How 'bout them niners?

As I hope you all know the 49ers went 3-1 last Sunday which gives them a commanding lead in the NFC West. From the stats it looked like one heck of a comeback against the Eagles. I'm sorry I missed it. The good news is that this last Sunday I was in Ocho Rios (a tourist town) and was able to watch half a game. Even tho it was the Texans and the Steelers, two teams I care nothing about, it was thrilling. In other football news I am doing very well in both of my fantasy football leagues; I hold 1st place in one and a real close 2nd in the other.  Of all the things I miss from home, football is up there. Especially since it looks like the niners on their way to dynasty status once again...

I have successfully completed my first month of Peace Corps service and have all good things to report. The last 5 weeks haven't come without their challenges but everyday is an exercise in managing expectations and reminding myself that success looks differently here.  Technically my "job" right now is to integrate into my community.  I am not supposed to start any huge projects until I can identify my partners. Who can I trust? more importantly, who can I get to trust me? The worst thing I could do is rush in to something without a clear understanding of the dynamics and have it fall apart... Furthermore I'm starting to realize with the more time I spend here that "big projects" aren't going to be my metric for success.  I was explaining to a good friend recently that chances are I won't build 20 greenhouses or bring solar electricity to the entire community, but I might teach a farmer how to read and write... that alone could take two years.  That said, I have had a few minor victories that ill fill you in on.

The JA gov has been pushing for some time now to get all farmers registered into a database. Right now, there aren't solid statistics in the way of what farmers are growing, how much of it they are growing, who is buying it etc... Without this information the gov can't support the farmers where they need the support. At my first farmers group meeting a few of the farmers were expressing confusion over the registration program so I decided to investigate. After a few persuasive phone calls, one of the parish agricultural extension officers agreed to make the journey up to Bellevue to help me host a free farmers registration day.  Trying to explain "better extension services" and "increased ag funding from the government" in patois to Jamaican farmers proved to be difficult.  Regardless,  I did my best to promote the registration up here and even though the extension officer was three hours late, it was a great success. We got a handful of farmers registered but the big surprise came when Mr Scott, the extension officer, brought up some farmer ID cards that have been sitting around the office for god knows how long. He doesn't make it up here too often. If you saw the road you'd understand. We've developed a pretty solid relationship which will hopefully bring him up to Bellevue on a regular basis. Good thing, because we need the help.

I have also been involved in some collaborative efforts with other volunteers. Brie Burd (you remember her from my PST post, she's also in the Green Initiative and lives down in in Port Antonio. She works with PEPA, the Portland Evironmental Protection Association). Anyways, Brie was given the task of doing some presentations on climate change to a couple schools in my neck of the woods and asked me to tag along and help. Of course I accepted because Brie is rad. The first presentation was kind of rough. Jamaican students are so used to be punished when they get the wrong answer that it is very challenging to illicit participation of any kind. Sometimes, a wrong answer for them means getting the belt. I probably wouldnt say much in class either.  The second presentation we did up at my school in Bellevue and it went a lot better. Brie and I had some more time to tweak the material and I had been working with the kids for a couple weeks by that point so they weren't as afraid to interact. I promised the students that for the duration of the activity it was ok to make educated guesses... For the most part, they got into it... Some of them just watched cautiously.

Some other good news came my first week here with the receipt of a grant for the continuation of the community water project.  Most of the community is still without running water but the money with the new grant will give access to a few dozen more households.  I think the grant was written by the last PC volunteer here but I still haven't figured that out. Ambiguity is the norm here.  My supervisor, Mr. Downer (a great great man, I wish you ALL could meet him) is heading up some of the water project as the president of the the farmers PMO group.  A reality check came when the night before he traveled to Kingston to buy more pipe, he walked all the way up to my place (about a 30 min walk) and asked for help to write the check. For one, he didn't know how to write the check, and two he needed me to double check is math calculation for the amount of the check. The calculation went like this: 250 pieces of pipe x $1500J per pipe. No tax, no fees... he was 100 bucks off.  I am very grateful that he had the courage to ask me. Some people would have been too proud. After we did the math problem together Ms. Miller (the treasurer) and I had a little lesson in financial record keeping. She, too, was receptive.  Later that evening it dawned on me that these moments, compounded time and time again will probably measure my impact here. Its grass roots, its slow, but it needs to be done.

