering tube rides starting from the bridge.

On a side note, Alex has a really interesting back story. He’s of British and Irish descent and has done everything from farming to metal work to environmental consulting, and often times it’s a mix of those 3 things and more. He has 4 children, 2 of whom I met and seem really nice as well. It’s funny, I actually look more like I could be his daughter then the two I met – his wife is Indian and they both look a lot like her. We already had one woman ask if I was Alex's wife or his daughter (yes, both of these from the same woman). For now, we’re going with the latter. But growing up as a white Jamaican, he’s had a lot of unique experiences relating to biases some black Jamaicans have against white Jamaicans. He’s already shared a lot of his story with me, and he’s had some really interesting and varied experiences that I’m excited to hear more about over the next 2 years.

So there are parts of my placement that were very unexpected. Namely living in an urban area, working and living so closely with other white people and being so close to other volunteers – there are at least 10 others within an hour of me. I guess I just have to adjust my expectations a bit and take everything for what it is, not what I thought it might be. I am very excited about everything, and can really see myself being happy in the whole situation for the next two years. I’m sure there will be challenges along the way and I’m sure there will be times I’ll want to throw my hands up and go home, but for now I’m really looking forward to this whole experience and can’t wait to see where it takes me.

Greetings from Hellshire!

(For a bit of context, this was written on March 23^rd)

Greetings from Hellshire, Jamaica! I’ve been in country for just under a week, and I am still really, really liking it here. I feel like I really lucked out with this placement – the staff seems pretty on top of their game, the people in my training class are great, and on a whole, Jamaicans are really warm and friendly. And, they cook a mean baked chicken.

We’ve spent the past 4 days in a community called Hellshire, about 45 minutes west of Kingston. The group of 36 of us sort of took over this neighborhood...there are at least 2 of us on every block and no one is more than 5 minutes away from anyone else. It’s a really nice way to ease into Jamaican culture and to prep for the home stays we have coming up in April, where we’ll most likely be the only American in our community. The whole town has really embraced us, and we all feel safe and comfortable here. Although it’s barely been a week since I left the states, I feel like I already have so much to talk about! For now, I’ll stick to the highlights, and I think I’ll start with my family.

I have a mom and dad, and a sister. There are a few more children, but they no longer live at home. My mom is really sweet and has definitely made me feel welcome- from day one she was introducing me to people as her new daughter. She’s really easy to talk to, and seems really happy.  She’s always singing something – usually connected to whatever she’s doing/thinking at the moment, i.e. – “I have to wash the pot”, “I need to buy some carrots”. I don’t know what it is, but there’s just something about hearing someone singing for no particular reason that makes me smile.

I also really like my sister - she’s 14, and is really sweet as well. She wants to be a pediatrician when she grows up, and she spends a lot of time studying. She gets up at 4:30 every morning to get to school on time and seems really dedicated. She also loves Miley Cirus, so we bonded over that a few nights ago. She bakes and cooks a lot as well, so I think we’re going to plan a night to bake something together, which will be a lot of fun. 

My dad is definitely the quietest of the 3, but I really like him too. He’s a deacon at the church that we go to as well (yes, I did go to church yesterday…) and works night shifts as a security guard in Kingston. I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to him too much, but I’m hoping that will change in the next few days.

We’ve spent the past few days in class learning Patois (it’s a really cool language to listen to, and fascinating from a linguistics viewpoint), learning about Jamaica, about PC policies and about our particular sectors – mine being environment. The classes are pretty boring, and the lectures are really long and usually run over. Classes are from 8 am – 6 pm, so we are all pretty exhausted at the end of the day. But our pace will slow down a lot once we are done with training, which will be really nice. But from stories I’ve heard from other volunteers, it sounds like our training is pretty painless over all, so I’m trying to focus on that. And I really like my host family and training class, so that makes it easy as well.

In about 10 days, we are going to be getting our site assignments, so I’ll be finding out exactly what I’ll be doing and where. I’m really anxious about that – there’s a lot riding on it, and they really didn’t consult us as much as I thought they would. They pretty much had all the sites planned out before we got to Jamaica, and are using the first few weeks to make sure their placements are right. It’s a little frustrating that they aren’t telling us, but I guess that’s where flexibility and patience comes in, huh? Until we find out, I’m just trying to enjoy the time with my family and fellow trainees.

