SCHUBOX

MOVE WITH ME

2010-08-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

I'm movin on out. I WILL CONTINUE BLOGGING HERE

Da Yute Dem

2010-06-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

During my stay in Jamaica, I've been hanging out with Ronaldo a lot. He is Anne and Blacka's nine-year-old son and one of my best friends. He honestly makes me feel like a kid again. We spend our days playing made up card games, swimming in the sea and eating everything that is sweet, salty, or made of chocolate. Speaking of sweets, I thought I almost killed him the first day because he told me he was allergic to peanut butter. That confession came after I gave him one of those chewy bars with chocolate and peanut butter chips. He told me he didn't feel any different so I thought the low dose must have not effected him. Later I asked his mom, Anne, if he was allergic and she just looked at me like I was crazy. I then questioned Ronaldo about this claim of his and he said, "No, I LOVE peanut butter and chocolate, what's that called?" He meant he is addicted, not allergic; insert sigh of relief here. Anyway, Ronaldo and I have been taking photos on Mac's program Photo Booth and he also discovered that you can record video too, which I had no idea about. So we have been messing around with that; he loves it. He actually woke me up from a nap today to take pictures with the TNTs he brought home for me. TNTs are just like blowpops, but he thought we should take photos so I can show mi mudda and fadda. So below are photos of Ronaldo and I. I would post videos, but I would die of embarrassment, its ok to act like you're nine when you're with a nine-year-old, but I don't think a wider audience would appreciate it as much.

The photos of the young girls were taken at the Busy Bee Basic School fashion show. Jamaica's basic schools enroll kids from age 3-6. The fashion show took place at the school's "fun day" an annual event to raise money for the school. The girls walked in bathing suits, active wear and evening wear. After the fashion show, five graduating girls sung a song or read a poem as part of a competition to become the next "Miss Busy Bee." It was crazy to see young girls competing at such a young age. They were so confident and comfortable with themselves; if they asked me to get up on the stage, I'd rather run away!

Daily life..

2010-06-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

The sun rises over the salt pond near my house around 6:30 a.m.The farmers in St. Thomas Parish wake even earlier than that, but I waited until midmorning to give them a visit. I talked with a few of the farmers about their crops and the parish in general. Around lunch time I watched Blacka fix a drainage problem. The shower was draining slowly, so he busted out all of the cement to uncover the problem. It turns out that Ronaldo must have let a few of his toys wash down the drain. Three of them were stuck in the same elbow along with lots rocks, hair and debris. By the end of the day, Blacka had replaced the PVC pipe, re-poured cement, and painted it to match the rest of the floor. After the plumbing project, I walked to the square to gather groceries for dinner. When I sat down to have a snack, I noticed a love letter across the street. Mom, same goes for you! When I got back to the house, Blacka showed me how to make rice and peas. Well, he grated the coconut and then Annie took over. She explained to me how to prepare the beans and water for the rice and then she showed me how to make brown stew chicken and brown stew veggie chunks. Before I knew it, the sun was setting over Pondside Lane.

Joe Grant probably has a big belly

2010-06-16T22:32:00.000-07:00

I learn something new here every day, usually a couple of things. For instance, Jamaicans don't say bless you after someone sneezes! I find it kind of refreshing to not hear it after every little sneeze, but I still find myself saying it to them every time. I also learned what it means to make a "flex." I was at the gas station when someone asked if I was going to flex. I asked them to repeat themselves about three times and then I finally just smiled and said "yes" even though I had no idea what he was talking about. I was later told that 'making a flex' means to go on a small trip or to go out and about.

I also learned how to cook rice and peas and in the meantime found out that the husband I stay with, Blacka, worked as a chef at a restaurant and his wife Annie has her chef's certificate. So now there are really no excuses for not learning how to cook some Jamaican dishes before I leave. Blacka said he used to work at a Joe Grant restaurant, which is a term Jamaicans use for a restaurant known to cater to men and their mistresses. Blacka also told me that the restaurant business is where he acquired the big belly he now sports. He told me when he was younger he used to look at the men with big bellies and wish to be them when he grew up because they were always wearing nice clothes and smoking cigars. He finished his story by saying, "And look at me now, I got my wish and I'm still so fucking poor!" He may be poor, but he is definitely happy.

The three of us often have conversations about our countries to discuss their similarities and differences. A few days ago we were talking about minimum wage. In Jamaica, their minimum wage is determined by week not by hour like in the U.S. Currently the minimum wage is $4,300 per week, but some people are paid less than that. If you're scratching your head right now, that equates to about $50 U.S. dollars per week. So when you're busy complaining about you $7/hr job, think about only making $50 per week.

We also chatted about the process of obtaining a driver's license. The process in Jamaica requires a lot more money than in the states. First you must pay for the book to study from and then you must pay for each test, even if you fail it. You could also go a different route and "buy" your license which means you pay a lot more, but then you are guaranteed to "pass" and walk home with a license. Once you get a license you must renew it every four years and that will also cost you. Each time you go to get it renewed it will cost about 4,000 dollars, so you'll be spending a week's worth of pay to get your license for the next four years. There is yet another disadvantage to this process.. if your license expires and you don't have the cash to renew it or you don't have a car at the moment the next time you go to pay for it you will be "renewing" it form the time it expired. So if you wait three years to renew your license, you'll be paying $4,000 for only one year of driving, until you must go renew it again. I think that is a pretty bogus system and I for one would not be willing to pay a whole weeks salary just to drive for a year; public transit: here I come.

Speaking of public transportation, I took my first lone trip into town (Kingston) yesterday via bus. It was surprisingly easy and not surprisingly crowded. I was walking to the square in Yallahs when a bus passed me by and someone yelled, "town?" I shook my head yes and was on my way. In Philadelphia I would have waited for a half hour at the bus stop instead of being picked up on my way to the stop! Public transportation and taxis are top ways of getting around the island so busses are always packed to the maximum. Imagine the market street subway at 3 p.m. and then picture everyone moving from the subway car into a small van, yeah, that's how crowded. The price makes it all worth it, only $140 Jamaican a.k.a. $1.62 U.S. for a forty minute bus ride. Now that I've done it once, I can see myself making the trip many more times over the course of the next month.

I'm going to top this blog posting off with a popular song in Jamaica at the moment. My Cup by Richie Loop has been playing on the radio nonstop and consequently is always in my head. I wasn't too fond of it at first, but like all overplayed songs it somehow finds a little space in your brain where all the lyrics hang out and resound in your head at various times of the day. I'm sampling this song because it came up as the perfect response during a conversation the other day. I recommend you list to this song before proceeding on ......

I was sitting talking with two friends when I asked if men ever drink out of the same bottle. Jamaicans are known for being quite homophobic and I can tell you, from my experiences that's true. So, I was wondering if they ever take shots out of the same rum bottle when they're all sitting around drinking. The two men responded that they usually pour the alcohol into the cap of the bottle and then take the shot from that instead of swigging right from the bottle. I then asked if they would ever share drinks as a courtesy to let their friends try what they're sippin' on and thats when one of the men replied in song... "What's in my cup stays in my cup."

Essential Amenities?

2010-06-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

According to Webster, an amenity is something that conduces comfort, convenience, or enjoyment. These "needed" amenities are sure to vary with standards of living and geographical location, but it is generally agreed upon that everyone enjoys being comfortable and convenience never hurts. There are many things we think are absolutely necessary. Small comforts like a couch or a bathroom door are taken for granted, while other larger amenities like an air conditioner or washing machine seem almost impossible to live without. I've come to the realization that I have been very fortunate to enjoy hundreds of "amenities" all my life and now a few of them have gone by the wayside, and you'll never guess, I survived! Not only have I survived, but I'm enjoying it. I used to think water pressure was the most important thing in a household and now I basically take showers with an over head garden hose. Earlier this year, I actually made a note to specifically check the water pressure when I peruse the housing market while looking to rent in Philly. Of course, its nice, but necessary? Not hardly.

I'm writing this blog post as I am about to wash my clothes, by hand. This is only the second time I'm doing it and after watching Anne yesterday, I realize how slow and inefficient I may be, but it is somehow gratifying. Of course, there is no need for dryers here, but that is the easy part; the sun will do all of that for me.

Below are a few photos from the first time I washed my clothes. One minute it was sunny and suffocating and the next there was a mighty breeze and a short rain storm, which was the perfect rinse for my surely soapy clothes. The last photo was taken during the sunrise; the light is beautiful here.

A week has passed..

2010-06-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that a week has already gone by since I arrived in Yallahs, Jamaica. My time has been spent lounging around and getting acclimated with the climate and ferocious mosquitos. While soaking up the sun, I've also had time to read my new camera's manual, so I will be snapping away with a Nikon D300S instead of my beloved D40. During the past week I've mostly traveled east in St. Thomas, stopping in places like Morant Bay, Bath and Ceader Valley. I tried to pull up a map on google, but only a few cities, towns, bushes (?) are noted. Kingston is the only place referred to as a town in Jamaica, so it is always hard for me to come up with an appropriate name for a small community. Anyway, I explored St. Thomas Parish at a leisurely pace and this week.

On Wednesday I sat in one spot for about five hours playing around with my camera and reading the manual. I took about 230 pictures from the same bench! A lot of them are the same because I was experimenting with different settings and options, but it was cool to see the collection of photos; it was truly a learning experience. Later that night, I accompanied Laura and the students from Temple University that are studying abroad here in Jamaica to a beach side bar. They originally planned on going to a bar in Morant Bay, but apparently Jamaicans don't party hard on Wednesdays, because it was closed. Our driver took us to another place further east in a small bush called Prospect. The bar was right beside the water and the property was quite large. There were pool tables, hammocks, several seating areas and a small dock that led to a roof-less gazebo. Wednesday was a clear night, so the stars were beautiful, the sky and sea kept me occupied most of the time. It was a nice evening out, but I was kicking myself when I had to wake up a few hours later for a trip to a ginger farm.

