Here are photos of Peace Corps volunteer Jerry Wagner who served as a youth development volunteer in Belize. I just completed the first leg of my travels working on a project photographing Peace Corps volunteers around the world. I am preparing to travel to South America next. I am looking to publish a book of the photos of volunteers in time for the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps in 2011. I am currently looking for funding and a publisher to help me continue this important work.
Labels: Belize, Central America, Peace Corps, Peace Corps volunteers
I have been taking it easy and not taking very many photos this past week. So, this website has more writing than photos lately. Since this website is primarily for photos, I am posting a gallery of some of my work from the past.
Monday, August 24, 2009
I have been positing a theory for awhile about littering and why it seems to me that people are more inclined in developing countries to litter.
Traveling through beautiful rural Clarendon, a Jamaican parish in the center part of the island I was reminded of my theories pertaining to the predilection of some people to befoul their surroundings with trash.
One scenic part of the road in the country as we made our way from May Pen to Kellits had its scenery diminished for me because all along the road for miles was a line of plastic bottles, empty bag juice containers and other detritus thrown from passing cars and busses. The trash just collects along the roads until a big rain comes and washes it into gullies where it then becomes a problem in that it will block up the gullies causing flash flooding.
As we traveled along I was confronted with a moral and cultural issue. My friends who were also passengers in the car were drinking soda and eating fried banana chips. As I observed the trash along the road I knew it was only a matter of time before my companions finished their snacks and would inevitably sling the empty containers out the windows. So, I was confronted with the issue of whether or not to say anything. Do I tell them that they shouldn't litter as I explain the ecological and environmental consequences. Do I just ignore it since it is their country and their customs?
This was not the first time I've been faced with this issue. Once several years ago I and some friends were visiting the Blue Lagoon (yes, the same one that is supposed to be the setting for the movie with Brooke Shields - although I think in reality they filmed that in Tahiti) and as my group was leaving a group of Jamaicans were entering the premises. They were dressed nicely and had just got out of some very nice cars, so they were upper class. As they passed by us they threw their empty drink containers in the well-manicured bushes at the entry despite their being trash containers on the premises.
I was incredulous and said right away, why you dirty up such a beautiful place so? One of the ladies in the group sucked her teeth and replied that as an American I had no room to speak because according to her American tourists litter more than anyone. Whether or not that is true, she had a point that it is hard for us Americans to be high and mighty on the issue of pollution when our country is responsible for a very high percentage of the pollution in the world and we have even refused to sign the Kyoto treaty.
So, every since that encounter in the Portland Parish of Jamaica I have been a little more reticent when it comes to castigating others for their littering. Another time, years later, I was in a taxi with a fellow American. We were traveling from the St. Catherine parish village of Riverdale to Bog Walk. The trip passes through some very beautiful cane fields and orange groves.
The friendly driver whom we had been chatting with was sipping on a soda from a ubiquitous plastic bottle. I knew what was coming because my companion was the type of person who does not hold back when it comes to speaking his mind. The driver predictably threw the bottled out the window as we passed through a particularly pretty stretch of road, and my companion in indignation rebuked the driver for his actions.
I was nervously thinking that we were in for an argument, which in being one who prefers a non-confrontational approach did not want to participate. The driver sheepishly responded to the rebuke and tried to defend his actions saying that it was just one bottle. My companion asked the driver how many times he drives by that point on his route everyday. Then he calculated the number of bottles that would accumulate after a week if every time the driver passed he tossed out a bottle. Then he multiplied that by the number of other route taxi drivers doing the same action.
The driver conceded that it was a bad thing to do as my companion made the case that all the bottles that accumulate are going to eventually block up the drainage system, and the next time there is a big rain there will be a flood. Then he pointed out that the flooding will block up the road causing it to become impassable and thusly inhibiting this man from making his living by driving his taxi route on that road.
So, I learned that although I believe that it does not necessarily work to lecture people to get them to change their actions, that sometimes people can be reasoned with if you explain to them a direct consequence of their actions.
So, going back to my dilemma in the car on the road to Kellits. I knew that if I complained about their littering it would just annoy them and not gain the results that I wish, and that is to get them and others to change their actions. I believe that the only way to get people to change negative habits is through education.
That made me think, how do you make people realize that littering is bad and can have negative consequences? Personally I would think just the sight of trash everywhere would be enough to make people realize that it is a bad thing, but obviously that is not the case.