There are a couple things I don’t have space to get into here, so look for another post soon! I do want to tell you all about my first Jamaican church service, as well as a little more about Patois and Jamaican culture. Oh – and I have had so much delicious food to talk about too! But, it’s getting a little late for me, so I’m going to save all of those things for another entry. Until then… 

Nothing but smiles (phone # and revised address too!)

I know I've only been in Jamaica for about 36 hours, but I'm absolutely loving it so far. They've kept us pretty busy so far, and there's been a whole lot of information thrown at us in the past few days. I won't bore you all with the details of safety and security, medical stuff and PC policies, but there's a whole lot of information to take in. If only for the policies and paperwork alone, there is absolutely no doubt that PC is a government agency. 

On the bright side, the policy lectures have been the only boring part so far. My training class is great, and the staff all seem really excited and really positive. I'm sure I'll have frustrations with some of the people around me soon enough, but for now I'm just enjoying all the excitement floating around on all sides. There's nothing too substantive to update on now, seeing as I've only been here for a day or two. But yes, I am safe and I am enjoying myself. Thank you all so much for the messages of good luck and all the terribly nice emails and letters. They really have meant a lot to me. 

Tomorrow night we are heading into our first home-stay, and will be there for the next 2 weeks. The Internet connection there will be spotty, so I won't be too quick in responding, but feel free to keep the emails coming! 

And as promised, I have some updated contact information. The old address will still work, so no worries if you sent something to the old one, it will just take a lot longer. So use this one in the future:

Melissa Dentch

c/o Peace Corps Country Director, 

Leila Webster

8 Worthington Ave

Kingston 5

Jamaica, West Indies 

Phone Number: 876-488-0542

876 is the country code, and I will post more information on the best ways to call after I test out some methods with people back in the states. 

I'll try to update again soon, but I miss you all and hope you are all doing well!

Some pre-departure thoughts

As most of you know, I will be leaving for for Jamacia on Tuesday (3/17) to join the Peace Corps. I'm flying to Miami, where I'll meet the rest of my training class and have a bit of an orientation about Peace Corps. On Wednesday (3/18), I will fly to Jamaica with my training class - about 30 or so people. From there, we'll have about 2 months of training in the language (Patios - a creole), technical skills and Jamaican culture. Then, on May 16th, I will be officially sworn in as a Peace Corps volunteer (PCV) and begin my two years of service. I won't know my exact placement or job until a few weeks into training, and I'll be sure to keep you updated on all of those details. 

A lot of people have been asking me lately how I'm feeling - excited? nervous? scared? anxious? The answer is all of the above, and more. The best way that I can describe it is that I feel like I'm about to jump of a cliff. Now, keep in mind I like that sort of thing - cliff jumping, roller coasters, etc - I'm one of those people who likes the rush that it brings. But it's an action that is simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying, an action that is fun precisely because it is so scary. For the past few weeks, with all the goodbyes, and packing and what not, I feel like I've been getting a running start on the jump - and there definitely has been a small part of me screaming to stop and turn around. But as with any leap, you just have to let your momentum push you forward, and commit to it, knowing you will be happy you did in the end. And once you do jump, you can start to relax - there's nothing you can do to change course now, so you might as well enjoy the ride, right? Eventually, you land in the water, swim to the surface and enjoy the afterglow that comes when you push yourself despite all of your fears and doubts.  

I know that the next few years, and specifically the next few months, will be a huge challenge, but it's one that I know I'm up to and one that I have been looking forward to for a long, long time. It definitely helps to know that I have an amazing support network in the states. I have some amazing friends and family, and you all have been so supportive and so wonderful - especially lately. I am very lucky to have you all, and I owe you all a huge thank you.  

And finally, for those of you who have asked, some contact information. My address is below - it's the address for the main Peace Corps office in Jamaica. I will have a more specific address when I get to my site in a few months, and I'll be sure to send that along when I get it as well. But for now, feel free to send letters or packages to:

Melissa Dentch

Peace Corps

8 Worthington Ave

Kingston 5

Jamaica 

Email: mdentch@gmail.com