I had the chance to accompany Mr. Taylor, a RADA extension officer, to a ginger farm in Ceader Valley. RADA stands for Rural Agricultural Development Authority, the federal agency assists and educates farmers about a variety of issues. The farmers in Ceader Valley were learning what ruins a good ginger crop and what preventative measures they can take to try and combat the damage. While the farmers listened closely, I watched attentively and tried to come away with a few shots for the book I am making. The book is going to focus on Jamaicans and all the trades they do daily and think nothing of. In the U.S. there are endless gadgets and machines to make our lives easier and therefore Americans end up using their own strength and skills less and less. I want to focus primarily on Jamaican's hands and everything they accomplish and make by themselves.

The following shot is of a Jamaican ginger farmer and is probably my favorite of the bunch. Following that is a shot of the valley I had to slip my way down in order to meet up with the famers. The others are photos I snapped while hanging with the group. The colorful night shots were taken at the bar and the clothesline was strung up outside someone's home in Ceader Valley. The last photo was taken while I was messing around with my camera, but it is also one of my favorite. The bench in the photo is the one I was sitting on for a few hours and it is where I eat and watch T.V. with my Jamaican family.

You cool?

2010-05-31T11:10:00.000-07:00

You good though? You cool right? Everyone is always checking up on me. I feel so welcomed and cared for. "You cool?" is pretty much all I hear all day and my answer is always yes. How could I not be cool when I get to take a sea bath every day?

I arrived in Kingston on Friday and was quickly whisked away to Yallahs via Blacka and his taxi driver friend. Blacka welcomed me into his home and showed me my room, yes of the two bedrooms they have, they offered one to me. I immediately felt at home at Blacka's and every day I feel welcomed even more. Although I was floored by their offer of a bed, I told myself I would sleep outside as much as possible. I set up my tent and hammock and there is a bed swing also, so I have many sleeping options.

Besides catching up on my rest, I've been eating delicious food and swimming as often as possible. Honestly, if you're not swimming in the sea, you're swimming in your own sweat. There is a nice breeze by the sea though, so I can only complain when I'm out on the road; that is when the sun seems to be sitting on your shoulder. Although the sun is blazing here, it is a beautiful scene. The other day I watched the sunset and stayed up through until the sun rose again.

The first night I arrived, Blacka said, "Just a minute Schu." So, I thought he was going to come in and say something to me, but then I heard him say again, "Just a minute Schu." I waited a minute and I heard him say, "Just a minute Schu." Finally, he came into my room and said, "Come here for just a minute Schu," and that's when I realized that in Jamaica when they say, "Just a minute," it means come here for a minute. I explained to Blacka that in America when you say, "Just a minute," it usually means wait just a second or I'll be there in a minute. It is always interesting to discover the small difference cultures hold. Another common phrase difference is "good night." In the U.S. we say good night right before bed, but in Jamaica, "good night," is a greeting just like "good morning."

The first picture is what Blacka called me outside for. The second is a meal that Anne (Blacka's wife) cooked for me. It was a delicious dinner of calalou, rice and salt fish stew. She keeps serving me mountains of food, but she is realizing that I don't have an endless stomach like her son and husband. The last photo is a portrait of my little babe Lily. She is one of my favorite little friends in Yallahs. I was terrified that she would be all grown up by the time I returned, but she honestly hasn't sprouted yet. I for one am happy, I don't want to miss a minute, let alone another year. That's all for now, until next time, stay cool.

Crunch Time

2010-04-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

Weeks are winding down and the semester is finally coming to an end. That means final papers and project deadlines are approaching. Here is a glimpse of a few snapshots that will be in my book for photo seminar. The book is a photo exploration of the Reading Terminal Market.

Guys in glasses

2010-04-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had an assignment to photograph Philadelphia's high society watching the Masters golf tournament in 3D. Although I'm not too into golf and the glasses gave me an insane headache everyone looked pretty hilarous which made for some sweet pics. Enjoy.

Day to day

2010-04-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

I love all of these photographs. I had fun shooting them because they weren't assignments, just random scenes I knew I wanted to capture. The first shot was taken on the side of the road while Ryan and Kristin changed a flat tire. I shot directly into the setting sun. I don't recommend looking into the sun especially through a camera lens, but sometimes its worth it. I blocked out the sun with the center of the weed so that light outlined the plant. This gave the effect of Sepia coloring even though the photo was shot in color.
The second photo is uneditted. I appreciate a beautiful sunset because I rarely get the chance to capturing them. I took this photo while holding my camera out the window, again sometihng I don't recommend.
The last shot was an experiment; its a night photo of my barn. The barn is in the process of being taken apart and reassembeled, so its open face is quite rare. I used a spot light and some helpful assistants to light the inside with headlamps. I didn't have a tripod or a cable release, so I think this photo turned out surprisingly well. I cannot wait to do this again with longer exposures.

Men

2010-03-20T01:51:00.000-07:00

Cape Cod

2010-03-11T22:46:00.000-08:00

During Spring break I took a trip to Cape Cod with my two sisters and a young lad named Ryan. The day was actually a birthday celebration of sorts with plenty of smoke, sights, and seafood. I had a great time exploring Cape Cod during the off season, but I think my companions now know not to travel with a photographer. I think it took us a good six hours to reach the point when it should have only taken an hour. I made them stop for good reason though, see what you think...

Clothing Inspired by Alice in Wonderland....

2010-03-09T21:35:00.000-08:00

Steph designed this line with the book by Lewis Carroll in mind, not the much anticipated movie starring Johnny Depp, which sucked by the way. Clothes modeled by Dave Shaw, Jon Dubrow, and Virgina Salo.

Officially Ready for SPRING

2010-01-28T19:56:00.000-08:00

I don't know how the rest of Pennsylvania feels, but I'm COLD. It was literally painful to get out of bed this morning. The temp was in the low thirties today and tomorrow it is supposed to snow. I can handle snow. Snow brings smiles, but windy, freezing, frigid, frosty cold, nope I don't want you. In fact, go away. Bring on the sun and more hours of daylight. I'll take an entire February full of showers, I don't think I can wait until April. I need sun and flowers and green grass and less clothing. I want all of that now. I think if I would have went to Jamaica over Christmas break as planned I would have been able to tolerate the cold for a few more months, but I didn't so I can't. If you can't tell, I'M SO OVER THE COLD. Here are some pictures from a happier winter month, December. That's when I could actually stand to be outside and smile. From here on out I will be wrapped up in my coat, scarf, hat, gloves, face mask, etc.. with my head down until the sun visits my rosy cheeks. If only it was socially acceptable for me to hibernate for awhile... actually, one would probably consider my winter break hibernation...does spending more time in your bed then out for 3 weeks count?

Let me first introduce the stars of the show..Above is Miss Sophia, she is truly a princess. Not the bitchy kind, the one you want to be friends with so you can play with her all day long. She is absolutely a treat to be around. When we hang I actually consider having offspring one day, but only if they are as cool as her. Which brings me to my next star, her momma, Nikki. The picture above is actually a family portrait of sorts. You can see Sophia in the foreground, and Nikki holding Sophia's little sis, Madeline in the background, the missing piece is George of course. If you think these babes are cute, which I know you do, then you can see more of them on their crafty mom's blog.
Speaking of crafty, there is another reason these winter time pictures were posted and that is to show off the owl in the first couple of photos. Madeline found the perfect little perch for her owl, in her little pocket. The maker of these wise ones happens to be my big sis, Katie. I was supposed to send her these photos, but I decided to steal her fame. Don't worry Kate, I'll send you these and more over the weekend. Anyway, if you think her knitted owl is nifty, or if you think it absolutely stinks and you can do better..then check out her blog before you try too hard, because its not gonna happen. Katie has knitting needles for fingers, I'm not even kidding. In a few days I plan on posting a super sweater filled post and well..you just wait and see.
There is one more thing I must add; I just overheard a relevant conversation. I just overheard my roomie opening the door for a friend and she exclaimed, "GEEZE, its cold out there! Are you ok?" the friend answers, "Yea, I'm just overwhelmed by the cold." Now, if you think I'm being ridiculous then you must know BOTH of the participants in that conversation have lived in Syracuse for the last four years. If you don't know of Syracuse, its in New York and its a freakin' blizzard year round up there. Main point: its cold. I would advise everyone to curl up with hot chocolate/coffee/tea/whiskey and keep watching for new posts to keep you warm.

Cookies, Cookies, Don't Forget Your Cookies!

2010-01-24T22:32:00.001-08:00

If you have ever spent time at the Reading Terminal Market I'm sure you remember various ladies shouting in your face about cookies. It just so happens that my favorite spot to eat is directly across from the freakin' cookie stand. Don't get me wrong, they're really great cookies and no one should go home without one, but I don't want to hear "COOKIES, COOKIES, DON'T FORGET YOUR COOKIES!" every 7 seconds while I'm trying to eat crab bisque. I was relieved that the cookie stand was packed today; the cookie ladies didn't have much time to corral more people over to their line of customers. The cookies are a little pricey so I make sure to pick up ingredients to make my own cookies while I'm at RTM. The sugar cookies seen below are pretty simple and most if not all of the ingredients are found in the standard kitchen. I picked up some sparkly sprinkles and flax seed to make egg substitutes.

I've given these to a number of friends and they all rave about them, so I recommend trying out this ridiculously easy recipe. These are standard vegan sugar cookies that I decided to roll into balls and coat with sprinkles. I also rolled some in a mix of cinnamon and sugar. Sugar cookies are great to personalize for holidays, birthdays, special events or what not. The dough's texture and consistancy is easy to work with so cookie cutters and sprinkles should definitely be involved to spice up your cookie life. Onto the recipe..