So, I started thinking, why in most of the United States littering is not as widespread as it used to be? I am sure litter laws that result in signs along the highway reminding you that you will be slapped with a $500 fine for littering probably has some influence, but I don't think that is the entire answer to why we don't litter as much. (It does remind me of a song, actually an epic ballad, in that Arlo Guthrie spins a tale about getting out of the draft because of being arrested for littering. The song always seems to be played on a local radio station during Thanksgiving and is called "Alice's Restaurant" ).
In thinking about all of this I came up with a theory as to why people litter more in developing countries and it is the result of observing people in Jamaica. I don't pretend that this theory answers the question entirely, but is just a piece of the puzzle.
While observing people I realized that when a person is eating fruits, which are abundant here, whether it is an orange, a banana or whatever, that there is a peel or portion that is not eaten and it is only natural for part to be thrown on the ground where it will naturally biodegrade. This is the way it has been for a long long time. I then realized that with packaged foods becoming more abundant, people have not changed their habits when it comes to throwing away the refuse. So, to a person eating a bag of chips in their mind when they dash away (as they say in Jamaica) that plastic bag containing the chips it is no different to them than to dash away the orange or banana peel.
The same goes with the plastic soda bottle. In the past when a Jamaican was thirsty he would cut open a coconut and drink the water inside (this is still done, and the water inside the coconut is pure and has many healthy benefits). When done drinking the coconut water you throw the coconut to the ground where eventually it goes back to nature. So, in the same mindset they throw the plastic bottle on the ground, but unfortunately it does not go back to nature, but just becomes pollution. Something that is new to people in developing countries who are very recent to the throw-away culture that is being pressed on them by us in the so-called first world.
I suspect that in the United States (and I vaguely remember it) that when packaged food became more prevalent we were more inclined to litter with the packaging. I believe that the reason littering became less of a scourge on the United States is through enforcement of anti-littering laws and more importantly through education.
I recall as a child traveling to appalachia and walking on back roads where we observed all kinds of trash and garbage thrown in the wooded valleys. I remember being surprised because back home in Indiana there was less of that kind of thing. This actually brings up other factors to littering that I haven't touched on as of yet, and that is socio-economic factors. Where there are poor people there tends to be more litter.
I think that is because of two reasons. First of all poor people have less access to garbage collection. Also poor people are often less educated. So, I think that given these reasons it reinforces my views that to put an end to littering the most effective way is through a combination of education, active steps by municipalities to put out containers to collect refuse and enforcement of litter and pollution laws.
Looking back in the United States I can honestly say that two public information TV commercials that stick with me the most are ones that dealt with littering and pollution. The first one was the commercial showing a vast American landscape covered with garbage and then a native American rides up on the crest of a ridge overlooking this scene. The camera pans in to a close-up of the noble native American and you see one tear go down his cheek. I suspect that commercial had a profound affect for many of my generation.
The other ad campaign was a cartoon owl. Who in my generation does not remember the saying of "Woody the Owl" who said, "Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute?"
Instead of lecturing my companions and pissing them off to no avail I instead decided to sit down and write this. Maybe in the long run there will be an affective ad campaign combined with education that will be as successful as the ones in the United States. Unfortunately, I think the issue of littering is tied up in more complex issues beyond my theories of people not adjusting to packaged food. I believe it is bound up in issues of poverty, respect for nature and pride in ones surroundings.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Traveling through beautiful rural Clarendon, a Jamaican parish in the center part of the island I was reminded of my theories pertaining to the predilection of some people to befoul their surroundings with trash.
One scenic part of the road in the country as we made our way from May Pen to Kellits had its scenery diminished for me because all along the road for miles was a line of plastic bottles, empty bag juice containers and other detritus thrown from passing cars and busses. The trash just collects along the roads until a big rain comes and washes it into gullies where it then becomes a problem in that it will block up the gullies causing flash flooding.
As we traveled along I was confronted with a moral and cultural issue. My friends who were also passengers in the car were drinking soda and eating fried banana chips. As I observed the trash along the road I knew it was only a matter of time before my companions finished their snacks and would inevitably sling the empty containers out the windows. So, I was confronted with the issue of whether or not to say anything. Do I tell them that they shouldn't litter as I explain the ecological and environmental consequences. Do I just ignore it since it is their country and their customs?
This was not the first time I've been faced with this issue. Once several years ago I and some friends were visiting the Blue Lagoon (yes, the same one that is supposed to be the setting for the movie with Brooke Shields - although I think in reality they filmed that in Tahiti) and as my group was leaving a group of Jamaicans were entering the premises. They were dressed nicely and had just got out of some very nice cars, so they were upper class. As they passed by us they threw their empty drink containers in the well-manicured bushes at the entry despite their being trash containers on the premises.
