Friday, July 6 – As we drove away in our bus, I could see the faces of my new friends at Mary’s Child behind us, smiling with tears running down their cheeks. The gate clinched behind us, and we were gone. I had created bonds with these young, wise women, and I could relate to them. I saw half of me in them, and it hurt to leave. Not being able to guide them, help out, or give advice anymore was the saddest part because all of the girls are so beautiful inside and outside. If I could tell the ladies one last thing, it would be to not let anyone get you down, always be positive, and don’t get discouraged because you can do it. Life comes with obstacles, and you can get over them. The girls from Mary’s Child have so much potential and are striving for excellence, no matter their circumstances. This gives me more motivation for school and my future career because they work hard to be great and are passionate while doing it.
Rewinding to this morning, it was our last day at Mary’s Child and we were helping them move to their new home. They are moving because their new location has more resources, better opportunities for education, and faster Wi-Fi. The moving truck was a few hours late so we led some icebreakers to help wake us up. We also took turns comforting babies! Moving items on and off the truck was a drain on energy. The heat was blazing, and the boxes were heavy. Quickly getting through the process with the help of my team and the ladies from Mary’s Child was a relief.
Before coming to Jamaica I always wanted to visit. My mom’s side of the family is originally from here, and my grandfather actually lives in Jamaica. I thought the culture was just dancing, the people were mostly Rastafarians, and all I would see was pretty water. However, it’s more than just nice water and beaches. Because the media portrayed that image to me, I wasn’t expecting to find that there were so many resources lacking in certain parts of Jamaica. For example the education system lacks support for students from different social classes. At Mary’s Child a common conflict is that they don’t have enough money to pay school tuition and material expenses. I feel the government should contribute more to the students’ needs, helping further their education without being bombarded by the stress of school fees. Additionally, food resources are another issue in Jamaica. The E.I.T.S. owner Robyn told us that “over time [they] haven’t been able to distribute to all [their] partners interested because [they] haven’t had enough food. In the end [they] had to cut them off.” This conveys that it is hard to grow enough food in Jamaica to meet the demand.
I have learned and practiced new skills over the past two weeks, like how to make a good, detailed lesson plan. I didn’t know how important this was at first. However, when we first arrived at Mona Heights Primary School we were given full control of the classroom, and it was hard to come up with activities without having planned well before. When we got back to the house that evening we were able to prepare for the next few days, and they went much more neatly and organized. I learned to always be ready for anything.
As the trip comes to a close, it is bittersweet. Before we came on this trip I had many goals for how I wanted to help. I think I achieved a lot of them throughout the past two weeks. I don’t want to leave Jamaica because I feel like there are still a lot of things I could do to serve my Jamaican community. This trip was a big learning experience for me, even though I came here to serve and help out others. I am able to take so many stories, memories, and relationships away from this trip, and I hope to utilize them in my everyday life.
Dajanae D., Northwood High School