Bob Marley

So, I have gained respect for Bob Marley since getting here. Now, I am sure there is so much I do not know about him, but I never really appreciated his music before. Now that I am inundated by it and have taken the time to listen to the lyrics I give him props. :) Bob's "Emancipation Song" is beautiful. If the people lived by the words Bob wrote Jamaica would be a little bit better. The best line is

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, None but ourselves can free our minds."

Now, I remember once when I was young my Dad watched a PBS special on Bob Marley. I don't remember any of it...I really wish I had cared at that point or I could rewatch it. I am sure Bob made mistakes...well...obviously. But if people listened to his music, and lived by it...would it be different here? Now...all of this may seem besides the point...and I am sure my dad will have some interesting points to my not very well thought out thoughts. Maybe Luke and Uncle Phil have some input on Bob Marley also...feel free to share. Anyone? At ANY rate here is a picture of a cool mural that is outside one of our Apostalates called "My Father's House". That's Nurse Maggie by the way...

Here are a couple of other murals on the wall...on the one hand I think the cultural art is cool...on the other hand I think will this just propagate the Rastafarian belief that Jesus was black??

A Good Day

Right now I am sitting on a side porch to our living quarters. It is raining gently and even though this is considered Jamaica's dry and brown season to me it looks beautiful. A tree in our back yard has brilliant orange and red flowers on it and the sounds of the rain falling on thousands of leaves is soothing...a nice break from the reggae music.

I realize that I am going to have to do a better job of explaining just exactly what I am doing in Jamaica in the near future. For now, I just want to say on Thursday I had a really good day. Three days a week I am going to Spanish Town, which is an outskirt of Kingston. The apostolate there is called Jerusalem!. It is our largest apostolate with a Dare to Care Center which houses about 20 children from the ages of 5 to 13 who are diagnosed with having HIV. We also have The Village which consists of about 13 cottages for our older residents (over 18) who have physical disabilities yet are higher functioning. We have the Children's Home which has over 100 residents with various levels of physical disability which in some ways may also effect their mental ability. And finally there is The Little Angels School for children from the community and our Dare to Care kids, some of the kids from the Children's Home go there also even if they are older because their mental capacity is that of a young child. At Jerusalem! they also have a small farm with chickens, sheep and two fish ponds. I recently got them to get two rabbits for me as well. This leads into my day on Thursday. The reason for the rabbits is my secret wish to begin to do some animal therapy with the children. My senior thesis was on animal therapy and whereas it will not break or make therapy it is a helpful tool, has been studied and proven to increase the rate of improvement in ill individuals as well as numerous other benefits. I was able to get a little head start on Thursday as a stray dog in the area had a litter of puppies that I found yesterday.

Okay, a little Jamaican culture for you here. There are A LOT of stray dogs in Jamaica. They don't run in packs and tend to be pretty malnourished and many of them limp around from having broken a leg at some point in their lives. If I took the four minutes it might take to walk to the end of the street I live on I could count 8-10 dogs just laying around. They are EVERYWHERE. SO! Jamaican's don't really view dogs as cute or as pets. If someone has a pet dog it is a really really well taken care of dog and they usually get it imported or something. But its a rarity. So, there is Maggie and I playing with all of these puppies and the other Jamaican caregivers looking at us like we are cute and stupid Americans cause we were laughing and playing with them. The Dare to Care kids came over and they were playing with them also. I was kindve surprised the caregivers let them but it gave me an idea. I went up to Ms. Clark the head care giver for the children's home and asked if I could bring the puppy over to show the kids if I washed it first with soap and water. She looked surprised but gave me her permission!

So I washed my favorite one!

It was SO AMAZING to be able to see the information I had worked on for my thesis and knew intellectually practically applied with so many good results!! WOW! I wish I had could just blurt out all the interesting things I noticed. However, here are some of the highlights.