I was incredulous and said right away, why you dirty up such a beautiful place so? One of the ladies in the group sucked her teeth and replied that as an American I had no room to speak because according to her American tourists litter more than anyone. Whether or not that is true, she had a point that it is hard for us Americans to be high and mighty on the issue of pollution when our country is responsible for a very high percentage of the pollution in the world and we have even refused to sign the Kyoto treaty.
So, every since that encounter in the Portland Parish of Jamaica I have been a little more reticent when it comes to castigating others for their littering. Another time, years later, I was in a taxi with a fellow American. We were traveling from the St. Catherine parish village of Riverdale to Bog Walk. The trip passes through some very beautiful cane fields and orange groves.
The friendly driver whom we had been chatting with was sipping on a soda from a ubiquitous plastic bottle. I knew what was coming because my companion was the type of person who does not hold back when it comes to speaking his mind. The driver predictably threw the bottled out the window as we passed through a particularly pretty stretch of road, and my companion in indignation rebuked the driver for his actions.
I was nervously thinking that we were in for an argument, which in being one who prefers a non-confrontational approach did not want to participate. The driver sheepishly responded to the rebuke and tried to defend his actions saying that it was just one bottle. My companion asked the driver how many times he drives by that point on his route everyday. Then he calculated the number of bottles that would accumulate after a week if every time the driver passed he tossed out a bottle. Then he multiplied that by the number of other route taxi drivers doing the same action.
The driver conceded that it was a bad thing to do as my companion made the case that all the bottles that accumulate are going to eventually block up the drainage system, and the next time there is a big rain there will be a flood. Then he pointed out that the flooding will block up the road causing it to become impassable and thusly inhibiting this man from making his living by driving his taxi route on that road.
So, I learned that although I believe that it does not necessarily work to lecture people to get them to change their actions, that sometimes people can be reasoned with if you explain to them a direct consequence of their actions.
So, going back to my dilemma in the car on the road to Kellits. I knew that if I complained about their littering it would just annoy them and not gain the results that I wish, and that is to get them and others to change their actions. I believe that the only way to get people to change negative habits is through education.
That made me think, how do you make people realize that littering is bad and can have negative consequences? Personally I would think just the sight of trash everywhere would be enough to make people realize that it is a bad thing, but obviously that is not the case.
So, I started thinking, why in most of the United States littering is not as widespread as it used to be? I am sure litter laws that result in signs along the highway reminding you that you will be slapped with a $500 fine for littering probably has some influence, but I don't think that is the entire answer to why we don't litter as much. (It does remind me of a song, actually an epic ballad, in that Arlo Guthrie spins a tale about getting out of the draft because of being arrested for littering. The song always seems to be played on a local radio station during Thanksgiving and is called "Alice's Restaurant" ).
In thinking about all of this I came up with a theory as to why people litter more in developing countries and it is the result of observing people in Jamaica. I don't pretend that this theory answers the question entirely, but is just a piece of the puzzle.
While observing people I realized that when a person is eating fruits, which are abundant here, whether it is an orange, a banana or whatever, that there is a peel or portion that is not eaten and it is only natural for part to be thrown on the ground where it will naturally biodegrade. This is the way it has been for a long long time. I then realized that with packaged foods becoming more abundant, people have not changed their habits when it comes to throwing away the refuse. So, to a person eating a bag of chips in their mind when they dash away (as they say in Jamaica) that plastic bag containing the chips it is no different to them than to dash away the orange or banana peel.
The same goes with the plastic soda bottle. In the past when a Jamaican was thirsty he would cut open a coconut and drink the water inside (this is still done, and the water inside the coconut is pure and has many healthy benefits). When done drinking the coconut water you throw the coconut to the ground where eventually it goes back to nature. So, in the same mindset they throw the plastic bottle on the ground, but unfortunately it does not go back to nature, but just becomes pollution. Something that is new to people in developing countries who are very recent to the throw-away culture that is being pressed on them by us in the so-called first world.
I suspect that in the United States (and I vaguely remember it) that when packaged food became more prevalent we were more inclined to litter with the packaging. I believe that the reason littering became less of a scourge on the United States is through enforcement of anti-littering laws and more importantly through education.
I recall as a child traveling to appalachia and walking on back roads where we observed all kinds of trash and garbage thrown in the wooded valleys. I remember being surprised because back home in Indiana there was less of that kind of thing. This actually brings up other factors to littering that I haven't touched on as of yet, and that is socio-economic factors. Where there are poor people there tends to be more litter.
