The First Days

I know that when I arrived in Europe I promptly updated my blog with news of my arrival, and I am yet to do that here, of which Ben was so nice to remind me. For that reason, I will do my best to summarize my observations and experiences in Jamaica thus far.

Currently we are staying in the hostel of a convent in Kingston. The grounds of this convent contain an elementary school and a high school, so it's a pretty busy place during the day. However, apparently this is one of the more expensive schools in the area, so I have seen more BMWs, Mercedes, and generally nice cars so far than I did walking through the PC student parking. (Don't worry, because we leave here Sunday for Mandeville, so we will not be seeing that for a long time).

The reason that we are staying in Kingston for so long is that on Tuesday we were required by the Jamaican government to report to the immigration office in order to apply for alien cards and extended stay permits. As this takes several days, we will be here awaiting these (and the return of our passports), which will take place on Friday. This has offered us the opportunity to do a week's worth of orientation while staying at the convent-hostel.

When not in various meetings we have ventured out into Kingston for several different reasons. One trip included our morning at immigration and a couple hours of red tape at the bank as they attempted to add me to the PVI account. On another trip into Kingston, I had to go to Pricesmart (the Jamaican version of BJs or Sam's Club) in order to purchase a membership, as I will be doing the shopping for us there. (Hopefully I will be able to control myself better than my father when he is presented with the opportunity to buy in bulk). Our other trip off of the grounds of this school was when 6 of us packed into the rented Toyota Yaris and went to Devon House (quite the experience given the heat and size of the car). Devon House is the home of the first black millionaire in Jamaica. It was purchased by the Jamaican government in 1965 and has been turned into a museum. Although we didn't go into the museum, we did have a chance to get some ice cream (which I was extremely relieved to find that they had here). We also had the chance to chat with Jamaican children who were there on a field trip.

In the few short days I have been here, there is so much upon which I could already remark. From the heat which I love but at times can be a bit much, to the bird sized moths, to the beauty of the skyline in which you can see mountains in almost all directions, there are so many different aspects of my days here that I am afraid to ramble on about, thereby losing readers in my second post. Therefore, I'll leave you with some pictures and will save the rambling for a future date.

 

The view from the balcony of our room. Downtown Kingston is in the distance. 

The view from our balcony in another direction.

Devon House

Finally, thank you so much to those that have donated so far to PVI. I really appreciate everyone's support!

My New Adventure

By now most of you have probably heard about my post-grad plans. In a little over two months I will be leaving for Mandeville, Jamaica, where I will be volunteering with Passionist Volunteers International for 13 months. I will be living in an apartment with other volunteers, and we will be spending our days performing all types of service, from tutoring to coaching to visiting orphanages and elderly homes. (To learn more about it, visit PVI-Jamaica).

Taking a year to volunteer after graduation is something that I have always wanted to do, and I am excited and honored to have this opportunity, especially being able to do so in another country while living in and learning about another culture. Just as when I was abroad in Prague, I hope to use this blog as a way to keep everyone up to date on my year, as well as to have a way to remember the year's events myself. I look forward to sharing my new experiences with all of you, but I will miss you all greatly!

As a volunteer with Passionist Volunteers International, I will be provided with housing, flights, health insurance, a food stipend, and a monthly stipend. In return I have committed to helping the organization fundraise. As it costs over $8,000 a year to support a volunteer and their efforts in Jamaica, my goal is to raise a portion of this. It is for this reason that I am asking for your help. PVI is a very small Catholic charity that depends upon the efforts of their volunteers' fundraising for their fiscal sustainability. I would greatly appreciate any donation that you could make to PVI on my behalf, no matter how big or small. If you are willing to donate, you may do so by either visiting the PVI donation page, or by contacting me directly (dturcott@friars.providence.edu). (*If you do donate directly to PVI, please specify that it is in honor of me. Thanks!) I really appreciate everyone's support thus far in making this decision, and I thank you in advance for any financial support that you are able to give!