Daniel D.: Daniel is a boy I met when I came out March of 07 for one day. I have not looked at his file but it clear that Daniel is both deaf and blind. It is hard to assess his mental capacity because he does not know anything else than black. No words can form in his mind if he has never heard any and he has no concept of how to use his body because he has never witnessed what a body is or how it can operate. I have been taking him out of his wheelchair every time I have been at Jerusalem! and laid him on his back, manipulating his body, learning his muscle strength and what he is capable. I am convince he could learn how to walk if someone started the battle of bring him out of the blackness. There is nothing wrong with his legs or his body. The only thing I can find that keeps him in a wheelchair is that fact that he is blind. Daniel has emotional reactions to things. He gets the most beautiful smile on his face when he is caressed and a big grin when you tickle his stomach. He exhibits inquisitiveness if you walk up and gently scratch your finger nail over the top of his wheel chair without touching him as if he waiting to see what that vibration is associated with and he can show fear when I sit him up on a ledge and he feels the free air around him as his legs dangle. He loves to be massaged and loves to be held. One thing that has concerned me with Daniel is he doesn't use his hands to explore his environment. This could be due to the fact that he has spent so much of his developing years with no stimulus. But I still had an underlying fear that he was developing contractures...when the muscles begin to tighten and draw the forearms and hands up tightly against the upper arm and shoulders. Yet I knew that his hands were loose...he just held them sometime as if he was developing contractures. Was this a "choice" Daniel was making? Or was his body slowing forcing it? I have tried putting different objects in his hands hoping he will figure out that he can "see" the world with his fingers. But he won't grasp onto things I put there, he doesn't finger them. Then I brought him an alive animal...a little puppy...and his face grew so still and grave. It began to lick his hands and Daniel lifted his head puzzled. After a few minutes I pulled the puppy back into my hands. Daniel waited. I put it back on his tray and a half smiled appeared on his face. He reacted to outer stimulus that wasn't human...good. I brought his hand up and guided it over the warm puppy. Over its body, over the tail, felt each leg, lingered over the face and the ears. Tired after being held by so many children the puppy curled up and pushed its little body against Daniel's little body and feel asleep. I waited...and watched Daniel. He didn't move at all, he just sat there...but I could tell he was aware of the puppy by the look of awareness on his face. Ten minutes passed and I kept staring at his face hoping to gain some insight into this little boy as he slowly breathed in and out as if listening so hard, as if knowing that once there was sound in his world to help him understand the world. Daniel doesn't try to make any noise which is indicative of deafness for most of his life. My breath caught in my chest as so slowly Daniel opened up his slender, perfectly proportioned hand and brought it over the back of the sleeping puppy. Over and over he ran his fingers through the fur and began to grasp at the loose full and close his fists around it. After weeks of wondering about what Daniel's world was like and whether or not if he was capable of putting together outer stimulas to something which he can control is beginning to be answered. This was the first time I have seen him be interested is something of his own accord, not just being happy something was touching him, or something was taking care of his needs, but that HE, DANIEL, can react back to his environment. Incredible moments that made my whole day amazing.

One after another, through using the puppy, the children revealed themselves unwittingly. Those who I have been told are non-verbal said the word "puppy". Those who I have never seen smile - laughed. And our patients that seem to live in a world of their own seemingly incapable to entering into a relationship with any external stimulus made eye contact with me. One girl stands alone all day staring off into the distance with a glazed look. She has absolutely no affect at all. You could move her to another chair, feed her, talk to her and it would be like she never say you. Yet I brought this puppy in front of her and talked to her about it anyway. I said "hey, do you want to hold this puppy? See how soft it is? You have to be really really gentle - like this." Suddenly she lifted her hand and patted her lap!! What!? Not only did she acknowledge me she understood what I was saying and could respond back?? Taking a deep breath and risk if she wasn't gentle, she brought her hand up and pet the puppy over and over. Another resident came over and she even interacted with her in that, without making eye contact, she turned her body so the other girl could pet the puppy to. How therapeutic as their hands intermingled. Finally, curious to see how she would react, I said to the girl holding the puppy "okay, we have to share so it someone else turn now. Can you hand the puppy to me." This girl, who never moves, awkwardly picked up the dog and placed it in my hands! WOW!

Here are a couple pictures of the kids playing with the puppy. The first is Kemar. Everytime he sees me he yells out "An-gah-LA! Angala!" He is SUCH a joyful spirit. I couldn't let him hold the puppy because his grip is stronger than he realizes but I would rest it on his chest and he would rub his cheek across the fur.

This second picture is of a resident named Shantal. Shantal took the above picture. I just love her. She is very verbal and one of the funniest kids there I think. She is the one who would lead me around to all the kids that she thought would like to see the puppy. She would place her hand firmly on the small of the back and take my arm with her other hand and bring me up the children and tell me their name and then explain the the children how the had to be gentle and the puppy wasn't going to hurt them because he was 'ju likkle and nice" (just little and nice). I began walking up to a girl who was in constraints and told Shantal "hey, maybe she would like to see the puppy". Very seriously and calmly Shantal put her hand on my chest and said "No, we can't show her. She will eat it. She eats everything she can." And then shantal lead me away. I laughed so hard. One, because I believe her, and secondly I have to see the humor in that that sentence was a normal sentence in the life of this child. "Don't give her the puppy. She will eat it." I mean...wait...what? Imagine a child saying that nonchalantly to you. Its just one of those things you don't ever think you will hear.

