Working Towards Answers-Kelly

Before coming to Jamaica, "What are you doing on your service trip?" was a very hard question for me to answer. I knew I signed up for a service trip to Jamaica and would be working on various projects in primary schools, but I didn't know what work I'd actually be doing or what schools I'd be working at. It was very hard to explain the trip when someone asked because I had no personal connection to the work yet. I had heard stories of the pervious trip but hadn't done the work my self. My typical answer to this question was "I'm going down to work on different schools and I'll be working on projects that previous groups started and couldn't complete." I often got a lot of questions to this answer and about the trip, but I didn't have many great answers. It was very hard to explain to someone exactly why I was going and what I was doing, but I knew it was something that would be life changing. 

Waking up this morning, knowing that I would finally have some answers to this question, was a great feeling. I was really excited to get out of bed and get ready to go to my first day on the work site! I knew from listening to pervious GSIers that I was in store for an inspiring day, and they were right! We drove through the gates of Pedro Plains Primary School, and I saw our project for the day--we were in charge of finishing the net ball court. Being told that we were finishing a project that was started by many other groups a few months ago put the pressure on our group, but it also gave us a lot of motivation. We had a clear end goal in mind and knew within the two days we had at this school we had to finish the project. If we didn't finish it, it wouldn't be completed until the next group came down in a few months. As a group, we did not want to leave this project unfinished; we were determined to complete it. 

Luckily, we had a very successful first day of work on the site, and it was clear the last bits of the project were coming together nicely. As a group, we finished painting the floor of the court and the bleachers, we started finishing the sides of the court with cement, and we built a wall by the bleachers. I had the opportunity to be in the group that painted the floor of the court. I moved about the court with a bucket of green paint and paint brush in hand while attempting to not get cornered in or corner anyone else into the wet paint. Off to the sides of the court were my fellow GSIers shouting encouraging words while working on their part of the project and the day laborers giving us tips on painting and what to do next. The team work that I saw at the work site today was simply inspiring. I couldn't have made it though the day through all of the sweat and dirt without those working alongside me. One of the best moments of today was celebrating the last strokes of the paint brushes to finish off the floor. It took a lot of paint and even an extra trip to the hardware store to get all of the paint we needed, but we finished it and knew that we were one step closer to our goal of finishing this court. 

The day wasn't complete without recess time and running around with the school children. All around me, I saw the children who were so excited to see our group, to get endless piggy back rides, to catch the bubbles flying around, and to braid some of our hair. Seeing their energy and excitement helped push me past any sleepiness I felt and got me ready to work again. 

Now when I get back and I'm asked why I went on this trip or what I did, I will have many answers. It may be difficult to formulate my feelings into words, but I will hopefully be able to answers the questions I couldn't answer before. I came on this trip to learn how to be a global citizen, be immersed in the Jamaican culture while doing service abroad. It's only the beginning of my trip and I have learned so much already. This has already been an amazing experience, and I'm really excited to keep learning and serving. 

-Kelly