It’s Monday morning and the CUSO volunteers have loaded up
into Mr. Mason’s cab to prepare for our first day at our volunteer
placements.
The lovely Ms. Onyka Barett,
CUSO staff member has been assigned to introduce me to the staff at the Agency
for Inner-City Renewal and sign off the “Tripartite Partnership Agreement”, a
document that outlines responsibilities and roles. Quite formal if I say so
myself. We have been in training and
escorted to places all week, and I have not been working for a good 2-3 weeks,
so let’s just say I’m quite nervous and anxious at this point (and in vacation
mode too :-D)! I am not sure what I’m in
for and I’m hoping that they will like me – feels like going to an interview
for a job I really want - definitely haven’t been this nervous in a long time. Within minutes of walking into the AIR
complex, we are greeted with smiles and hugs.
I have a moment of relief and quickly realize that I’m at a good place. I am shown to my desk, which is a small room
with 5 computers and 7 people required to be in this room (I’ll let you do the
math),
and I realize that I’m encountering one of the many employment differences,
working in a public versus non-profit setting.
See back home, I have a fairly large cubicle, with my own space and earmuffs
to drown out the hallway conversations.
Very different than conversations in a shared space, but no earmuffs to
help with concentration and so I must learn to tune the background noise out :s. But the really impressive part is that I
didn’t have to wait 2-3 weeks for a computer, as would be the case back
home. I get a verbal synopsis of what I
am doing, I am provided with some documents to read, and my orientation begins.
I am quite overwhelmed and unsure I am
cut out for this gig. So what will I be
doing? I will be re-writing AIR’s
strategic plan that will include an assessment of the organization and ways to
secure financial resources. With that, I
will be able to meet with different community representatives in Trench Town,
employers in the broader Kingston area and accompany some of my colleagues as
they deliver on project activities and hold community committee meetings. Basically, the coin has been flipped where I
am now part of the recipient organization that must deliver on results – really
cool!
Now the other part of the experience is the transportation
system. Everyone must understand first
that we were provided with specific training on the transportation system with
respect to the dos and don’ts. So the
funny part is that in order for me to commute to/from work everyday, I must
commit to all the don’ts. In a week I
have taken a bus to work, which is equivalent to a coach bus back home, not an
issue but then I jump into a “white license plate” cab, which is an
unregistered taxi and only moves once it’s full of passengers (opposed to a
“red license plate” which is a registered route taxi and the recommended
choice). On the way back home, I take a
Coaster, which is a mini-bus that drives at excessive speeds and the conductor
aggressively entices passengers to jump on to get home. No matter which mode of transportation you
prefer, a ride costs $100 JA, and it’s all about picking up your groceries from
the side markets and running errands, while trying to get home as soon as you
can before it gets dark. So you can
imagine that everyday is an adventure to the point where I have adopted my very
own motto – day-by-day, I am conquering the world! – perhaps this will be the
tattoo I get to commemorate my time in Jamaica! J
And so each day this week, I smile and nod and say my thank yous as I receive
all sorts of comments, gestures and I go about my way…
So what have I done… by Friday I have accompanied the
project manager to Trench Town High School to discuss how to restore the
greenhouse that was torn by Hurricane Sandy.
The greenhouse project is a USAid funded project that looks at food
security by implementing social entreprise through micro-financing. There are 3 in Trench Town at various
development levels. I have met with the
founder of AIR to discuss my learning/workplan and the timelines to complete
the strategic plan, in addition to attending a meeting with potential partners
for exploring youth entrepreneurship opportunities, attended an expo that promotes
local businesses, and most importantly I will have seen photos of my colleagues’
families and I feel like I am part of the AIR family – to the point that I have
already had my first basketball banter with a very knowledgeable ball fan so I
think I’ve earned some respect! For the ball fans, he thinks Chicago Bulls isn’t
a contender, he almost tried to knock my Kobe and thinks Bosh is a star player
– bah!). I have also walked home from
the grocery store past the recommended timeframe. You must understand that this is an
accomplishment in itself and probably one of the hardest obstacles for me,
living in Jamaica!
Oh Oh and I experienced my first rainfall, really cool! When it rains, it pours but my shoes are still wet from Thursday.
Now the weekend begins, and I will start this all over again
with more personal stories and professional experiences to share with you.
Take care and have a great weekend
Dee
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