June 25, 2013. Sleep. We finally got more than two hours of sleep. After a great rest in a wonderfully firm bed, we got up and began to prepare for the day. Our host mother, Shania, fixed us a great breakfast of an omelet, garnished with bell peppers and tomatoes, Hardo bread served with guava jam, oranges, and Blue Mountain Coffee. After this wonderful meal, we began on our journey for the day.
We began our journey of walking up the hills to meet up with the rest of the group at the clinic. The walk is about 25-30 minutes, depending on the walker. It seemed much easier the second time around, because the first time, the walk was a killer. When we got to the clinic, we waited for the rest of the group and began our trek to the basic school.
When we got to Galilee Basic School, we were met by Euton Rodney the Blue Mountain Project, program coordinator. He relayed to us our instructions for the day, and we immediately started painting. We painted two rooms, both bright blue. Later on, we reflected on what we thought this would do for the kids, and we determined that this bright blue classroom would allow for the children to feel more inclined to learn and more excited about coming to school.
At the end of our day, we all gathered at the Bennett’s house (one of the Penlyne Castle host families) and reflected on our two days in Jamaica. We compared our personal experiences and what we thought was normal and not normal and how there are cultural similarities and differences. So far, we have all learned to appreciate what we have, manage our time effectively, and communicate with each other.
Ifetayo O., School Without Walls
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We hope your having fun.