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| Jamaica Difference Spring Break 2014 Volunteer Group |
This past week has been pretty amazing. Jamaica Difference, a relatively new student organization on Cornell's campus, took a trip down to Jamaica to carry out an educational service activity at Ensom City Primary School with the students. Our trip leader, Onella, a native-born Jamaican and one of my good friends, did an incredible job of organizing everything. And I mean everything - the homestays, our service activities at the school, in-country transportation, trips to well-known touristy spots, and much more.
We went into this experience with two goals: to have a positive impact on the students at Ensom City Primary School and to get a taste of Jamaican culture. I'd gotten a taste a few times before, but I'd never gone with a group of young people before. It was very different from the rural Jamaica I'd experienced in Mandeville with my older relatives.
We went into this experience with two goals: to have a positive impact on the students at Ensom City Primary School and to get a taste of Jamaican culture. I'd gotten a taste a few times before, but I'd never gone with a group of young people before. It was very different from the rural Jamaica I'd experienced in Mandeville with my older relatives.
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Me, Tony, and Emily with our fourth graders.
We're hard to find!
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We were split into teams of 3; Team 1 aimed to teach fourth grade students the importance of literacy, writing, and presentation, Team 2 worked with sixth grade students to arm them with skills to transition smoothly to high school (high school begins with 7th grade in Jamaica), and Team 3 strove to find the gaps and problems students face academically through analysis of recent test scores.
On the weekends and in the weekday evenings, we did our excursions to places like the Bob Marley museum, a few restaurants, and two beaches.
This was such a fulfilling trip. I would love to return to my homeland for a longer period of time to have a bigger impact on communities, particularly within Mandeville, where my mother was raised.
On the weekends and in the weekday evenings, we did our excursions to places like the Bob Marley museum, a few restaurants, and two beaches.
This was such a fulfilling trip. I would love to return to my homeland for a longer period of time to have a bigger impact on communities, particularly within Mandeville, where my mother was raised.
