Jamaica 2013, Day 3 – Cleaning Up

June 26, 2013

So, today we mainly cleaned up the horrific mess of speckled paint speckling the floor of the room we had painted yesterday, with some paint thinner and soap. There was so much we might as well have repainted the floor, but the students and teacher at the Basic School were still very content with our work.

After painting and then cleaning the room, I felt as though there was still more we could have done, but I had not realized the significance of our work until our reflection that night. Euton, a local of the Blue Mountains and the organizer of our activities, spoke of a health inspector stopping by not that long ago and informing the teacher at the Basic School that the wall had to be painted. She didn’t have any idea where she could get the money from until we decided to change the itinerary and spend our time painting the walls a vibrant blue. Painting the walls not only helped the school financially, but also provided a light feeling to the classroom. I noticed that the small things, even the color of the paint, are even more important here in Jamaica due to the large number of drop outs. I am so glad that I and my teammates on LearnServe Jamaica were able to help the Blue Mountain community so much!

Reilly Th., Edmund Burke School