Day 8: Leaving on a Jet Plane

What a long short day!  Long as we were able to enjoy the entire day in Jamaica, short because we had to go home.  Long because we left the Whistling Bird at 330PM and got to central Wisconsin at … Nicole and I made our annual trip to 23/7 for our last meal.  We were supposed to have breakfast, but we needed to pack up our stuff so we ended up having lunch.  23/7 has awesome pizza (we actually had it twice during our stay). 

We were able to speak to Kay Schendel from UW-LaCrosse prior to leaving Jamaica.  Her group of 26 students is coming to Jamaica on the 15^th.  She was in Jamaica early to arrange their work in Negril and make sure her supplies had come in for the project in Treasure Beach.   In Treasure Beach, they will be constructing a fence.  Kay had to arrange some work to have been done by Jamaican prior to the students coming to do the rest of the work.

Some of the girls were able to snorkel with Captain Rhondal the last day, which was awesome as the ocean was a sheet of turquoise glass. Others went horseback riding in the mountains and into the ocean in the morning.  I spent most of the day packing and making sure everyone was organized and had tabs paid at the Whistling Bird. 

We departed the Whistling Bird at 330PM.  We got to the Montego Bay airport about 5PM.  Prior experience has taught us to weigh our bags prior to checking in.  We had a couple bags that were over the 50 pound weight limit so we needed to swap some things around.  We checked in, passed through customs and then had about 90 minutes till we needed to board.  Nicole and I spent some time talking to a Norwegian lady that we had met at 23/7.  She is looking to start a foundation for children in Jamaica.  We exchanged contact information.  Prior to boarding out plane, the airline did an extensive pat down of us, inspected our shoes, and also inspected our bags.  The reminder of our trip was spent flying from Montego Bay to Chicago (which slightly resembled a bumpy boat ride) and riding home to central Wisconsin.  Although the trip is done, the reflection portion and trip assessment has just begun.  The learners will be presenting their findings on May 6^th at Noon in E101 and at 530PM in E101.

Day 7: Return to Grange Hill and The Market

This morning we returned to Grange Hill Upper Top Lincoln Early Childhood Institute and presented them with 2 full suitcases of school supplies.  The children sang songs to us and we took pictures with them. 


On the way back, Robert shared his home with us. He has added on an addition as he now has his girlfriend and her three children living with him.  It looks nice.  


We left Robert's house and went into Savannah La Mar to shop.  Lori Garber and I went into the pharmacy.  A looseleaf notebook costs about $2.00.  A 4 sheet pack of Disney "Cars" stickers costs about $2.50; I've seen them in the Dollar Tree for $1.00.  


I stopped back into the grocery store to pick up coffee, rum, and snacks for lunches (the little snack packs are cheap here).  The Blue Mountain Coffee was $1400.00/pound jays or about $16.49/pound US. It retails at Gloria Jean's coffee shops in the US for $54.99/pound.  The rum was about $9.00 US for a bottle- much cheaper than purchasing at either the factory or at the airport.  


After the grocery store, we shopped some more at The Craft Market in Negril.  I negotiated very reasonable prices for gifts.  


Nicole Sankey, Cristin Bauch and I stopped at Camilla's for lunch.    She has awesome food at great prices.  Lunch was under $5.00 with drink and included stewed brown fish, rice and peas, salad and steamed vegetables.  


We then walked to Times Square to do more shopping.  When we were out of money, we walked to 23/7 to let John know we would be in on Thursday morning for breakfast (a tradition on our last day).  It was really hot today so following our stop we decided to spend some time in the ocean.  


Our day was concluded with beachside supper.


