Expect the unexpected.

[aintbroke]

I’m fairly certain all the Peace Corps advice I’ve gotten boils down to that- Whatever you’re thinking, whatever you’re expecting; you’re probably completely off track.

So far, they were totally right.

My greatest fear was oppressively hot and humid weather, but it’s actually been downright pleasant (most of the time). This probably has a lot to do with my location- I’m currently living in a tiny commuter community near a fairly major city, near Kingston. The important part of that is that I’m right on the beach. I can, in fact see the ocean from my bed. We’ve been here about ten days, doing Community Based Training, wherein trainees live with host families, the better to learn cultural cues of behavior and hone our language skills. (So far, the culture is pretty easy, and the language makes me cry.)

One thing I didn’t see coming: Jamaica is loud. Almost every house has some media, audible from fifty paces blaring from seven in the morning to midnight. Evidently, noise pollution is a concept that hasn’t yet arrived. Jamaicans have embraced the Pussy Cat Dolls, cable television, KFC, and tabloids to a strange and unbelievable level.

I had great plans on giving up my vegetarianism, because it seemed rude and unnecessary, but I’ve discovered that I really don’t like chicken. Jerk chicken (I’m no expert, but as far as I can tell, “jerk” is the same as “barbeque.”) is ubiquitous, but I’d rather spend my time with ackee and callilou, “pumpkin,” yam, sweet and Irish potatoes, sweet or sour sop, passion fruit, and the little black mangos. Mmmm.

There have been a few unpleasantnesses, and some rules that seem in place mostly to annoy me. For example, Peace Corps has a lot of rules about blogs and letters home- about what you can and can’t say, and in what forum, and to whom. On the one hand, it seems in gross violation of my constitutionally mandated right to bitch whensoever and to whomsoever I please. On the other hand, they’ve made some good points about volunteer safety, and host country welcome, and how we pretty much fail at good will if we perpetuate negative views. Back on the first hand, however well-meaning and for-my-own-safety, these rules really chafe.

I can’t say I’m loving it, because training is long, and long, and goes on forever, and a lot of what we’re learning is “Jamaica is different than America, and you are the one who needs to adjust.” Some people in my group have never lived outside the US, and may actually benefit from hearing this- I feel like they are slowly smothering my will to live.

I am really enjoying the food and the people and the language, which has phrases like “mek it stay” (leave it there). I’m sure I will love everything later, but at the moment it’s full of hurry up and wait.

Comments

[aisa0.livejournal.com]

I had great plans on giving up my vegetarianism.

i've thought that if were going to do serious travel, i would give up being vegan so to better experience the world and just absorb the culture around me.

but meh, i still don't like eating meat. more pointedly, i don't like the way i *feel* when i eat meat. so your experience is interesting to me; i wonder if i'd have the same reaction.

thanks for the updates!

[siriuswolfstar.livejournal.com]

Wow. I'm glad you're there and doing what you enjoy, but at the same time I can sympathize with how that would be irritating as far as idealizing your goals and what you thought it would be.

Heh, I think America already embraces Cable, KFC and Tabloids to a strange and unbelieveable level, it's hard to fathom more than that there.

*Hug*Glad to hear you're doing okay.

[quiresti.livejournal.com]

Speaking as an anthropologist who gets faced with this question fairly often, there is definitely a point to representing a country or people well and trying to avoid creating bad feelings either for your host country or by your host country. Still, I feel that there is value is admitting and mentioning the negative side and that romanticizing can be just as dangerous for a people as demonizing. Not that I know enough about Peace Corps rules to know if they're really being too restrictive or not, it just brings up an interesting issue that I've had to think about occasionally. Not complaining too much about Jamaica probably isn't the same thing as not mentioning that a reservation has problems with alcohol and domestic violence because we don't want to encourage bad feelings, but it may be in the same neighborhood.

[jcruelty.livejournal.com]

I gave up being vegetarian when I moved to South America for a few months. They don't really get the concept and I would've just been eating plates of vegetables day after day... f' that!

Sounds like you got some good options otherwise. Does everybody drink Red Stripe or is that like Miller?

I ordered a book about the "Shower Posse." Axe around