Rodent Control Program

One of my jobs here in Jamaica is to aid the Public Health Inspectors in projects that they are conducting through the parish health department. Ultimately I'm here to help them build resources and capacity for jobs they currently do and/or want to do in the future. Usually this just means they need an extra hand because the biggest resource they are lacking (besides money) is manpower.

So when one of my PHIs asked for help with a Rodent Control Program that is being conducted in our community I was right there to assist. I am now official part of the Rodent Control Team which consists of other PHIs, the Health Education Officer, other employees at the health department and even members of the community that we are conducting the program in. The main goal of this program is to reduce the rodent population in the community. We will do this through a number of strategies:

1. Educate members of the community about the importance of rodent control and how they can all help to reduce the rodent population through proper solid waste management.
2. Conduct a community wide clean up, creating rodent traps throughout the community.
3. Provide opportunities for community to properly dispose of waste (place garbage bins throughout town)
4. Hold a Best Kept Street Competition to promote cleaner, healthier communities
5. Go the local schools and teach children how they can do their part to help clean up the community. The plan is to have a poster contest and quiz competition on the importance of rodent control and proper solid waste management.

So far we have been able to acquire 20 garbage bins donated by local companies to place throughout town. I spent this past week painting them all. I painted "St. Ann Health Department Rodent Control Program" with a picture of a rat and a big X painted over the rat on all 20 of the bins. I can paint rats in my sleep now! I'm not sure if that is something to be proud of or not... lol! But I had a lot of fun spending the days outside painting. And since I was sitting outside I got to meet more people who work at the health department because they saw me working and were curious about the project. They just came right up and started chatting. So painting the bins was a great excuse for me to meet new people at work as well. :) Needless to say I am very excited about helping carry out the rest of the program with the Rodent Control Team. Hopefully we can inspire behavior change and help to really clean up the town.

By the way, today is a GORGEOUS day outside. I can't wait to hit the beach. I know you guys in the states are all jealous ;) but don't worry, it's spring now and the worst of the cold is over... Miss you all very much, I'll think of you while I'm playing in the waves!

Kalooki Anyone??

So my new favorite card game is called Kalooki. I am definitely hooked! I was introduced to the game by my fellow uwi teammates. After a long day of volleyball is great to sit back with friends and play a good game of cards. And its also a good way to pass time at tournaments in between games. This game is pretty intense tho, really cut-throat, no mercy, every man for himself kind of game. I'm told it's a form of Contract Rummy but I have no idea since I've never played rummy before. This website explains all the rules, which you will see are not too too complicated but the game itself is a real mind exercise for sure. So check it out and try it one night instead of watching tv. Promise you'll love it.

Kiwanis Club of The Garden Parish

The other night I had the honor of being the guest speaker for the Kiwanis Club of The Garden Parish. I was invited to come and speak about the Peace Corps program and what I've been doing in Jamaica over the past nine months that I have been here. For those of you who don't know, Kiwanis is a global organization that works to improve the lives of children world wide. Before my speach I sat and listened to members discuss upcoming community events to volunteer at for this upcoming month and chat about exciting things happening within their club, including work at a nearby mental health institution. It was insping to be amoungst a group of such motivated and caring women.

When it was my time to speak I took the first part of my presentation to talk about a general overview of what Peace Corps was, its history, its goals, and types of things volunteers are doing world wide. But the fun started when I began talking specifically about my time here in Jamaica. Everyone was so intereseted in how I have been adjusting to the culture, that I can speak patios and use public transportation, and that we as pcvs are willing to give so much time to help others in foreign places. They also had questions about water quality in their parish which I was happy to address and help clear-up some misconceptions.

It was a very refreshing and inspiring night, reminding me of the reasons I decided to be a pcv. And it was motivational to see that these women are making a difference in their community! With an active community group, so much change is possible. It reminds me of quote from President Barack Obama:

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. "

Hee-Haw

Last weekend I traveled to Negril to volunteer at the annual Donkey Race organized by the Negril Rotary Club. Funds generated from the event went to support early childhood education in the community so I was more than excited to give my time to help out with the event.