I think that is because of two reasons. First of all poor people have less access to garbage collection. Also poor people are often less educated. So, I think that given these reasons it reinforces my views that to put an end to littering the most effective way is through a combination of education, active steps by municipalities to put out containers to collect refuse and enforcement of litter and pollution laws.
Looking back in the United States I can honestly say that two public information TV commercials that stick with me the most are ones that dealt with littering and pollution. The first one was the commercial showing a vast American landscape covered with garbage and then a native American rides up on the crest of a ridge overlooking this scene. The camera pans in to a close-up of the noble native American and you see one tear go down his cheek. I suspect that commercial had a profound affect for many of my generation.
The other ad campaign was a cartoon owl. Who in my generation does not remember the saying of "Woody the Owl" who said, "Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute?"
Instead of lecturing my companions and pissing them off to no avail I instead decided to sit down and write this. Maybe in the long run there will be an affective ad campaign combined with education that will be as successful as the ones in the United States. Unfortunately, I think the issue of littering is tied up in more complex issues beyond my theories of people not adjusting to packaged food. I believe it is bound up in issues of poverty, respect for nature and pride in ones surroundings.
I have taken a break from my travels for a couple of weeks of respite in Jamaica. Not that my travels and work photographing Peace Corps volunteers has been unpleasant, but the travel has been difficult. Sometimes you just need to stay stationary for more than one week in a place familiar to you with people you know.
Jamaica is that place for me for it is where I have some very good friends and people who are not related by blood, but who have become family to me. It is also where a person lives who is very special to me - my girlfriend.
People I know in my hometown look at my predilection to travel to this Caribbean island either as an understandable, but unnecessary, extravagance, or as pure folly bordering on having an unhealthy disregard for my own welfare (the same way I feel about people who partake of such activities as rock climbing and bungee jumping).
Those in the first camp have this view, not entirely false, of Jamaica being an island paradise. They know only of Jamaica from the Jamaica Tourist commercials on TV featuring perfect white sand beaches, pure blue Caribbean water and a soundtrack of Bob Marley's "One Love" (with the lyrics that say, "Lets get together and feel alright). These midwesterners of Puritan influence believe that I am going to Jamaica to partake of hedonistic pursuits, or they believe that I will be lying in a hammock on one of the beautiful beaches with a rum drink in my hand the whole time totally violating their sense of American work ethic.
Those with the second point of view have a bit of a broader knowledge of Jamaica going beyond the Jamaica Tourist commercials. They have read a little of the political social problems of the island or have heard harrowing stories from cruise ship passengers who took a leave at Ocho Rios or Montego Bay where they were unprepared for the frenetic actions of the locals who were trying to get their business in the short time that they were away from the safe confines of the cruise ship.
It is difficult for me to explain to people that for me Jamaica is not exactly the place they imagine. Although there is some basis for the two points of view, they paint with too broad of a brush.
Last night my hostess said that many people are afraid of Jamaica because of what they read online. She pointed out that even though Jamaica has its problems that when you get to know Jamaicans they are warm and friendly. I couldn't agree with her more. We both agreed that everyplace you go there are some bad seeds, but you can't let them ruin your view of the majority of the people in a place.
As I have written before my Jamaica experience is quite a bit different from the average tourist staying in an all-inclusive resort although I have enjoyed that sort of tourism as well. In fact last April I took two young ladies from rural Jamaica to the Rosehall Resort to introduce them to water slides and a lazy river.
The three of us had a great time. The younger of the two enjoyed talking to the foreign tourists and we would often find her holding court in places like the swim-up bar surrounded by a group of sun-burned Americans. They would ask "You live here? - You are a real Jamaican?" She would answer in the affirmative, although the "here" she lives in is quite different from the "here" they were referring to. Afterwards she would come back and report that the Americans told her that she lives in "paradise." A concept that she found quite surprising that a foreigner would look on her country as paradise.
The Jamaica my friends live in is quite different from the all-inclusive world of endless buffets, swimming pools and drinks with umbrellas. They live in a housing scheme in Spanish Town, a place that guide books tells you has some interesting colonial buildings and ruins, but only the bold and brave seasoned travelers should risk going there to see these sites because Spanish Town is a sketchy perilous place.
The housing scheme (a scheme is a planned housing development much like suburbia in the United States) where I am currently staying belies these fears. It is mostly a tranquil place with mostly one story concrete houses that have verandahs, yards surrounded by concrete walls with gates opening to the driveway. The one aspect of this housing scheme that would give pause to an average American is the streets are in bad shape. They are pothole and rock riddled hard packed dirt and gravel thoroughfares that makes an otherwise pleasant place look a little seedy.