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease two cookie sheets.

Combine in bowl:

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Combine in separate bowl:

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c veggie oil

1 tbsp vanilla

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 egg substitute aka combine 1 tbsp of ground flax seed with 2 tbsp of water (whisk this mixture until it has the consistency of an egg)

Then add the wet mixture to the dry and begin mixing the dough until it is one solid lump that sort of resembles bread dough, if it is too wet add a little flour, if it needs moisture add a small amount of oil.

After the dough is mixed you can roll it flat and cut it with cookie cutters or simply break off pieces and roll them into balls and coat them with sprinkles.

After about 7-9 minutes in the oven the cookies should be finished, check the bottom to make sure they're golden brown..then enjoy.

Funky Fisheye Photos

2010-01-20T20:56:00.000-08:00

Instead of spending hundreds on a fisheye lens for my Nikon, I asked Santa instead. On Christmas morning I received this fabulous, small, lightweight and super retro camera. Here is the Lomography online shop, where you can read about and shop for various cameras with cool effects. I suspect it was my brother who bought me the Fisheye, not only did he buy an upgrade of what I asked for, he also bought me a second camera, the Oktomat.
Both styles are 35mm film cameras. The Fisheye comes with a hotshoe and a built-in flash. I have the option of taking multiple exposures and using a bulb setting. There is even a button to lock the shutter, which I find is very convenient on film cameras. How many times have you gotten a roll of film developed from a disposable camera to find that half the pictures were taken in your backpack? It is always to tempting to wind the dial or advance the film lever, even if you aren't sure when you'll take your next picture. If you can't tell, I'm pretty much in love with this camera at the moment.
The Oktomat is also great; I must admit, I don't use it as frequently, but only because it doesn't have the convenience of a flash. The Oktomat has a great effect though, it takes 8 pictures with one click of a button. From the moment you press the shutter, it begins rapidly taking photos; 8 shots are split between one piece of film in a matter of 2.5 seconds. I have already shot a few rolls of film with this camera, but I haven't had the time or money to get them developed. I will have eternal anger towards Temple University for shutting down the darkroom. Not only was it my place of employment, but I loved having access to such a rare commodity. I would rather spend an hour developing my own film than trust it to a machine at CVS, but I digress.
Now I skip around and play all day with my Fisheye and Oktomat taking a picture of anything I deem funky, cool, outrageous, memorable, noteworthy........ Even if I think something looks slightly plain, I'll snap a picture because I know it will develop into something unique and slightly transformed. Here are the first few shots I took with my beloved Fisheye. Thanks Jeff!

This is a multiple exposure of an enormous dog. If you look closely at the center of the frame her teeth are revealed; I think it is quite terrifying.

Future Plans

2010-01-18T20:42:00.000-08:00

I often find myself contemplating my future homes. Yes, homes. I live pretty simply, but I love to change location often. I plan on having several homes around the world. They don't have to be lavish mansions, in fact I plan on living in a few houses that some would call shacks. Did you ever play MASH? Well I always get shack and I finally realized that is all I'll need.
At the moment, I plan on having an earth bag home in Jamaica. This is a home that I could make pretty cheaply, but I will definitely need the help of a few friends. I learned about this type of house at the Source Farm in Johnstown, Jamaica. The house has a rounded top so it is perfect for mountain sides and areas with high winds. It is simple and sustainable and most of the materials are already on site.

I also want to find an old abandoned farmhouse somewhere in Pennsylvania. Something with a sturdy foundation, other than that it can be completely torn up. I want to find a house that is a really big project; I can hear my pop groaning now (he would probably have to come fix all my mistakes). I think I have a romanticized picture in my head because of the movie It's A Wonderful Life, I'm sure Mary has my back on this issue. Anyway, here are a few photos of a deserted but beautiful farm house I wandered around in not to far from my hometown of Shamokin, PA.

Chow

2010-01-16T17:04:00.000-08:00

Mount Blair is known for its hospitality and fresh baked goodies, so I thought I would allow others to peek into our kitchen to see what's cookin'. I would love love LOVE to one day be a food critic, but for now I'll take pictures of my own food before woofin' it down. Below is spaghetti with clam sauce. This was a really simple, but delicious and fulfilling meal. To add flavor to a boring jar of pasta sauce, I simply sauteed onions, green peppers and garlic and then added a jar of baby clams followed by the jar of sauce. Having a hearty sauce adds texture and flavor to a dull pasta dish and it takes about five extra minutes. Topping the dish off with fresh bread also makes the meal. I would love to say I baked the slice seen in the picture, but I didn't, so big up to Super Fresh.

After dinner is desert; if you didn't know that, be ashamed. My roomie Ginny is a desert queen. She is constantly thinking about, cooking and eating desert. We decided to combine our powers one night and make chocolate chip, walnut and oatmeal cookies. I'm glad we did too, because shortly after the buzzer rang we found ourselves standing in the kitchen with about ten hungry men. One great thing about company is they eat all your sweets so you don't have to. I'm not sure if most people enjoy that benefit, but I do. If I ate everything I cooked.....

This recipe is not only scrumptious, it is easy and vegan friendly-so everyone should give it a whirl.

Chocolate chip, walnut and oatmeal cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a few cookie sheets.

In a small bowl mix:

1 1/2 c flour

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

If you're a lucky duck, mix the following ingredients in your KitchenAid; if you don't own one, I'm sure your arm will be tired-but proceed with dignity..:

3/4 c vegetable oil

2 Tbs milk-I used Soy milk

1/2 c sugar (this is the bare minimum-you can add up to 1 1/3 c)

2 eggs or make egg substitutes like this: Mix 1 Tbs flax seed and 3 Tbs water (makes one egg)

1 1/2 Tbs vanilla extract

2 1/2 c oatmeal

12 oz chocolate chips

2 big handfuls of semi crushed walnuts

Mix all the dry ingredients then add them to the wet, then fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

Plop some spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and slide them in the oven. We make big cookies, so they baked for 17 minutes, but depending on the size you may need more or less time. Your best bet is to time them for about 12 minutes and periodically check on them from there.

So the new year has been a little fuzzy...

2010-01-14T15:08:00.000-08:00

Don't fret about the complete lack of posts in twenty-ten, everything is about to change. The transformation began last night when I installed and activated my new wireless card. I know my way around any computer, but when it comes to fixing problems or installing an upgrade I let my brother or pop take over. I was definitely intimidated and a little confused, but I pushed on and the operation was successful. I have to admit, it was rewarding; now I get to surf the web, reunite with Pandora and blog like crazy.
The beginning of this year has been full of celebration, naps and new resolutions. The roomies and I were determined to make 2010 different, new, and most of all adventurous. Our first major goal was to get our asses out of bed and see the Mummers for once. We rolled out of bed in need of fuel and hydration, so we made our way to Honey's sit 'n eat, a local breakfast eatery. It is a small space that reminds you of a Southern country kitchen. Everyone loves Honey's, everyone. It is always packed and you are guaranteed to wait. Steph and I reported our names and skipped away to a small place up the street, The Random Tea Room. Once inside we shed our coats and browsed the menu for a solid ten minutes. I couldn't concentrate on just one tea concoction, there were so many ingredients and the combinations were all tempting. I woke up with quite the headache and although the selection offered a tea called the Hangover Tamer, I decided to go with the Red Berry Fruit Melange, a blend of hibiscus and other fruity flavors. As we sipped our tea we made conversation with the gentleman behind the counter. He was communicating via walkie talkie and we had a feeling he was talking to the waiter at Honey's. It turns out William ( crafter of teas, conveyor of information and new friend) was speaking to the waiter at Honey's and the entire walkie talkie idea was his! After William joined us at our table we lept into a conversation full of many adventurous subjects. We talked about bikram yoga, new years eve adventures, vegan pies and Yerba Mate for about an hour; we were even late to our table at Honey's .
After breakfast, Steph and I headed back to Mount Blair (our house) to bundle up in order to brave the cold afternoon. We layered until we weighed ten pounds heavier, then we set out to spot some Mummers. First we ran into a street vendor who let Steph pull his wares, then we wandered around Broad street looking for the best spot to Mummer watch. After a few hours of moving from place to place we ended up with a front row seat; we're not even sure if we were allowed to be there, but we weren't complaining. The only thing separating us from the Mummers was a metal divider, by the time we staked out the spot it was almost time to leave though, so we watched one more performance and then jetted to the El. As we were climbing over a railing to leave, I heard someone complaining to the security guard about wanting to be where Steph and I just were, he told them you needed a ticket, hah!

Happy New Year!

TATTED

2009-12-25T16:48:00.000-08:00

Tatted was a fabulous exhibit, this was opening night so it was packed wall to wall. Free PBR, a dj, and hundreds of pictures kept everyone's interest.

Eye Crave Fashion Show

2009-12-25T16:06:00.001-08:00

Reading Terminal Market makes all meals possible...

2009-11-24T12:11:00.000-08:00

If you enjoy eating great food and you live in Philly and have never been to RTM, you should be ashamed of yourself. Our house tries to make it to RTM at least once a week..the best days being Sunday and Wednesday to take advantage of the student discount. Below is a shot of all the veggies Steph and Kristin picked up one Wednesday..all for less than $50. All the meals below were comprised mainly of the delicious veggies picked up at RTM.

Sunny Sundays

2009-11-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

The past few Sundays have been relatively warm and sunny, so Steph and I have been taking full advantage of the weather and our day off. We explore Philly by bike or foot and we wander into the most interesting stores and situations. It seems like no matter where we are, we are meeting new people and learning new things. Last week the subject was graffiti, football and bike tricks, while this week we were inspired by handmade crafts and clothing.