Unfortunately some of these educational gaps have started to catch up with the community. I attended my first Bellevue Benevolent Society meeting where a government official came to explain that the group had been in violation of many rules for many years, and that if the errors weren't corrected by October 31st, the Benevolent Society was at risk of being dissolved. Let me back up... A Jamaican Benevolent Society is a cross between an American NPO and a fraternity.  Community Benevolent Societies are established to meet the expressed social, environmental, educational and developmental needs of the community BY the community. In a way, its kind of the governments way of outsourcing some of its development/social work to its citizens.  Benevolent Societies host weekly meetings (like a frat), collect dues (like a frat), and use its resources for community service and development (kind of like a frat).  Personally, I'm a huge fan of the model. The Bellevue Benevolent Society was established in 2005 as the governing body of the water system; and since 2005 its broken every rule in the book.  The root of the problem? The president of the society cant even read the rule book. He's a wonderful, respected man in the community but he can't conduct the business of the organization because he doesn't have the education to do so.  A large portion of my time for the next month will be spent with him, rectifying the problems in hopes that we can save the Benevolent Society, and by association, the water system. If not, the water will be handed over the the Parish Council and will be out of financial reach for nearly all members of the community.  If you know of any way to prepare a financial audit for the last 3 years without records or books, please let me know :) IF the Benevolent Society can be saved I can spend the next two years teaching literacy and business management to its members... because, like a frat, a Benevolent Society is a business.  If the society does fall apart, at least it will serve as a good example of what not to do to the farmers group that I am actually assigned to. I told Mr. Downer as we wrote the check, "Mr. Downer, wi 'ave fi do dis right, we cyaan get in trouble like dem." ... he understands.

I'm discovering the fine line that every Peace Corps volunteer must face when it comes to development. We constantly have to ask ourselves if the work we are doing is.... everybody's favorite word... SUSTAINABLE.  The other day somebody asked me if I would type a job application letter for them and I had to say no.  I mean I could have, and it would've taken me about 5 minutes, and she may have gotten the job, and may have been able to buy her kid a new school bag, but it would have strengthened the destructive notion that Jamaica is dependent on white people.  The problem is, me writing the letter could have felt good. It could have given me those sometimes scarce feelings of purpose and validation that every Peace Corps volunteer craves but can sometime never get. However, in development terms it would have been as effective as dumping rice over Sub-saharan Africa. Eventually the rice would run out, and eventually, I will leave Bellevue.

Organizational issues set aside, the water system itself has been broken for the last month.  Until today, the Benevolent Society hasn't been able to scrape together enough cash to get it fixed. I spent the early part of the week at the school and on the computer trying to figure out how to help the b society so when the opportunity came to get outside and help Mr. White fix the water tank, I jumped at it.  At about 8:00am this morning Mr. White walked by the house looking for his goats. I asked him if we were still going to the bush to fix the water at 10:00 and if I needed to bring anything. 

"Ya mon, wi a go bush... yuh 'ave any rum?" ... Silly question.

We met up the road at 10 o clock and started our hike to the water tank. It wasn't too far. Here are some pictures:

The Water Tank... Providing mostly clean water to the communities of Bellevue and New Road

Step 1: Drain whats left of the tank (not much. I've been bathing in a bucket and drinking from a spring for the last month. Mind you, I'm not complaining. It's kind of awesome) 

Step 2: Get in the tank and take turns scooping water through a 5 inch pipe

This is what it looks like from the outside

Step 3: Take a rum break

Step 4: Drink rum and work at the same time

Step 5: Once clean, turn on the water and hope there is enough pressure to fill take (it was a steady drip by the time we left)... and, as always, don't forget to enjoy the view.

 I always try to take a day or two a week to do this type of work. Unlike other Peace Corps work, cleaning a water tank, planting banana trees, and picking coffee yields immediate results... that you can see with your eyes. That combined with the physical exercise maintains my health and happiness. I do love it here.

I was emailing Bryan J earlier today and reminded him that he and the rest of the guys have a free place to stay in Jamaica for the next two years... I hope they take advantage of it. That offer is on the table to everyone, so don't let it pass you by.

Thats all for now... The family is gathering on the veranda to clean the sorrel that was picked today. If I help out I might be able to secure enough of my own to start my first batch of sorrel wine....

Peace