Before living in this housing scheme my friends lived in what best can be described as a ghetto. This ghetto would be one of the places a guidebook would warn you to stay as far away from as possible, and with reason. The wood shacks surrounded by corrugated metal is a hard scrabble place fraught with a history of crime including homicide and police raids that turn into shoot-outs. Despite these issues there are good people who are unfortunate to live in such a hard place, and my friends were some of those people, until they worked their way out to a better area. Even though they live in a safer place now they do miss their former neighbors.
As I mentioned before I am not averse to spending a little time in the Jamaica from the tourist posters. I like a little time on the beach and some Appleton and Red Stripe. However the reason I come to Jamaica is because of Jamaicans.
Having had the good fortune of living in Jamaica for almost three years, I have made many friends. These friends are everyday Jamaicans, so I am lucky to experience what travel guides would describe as authentic cultural experiences. I read in guidebooks where some countries frequented by tourists including Jamaica offer home stays. These home stays are usually set up by the tourist board to give tourists a chance to really experience the country by staying with families. The tourists partaking of a home stay will experience the culture of the country first hand. They will learn about family life, be fed the typical food of the country and be immersed in the culture.
I highly recommend these type of opportunities to travelers for it will give you an chance to really learn about the place you are visiting and make some friends as well. Although that is not the situation I am in for I have known my hosts for a long time and they are more like family to me, the benefits are the same. I am currently staying in a house with an extended family that at the moment is seven people with the total in the house being nine including me and another family friend who is visiting. Nine people in an average-size three bedroom, two bathroom house makes for very few dull moments.
To give you an idea of how I spend my time here, when I am not lying in a hammock on the beach sipping Appleton, let me describe the activities from yesterday. I went from Spanish Town to Kingston with my girlfriend and her sister. The first order of the trip was to go shopping in downtown Kingston, yet another place that does not get high marks as a destination for tourists in the guidebooks.
To me the hustle and bustle of downtown Kingston around the parade and King Street is fascinating. There is every kind of shop imaginable from electronic goods to clothing stores, and even an honest to goodness ole' time Woolworth five and dime store. As well as the stores, the sidewalks are scattered with street vendors selling shoes, clothing, bootleg CDs and all kinds of stuff.
Our goal was to buy shoes. After perusing the offerings of several street vendors we found what we wanted from a man selling shoes out of a mini-van in an alley. Definitely not your typical American shopping experience, but much more interesting.
After buying the shoes we caught a city bus to New Kingston, or uptown as it is called. New Kingston looks more like an American modern city complete with American fast food restaurants from Pizza Hut to Burger King and Wendys. Our destination in New Kingston was an amusement park across from the Hilton Hotel.
Crossing the street in front of the Hilton we saw a bright yellow Range Rover pull out of the Hilton parking lot. The vehicle contained four men and as we walked in front of it I looked at the driver and passengers thinking that they must be somebody important, for who else would be driving a bright yellow Range Rover in Kingston? If I had been by myself it would have remained a mystery to me, but my Jamaican companions informed me that the driver was the popular Jamaican musical artist Elephant Man.
Jamaica is not a big place, and like being in New York or L.A., unlike being in Indiana, you see notable people in public from time to time. Last April I was standing outside the Manley International airport with my girlfriend's brother while we waited for our ride and he pointed out a man getting into the driver's seat of a white SUV and informed me that it was the musician known as Beenie Man. The difference between here and say New York or L.A. is that the well known Jamaicans go about their everyday business just like ordinary Jamaicans, albeit they drive fancier vehicles and have more bling bling. However, it surprises me that they do drive themselves. In the U.S. famous people are usually passengers and leave the driving to someone else.
So, we spent an enjoyable hour with the simple pleasures of an amusement park doing such activities of riding a carousel and driving bumper cars. Afterward we passed by the American fast food establishments to eat at Jamaica's own such establishment, Island Grill. It was either that or KFC for my companions.
So, that was an enjoyable day here in Jamaica that I would not have experienced if I did not have Jamaican friends to show me the way.
The other joy of this stay in Jamaica has been following world track and field championships in which Jamaicans are making a mark winning medals left and right. It was very exciting to sit in the living room with my Jamaican family as we were glued to the TV set to watch Usain Bolt win the 100 meter dash and set the world record. He and his Jamaican teammates are making Jamaica proud.