I ended up helping at the face painting booth with a rasta guy: just me, him and fifty pikni crowded around the tent. Face painting was a free event so there was just a huge line of kids, one after the other. I painted tiger faces, flowers, butterflies, lots and lots of Spidermen and other super heroes, and even a few American flags. It was funny to have little kids ask me to paint American flags, I was like, “Are you sure you don’t want a Jamaican flag?” … “No miss, I want the one with stars.”

At the beginning of the day the donkeys were dressed up in silly costumes and paraded around the track. I didn’t catch any pictures of it cause I already had my hands full with face painting but it was pretty cute to see donkeys in wigs and lamp shades for hats. After the parade the real fun started. The donkeys would race in groups of three and people could place bets on the winner.

In addition to the donkey races and face painting for the kids, there was a bar for the big kids, plenty of food vendors, carnival games the kids could play to win prizes, a ferris wheel, and a giant Disney Princess bounce-a-bout that I really wanted to jump in but never got the chance. Hehe.

So after a long day of face painting and watching donkeys I took a dip in the ocean, got a few drinks at the bar with other PCVs at the donkey race and then headed back to the beach to see a beautiful Negril sunset. A great ending to a long but extremely fun day.

PC Projects: A Quick Update

I have some updates on the projects I’ve been working on down here in Jamaica:

For my farmers’ group irrigation project, we have selected the pump and dealer we want to purchase from and are in the process of completing the order. Hopefully the pump will be in Jamaica by March.

Some more good news: I showed my supervisor at the Regional Health Authority the database I have been working on for the health department I volunteer at and she really liked it. She requested that I expand the database so it could be used throughout the region. She said that once it’s developed we could hold training sessions so that others in the region will be able to use the database and know how it functions. I am super excited about the challenge even though there will be a few things I will have to teach myself in order to make this dream a reality.

I’ve picked up a new project that I’m super excited to work on. I am teaming up with community based organization to help them with site development for an eco tourism establishment that they are trying to create. The site is located in a very sensitive area at the head waters of a major river in Jamaica so they have to pay special attention to the waste water that will be generated at the site. Additionally they need help in deciding on what water source they will use and the design of the distribution system. Here's a few pics of the site:

So these are a few things I have been up to the past few months and projects that will continue to work on during my time here in a Jamaica. I have one more project that I would like to share with you, but I think it’s best to send it via email, so check those inboxes when you get a chance.

uwi volleyball

For all of you that didn’t know, since around October I have been playing with an indoor volleyball club team here in Jamaica. The club is sponsored by University of West Indies, Mona campus. I met some of the girls at the beach volleyball tournament a volunteered in the fall and they invited me to come out and play on their team. We have two women’s teams and two men’s teams. I am on the UWI A team. Don’t want to brag too much but we happen to be the best team on the island, officially. Last month we won the season championship for the eighth year in a row. The final game was sooooo much fun, there was a big loud crowd and I played the best I’ve played since I’ve been here in Jamaica. It’s great to play competitive volleyball again and to be part of a team. I’m making new friends and having a blast. Sometimes I wished I lived closer to Kingston so I could train with them more regularly, but I have to take what I can get and enjoy the times I do get to play.

A productive morning

This morning has been very productive: I woke up, went for a run, saw the sun rise along the way, nearly died at the end of the run because I haven't ran in over two weeks... then i got home, tried to climb the grill on the back of my house to get on the roof of my house (my favorite place in the mornings) only to cut my finger... doctored it up then noticed my tomato plant was over growing the pot I first planted it in so I then recruited Shavan to help me dig a hole for it in the yard and transfer it into the ground. On my way back into the house I noticed this pretty little girl sitting on our porch:

Pretty scary huh? I have also talked to my dad on the phone, cleaned my room, and did a load of laundry. Aaaand wrote this new blog entry which I have failed to do for over a month now. I'm gonna have to big up myself for all waking up early and getting stuff done today! I have lots to update you all on so stay tuned this week for some good blog posts!