Well, I know this was pretty extensive. I want to remember these highlights as well! Hope those that read through enjoyed a little bit of my day. Not every day will be like this one but how fulfilling it was!

One of "those" days

My sister Colleen emailed me the other day with some antidotes from daily life. You know...the days when you find your children eating cat food or secretly sneaking loads of dirt into the house for a caterpillar farm? Ah, motherhood! I sent her the following email which she said I should put up on my blog...yes, this is my life.

lol, hello! Yes, well, I understand. Yesterday within the first ten minutes of being at work I had a small autistic overactive child jump and cling onto my back for dear life..I'm talking arms and legs wrapped around me and he definitely had wet his pants recently. Great, urine on my back praise God. Minutes later, I narrowly missed stepping on perhaps the biggest piece of crap (pardon the crassness) I have ever seen anywhere (yes, it was from a human) and then the autistic boy ran up and grabbed my hand and when I turned around I saw that he had spread feces over his faces and his hands were covered in it. And then this girl with her breakfast, and who knows what else, all over her shirt ran up to me crying and buried one of the most moist faces I had ever seen in my shirt. Thank God I have scrub tops and they are multicolored. Lord, how do I love these children again? The thing is all you can do is sigh and clean them up (or get someone else to do it) because its not like they are malicious. so...Emily eating cat food?? These kids are eating things I would never put in my mouth let alone touch...and they haven't died yet. yes, they are mentally retarded...but I think that came first...I think. If they can survive this long so will Emily. One thing is for sure...I'm probably going to become one of those moms who lets their kids do anything as long as they are still healthy. ;) just kidding... =) I know this all probably sounds disgusting but you definitely learn to see the humor in it. Maybe thats what motherhood is?

This week has been draining as I meet a ton a new people and try to understand what they are saying to me. I am doing pretty well over all...I've only cried a little twice and it was nothing to big. I understand now why Maggie put pictures of the Mustard Seed kids up on facebook. It is because quickly the children become people to you with personalities. many of them are very very funny. I can understand that she would forget how those picture look to people who do not have a personality to go with the face. Mentally retarded kids are hilarious though. Really, they make me laugh a lot and they are easy to love because, for the most part, they don't know any better. It is still hard seeing the deformity..but I am muscling through that. It is interesting to realize that you begin to recognize a child by the sounds they are making. Before you even see them certain patterns of gibberish or moaning noises mean a certain person. Its funny...they are funny and many of them, although they have severe physical handicaps, are pretty functional mentally. Quickly you have to learn to laugh with them when they make fun of themselves or you. I have to look past the heartache of their position and celebrate the life they have, even if it is limited compared to mine own. And who is to say? Some of them could very well be incredibly holy as they have so much more than I to offer up. Most of them are extremely joy filled. It is amazing.


Well, I love you. I realize that to someone not in all of this it might be overwhelming and sound horrible. I don't want to put up pictures on facebook like Maggie did because I realize how it can be viewed by those not knowing the children. But I want to be real with you about what is going on and what I am processing. Ask lots of questions if you want. Good luck with the pickneys (children in Patois) and I think it is very funny they were trying to sneak dirt in. Maggie will laugh really hard when I tell her about it in the morning.

AMDG, Angela Grace

Blue Mountain Coffee

For those coffee lovers out there I am about to provide some information on what is often said to be the finest coffee in the world, and not just by Jamaicans. 80% of the brew made here is exported to Japan. What is the price of this fine coffee there? $100 to $130 per kilo! (I believe that is about two pounds) Here in Jamaica, if you go the Blue Mountain Coffee factory once in awhile you can buy it at $12 per lb. In the stores it is usually about $20.

Maybe some of you find this boring but I think it part of the history of Jamaica so for those of you that are interested, read on!

"Folklore says that in 1723, King Louis XV of France sent three coffee plants to his colony, Martinique. Two of the plants died en route and either the third plant or cuttings from it ended up in Jamaica. The plant was brought here in 1728 by former Governor, Sir Nicholas Lawes, who first grew coffee at Temple Hall, st. Andrew. Jamaica's climate proved so conducive to coffee production that the coffee industry expanded rapidly from st. Andrew tot he Blue Mountains and the hills of Manchester, St. Ann and Elizabeth. By 1814, there were 600 coffee plantations on the island. With the abolition of slavery in the 1830's came a shortage of labor and close to 100 years later, the coffee industry had nearly collapsed.