Hallo-wieners

2009-11-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

On Halloween night I set sail for the nearest pub to enjoy my rum..

My ship was filled with the most random crew.. ranging from celebrities like Farrah Fawcet and Dick Cheney’s hunting partner to high school nerds and my favorite dessert, CUPCAKES!

Philly's Phavorite Phighter

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The kids security loves to hate..

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Footballers

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I'm tellin YOU what to do..

2009-11-04T13:47:00.001-08:00

Look at this..

Listen to THIS...

Now go to that...

Practicing Portraits..

2009-10-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

I borrowed two of my beautiful friends for a few hours over the weekend and these are the results:

Looking for inspiration...

2009-10-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

..and all I found was graffiti that I see everyday. I walked for more than a mile and I basically took photos of other people's talent. I've been really frustrated the past two weeks because I can't seem to find or take a picture that pleases me. I wish the photo gods would give me my gift back..

Philllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllies

2009-10-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not really satisfied with any of these, but ....

Campus Sustainability Day

2009-10-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

Temple tries...

Fall is FRIGID

2009-10-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

On a chilly fall day, Miss Albin and I went out to shoot in China Town. I didn't accomplish my assignment, but I found the beauty in this frigid fall day. No photoshop is involved here (same goes for all my other photos), the colors are really this vibrant. Isn't it ironic how beautiful dead leaves are?

Ps. I will live in the Caribbean or South America, no more winter for this gal.

Illadelph at night..

2009-10-19T18:25:00.000-07:00

The Fire

2009-10-19T18:09:00.000-07:00

On a random Sunday night my boy Justin calls me up and invites me to his first paid show, bam. So, I had to go out to this one. He performed at a bar called The Fire on 4th and Girard. The photos below are of him aka Illipsis, Has-lo, Voss and BlackWolf. The show was great, I'm a stickler for intelligent lyrics and these boys were spittin' em all night. After Voss performed, the flash on my camera decided to have a seizure, so I had to jet out of there; there is nothing I hate more than seeing a picture I cannot take. Anyway, check the boys' links and enjoy the pictures.

Black Hawks

2009-10-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

Shamokin Soccer and Philly Phootball

2009-10-15T15:36:00.000-07:00

Say it again....

2009-10-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

These boys' passion is music and fashion

2009-10-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I watched a new friend perform for the first time. The event was at Made to Order, a small boutique on 2nd and Brown. Gin and I found close to ten shirts we would die to wear, but sadly they were all men's large. So if you happen to be a large man, you need to check that store out. Anyway, the performances by all artists were chill, but needless to say I woke up with Asaad's song in my head...so check him out, he's the black man, I mean man in black....

Sometimes cameras do crazy things. This last picture blows my mind. Check the watches.. I love how Asaad's wrist somehow ended up in the case too.

White girls can jump...

2009-10-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

..with the help of a mini trampoline that is. If you've followed SCHUBOX for some time now, than you may recognize this pretty face, its Katy Albin, who happened to help me with a trampoline shoot in the past. This trampoline was still lying around from our last shoot and Frank, my lighting teacher, wanted it out of his closet space, hence tramp shoot #2. Enjoy..

Beautiful People... & shoes

2009-10-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

After attending the Philly Foundation Arts show at Ms. Tootsie's, Steph, Gin and I decided we need to go to events like this more often, the art was great, but the eye candy was endless.

Run it in...

2009-09-28T02:49:00.000-07:00

Black Hawk Football

2009-09-28T02:47:00.000-07:00

June 29

2009-09-28T01:38:00.000-07:00

June 28

2009-09-28T01:35:00.001-07:00

Party is over...

June 27

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June 26

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June 25

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My girls...

June 24

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June 23

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June 22

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June 21

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June 20

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June 19

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June 18

2009-09-28T00:35:00.000-07:00

Looking at these photos makes me want to be back more than ever. Commentary on the previous posts and this one will come.

June 17

2009-09-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

June 16

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June 15

2009-09-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

BACK TO JA....June 14

2009-09-20T19:59:00.001-07:00

Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida

2009-08-28T16:51:00.000-07:00

First stop Tennessee.
Final destination Orlando.

Camping at French Creek

2009-08-28T16:41:00.001-07:00

Still fooling around with the mini tripod..

....and eating delicious veggie packs. Honestly the best I've ever had.

We also spied on this guy for awhile. As we hiked around the lake he kept showing up; I think he was showing off for my new zoom lens.

Two weeks in Chincoteague..

2009-08-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

June 13

2009-07-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Calvin drove us all around in the coaster. We stopped at the craft market where I picked up an abundance of jewelry and art made from coconuts, wood, and bamboo. Then we made our way to Bob's house. I was a little disappointed with the museum because there wasn't much to learn. Everything was communicated verbally and it all seemed rushed. I thought there would be information to read, however I really enjoyed the one room that was completely filled with photographs. Overall it was a tourist trap and the house and property was more of a tour than a museum. I did however only pay the Jamaican rate of $5 for the tour, so it was worth the experience.

This monument below stands in the center of National Hero's Park in Kingston.

June 12

2009-07-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

In the morning we all went to lectures, by the authors of our class books, and then basically relaxed for the afternoon. Ali and I went to Half-way Tree and it was quite the experience. We went shopping for shoes that we could wear to the clubs because 'slippers' aka flip flops aren't tolerated. While walking the streets it was frequently pointed out that we were white. We were used to the attention, but in the hot heat and crowded streets it seemed overwhelming. We found shoes, bought mixed CDs and once again ate KFC mashed potatoes (one of our staples in Kingston). KFC is where the most interesting events of the day took place. A man literally followed us around for ten minutes and Ali's personal space was compromised by middle school girls, but at the end of the day we ended up getting super cheap and fabulous CDs. I can't even tell you the amount of phone numbers we had thrown at us, it was like we had signs on our heads reading:Single. All the attention was annoying and made us feel uncomfortable so we decided to go back to campus. While we were relaxing in the Italia dorms a friendly little lizard wandered in. Then we wandered out to enjoy this sunset and this polite young friend of Bruce's.

June 11

2009-07-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

June 9

2009-07-28T21:30:00.001-07:00

Tuesday was another day with RADA. Lindsey, Mark, Jack and I went out with the extension officer for Yallahs, Mr. Forrestor, and others. We talked to several farmers about hurricane preparedness and we also helped one farmer prepare for a fruit farm. The government in Jamaica is giving RADA free seeds for fruit trees and extension officers teach farmers how to plant and care for the trees.

Here is a collection of animals I saw on Tuesday. This baby lizard was at the villa; it was the smallest I saw there! This hen was among about thirty at a residence in Yallahs. The woman who raised these chickens was about fifty and she had an acre of land and a nice little villa facing the salt pond. The extension officers were advising her on the depth of her holes for grape vines. She showed me her squash and pumpkin plants and we swamped pumpkin soup recipes.

The first farm we went to in Yallahs was home to a variety of animals. Cows, goats, kittens, pigs and one sad donkey lived there. I helped feed the goats and asked a million questions as we were waiting out a classic morning rain shower. After the shower passed we staked out where the mango trees would be planted. One of the farmers climbed a coconut tree and cut down a bunch for us all to enjoy. I loved being out in the field and experiencing the extension officers day to day work.

June 8

2009-07-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

This is a ship I managed to snap a picture of on my way home from RADA. The drive from Lysons to Yallahs is really scenic, but I never worked up the nerve to ask any of my drivers to pull over. I don't know if it was the relaxing music or the way the drivers were always speeding around, but I thought my request for a stop would ruin the vibe. I thought I was going to take a long walk one day during a long stretch of the ocean highways, but I guess I never found the time.
Monday was Jody's birthday celebration. We decided to have a big fire and invite a few of our local friends. The fire went great, neighbors from everywhere came to see what was going on. We couldn't eat smores because we couldn't find any marshmellows in JA! We did play some good old American drinking games though.

June 7

2009-07-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

The full moon over the ocean was a beautiful scene. We were frequently enticed into swimming late at night. I remember the moon was so bright that night that I had trouble sleeping outside.

June 6

2009-07-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

The entire crew woke up groggy on Sunday. The rooster started to crow around 4 am; luckily I was able to block him out, I was only woken up once. I had a great nights sleep, but I remember someone complaining that I stay up too late and cough too often. Thanks for the water Jack! After we packed up our things, Alex and I started off the day with a little yoga and a few headstands, but we were quickly evacuated from our quiet mountainside by the hungry mosquitoes. Everyone was ready to hit the trail, so we packed up and hiked up...for a few miles. Once we reached the second pit stop everyone was sweating and panting, but Shaggy assured us it was all downhill from there. We hiked for a few miles under the coverings of Jamaica's luscious green tropical forests. I kept comparing the different creatures and plants I saw here with what I've experienced hiking in Pennsylvania. I realized I'm substantially more comfortable in this climate and I enjoy the variety of plants, fruits, and animals more than those in the North. When I ventured on a moonlight walk on Saturday night, my only fear was stepping in deep puddles. In PA I can barely work up the courage to walk to my mailbox at night. I'm not sure why I'm so terrified in Pennsylvania's forests; my pop still laughs at me because I was terrified of coyotes when we were camping. The cold also gets to me, whenever I consider backpacking it has to be before November.
Before I knew it, the trees opened up and sun cut down through the forests. We took photos at the end of the trail and continued walking through the small meadow scattered with goats and small homes. As we walked up the mountainside through the meadow, Shaggy waved me over. He told me he was going to introduce me to his parents. We stopped at a light blue tin gate that guarded a windy dirt path lined with beautiful tropical flowers. Shaggy lead me into the small home that sat on the side of the mountain. His mother was in the kitchen and his fada was watching a Jamaican Soap Opera on television. His mother told me she has been to California three times and she was surprised to find out I had never been there. She was hospitable like every other Jamaican woman I have met. After filling my water bottle she sent us out the door and again we hiked until we reached our taxis at the Hayfield road.
Shaggy arranged for another taxi driver that was more experienced with the road to come pick us up, but since there was only one car a few of us chose to walk. The pictures below are ones I took on that long and sunny walk down the mountain side.

