World TB Day

Well Saturday was World Tuberculosis Day. Since it fell on a weekend, the health department I volunteer at decided to hold the event today. Myself and several of my co-workers went out into different clinics and hospitals to present on TB. We also made nice little poster board presentations to leave at the various places for the week.

I gave 4 talks on the subject at the local hospital. It was slightly chaotic since we gave the talks in the outpatient clinic areas (there was a lot of noise and movement). But most people seemed interested (and remarkably were able to hear and understand me). We even got a few questions. I thought my voice was gonna go toward the end since it felt like I'd been shouting. Other than that it was definitely a good morning.

This afternoon I spent making a PowerPoint slide show on a government assistance program they have here. My PC supervisor asked if I could do a presentation at an upcoming conference. This way other volunteers can learn some more about the program and maybe point it out to those in their communities who would benefit.

Came home washed a couple of items of clothing, but couldn't hang them on the line because of our daily afternoon rains. So the shirts I need for the conference are hanging on my shower curtain rod with my fan blowing at them. Hopefully I'll get the rest of my laundry done early enough this weekend that it will be dry by the time the afternoon rains hit. Ah the joys of doing laundry the old fashioned way.

Catching the Rhythm

If there is one thing I've learned in the six plus months that I've been on island is that rhythm is a huge part of life here. Music pumps out of speakers at high volume, the bass turned up enough that you can feel it to your bones.

The speech of Jamaicans is also highly influenced by rhythm. Listening to the chatter of Jamaican patois (or Jamaican creole) is a music unto itself. Movement and body language also play a huge part in expression here.

So "catching the rhythm" is a vital part of blending into the culture. The way you walk, talk, and act shows how much you are willing to learn about the culture you are living in. When I attempt to "chat patois" I may get a lot of laughs, but I also get a lot of respect for trying.

There have been a number of times lately that a person has assumed I was Jamaican (at least until I said something--then my American accent gives me away). Of course there are still plenty of times where I'm called "whitey" (a term for foreigners usually) as I walk down the street. But I don't mind it too much. After all it is the truth (I'm white and foreign). :)

Returning to rhythm...

Today I had the joy of attending the Manchester Red Cross Association's first Drum Vibes event. It was basically a concert with a drum group and band from another parish, a local drama group, a saxaphonist, and a few local dignitaries. I went with some other volunteers (and saw a few of my Jamaican friends there). It was a blast. The drummers were amazing. They performed many songs from Jamaica's cultural history and often took turns dancing during their perfomances. All the performers were great, and they all had us dancing, clapping and having a good time. It was definately a good day. Made better by the fact that my internet connection is back up and working (it went down yesterday morning). So I get to update my blog. :)

Just a brief post to get this blog rolling.

I finally decided that I should start up a blog to keep in touch with friends and family back home and to journal my experiences here in Jamaica.

Not much I want to add right now. Kinda tired after a trip into Kingston today. So I'm gonna head to bed, but will post more later.