Hello, Jamaica!

I woke up about 15 minutes before I was supposed to leave home after not being able to sleep all night because I was filled with excitement. I jumped out of bed, threw on my clothes and then rushed to get my stuff together and head out. Luckily I didn't forget anything and made it to Hoboken on time.  
 
I was expecting there to be a lot of traffic on the way to JFK and to have to rush in the airport to make our flight but it was actually quite the opposite. We left campus a little later than we were expecting, but got to JFK with plenty of time. We checked our bags, went through security and got to our gate with about an hour to spare. We hung out, I got a smoothie with a few of the group members and then boarded. I slept through most of the flight, but the complementary chips on jet blue were pretty awesome. 
 
When we landed, the first thing I realized was how quiet/calm the airport was compared to JFK. Although there were a decent amount of people there, it didn't seem as hectic or as if anyone was in a rush. The accents caught me a little bit off guard. I was definitely expecting them, but they were still a little hard to understand at first. (Don't worry you get used to them!) I was a little nervous to go through customs, but it wasn't too difficult or as scary as I thought it was going to be which was a relief!
 
Leaving the airport, the heat hit pretty hard. I was only outside for maybe 5 minutes and I could feel the sweat starting to build. We hopped in the bus and set out to Treasure Beach. The 2.5 hour drive was definitely not something I was expecting. I took a few naps during it, especially when we drove through the rain. I would wake up and we'd still be driving. The winding, narrow roads, the cattle in the street, the stray dogs, it was all unexpected. We eventually got to a restaurant, Jack Spratt (which was delicious) and then to the Taino Cove Resort. It was not what I was expecting. I was expecting your average hotel, but this place was beautiful. It's only has a few rooms, but it's right on the beach and is so welcoming and home-y. I'm super excited for what this trip has to offer! -- Natalie Correa 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

From Queenie to Papaya

It's already Wednesday and it's unbelievable to think we'll be leaving this beautiful country in a few days. This trip has been everything I could have imagined and more. We found a little home at Taino Cove in Treasure Beach. On the southwest side of the island, the resort is deep in rural land overlooking the ocean. The houses nearby a large and colorful, with large gates and lots of land surrounding them. The site we were working on was nestled into the side of a mountain - it's safe to say that I wasn't expecting this landscape. To be completely honest, when I thought of Jamaica I thought of beaches, some more beaches, and a few more beaches. It was breathtaking to see so much greenery everywhere we went. Our new home for the next few days, Whistling Bird, is a little piece of the jungle - beautiful and green - right on the beach in Negril. The tree frogs sing their song and the ocean breeze eases the humidity. The landscape is totally different than Treasure B...
Read more

The Work Ends

The week has come to an end and the Saturday when we first flew in seems so long ago. Thoroughout the week we not only did service and experienced the culture of Jamaica but we also bonded as a group. We talked about who gets ore out of service, the ones receiving the service or the ones providing it? I feel like I have gotten so much out of this experience that it is hard to say it affected the people we helped more. The children at the schools are receiving bleachers or an extension to their school, but i received an experience i will never forget. I formed close bonds with people who were strangers to me before this week. I got to see actual progress being made on these projects and know my sweat and hard work went into it. When we left the worksite today it looked like a building was taking form there and not just a few stacks of cinder blocks. I had so much fun on this trip and felt like I did a lot of good work. I'm going to miss Jamaica but who knows mayble I'll be back!...
Read more

To Higher Heights

Today was our first day at Higher Heights Academy. The kids are younger, the school is smaller, and the worksite is alot hotter. And by alot hotter i mean 105 degrees. I honestly do not think I've ever sweat more in my life, but the progress we made, made it all worth it. Our goal was to lay a meager 2 rows of blocks to make the foundation for an extension to the school, and we surpassed it. We laid 5 rows! That progress made the entire day of blistering heat, dripping sweat, and even a little nausea completely worthwhile. I would say that today was the most rewarding day solely in terms of work that we've had yet.  Something I have to note is everyone's concern for each other's well being, on and off of the worksite. I can honestly say that there was not more than 10 minutes that passed by without someone asking "Do you need someone to switch out for you?" on the worksite, or more generally, "Are you okay?", "Do you need water? bugspray? sunsc...
Read more