Our last day in Jamaica- the warmest so far :)

Day 6: Seaford Town

I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned, but knowing that I needed to be up at 5AM to leave at 6AM, I just couldn’t lull into a deep sleep.  Our driver, Devon Sinclair (Robert Sinclair) was a little early assuring us we would be on time to St. Boniface Vocational Training Center.  When we went to Seaford Town last year, we toured their Heritage Museaum and Early Childhood Center.  When I scheduled our visit for this year, I wanted to make sure that we had enough time to actually tour the St. Boniface VTC (which is why we needed to leave so early).  Since we didn’t stop along the way, we got to Seaford Town about an hour early.  I called the guide, Marie Kameta, to let her know we were early and to ask her if we would start earlier.  She did come earlier, but then delayed our tour by not having the keys to show us the church.  The total time that we spend attempting  the tour was 2 hours… for her showing us one church and a one room museam.  I don’t think we’ll be doing that part of the trip to Seaford Town again. 

Fortunately, we also got to spend about 30 minutes in the Early Childhood Center.  I’m really excited because I think that between the Early Childhood Center and the Uppertop Early Childhood Center, we should have plenty to do for next year.  I am also looking forward to speaking to Amy Tamsen and Sandy Suprek, Northcentral Technical College Early Childhood program instructors, about having the learners in their program do some activities for us to bring down to Jamacia (paper projects mostly).  Also, the teachers indicated a willingness to let our students shadow and actively participate in the teaching of students in their classrooms.  The Jamaica children sang three songs to us.  We also sang Happy Birthday to Ms. Cynthia Kameta, the principal.  It costs $2000 jays ($23.53 US) for students to attend the Early Childhood center.  They pay this cost per term, with terms starting in September, January and after Easter.  All students in Jamaica wear uniforms, those at the Early Childhood Center wear green.

We were treated to a tour of the St. Boniface Vocational Training Center. A teacher at the school gave us a tour of the VTC.  They have many training programs similar to Northcentral Technical College such as welding, carpentry, drafting, and informational technology systems.  They have other programs too such as garment design, restaurant .  The students looked absolutely beautiful in their colorful uniforms.  Each program wears a color specific to their training.  We had also arranged for their learners to present to us a meal to demonstrate comprehension of the skills they were learning.  So, we were treated to curried goat or barbeque chicken, potato salad (made with potatoes, corn, carrots, and peas) or tossed salad (coleslaw type veggies with thousand island dressing) and rice and peas.  For desert we had three deserts (3!!!): banana pudding, banana bread, and pineapple upside down cake.  We were overfilled at that point, but we still continued to enjoy the fresh pineapple, papaya, and oranges that were presented to us.  We thanked our guests for their hospitality.  It was a wonderful experience that was enjoyed by all.

We left the VTC to go to Tommy’s farm.  We got a little lost on the way, but eventually got to where we needed to be.  Nicole Sankey, Lori Garber and I had all toured Tommy’s farm last year and explained to the learners that this farm is a wee bit different than the farms in Wisconsin.  Rather, Tommy’s farm is a farm of fruits, herbs, and vegetable.  Tommy greeted us graciously.  He walked us back to his place and shared with us a variety of fruits and such as oranges, pineapple, honey bananas, peppers.  We spent over 3 hours with Tommy asking him about his natural way of life and allowing him to share his world to us.  He explained the benefits of healthy eating and eating for the nutrients in the food.

The ride to Negril seemed quicker on the way back than on the way there, but that’s usually the way it works when you’re traveling a road slightly wider than the size of the van and your going down the size of the mountain, not up it.

Day 5: River Tour, Royal Palm Reserve and Snorkeling

Rhondal’s crew picked us up from the Whistling Bird’s beach.  We travelled a short distance to the pier by the Negril River, then got out to cross to the other side of the bridge.  Due to low water amounts, we weren’t able to take the boat through the river.  The ocean has been so choppy and rough that there are mounds of ocean debris forming a wall along the beach.  We walked through the fisherman’s place where one could buy chunks of fish. Next to the river, we got into another boat and toured down the river.  We toured the Royal Palm Reserve.  The ecosystem contained within the Royal Palm Reserve is necessary to maintain the climate of Jamaica.  It also helps to control pollution.   Upon leaving the Royal Palm, a local man called us over to the shore. His name was Norma Scarlet.  He has land that is along the shoreline.  He is clearing the land so that there will be a place for tourists to come see coconuts and the land as well as have a meal. 