After the two hour drive home everyone was ready for a shower and some breakfast. My breakfast of macaroni and cheese was great, my shower however was not. Being the great friend she is, Alex snapped these pictures.

June 5

2009-07-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

On Friday, everyone except the graduate students ventured to Cunha Cunha Pass. It was about an hour drive east to the community of Hayfield. The drive was fine until we had to venture up a mountain, a pretty steep one at that. Our taxi driver Rowen wasn't very excited about taking his low-sitting Impala up the washed out road full of ruts, rock piles, and water run off ditches. It took the two vehicles about an hour to climb the mountain up to the trail head; needless to say we gave the drives a nice tip when we arrived. When we reached the top we met our trail guide, Shaggy. He is on the left in the photo below. Shaggy was a great guy and this was evident from the start. After all our greetings and a quick picture, we were off.

As you can see, Shaggy hiked the five mile trail in flip flops. Cunha Cunha pass was no walk in the park, it involves climbing up one mountain and down another. The trails snake their way through the Blue and John Crow Mountains, these trails were once used by the Maroons. I thought the hike was really enjoyable even though my pack was the heaviest of everyone's (damn cameras). Shaggy and the other guides even built two rest stop areas with shade, benches, and out houses. When we got to our camp, I was completely surprised. The facilities were exceptional; we weren't "roughin' it" like we were lead to believe. After stashing our belongings in our cabins and visiting the restrooms, which were better than some hotels I've stayed in, we ate lunch in the screened pavilion. After lunch Shaggy took us to a swimming hole on the river. We had fun cooling off and splashing around with our guide.

June 4

2009-07-28T20:24:00.003-07:00

On Thursday Alex and I went to the Yallahs Basic School; this was our secondary work site. Alex and I taught art class to three, four and five year olds. Our first day was chaos. When we arrived at the school, all the kids were peeking through the open air slats in their class rooms to catch a glimpse at their visitors. We were exhausted from the attention already.
On this particular Thursday we taught the kids about colors and had them draw rainbows. We also played 'I Spy..' with them. They had a lot of fun telling Alex and I their favorite colors and trying to find them around the classroom. After the two three-year-old classrooms it was time for their morning break. All the kids either played or took a nap; Alex and I wandered to a deserted room to rest for a few quiet minutes.
We were sitting on the floor in the lunch room looking at posters on the wall when this caught my eye.

It is a poster explaining how you can't contract HIV. As you can see, the poster depicts common activities involving young children..A mosquito bite, sharing food, sharing utensils, sleeping in the same bed and playing with friends. This poster landed on me like a huge weight. It made me realize that HIV is a real fear among not only sexually active adults, but also young school children. I don't think I even knew what HIV was until I was 13. Also, all the other posters on the wall were handmade, but this one was manufactured. It is disheartening knowing that this poster is on the walls of schools across the island and from the looks of its design other African countries as well. I can't imagine the how it would feel to worry about HIV as a young child, the threat was unbeknownst to me. Although I am happy that this poster is available to educate the school kids, I'm sad to know it is needed. Before I could spend too much time thinking about this poster, little kiddies were peeking in the empty lunch room, which meant break time was over.

Alex and I then visited the four-year-old classrooms. It was easier to work with the older children because they are obviously more advanced, but it is also easier to understand them. Its hard to communicate with young kids to begin with, but when you are dealing with a language barrier it seems almost impossible. It was also hard to give the kids instruction or discipline because most of them didn't understand plain English. The four year olds were better than the younger kids at naming colors and grasping the concept of ROY G. BIV. When we got to the five year olds they totally surprised us. I guess I never realized how quickly kids develop that early in life; there were clear differences and advancements throughout every age group. The five year olds knew all their colors and wanted to have their colors in order. They even wrote ROY G. BIV on their papers without instruction or encouragement from Alex and I. After six classrooms of kids who just want to talk and touch I was definitely exhausted, but I knew I wanted to go back in a heartbeat. As everyone was leaving for the day kids were giving me flowers, drawings and even their taxi fares. I still have pressed flowers and I can remember the two cuties who gave them to me. I loved being with all the kiddies. Besides how ridiculously cute they all looked in their uniforms, it was nice to get so much attention and love from little babes.

June 3

2009-07-28T20:24:00.001-07:00

Wednesday was a relatively relaxing day. Wednesdays were my work days at the villa. After breakfast I grabbed my book and went to read on my favorite bed swing. I was reading Carolyn Cooper's 'Sound Clash: Jamaican Dancehall Culture at Large.' After awhile I started to crave a nap in the beautiful breeze, but I dragged myself out from under the Almond tree to go play football. Lindsey and I went to the Yallahs Primary School to play and simultaneously catch a killer sun tan. Mr. Good invited us over to juggle before we started and it was shocking how fast everything came back to me. It was almost as if three years of dormancy was erased with five minutes of footwork, but I was definitely disadvantaged when it came to comparing my energy level to that of an eleven year old.

After football we walked to the square and grabbed festival and patties for lunch. Then I took a quick dip in the ocean and

met up with Alex to discuss the next day's lesson plan. We were preparing to go to Yallahs Basic School. We wanted to teach the kids a short lesson, but most importantly we wanted to interact with them and give them fun new art supplies to work with. So that night we planned a lesson around colors and the rainbow. We made posters depicting the rainbow and ROY G BIV. We gathered all the crayons and markers we could find and hoped for the best the following day.

The first week in pictures...

2009-07-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

June 2

2009-07-15T17:12:00.001-07:00

June 2nd was quite possibly my favorite day in Jamaica. Mark, Jack, Lindsey and I piled into Mr. Parke's jeep and headed out to the day's site, which happened to be the Hope Gardens in Kingston. Mr. Parke dropped us at the gate because he had to go to a meeting for the upcoming Green Expo, so we were free to explore for the day. Within the first ten minutes of being there, I started talking to a boy who was having a spliff for breakfast. He said he worked there and offered to show us around.
First he took us to the butterfly garden. He showed us the beautiful garden and then told us that he actually planned and planted the garden! We were all so amazed, we couldn't believe that we were actually chillin' with the person that created this little piece of paradise. His name is Denver, but his pet name is Bruce because he is a huge fan of Batman. Bruce then proceeded to tell us all kinds of information about the butterfly garden and he offered to take us to a near by zoo.
We walked a few minutes down the road and then payed 80 Jamaican, which is about $1 U.S. to enter the zoo.
Once inside, I realized this zoo was extremely different from any zoo I have been to in the states. First, all the animals that were featured are native to Jamaica. The zoo was home to crocodiles, iguanas, mongoose and small pigs. It also features slithering snakes, a few owls and this cute and quite friendly turtle.The land the zoo sits on is also more natural than any of the zoos I have been to in the states. Instead of paved walkways and landscaped gardens, we walked on rolling hills and were shaded by large mango trees. Bruce taught us how to throw rocks or fallen mangoes at the ripe mangoes on the tree instead of using a large stick or climbing the tree to get at the fruit. Bruce has a pretty good shot; I was nowhere near as successful.
We spent awhile just chatting at the zoo and learning more about each others' cultures. All the conversations I had with Bruce came so easy. He was the first person I really connected with in Jamaica; I felt like I knew him forever, especially when he said that, as I was thinking it. We ended up spending all day with him, just walking around and talking. We kept worrying that we were going to get him in trouble since he really didn't work all day.. we walked around with him for the better part of four hours.
After the zoo we wandered over to a pond covered in lily pads. We saw a boat in the water and we all wanted to take a ride, so Bruce talked to the owner who was relaxing under a nearby tree. The owner agreed to letting Bruce be our captain, so Lindsey, Mark and I boarded the small row boat. We had aspirations of traveling the seven seas in the wooden boat, but we soon found out that probably wasn't going to happen. We literally went three feet when we realized we were either too heavy or Bruce wasn't a very good captain. So, as fast as we were in we were out again.

After our boat ride we sat under a shady tree and wasted time. We talked, Bruce rapped and we posed for pictures and tested out my three inch tripod. The mini tripod worked really well; I laid my bag on the tree roots and then balanced it on there. We also carved something into a tree in Bruce's butterfly garden, so that he wouldn't and couldn't forget that day. Everyone carved their initials and I carved the inside of a peace sign.

Bruce if you read this, comment so I know you're still alive! Also, I hope you got my letter and the pictures of all of us...MISS YOU!!

June 1

2009-07-15T16:45:00.001-07:00

Monday was my first actual day of work with RADA. RADA is the Rural Agricultural Development Authority; there is a branch of RADA in every parish in Jamaica. RADA works with local farmers through their extension officers. There are about eight officers in the parish of St. Thomas Parish. They talk with individuals and educate them about sustainable farming practices. The extension officers also introduce farmers to different services and resources the farmers have access to. This year RADA needed students to help them develop an informational packet about preparing for natural disasters. I was really excited to start this project because I really wanted to be immersed into the culture and talking to local farmers every day seemed like a great way to fulfill that want. I was also happy to discover that I could implement my photojournalism and design background into my final project with RADA.
Mr. Parke drove Dr. Dorne, Lindsey, Mark and I to a small bush called Bowen. Bowen is a small inlet with few residents. We visited an oyster farm in the inlet and also a coast guard barracks. We talked to the oyster farmers about possible problems when large storms hit; we also learned the basic methodology of oyster farming. As for our visit with the coast guard, we mostly just chatted about their role in the community and country. The officers explained to me that they reside at a different post each week and then they have off for a week. They all said they loved their job and realize that they are role models for residents in the communities. A lot of children I talked to, both male and female, said they wanted to be soldiers when they grew up. The officers think it is because they see the coast guard as a beneficial influence in their lives, so in turn the kids want to be that powerful influence. Below is a view of the oyster farms from the mountain side in the Bowen Inlet.