When it came time for the women's 100 meters, which had four Jamaicans competing in the finals, I was walking around Spanish Town after going to an internet cafe. I meant to get home in time to watch the race, but couldn't. So, I gathered with a crowd in an appliance store to watch the race and celebrated along with them as Shelly-Ann Fraser won the Gold for Jamaica and Jamaicans also took second and fourth.
Everywhere you go in Jamaica now you see the images of Bolt, Fraser and other Jamaican track stars. The success for these Jamaicans on the world stage is uplifting Jamaica and bringing people together.
Yesterday as we got in the taxi to go to Kingston the driver had a video monitor with satellite TV which allowed us not to miss the women's 100 meter finals, that had an American as a favorite, but there were also Jamaicans competing. Never count out the Jamaicans! The favored American stumbled early and the race was a photo-finish between two Jamaicans and a Canadian. Bridgette Foster-Hylton did not realize that she had won Jamaica's first world championship gold medal in the women's 100 meter hurdles until she looked up at the electronic board displaying the final results and then she gave an exuberant yell and leapt in the air and then hugged her teammate who took the bronze.
One thing that I have thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated in seeing these Jamaicans in their performance in the world track and field championships is their pure exuberance in celebrating their success. They are truly full of joy and excitement and it seems to me that, even with Bolt, who seems to effortlessly run away from the competition, they do not take winning for granted. They are truly thrilled to compete and win and they share their joy of winning with everyone for they know that they represent all Jamaicans.
I feel very fortunate to be able to witness all of this along with my Jamaican friends and to share in the positive vibes. For that is what I have learned that makes Jamaica special. Yes, the pristine Caribbean water is nice. The beautiful beaches and mountains are splendid. The pulsating dancehall music is exciting and the roots reggae music speaks to your soul. But what makes Jamaica worthwhile as a place to spend time is the vibe that comes from Jamaicans themselves.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Jamaica is that place for me for it is where I have some very good friends and people who are not related by blood, but who have become family to me. It is also where a person lives who is very special to me - my girlfriend.
People I know in my hometown look at my predilection to travel to this Caribbean island either as an understandable, but unnecessary, extravagance, or as pure folly bordering on having an unhealthy disregard for my own welfare (the same way I feel about people who partake of such activities as rock climbing and bungee jumping).
Those in the first camp have this view, not entirely false, of Jamaica being an island paradise. They know only of Jamaica from the Jamaica Tourist commercials on TV featuring perfect white sand beaches, pure blue Caribbean water and a soundtrack of Bob Marley's "One Love" (with the lyrics that say, "Lets get together and feel alright). These midwesterners of Puritan influence believe that I am going to Jamaica to partake of hedonistic pursuits, or they believe that I will be lying in a hammock on one of the beautiful beaches with a rum drink in my hand the whole time totally violating their sense of American work ethic.
Those with the second point of view have a bit of a broader knowledge of Jamaica going beyond the Jamaica Tourist commercials. They have read a little of the political social problems of the island or have heard harrowing stories from cruise ship passengers who took a leave at Ocho Rios or Montego Bay where they were unprepared for the frenetic actions of the locals who were trying to get their business in the short time that they were away from the safe confines of the cruise ship.
It is difficult for me to explain to people that for me Jamaica is not exactly the place they imagine. Although there is some basis for the two points of view, they paint with too broad of a brush.
Last night my hostess said that many people are afraid of Jamaica because of what they read online. She pointed out that even though Jamaica has its problems that when you get to know Jamaicans they are warm and friendly. I couldn't agree with her more. We both agreed that everyplace you go there are some bad seeds, but you can't let them ruin your view of the majority of the people in a place.
As I have written before my Jamaica experience is quite a bit different from the average tourist staying in an all-inclusive resort although I have enjoyed that sort of tourism as well. In fact last April I took two young ladies from rural Jamaica to the Rosehall Resort to introduce them to water slides and a lazy river.
The three of us had a great time. The younger of the two enjoyed talking to the foreign tourists and we would often find her holding court in places like the swim-up bar surrounded by a group of sun-burned Americans. They would ask "You live here? - You are a real Jamaican?" She would answer in the affirmative, although the "here" she lives in is quite different from the "here" they were referring to. Afterwards she would come back and report that the Americans told her that she lives in "paradise." A concept that she found quite surprising that a foreigner would look on her country as paradise.
The Jamaica my friends live in is quite different from the all-inclusive world of endless buffets, swimming pools and drinks with umbrellas. They live in a housing scheme in Spanish Town, a place that guide books tells you has some interesting colonial buildings and ruins, but only the bold and brave seasoned travelers should risk going there to see these sites because Spanish Town is a sketchy perilous place.
