Today has been filled with a range of emotions for several reasons. First off, it is the Fourth of July so yay! It’s our independence day and I am very glad I had the opportunity to spend it with my team and amazing community from Mount James. We started our morning with a usual delicious breakfast served by Diana and Sandra whom are the best helpers a household could ever have.
Secondly, it was LearnServe’s final day to say goodbye at Mount James Primary and Infant School. This was heartbreaking to me because I have created so many memories with the students there and have experienced so much joy from them. The journey with this school has been truly life changing to me. It was the first time I was faced with having to plan an actual lesson for students and build a sense of teamwork in order to accomplish various tasks, such as painting a mural, creating a library, and creating a small playground for the students. We were not spectacular at first try, of course, but once we got the swing of things, we adapted to teaching different grade levels and working as more than just a team to complete the goal we had set for ourselves.
We had a small closing ceremony at Mount James to reflect on what we had done, what we had learned from the students, and what they had learned from us. The students sang praise music that just made me feel like I was where I wanted to be and I never wanted to leave. With all these laughter and claps and sense of accomplishment, I wish I could have stayed in Mount James a bit longer.
I believe that today was a day where I reflected on the amount of work it takes to complete something that lasts and impacts so many people in a community, it may also lead to inspiration for others. I saw what the work that LearnServe had completed brought to this small community. It filled my heart with such warmth to actually see the children lost in admiration because of the murals and playgrounds that had been created for them Not only this, but to see the teachers and principal so happy to see a new beginning with an actual resourceful library. Since the students had been so kind enough to present us with singing we had created a poem called ‘One Love’ for them.
In closing of the ceremony, I personally decided to make a thank you card to the principal of the primary and infant school, Ms. Edwards because she is the one who allowed LearnServe to come into her school and attempt to help. I feel so thankful and blessed for having spent a couple of days with the children because I became more aware of what I valued in life. I also gave Ms. Garcia and Ms. Edwards a friendship bracelet to show them that I personally felt like there would always be a relationship between us even when I leave Jamaica because they have truly impacted me tremendously.
Once the ceremony had ended, we arrived to the Bennett’s household where we received such a lovely lunch based off of American culture, which included hotdogs served on aluminum foil; I found this to be quite funny, but so thoughtful because Mrs. Bennett made sure that we did not feel like we were missing out on our day of independence in the United States. Now I know that if one feels comfortable enough, they are truly home at heart.
Jocelyn, 16, Parkdale High School