Below are the gorgeous views that the officers of the coast guard enjoy looking out upon day after day.After leaving the coast guard we drove through fields that were once sugar plantations. The sugar cane isn't very successful in this area anymore because the soil is completely derived of nutrients. Through the blades of grass you can see a former plantation owner's home. It is situated on a hillside so that the masters could see everything the slaves were doing, but in turn it allowed the slaves to watch their every move.

After driving through the old plantation fields we stopped in another bush and talked to some locals. I met a stand lady who lived in Philadelphia for five years and a group of adorable school children. I also snuck up behind Mr. Parke and shot this photo, which is one of my favorite of him. Although I wasn't aware of it yet, Mr. Parke would teach me more than anyone else I would meet in Jamaica.

By the time we caught a bus back to Yallahs, the local schools had let out, so we boarded a bus packed with primary school students. One of them was sleepy and drifted to bed on Lindsey's shoulder. All the kids in the back seat thought it was the funniest thing in ages. I pulled out my camera and snapped a picture, but my noisy SLR woke him up. He looked so embarrassed that I felt bad for taking the picture. In the upcoming weeks I realized how easily I fell asleep in taxis. I actually woke up on people's shoulders a few times myself. I remember the one time I was sitting with another man in the backseat and when I woke up I was super close to him and he just laughed. I moved away only to wake up ten minutes later to find myself really close to him again; he must have had some type of magnetic pull over me.

May 31

2009-07-15T16:41:00.001-07:00

Sunday was scorching hot, but somehow it was still a beautiful day. The sky was blue and there were enormous fluffy clouds; the kind of clouds you wish you could take a nap on. We all slept in a little later than usual and when we woke up Tevaughn was there. Tevaughn is the cook's, Ms. Pauline's, son. Tevaughn is such a cute little boy and I really wanted to hang out with him. He was a little shy and he made me work for his attention, but soon enough we were drawing fish and rainbows and playing hide and seek in the yard. I couldn't get over how adorable he was. We played all day while everyone else did their school work. I probably should have been doing work also, but who wouldn't rather play with a six year old for the day?

After running around all morning, Blacka summoned me over to the fence. He told me the funeral starts in about an hour and that he is calling a taxi to pick us all up. With that he handed me a drink and told me to go get ready. Figuring out what to wear was difficult because I really had no idea. Blacka said, "wear whatever" but you can never trust boys to tell you how to dress. So, I put on pants and a tank top and sweater and asked Ms. Pauline and Hyacinth if it was appropriate. They said I really could wear just about anything, but no matter what, my shoulders should be covered. I felt uncomfortable at first, knowing that I was going to a funeral and wearing white pants and blue shirt, it felt so wrong to not be in black.

We walked over to Blacka's yard and met his friend Bawfi who was also attending the ceremony for Germaine Fyffe. Blacka and Bawfi looked completely different from how I have ever seen them. They were dressed in their best clothes and they definitely put my outfit to shame. We all walked to the main road and Blacka told us his friend would give us a ride. He had to go somewhere before the ceremony so he said he would meet us there. Now Alex and I felt really uncomfortable. We were complete outsiders crashing this man's funeral. Everyone kept reassuring us that that wasn't the case, but we had a hard time looking past our own customs and recognizing this new culture's practices. We also felt uncomfortable because Blacka's friend was driving us to the funeral in a BMW. Obviously BMWs aren't the norm in Jamaica and I just felt like I was trying to show off or something. Blacka reassured us that we weren't imposing or being rude and then closed the car door behind us.

We arrived at the funeral and felt really out of place. Not only were we obviously not locals, we were still feeling bad because we didn't know this man and we only knew his young daughter as of last night. We linked up with a friend from the nine night the night before and he kept us company most of the time. We didn't want to restrict him from talking to his other friends, so we worked up the nerve to just do our own thing. Most of the time I stood back and studied everyone's dress. All the men looked ridiculously gorgeous in their Sunday best and the ladies were all in dresses and high heels. Some of the ladies were dressed conservatively while others looked like they were goin' clubbin. I really couldn't get over how classy all the men looked; I was content with just standing and starring at all of them.

When the ceremony started, we walked around the side of the church and stood by the open windows. The church was packed and there were people crowded near every window. The ceremony seemed more joyous than the funerals I've been to. I also realized that I may be thinking its joyous because I don't have a strong connection with the deceased, but all the songs were sung with such a spirit that you had the feeling everyone was celebrating a life instead of mourning a soul. When we were outside the window, someone tapped Alex and I on the back; it was Germaine's daughter. We exchanged hugs and then we talked for a little. Of course she was terribly sad, but when we showed her the surprises we brought her I think she cheered up a little bit. The night before we were asking her what her favorite treats were and on our way to the service we stopped at the gas station and bought her a ton of candy. I also gave her my pin that Blacka gave to me. All the friends of Germaine made pins in his honor that depicted their friend and his date of birth and death. After we hugged her goodbye, we spotted Blacka across the street.

It turns out the item he had to stop for before the service was rum. All the men were across the street drinking rum and coke while the service was being held. Alex and I were the only two females and again we worried that we were being disrespectful. After voicing these concerns, Blacka basically said that I'm crazy and worry too much and he got me a drink. So we chatted with all the gorgeous men (really a Jamaican funeral might be where I find my husband) and got tipsy before walking back through Yallahs square. Everyone else was heading to Morant Bay for the burial, but Alex and I decided we should skip the intimate and highly depressing part of the service. So we walked to Yallahs and had patties for lunch. I bought some extras to give to Mr. Dunkin, Ms. Pauline, Hyacinth and of course my new best friend Tevaughn. He even wrote me a little love letter after I brought him home a patty, so if I can figure out my scanner I will include it in another post.

The rest of that lazy Sunday was spent reading and lounging in my favorite bed swing below the Almond tree. To tell the truth, I didn't really get any reading done that day, I did ponder a lot of things though. Here is the view from my bed swing that soon became where I would sleep each night. The Coconut tree is in Blacka's yard. There was a fence running between the two properties so we would always talk while standing on opposite sides. Our relationship reminded me of Wilson and Tim's from the show Home Improvement.

Below is a picture of Alex pushing Tevaughn on another swing that hangs from an Almond tree.

And finally, here is a shot of my little babe Lily in her school uniform.

May 30

2009-07-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we all piled into the bus and traveled east to the Bath Fountains. We also stopped at the Bath Botanical Gardens, which are located at the bottom of the hill, below the springs. The garden is said to be the oldest on the island; it is home to the island's first breadfruit trees. Breadfruit it a popular dish in Jamaica. The first time I tried it, I had it with Jerk Fish, but breadfruit was served as a side with almost every meal. It can be pan fried or roasted over hot coals. Breadfruit is everywhere, I almost couldn't believe the fruit isn't native to Jamaica. The garden also had the biggest tree I've ever seen, unfortunately I'm not a fan of any of the pictures I've taken of it. I was admiring the tree until I read a sign that stated the tree is referred to as the hanging tree. Residents with a death sentence were hanged from the very tree I was standing under. So, I moved on and focused my camera elsewhere. For instance, on these invasive vines and this lovely lady named Laura. Laura was the other shutterbug on the trip; she was always snapping pictures. If you keep checking my blog, hopefully you will see a photo shoot featuring Laura. She is one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen, not to mention her amazing hair, so I asked her if she would be interested in a portraiture session and she agreed. I can't wait to get some shots of Laura or Selassie Pickney as Kingsley would say.

Then we boarded the bus and drove up a mountain; when we stopped we were surrounded by rasta men. They were all trying to offer us their services, but my professors already knew who they wanted to lead us to the springs. We followed Rasta Patrick and Rasta Steve on a short hike on the hillside. Several of my classmates were freaking out about being on the side of the mountain, but I thought it was beautiful. Although, I came close to falling because I was living life through my camera lens. The rastas were being very protective after they realized I don't really watch where I'm walking. I was soon befriended by a rasta named Pepe. After a fifteen minute walk we arrived at the hot springs.

The river was shallow, but flowing and there were locals bathing under the springs. Pepe helped me across the river and then the massage began. He dipped my towel in the hot springs and draped it over my shoulders. It was really hot and sometimes it actually hurt because my shoulders were recovering from my first day sunburn. The massage was about forty minutes and was probably the most relaxing thing I've ever experienced. The entire massage was like a meditation period. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate only on my senses. I could feel the smooth stones under my feet and the hot steamy towel over my head and shoulders. I concentrated on the massage and listening the the song Pepe was singing to me. I could smell and feel the oils and herbs that Pepe was rubbing on my arms, legs, and face. The oil is said to sooth mosquito bites and the river mud to have healing powers. The sulfur springs were also known to have healing powers and the rastas encourage you to drink from the hot springs. After I washed the mud from my hair and body, I took a big gulp of the water in hopes that it would at least keep me well for my time in Jamaica. After I was done with my massage I was chatting up some rastas. Most of them have worked here their entire life. Some were giving massages, others guided hikes and some cooked festival and rice and peas to sell to visitors. After I walked back, I enjoyed coconut water and jelly and I bought a bottle of the rasta man's oil to take back to the states. I loved Bath and I wish I would have had time to go back. It was only 1,000 Jamaican dollars for a 40 minute massage, which is about $11 American dollars. I haven't ever bought a massage in the United States, but I don't think I could buy such an experience for only $11 dollars. I cannot wait to return to Bath and call Pepe.