The housing scheme (a scheme is a planned housing development much like suburbia in the United States) where I am currently staying belies these fears. It is mostly a tranquil place with mostly one story concrete houses that have verandahs, yards surrounded by concrete walls with gates opening to the driveway. The one aspect of this housing scheme that would give pause to an average American is the streets are in bad shape. They are pothole and rock riddled hard packed dirt and gravel thoroughfares that makes an otherwise pleasant place look a little seedy.
Before living in this housing scheme my friends lived in what best can be described as a ghetto. This ghetto would be one of the places a guidebook would warn you to stay as far away from as possible, and with reason. The wood shacks surrounded by corrugated metal is a hard scrabble place fraught with a history of crime including homicide and police raids that turn into shoot-outs. Despite these issues there are good people who are unfortunate to live in such a hard place, and my friends were some of those people, until they worked their way out to a better area. Even though they live in a safer place now they do miss their former neighbors.
As I mentioned before I am not averse to spending a little time in the Jamaica from the tourist posters. I like a little time on the beach and some Appleton and Red Stripe. However the reason I come to Jamaica is because of Jamaicans.
Having had the good fortune of living in Jamaica for almost three years, I have made many friends. These friends are everyday Jamaicans, so I am lucky to experience what travel guides would describe as authentic cultural experiences. I read in guidebooks where some countries frequented by tourists including Jamaica offer home stays. These home stays are usually set up by the tourist board to give tourists a chance to really experience the country by staying with families. The tourists partaking of a home stay will experience the culture of the country first hand. They will learn about family life, be fed the typical food of the country and be immersed in the culture.
I highly recommend these type of opportunities to travelers for it will give you an chance to really learn about the place you are visiting and make some friends as well. Although that is not the situation I am in for I have known my hosts for a long time and they are more like family to me, the benefits are the same. I am currently staying in a house with an extended family that at the moment is seven people with the total in the house being nine including me and another family friend who is visiting. Nine people in an average-size three bedroom, two bathroom house makes for very few dull moments.
To give you an idea of how I spend my time here, when I am not lying in a hammock on the beach sipping Appleton, let me describe the activities from yesterday. I went from Spanish Town to Kingston with my girlfriend and her sister. The first order of the trip was to go shopping in downtown Kingston, yet another place that does not get high marks as a destination for tourists in the guidebooks.
To me the hustle and bustle of downtown Kingston around the parade and King Street is fascinating. There is every kind of shop imaginable from electronic goods to clothing stores, and even an honest to goodness ole' time Woolworth five and dime store. As well as the stores, the sidewalks are scattered with street vendors selling shoes, clothing, bootleg CDs and all kinds of stuff.
Our goal was to buy shoes. After perusing the offerings of several street vendors we found what we wanted from a man selling shoes out of a mini-van in an alley. Definitely not your typical American shopping experience, but much more interesting.
After buying the shoes we caught a city bus to New Kingston, or uptown as it is called. New Kingston looks more like an American modern city complete with American fast food restaurants from Pizza Hut to Burger King and Wendys. Our destination in New Kingston was an amusement park across from the Hilton Hotel.
Crossing the street in front of the Hilton we saw a bright yellow Range Rover pull out of the Hilton parking lot. The vehicle contained four men and as we walked in front of it I looked at the driver and passengers thinking that they must be somebody important, for who else would be driving a bright yellow Range Rover in Kingston? If I had been by myself it would have remained a mystery to me, but my Jamaican companions informed me that the driver was the popular Jamaican musical artist Elephant Man.
Jamaica is not a big place, and like being in New York or L.A., unlike being in Indiana, you see notable people in public from time to time. Last April I was standing outside the Manley International airport with my girlfriend's brother while we waited for our ride and he pointed out a man getting into the driver's seat of a white SUV and informed me that it was the musician known as Beenie Man. The difference between here and say New York or L.A. is that the well known Jamaicans go about their everyday business just like ordinary Jamaicans, albeit they drive fancier vehicles and have more bling bling. However, it surprises me that they do drive themselves. In the U.S. famous people are usually passengers and leave the driving to someone else.
So, we spent an enjoyable hour with the simple pleasures of an amusement park doing such activities of riding a carousel and driving bumper cars. Afterward we passed by the American fast food establishments to eat at Jamaica's own such establishment, Island Grill. It was either that or KFC for my companions.
So, that was an enjoyable day here in Jamaica that I would not have experienced if I did not have Jamaican friends to show me the way.