We had time after our morning activities to eat a quick sandwich for lunch.  Then, it was time for snorkeling.  It was the first time Cristin, Brittny, and Lori had been snorkeling.  The water was a bit choppy, but we still had a good time.  Rhondal and one of his guides toured the reefs with the girls.  I snorkeled a little bit, but it was just too choppy and not quite sunny enough to meet my needs.

We followed supper with a nice meal at Cosmo’s.  Knowing that we had a very long morning, and because it took two hours for our late supper, we went back to Whistling Bird and called it a night.

Day 4: Working on a Sunday

Sunday morning I met with Captain Rhondal and went over the details for our river tour.  Although we weren’t going until Monday, I paid him today.  Gas is currently $94.00/jays a liter in Jamaica (so, a little over $1.00 a liter or about $8.00/US a gallon).  It’s been very slow for tourism here so the Captains are very visible on the beach looking for work.

We finished the physical work at Uppertown Lincoln Early Childhood Center on Sunday.  We painted the tires that the kids use for playing on, the front gate, all the doors and windows, and the remainder of the schools.  The learners quickly realized that water-based paint is much easier to work with and clean up compared to oil-based paint.  Ms. Francis fed us lunch of fish and rice and beet/carrot juice to drink. When we finished at the school, we went back to the Whistling Bird with the anticipation that we’d be going on the sunset cruise.  Unfortunately, the ocean became choppy during the day so we weren’t able to do the cruise.  We went to 23/7 for later for some reflection.  

Day 3: I'm hungry

We left Whistling Bird a bit late this morning. We had stopped along the way and had some juice and coco bread, fruit bread, and potato bread.  That filled a little void in the tummy.  Lindsey, Brittny, and Allyson did the canopy zip line tour.  Lori, Nicole and myself watched along with Cristin and Amanda.  Lindsey, Brittny, Allyson, Cristin and Amanda walked through the water and falls and took some beautiful pictures.   A few of the ladies also jumped from the rope swing.

After YS Falls, we toured Appleton Rum Factory.  We were greeted by our tour guide, Hugh, who also was our guide when we toured the factory two years back.  Last time, he rode back with us to be dropped off near his hometown.  This time,he was going to do the same so that the learners could ask questions about Jamacian to a local.  However, he was unable to do so. 

Rum is the main export of Jamaica.  The Appleton Rum Factory owns 54,000 acres that are used for crops, production, and storage of rum. 

Following the rum factory tour, we stopped at a grocery store at Savannah La Mar.  I am going to make a mental note here to have the learners bring calculators next year.  Thank goodness for the calculator on my cell phone.  One of the learners was craving Keebler Rainbow cookies.  The package down here was about $6.50.  I explained to the ladies that imported (American) food costs a lot more down here.  I happily bought some tuna, Coca-Cola light (Diet Coke), crackers and cheese.  The cheese is very different down here.  Cheddar cheese has a consistency closer to Velveeta and has a slightly different taste down here. Let me tell you, I love cheese!  I also love milk and miss it already.  

Day 2: Oh, yes, we're in Jamaica 'mon.

It feels good to be back.  The sun, the water, the snow...just kidding.  It is colder than here than normal (mid 70s versus normal mid 80s) and a bit breezy.


We started today by Nicole and I going to the hardware store.  The hardware store in Negril is different than a hardware store in Wisconsin.  Upon entering the building, there is a space about 10' deep and 20' wide for a customer service desk.  A service person, ours was a lady, greeted us.  We told her we needed paint and she presented us with a paint card of samples.  Paint is already mixed here, no custom colors, so we picked colors closest to what the teachers told us they wanted for colors in their classroom: cotton candy pink on one room and bright yellow for the other.  They wanted lime green for the upper half of the outside of the school and navy blue for the bottom.  The closest colors we found were spearmint and primary blue.  I think I'm pretty safe in speaking for Nicole (who has accompanied me on the Service Learning Trip for the past two years) that the colors Jamaicans pick for painting rooms are quite different than what we would choose.   So, we bought 8 gallons of paint, one quart of paint thinner, and  4 putty knives for $14,000 (Jays, not US Dollars).