After the Bath Fountains we went to a canal in the mangrove trees and a private beach..hahaha. This is where we were told we were going. I think a lot of students were disappointed with this part of the day. I don't think it was so thrilling that I would do it again, but I am definitely glad I went. We walked on a path through the marsh where we were attacked by thousands of mosquitoes. Then we boarded tiny wooden fishing boats. I got on the first boat with five other people and there were three other girls in the second boat. The second boat was a bit shabbier and almost sunk when they first got in. Jill had to sit in wet clothes the entire time because the boat tipped and let in a lot of water. After everyone boarded and was settled down, our captain paddled the boat through the mangroves. The roots were fascinating and if it weren't for the mosquitoes, I would probably return to paint the scene that was before me. I think I would have liked the trip if we would have talked to the captain more, but I think everyone was consumed with worry about the success rate of these boat rides.

Once we reached the private beach, we realized it was nothing more than the canal emptying into the sea. We tied the boats and ventured onto the shore. The sand was almost completely covered by conch shells. This beach was a spot where conch fishermen would cut out the snail and throw the shells on the shore. It reminded me of an elephant graveyard. I found a large beautiful shell and decided I wanted to take it home. This nice man decided it was his personal honor to clean my conch shell. I thought he was simply going to brush the sand off, but instead he waded into the water and completely scrubbed and flushed it for me. These pictures show the beginning of the cleaning process, but he literally spent ten minutes making my shell gleam. We barely had any time to explore the beach, which disappointed me, but my stomach was growling at this point.

We headed back and boarded the bus to drive a few miles to Beverly Smith's house. Miss Smith invested her time and money in the canal and beach excursion. She is trying to market the spot as an alternative tourism site. After the canal trip we were invited back to her home for dinner. I can still remember how delicious this dinner was. I had a plate filled with fish, rice and peas, cabbage salad and plantain fritters. She gave us an absolute feast and I was grateful to be invited into her beautiful home. After a traditional Kumina song we had to jet because we were on our way to an actual nine night.

A friend of Blacka's had died while he was welding a drum full of gasoline. As the Jamaicans would say, the drum exploded and he got mashed up. The Kumina is a celebration of life that takes place nine nights after a death. It is also the night before the funeral. I had a feeling that I didn't belong there because I didn't know the deceased, but those thoughts quickly subsided when I arrived. Everyone said that even if you don't know the victim it is a gesture of honor and respect to attend their nine night. The nine night resembled a party. There was much alcohol to be had and music to dance to. It is a celebration of one's life, similar to the dinners that are usually had after American funerals. Everyone is hanging out and trying to clear their head of sad thoughts, but at the same time sharing stories and memories of their friend. I hung out with kids most of the time and I met the deceased man's young daughter. She invited Alex and I to the funeral the next day and even though we were feeling unsure about attending, we couldn't say no to her. So the next day we attended a Jamaican funeral, but of course I'll post about that experience tomorrow.

May 29

2009-07-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

Fridays are free days, meaning there is no work or class. This was our first Friday free, so Alex and I decided to explore Morant Bay. Morant Bay is about thirty minutes east of Yallahs. It is always the hub of activity with an open market, a two story plaza, two grocery stores and streets packed with vendors. First we walked the main street and ate Juici Patty for lunch, then we explored the burnt down court house. A huge statue of Paul Bogle stands in front of the burned courthouse. This is the site where the rebellion occurred and later where Bogle was hanged. The burned court house was strangely beautiful and so was the sea peeking in through the windows.

Alex and I made a lot of acquaintance in Morant Bay that Friday. Some were cool and others were creepy, but it is always nice to have new friends to talk to. These men offered to take us to Reach Falls in the neighboring town. We really wanted to take them up on their offer, but we didn't have enough time in Jamaica to do everything we wanted.
Taking 10,000 dollars out of an ATM can be quite intimidating. I don't think I was comfortable doing this even by the end of the trip. I kept picturing bank statements waiting at my Philadelphia house telling me all the charges and fees that would be applied for overdrawing my account. As we wandered down the street from stand to stand we munched on our Otaheites and soaked up the sun. We also spotted a Chicken eating take-out, which also happened to be chicken. I really enjoyed seeing little bungalows completely surrounded by greens and flowers. One day I'll have a house that is framed by lush vegetation and wildflowers. Sometimes Morant Bay was a little hectic, but now that I'm sitting in my Philadelphia three story, I wish I was back there.

May 28

2009-07-10T14:49:00.001-07:00

On Thursday we visited more possible work sites and then we had the day to ourselves. I decided to walk to the square with Mr. Dunkin to grab some lunch. We stopped and talked to almost everyone while we were walking, including these two cuties.

On the way back from the square, I stopped to play with three little kids on my lane. They were catching fiddler crabs, which is something I have always been interested in trying. They showed me their method and then they handed over the stick and two soda bottles and it was my turn. The area where we were playing was scattered with broken glass and old car parts, but that didn't seem to phase them. I would eventually see these kids again because they attend Yallahs Basic School.

I finished my afternoon by loungin' in the hammock and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. I wrote in my journal for class and took a long nap before it was time for class and dinner. Looking back, I wish I would have taken more time to write in my journal, but after the first week it was more of a chore than a hobby.

May 27

2009-07-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was our second day of site searching. We were headed to the Yallahs basic and primary schools. As we walked out to the main road to catch a taxi we met some new friends. First we saw this HUGE toad. I wish there was some scale involved in these pictures, but you will have to take my word for it. These toads are everywhere when the sun goes down, but it is rare to see them in the middle of the road in the heat of the day. We took some pictures and then poured water on this dude to cool him off. A few steps further and we saw something else that shocked us all, a wild pig. I personally have never seen a wild pig and I was kind of scared because I heard they are nasty, but this one was tiny and was only concerned with a Doritos bag.

After all the animal distractions, we finally made it out to the road. The schools are about a five minute drive from the square and if you like the heat, they are within walking distance. The group accidentally left one of the graduate students at the primary school and she had to walk to town by herself! She was a little timid because it was only our third day in Yallahs, but it soon became something we would frequently joke about.

When we went to the basic school the children were literally flocking around us. The kids there ranging in age from 3-5. They were really excited to have visitors and I think the teachers were kind of hating us for that; I could tell the kids weren't going to settle down after we left. When I went to the basic school, I fell in love. I knew immediately that I wanted to work there. Alex, another girl in my group, was also expressing interest in working with the kids. We decided to spilt our time in Jamaica between two work sites; RADA (Rural Agricultural Development Authority) was my major project and the basic school was my secondary site.

After playing with the little babes we went across the street to the primary school. The primary school is basically elementary age children. The building was shaped like an L and was three stories high. All the classrooms had open slats for windows so all the children saw us coming. Like the basic school kids, they were really excited. I talked to a bunch of girls about what they do during their exercise period and they taught me how to play net ball. I then went down onto the football field and talked to the boys. Girls shy away from the football field because it is seen as the boys turf, but some brave girls do play. I was talking to all the boys when they were done and I asked if I could come next week and play with them. They passed me the ball and when I began to juggle in sandals, they decided I was good enough to play. So I played with Mr. Good the physical education teacher and the primary classes the next Wednesday and I had a great time. When the other little girls saw that a girl was playing football they all joined in. They were following me around to the point where I couldn't actually play because I was too crowded. I was happy though because if I wasn't there, I don't think they would have played. A little girl even scored that day and I could tell it was a really big accomplishment. She and the other girls were so happy. I had so much fun with the kids. We did a cheer before we started and everyone was yelling 'Schu' on the field when I had the ball. The girls that worked at the primary school said that the kids would always ask about me and ask when I was coming back. I wish I didn't have so much work to do while I was there or I would have went every Wednesday.

The kids played on a field that was green, but I wouldn't say grassy. Some kids played barefoot, while others had Nikes on. You could tell which kids were on a football team because they usually wore football shorts and boots aka cleats.

May 26

2009-07-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was the first day we all spent visiting potential work sites. First we went to a bush called Bath. Bath is about an hour and half East of Yallahs. Some members of the group worked with the ladies of Bath to market their wine, jams and other goods. When we went to Bath we were offered samples of Aloe Vera, Jack fruit, Mango and Breadfruit wines; they were delicious and I liked that I was meeting the ladies who actually created my drink. The ladies made a large variety of wine and jelly and they needed to market these products. They have been entering wine competitions and doing really well, but they didn't know how to begin to sell their goods.

After we were done sampling wine, I met Bosco. Bosco is a rasta that loved me. He actually introduced me to Jamaican apples, which are called Otaheites. Otaheites are much tastier than an granny smith. They are juicer, have a softer consistency, and have a large pit in their center. After Bosco and I shared an apple and he pronounced me his wife, he brought me his lunch. It happened to be curried goat and cabbage salad. Even though I rarely eat meat, I told myself I would be adventurous in Jamaica, so I tried the goat. I can't really remember if I liked it because I was kind of freaked out that there were live goats running around on the street and also a piece of one on my fork, but I know it wasn't completely gross. I had a bite of the cabbage salad, which was really good, but then I was thirsty.

I must have said this out loud because the next thing I know Bosco is climbing a coconut tree for me. He was up in the tree before I could even adjust my setting on my camera. This was my first taste of coconut water in Jamaica and it was amazing. My favorite drink is water, so this was actually something I could enjoy. A lot of Jamaicans have told me that coconut water is the only thing that can wash and cleanse one's heart. Bosco wouldn't charge us for the coconuts because he said we were his friends, so we gave him some American money because he said he likes it better. Bosco also showed me his house and picked some limes for me before I left. He was a sweetheart even though he might have been slightly crazy. The other students in the group that worked at Bath told me that he would ask about me...how flattering.