The other joy of this stay in Jamaica has been following world track and field championships in which Jamaicans are making a mark winning medals left and right. It was very exciting to sit in the living room with my Jamaican family as we were glued to the TV set to watch Usain Bolt win the 100 meter dash and set the world record. He and his Jamaican teammates are making Jamaica proud.
When it came time for the women's 100 meters, which had four Jamaicans competing in the finals, I was walking around Spanish Town after going to an internet cafe. I meant to get home in time to watch the race, but couldn't. So, I gathered with a crowd in an appliance store to watch the race and celebrated along with them as Shelly-Ann Fraser won the Gold for Jamaica and Jamaicans also took second and fourth.
Everywhere you go in Jamaica now you see the images of Bolt, Fraser and other Jamaican track stars. The success for these Jamaicans on the world stage is uplifting Jamaica and bringing people together.
Yesterday as we got in the taxi to go to Kingston the driver had a video monitor with satellite TV which allowed us not to miss the women's 100 meter finals, that had an American as a favorite, but there were also Jamaicans competing. Never count out the Jamaicans! The favored American stumbled early and the race was a photo-finish between two Jamaicans and a Canadian. Bridgette Foster-Hylton did not realize that she had won Jamaica's first world championship gold medal in the women's 100 meter hurdles until she looked up at the electronic board displaying the final results and then she gave an exuberant yell and leapt in the air and then hugged her teammate who took the bronze.
One thing that I have thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated in seeing these Jamaicans in their performance in the world track and field championships is their pure exuberance in celebrating their success. They are truly full of joy and excitement and it seems to me that, even with Bolt, who seems to effortlessly run away from the competition, they do not take winning for granted. They are truly thrilled to compete and win and they share their joy of winning with everyone for they know that they represent all Jamaicans.
I feel very fortunate to be able to witness all of this along with my Jamaican friends and to share in the positive vibes. For that is what I have learned that makes Jamaica special. Yes, the pristine Caribbean water is nice. The beautiful beaches and mountains are splendid. The pulsating dancehall music is exciting and the roots reggae music speaks to your soul. But what makes Jamaica worthwhile as a place to spend time is the vibe that comes from Jamaicans themselves.
In their Fairview Park home Sisters Peggy, Herfa and Marsha along with Peggy's son, Maldenie, watch on TV as their fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt wins the World Championship 100 meter dash in Berlin, Germany in a world record time of 9.58 Sunday August 16, 2009. Asafa Powell, also from Jamaica, came in third.
Labels: Asafa Powell, Jamaica, Spanish Town, track and field, Usain Bolt, world championships
David Gustavo, the Peace Corps volunteer I photographed in Los Chiles, Costa Rica, pointed out this puppy in the doorway as we were walking through his community. The building houses a business that makes and sells caskets. David told me that some days a cat sits in the doorway next to the dog. I couldn't be that lucky to catch that day!
Labels: D700, dogs, Los Chiles, Nikon, pets, photography
Kids in Los Chiles, Costa Rica still play hopscotch.
Labels: Central America, children, Costa Rica, D700, fun, kids, Latin America, Nikon, photography, play, playground, Richard Sitler, travel
Sometimes when it is overcast and raining you just have to jump in puddles! This is Maripaz and she is a fifth grade student in Los Chiles, Costa Rica.
I am editing photos for a gallery from Granada, Nicaragua. I highly recommend Granada as a destination.
Editing my photos I am realizing that I have been influenced by National Geographic photographer David Alan Harvey and his book "Divided Soul," which features photos he took in Latin America and Spain. Harvey's photos are awash with saturated color and contrast, with shadows going to black with no details. After weeks of photographing in Central America I've realized that Harvey's depiction of this region is accurate and realistic because the light can be so intense and the colors so vibrant that the only realistic portrayal photographically is stark contrast and very saturated color.
The vibrant colors and contrast speaks to the culture and history of the countries in Latin America as well.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Editing my photos I am realizing that I have been influenced by National Geographic photographer David Alan Harvey and his book "Divided Soul," which features photos he took in Latin America and Spain. Harvey's photos are awash with saturated color and contrast, with shadows going to black with no details. After weeks of photographing in Central America I've realized that Harvey's depiction of this region is accurate and realistic because the light can be so intense and the colors so vibrant that the only realistic portrayal photographically is stark contrast and very saturated color.
The vibrant colors and contrast speaks to the culture and history of the countries in Latin America as well.
Scenes from the Jinotenga Department of Nicaragua.
