in Jamaica. Arrived safely here three weeks ago this wednesday, and things have been a whirlwind ever since.
Training was greatly accelerated (thank goodness). The amount of time given to health and medical in Ghana is about the same amount of time given to safety and security here. The reason is pretty obvious: Generally speaking, in Ghana the people will not harm you but the environment can kill you. Here it is safe to drink the water and there is no real risk of malaria, but the violent crime statistics are astonishing. So I had an accelerated crash course on getting by in Jamaica, and one week after arriving in country I got to site and settled in. This was the first time in six months that I unpacked and was not living out of a backpack. It felt amazing.
Working at the Port Royal Marine Laboratory and things are peachy. I love the people I work with and the work I am doing. The lab is in the middle of building a sort of visitors center, and one of my primary projects for the next while will be developing interpretive media and programs for visitors. Right now though we are still putting things together so my time has been spent out at sea collecting some live specimens (and sand, and rocks, and coral). A lot of my time has also been spent reading about the local marine ecology. And a lot of my time has been spent trying to plumb a particularly ornery sand filter. I am covered with bruises and cuts from being tossed around on boats, and for a couple days my hands were dyed blue from where I spilled PVC cement all over them. Life is good.
I am living in Port Royal (the wickedest city in christendom) and it is fantastic. The community is small, close-knit, and proud of its heritage as a city once governed by the pirates--locals proudly claim that one of the cultural remnants of the pirate days is their fluency in profanities. This town is a a little fishing town. It is possible to buy fish straight from the dories every morning. I love it.
I have a lot to say about Ghana too. Given a little time and space I am developing a different perspective from the one I had when I was in country. To be honest, I miss Ghana more than I expected I would. I think part of this is missing people. But Ghana really is something special. The pages of my journal are filled with observations to this point, but I need to organize them into a more reasonable bit of writing before I go spouting stuff all over the internet.
A closing thought: Pulling a dead 10' hammerhead shark from the water is a pretty extraordinary way to start a day.
Lastly, I posted pics from Ghana on my flickr page. http://www.flickr.com/photos/razi enjoy!
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Introduction and Disclaimer
Introduction:
This blog is intended to record my experiences leading up to and during an assignment toGhana Jamaica with the Peace Corps between June 2009 and August 2011. I will probably cross-post a lot of stuff with my livejournal blog.
The Government Makes Me Do This:
The content on this blog is mine and mine alone. The views expressed here are a reflection of what I am thinking and do not in any way reflect the Peace Corps, the US government, or for that matter anything beyond my own fabulous ego.
IP Stuff:
Like what you read here? Great! I am glad. Want to link to this blog? You are welcome. But if by some freak chance I do manage to write something so profound (or profoundly stupid) that you actually want to quote me then I ask that you notify me and name me as the author. If you are really awesome you will also provide a link to the source content. Thanks!
This blog is intended to record my experiences leading up to and during an assignment to
The Government Makes Me Do This:
The content on this blog is mine and mine alone. The views expressed here are a reflection of what I am thinking and do not in any way reflect the Peace Corps, the US government, or for that matter anything beyond my own fabulous ego.
IP Stuff:
Like what you read here? Great! I am glad. Want to link to this blog? You are welcome. But if by some freak chance I do manage to write something so profound (or profoundly stupid) that you actually want to quote me then I ask that you notify me and name me as the author. If you are really awesome you will also provide a link to the source content. Thanks!
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About Me
- Fullandbye
- I like sailing and bicycles. A lot. There is little I would not do for my friends and family.
2 comments:
Hey Raz - found your blog via facebook and can't believe your experience! I am glad PC was able to find you a new post so quickly and that you are now in Jamaica. I spent a month there in college and Port Royal was by far my favorite spot. I know you will have a great experience and will be able to contribute much to the community.
SHELLA!
Oh man, Peace Corps is a f*#king TRIP! Pretty much everyone on staff has called my case the weirdest in PC history. What a mess.
But life in Port Royal is good. This country has totally different challenges than Ghana, and I miss Africa every day, but I enjoy it here too.
One of the APCDs from Costa Rica was here for a few weeks and I got to talking with him, and now I kinda want to do a COS romp through Central America. I COS August 2011 and I understand that this is the rainy season in CA, so I think I'll head to Seattle, recuperate for a few months and then head down to Panama late autumn and start heading north. Belize is definitely on the short list of places to stop. Hopefully Honduras will be nice and stable by then too.
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