May 25

2009-07-08T13:28:00.001-07:00

Monday the 25th was my second day in Jamaica. We had the day off because it was Labor Day, so the sites we would have been visiting were closed for the day. The morning started with a nice long walk on the beach. We all were eager to explore so we walked down to the point of the salt pond. If you zoom into Yallahs Bay near the body of water that is inland, you will be looking at the salt pond. Also, if you scan the shore line you will see the villa I stayed in, it is the one with the red roof. Anyway, it was cloudy all morning and just as we reached the tip, the clouds began to shudder. I was walking with my camera, so I decided to take all the electronics and head back to the villa. However, we didn't know that rainfall in Jamaica only lasts an average of 10 minutes... so many of my photos were shot on my solitary walk home. Along with photos, I got a sweet first day sunburn. Instead of asking for someone's sunscreen (since mine was lost with my luggage) I tried to "tough it out". Thankfully there were aloe plants outside the villa who came to my rescue and that happened to be my only major sunburn the entire trip.

As I mentioned, the sky was really cloudy that Monday so all my pictures look a little gray. I was also obsessing over the fact that I could have had a zoom lens had I known the ins and outs of Temple's equipment office. It was depressing to have someone mention that to me one day before my flight. For an entire Saturday I was trying to someone get my hands on this lens, but there were offices to be visited and paperwork to be filed and it happened to be Memorial Day weekend. For the entire first week I would make constant negative comments like, "Wish I had that lens," "This picture would be great if I could get closer," or "If only I had a 19-200mm." For instance, the picture of the Pelican drying his wings was definitely a moment of frustration and disappointment with my lens.

When I got back from the walk I made a new best friend. Her name is Lily. Lily is Hyacinth's daughter; Hyacinth cleaned and cooked for our stay in Jamaica. Hyacinth and her daughters became some of my closets friends during my stay. Lily is three and she likes to color and play with water. Chin is nine and she loves listening to my ipod, surfing the Internet and learning to swim with us. A lot of Jamaicans either don't know how to swim or are freaked out by water if they can't see through it. Numerous people have told me I'm crazy for how far I swim into the ocean and some tell me they either never learned to swim or would just rather not. I could see how trying to teach someone to swim in the ocean would be difficult. The only pool I saw in Jamaica was on the campus of the University of the West Indies.

After walking, swimming and playing with Lily, we all wanted to walk to Yallah's Square. Mr. Dunkin, who is the gatekeeper and groundskeeper for the villa offered to take us to town. He was great to go with because he knows everyone. He is so friendly and nice; he is definitely someone I miss the most. Anyway, the square is only about a ten or fifteen minute walk, but the sun is scorching you the entire time. The first day the walk seemed long, but after that I tried to walk to the square at least four or five times a week. By the second week the walk was really short and I would stop and chat with familiar faces along the way. I really enjoyed going to the square because that is where everyone else was chillin. In Jamaica most people will say they spend their days in the street or in the yard, so the square was basically 'the street'.
When I went to the square, I searched for someone who sold jerk fish because I'm not a fan of chicken. There was only one vendor and he became my new best friend. The first day I had breadfruit, fish and festival and it was absolutely amazing. I was looking forward to having this for lunch everyday, but I would soon find out that that wasn't going to happen. Apparently the government gives all the vendors chicken on consignment, but the vendors have to buy or catch the fish privately. So, I only had jerk fish three days :(! My boy would try and arrange different days for me to come and get fish, but we kept missing each others times/days. After I realized I wasn't going to get to eat fish daily, I had to find a new lunch menu. I started going to Juici patty and ordering a soy or veggie patty with coco bread. I would also buy festival daily off my boy. I really, really, really miss festival.

On our way home from town we ran into fisherman gutting their catch. Some of us were reluctant to go speak to them because we didn't know if that was normal. rude. weird. etc. A few of us ended up going to chat with them and I got some great pictures and learned a few things. These men happen to catch a Marlin that day; they showed us the round, silver, shiny ball-shaped balloons that help keep the fish a float in the middle of the sea. They also were showing us how to cut the fish into steaks and then they dropped it in a bucket in preparation to be taken to the market. We probably ate a few fish steaks for dinner that were caught by these fisherman or others like them.

When we got back to the villa, I met my new baby. KITTY! Kitty is a little boy cat that Mr. Dunkin takes care of. Mr. Dunkin named his kitty, kitty and his puppy, puppy. I loved kitty and he kept me company since I didn't have Charlie with me. Another house pet happened to be an enormous moth. In Jamaica there aren't screens on the window slats and you basically just leave the doors open night and day. This allows critters like lizards, cockroaches, and moths to make themselves at home. On Monday night we were all dive bombed by a really large and beautiful moth. We like to refer to him as a butterfly because somehow he is less threatening that way.

May 24

2009-07-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting for this day since December and now that it was finally here...I was nervous. I was wondering if I would get along with everyone in my program since it was made up of mostly girls. I was also dreading the flight because flying just isn't my thing. I was wondering if I would miss my friends and family and if I could possibly survive without my kitten Charlie. I was hoping Jamaica would be everything I wanted it to be. I was also concerned with my future site for my service work. However, I was pretty pumped about some aspects of the trip... I couldn't wait to jump in the ocean, learn a new language and finally visit another country.

My flight from Philadelphia to Atlanta passed by in one short nap and I slept most of my second flight too. When we arrived in Kingston at the airport we had to wait in super long lines to get through customs. After we waited for nearly an hour it was time to pick up our luggage...but wait, our luggage was nowhere to be found. Me and three other gals who all had the same connection were joking about losing our baggage and after searching for a half hour we realized it was no joke. I had to come to the realization that I would be stuck in a white t and sweatpants capris for four days. Sweatpants may have been OK for Philly at 5am when I left, but it was about 85 degrees in Jamaica when we landed. Needless to say, I felt extremely dirty even with numerous showers and I still cant even look at those sweatpants...I think they will be going in a Good Will bag extremely soon.
We waited at the airport for everyone to arrive and then we piled into a van and headed to Yallahs. We stopped at a grocery store for lunch where I picked up a block of cheese, chips and a sixer of Red Stripe. I soon found out that cheese in Jamaica just isn't the same. Lack of cheese and excess of mosquitoes are my only complaints for the island. Anyway, we drove about an hour and then we reached our destination and home for the next five weeks..Yallahs, St. Thomas. We lived in a villa on the beach in a small bush town.. the only 'town' in Jamaica is Kingston. Our villa was a ten minute walk from Yallahs Square where there are two super markets, a gas station, a few bars, a collection of stores, vendors who sell Jerk chicken and fish and a Juici Patty.
The first night we went up to the guest house on the hill where a few of the students stayed. We ate a delicious meal and I even tried a piece of curry chicken...yes spice and meat. I was being quite adventurous. After dinner I sat and watched the sunset on a bed/swing that hangs from an almond tree in the villa's yard. Little did I know that this bed would soon be where I slept. Sleeping outside was great because it was cooler with a slight breeze so I wasn't sweltering hot anymore and the wind also kept the mosquitoes off me. I would wake up in the middle of the night to crashing waves and lights from the fisherman's boats.

I'm Back!

2009-07-01T14:49:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Philadelphia on Monday night, so once I'm settled I will be posting everything from the last month. I found a new home in Jamaica and I cannot wait to share it with you all. Before I start posting, I need to write a paper for the class I was taking while in Jamaica. I took over a thousand pictures, so there will be a lot of material to feast your eyes on. Until then, here are few that either caught my eye or reminded me of the amazing adventures I had.

This small boat was located at the coast guard in Bowden, St. Thomas. The officers said that a family from another country was actually traveling in this boat and as they passed through the channel the officers stopped them.

This is the group of students that went on the over night hike through the Jon Crow and Blue Mountains. From Left to Right: Ali, Emily, Jack, Lindsey, Mark and Jill

This is Shaggy, he was our tour guide for the hike through Cunha Cunha Pass.

These two flowers are in the butterfly garden at Hope Gardens in Kingston. These two photos reminded me of one of the best people I've met in Jamaica. His name is Bruce and he was actually the designer and planter of the butterfly garden.

Found mi a rasta husband in Jamaica mon

2009-05-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

I'm staying in Jamaica until the end of June; I have many great experiences to share, so this is the first blog posting of many. I'm pretty tired, so I'm just going to post pictures tonight. Tomorrow I will be sure to fill everyone in on the awesome adventures I am having.

10 minutes pass.....

The internet connection isn't strong enough tonight for me to upload my photos; I'll try again tomorrow.

This is the place where I am staying and the program I am working with.

Boyfriend, Girlfriend & Seducer

2009-05-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

This blog post is full of fashion genius. Steph Slanina is the designer/creator of all the pieces you will see below. The inspiration for these outfits came from three different roles that we have all probably experienced at one point in our lives. Have you ever been a girlfriend trying to hold on to her boyfriend and protect your relationship from the seducer? Or maybe you played the role of the seducer? Either way Karma is coming. The girlfriend is pictured in blue, the seducer in purple and I'll let you guess who the boyfriend is.

Life of a Colleague

2009-05-07T13:52:00.000-07:00

This is a project I completed about a month ago. I finally learned how to embed it into my blog :). THANK YOU LISA.

Over the Hill and Still Kickin'

2009-05-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

HERE IS MY PROJECT!!

Extremely Frustrated.

2009-04-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

My post was just deleted. I don't even feel like explaining myself again. Here are pictures.

Check it out..

2009-04-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

Similar to "my world" every student in the Doc class had to follow around a classmate and create "life of a colleague", here is Sande's soundslide production about yours truly.