In an attempt to revive the island's struggling coffee industry, the Government created the Coffee Industry Board in 1953 and the Blue Mountain range was geographically zoned for the production of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee. Much like the zoning system implemented by the French wine industry, through their 'appellations of origin', the Coffee Industry Board is the sole exporter of Jamaican Coffee and the ultimate certification centre of authentic Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee. Jamaican coffee is made exclusively from the Arabica Typica coffee bean, which is more fragile to grow, but more flavorful and lower in caffeine than the robusta Bean grown in many parts of the world. Recognized as a premium quality gourmet bean in its own right, the Arabica coffee beans must be grown at altitudes between 2,000 and 5,000 feet on selected estates in the Parishes of Portland, St. Andrew and St. Thomas to earn the right to be named 'Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee'. Other grades of Jamaican coffee made from beans grown at lower altitudes include: High Mountain Supreme, Jamaica Prime and Jamaica Select."

The rest of the article is fascinating. It covers how one 18 year old got interested in the coffee business. 25 years after he planted his first coffee tree he is now head of Coffee Traders Ltd., Jamaica's largest exporter of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee by a privately owned business. Here is a link to the article online if you are interested.

The Coffee Traders

A Taste of Patois - Whaguan??

I read somewhere recently that no book can teach you about the Jamaican people. You have to live with them, interact with them, talk with them, learn of them from experiencing their experience. In light of that here is a little bit of the Jamaican experience: Patois. When Jamaicans begin to speak in Patois I can not understand at all what they are saying. I am already learning little by little. Here is a little bit of what I have picked up. Of course, this does not do it justice as the inflection is so much of the language. It is like music...deep, melodious, legatto and vibrant.

Whayyaago? - Where are you going?

Whaguan? - What's going on?/Are you okay?/Are you alright? (all of this depending on the inflection)

Gimipass - Excuse me (let me pass)

Lookde! - Look over there

Lookya! - Look over here

Whadoyou - What is wrong with you?

Duty - dirty

dem -them

Scenery

The Church on the grounds where I live:



















The view from my window overlooking the housing facilities for 20 residents:




















Tip Toe Inn - the view from our kitchen

Getting Accustomed to the Culture

Today I walked down the street I live on. Surprisingly I wasn't harassed at all besides one person calling me "whitie", which is a derogatory term here. But even with that it is no where as intense as what I got when I was in Montego Bay last year. I think people in this little town, called Gordon Town, are used to seeing Caucasian people because of the long term volunteers in Sophie's Place.

I walked up the hill to the post office to buy some stamps, and later I met Dean and Robert at the wholesale store. It is funny to use words like post office and wholesale store because those words mean one thing state side, here the word is the same but the building and the way people go about business is completely different, which makes me wish it was called something else. I also walked across the street to the cantina...again...here it is called an Inn...or an English I guess it would be closest to a bar...but it is really closer to a Catina in that it is under a roof, really close to being on the street with doors that pull up and down like a garage. So you see...how many languages did I have to go through to get the closest description I could to what it actually is?? Anyway, at "Tip Toe Inn" I met Claudette and Auntie Pearl. I asked if I went over there sometimes if they would help me to learn Patois. I think I was the first white person that ever asked them that. They looked at me like they thought I was crazy...but then they said yes. We'll see how that goes.

Being in Jamaica this time is a lot different than the first time I came. Instead of trying to understand what I am seeing and place it in some frame of reference from my experience I am just letting it happen. I am experiencing and letting the experience be something entirely new and allowing myself not to understand it. So far I have found that I am much more peaceful than last time. I spent so much time trying really hard to understand everything that I profoundly experienced culture shock. Accepting it as something new and just letting my eyes take it all in as that is good.

Today I went into a Rasta shop on the side of the road because Katie, another long term volunteer, was looking for wooden beads. Our taxi driver went in with us. As we were there he dropped a couple coins into the Rasta's hand. I was thinking "seriously? do we really have to pay just to make this guy help us?" but then he said thanks went around the counter and put a small bag of weed, here called ganga, into our drivers hand. Okay! No hiding it here! TIJ. This is Jamaica.

I am taking these first few days to acclimate and Monday I start work. I am going to take the first week or two at work to spend time scoping out the scene. I am hoping to start categorizing the different groups in terms of their capacity to comprehend. After I do that I will be able to better tell which groups will be better canadidates for counseling. I am looking forward to start the process while at the same time ready to be overwhelmed by the extent of the mental and physical handicaps. However it goes...All for the greater honor and glory of God!

One year to the day.

It has been one year to the day since I last was here.

Well, I made it safely. It is 9ish...and the sounds I hear are
conflicting. The sound of water gushing down a a river not far from
my window....classical music being played by another long term
volunteer, the constant reggae that is the background sound to life in
Jamaica, AND I just saw I mouse run over my clothes on the floor and
across the room...awesome. Praise God....I am a little creeped out.
OKAY!