Upon arriving back to the Whistling Bird, we gathered the ladies and ventured to the Grange Hill  Uppertop Lincoln Early Childhood Institution.  I checked in with the teacher, Francis (aka Sharon as she doesn't like the name Francis) Chamberlain, who told us that the kids would be leaving at 11:30AM. Not all children attend school on Fridays, but we were able to interact with those present.  We taught them ring-around-the-rosy and duck, duck, goose. We then proceeded  prep the walls for painting.  We completed the outside of one school building and the inside of the other.


After service work, we went for supper to 3 Dives which is a local restaurant.  The food was tasty- I had goat, rice and peas and calaloo.


Our group seems very tired after the end of day 2.  I think it will be nice for them tomorrow as we are having a day of experiencing two tourist attractions to Jamaica: YS Falls and the Appleton Rum Factory.

Day 1: Are we there yet?

We left Mosinee at 12:00AM and drove four hours to Chicago where we were scheduled to depart from O’Hare at 6:30AM.  You know, it’s not a good sign when you haven’t boarded the plane by the scheduled boarding time.  We were boarded and ready to go by 6:30AM.  Opps!  Not quite going to leave yet.  One of our plane’s wing flaps weren’t functioning properly so we had to have mechanics help us out and get us back to functionality and safety.  I theorized that it is better to have plane problems prior to departure, right? We finally left Chicago at 8:30AM, now a full two hours behind schedule.  Most of our group utilized this time wisely by getting some much needed sleep.  Nicole left a message for Robert, our driver, that we were running late.  We later found out that he didn’t get it.  He just hung around outside the airport in Montego Bay waiting for us to get there.  He was just as excited to see us as we were to see him.  He is a such a good man.  He helped us to line up our work for this trip at Grange Hill.  We meandered the roads of Jamaica to Grange Hill school where we sized up the project we have ahead of us.  Tomorrow we will make our first stop to the hardware store for supplies. For tonight, we will soon be eating and most likely going to bed early.  It was a very long day of travel and the four cookies we each had only went  so far.

Service Trip #3

In less than 24 hours, I will be with 8 other participants of the 2010 Service Learning Trip traveling to Negril, Jamaica.  Months of preparation and planning will soon be rewarded with smiles, sunshine, and life changing experiences.


The best part of the Northcentral Technical Colleges Service Learning Trip, for me, is to see the faces of our learners as they embrace each experience in a new country.  I have literally shed tears watching a student look out the window of an airplane gliding above crystal blue waters of an ocean that she might have never seen before had it not been for the Service Learning class taken through Northcentral Technical College.  What exactly is service learning?


Service learning is taking the skills learned in the classroom into real life situations.  It is living NTC's motto of "Real Life, Real Learning".  In the Human Services Program at NTC, students routinely participate in activities such as community service work and other volunteer experiences that allow them reflect and utilize the knowledge that they have gained through their education into real life experiences.  The Service Learning class accomplishes the same task, but from an international perspective.  For example, upon leaving the airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the chaporones for the trip will encourage reflection upon what students are seeing during the 90 minute drive to Negril, Jamaica.  Students routinely comment that the people are "so laid back" as we venture along the route to our loding.  It is through discussion that the students realize that this "laid back" approach is partially due to unemployment and  lack of a place to go. According to the U.S. Department of State, " Jamaica's political system is stable. However, the country's serious economic problems have exacerbated social problems and have become the subject of political debate. High unemployment--averaging 12.5%--rampant underemployment, growing debt, and high interest rates are the most serious economic problems. "

Service learning is an important part of the educational and life experience.  Thank you for your support as we embark on our journey. Please feel free to make comments/ask questions/ etc. as we are abroad.  We want YOU to be part of our learning experience.