I was a bit of a nomad after graduating college: 4 states, 3 jobs, 2 grad schools and 1 car with a lot of mileage. I guess it’s not a surprise that this lifestyle has followed me into the Peace Corps. I am about to move my 3rd site: Black River. It’s not my fault that one of the only places Peace Corps does not let me live is where JSIF’s only office is. So, after about 8 months of commuting into Kingston more then I should, I’m moving out west to work with community groups on maintenance training and disaster preparation, or something like that…
I’ve noticed that I’m trying to convince myself that this is the right thing to do, almost like the decision to join Peace Corps in the first place. I know that my current work with JSIF that consists of writing training manuals and power point presentations is not very fulfilling and not exactly what I should be doing, but it has become comfortable. I don’t struggle to find stuff to do on a day-to-day basis; I can always go to the office and find something to do or I can sign up for a field visit and check out a few sites. Moving is going to require more self motivation to find projects and people to work with.
I’m certainly going to miss the ease of living in Portmore. I have two grocery stores in walking distance, fruit and vegetable stands nearby, a cool Rasta that sells fried fish and festivals on my way home from work and consistent water and electricity. Most of all, I’m going to miss my host mothers: Ms. White and Ms. Susie! These two ladies are great to me, they always keep me rolling in citrus and cane, they’re always up for a random conversation and they take down and fold my clothes if I’m not home during the day. I’m certainly going to miss them.
I’m also going to miss the easy access to the rest of the island and both Spanish Town and Kingston that living in Portmore gives. This has been really usefull when traveling to help other volunteers at their sites. I have multiple choices of transportation at all hours of the day and night, seven days a week. Where I’m going to live is off the main road, has only a few taxis and, from what I hear, almost no travel on Sundays.
Oh well. The whole idea is that I’m going to start working more directly with the communities that need help rather then working for JSIF to help them help communities. It’s going to suck trying to gain the trust of new groups of people and learning a new part of the island, but it’s also going to be fun gaining the trust of new groups of people and learning a new part of the island. It’s also going to be great being within walking distance of a swimming beach!
I don’t know what I would do if I actually settled down a bit, but I don't think I have to worry about that happening for a while.
