THE 23RD AND ONE HALF ANNUAL BLOG ENTRY:

Hi there -

Welcome to my humble blog. I hope to update this as much as I can during my time in Jamaica as a Peace Corps volunteer. I'll be leaving (in a rather terrified state if where I am two weeks away from it is any indication) for the pre-departure staging event in Miami on July 5th. Apparantly this is when they will tell you not to do dreadful things like organize a rebel militia and stage a coup, or being the big dumb American while in Jamaica...whatever comes first I guess.

I'll try to anticipate any questions people might have about doing this kind of thing, especially in Jamaica.

JAMAICA FAQ:

• What kind of commitment is it? Two years and change. You earn vacation as you go along, so I hope to come home every six months or so. Jamaica is warm though, anyone can come and visit!
• Does everyone there smoke some of that ganj? Dude have you heard reggae?......actually no. Marijuana laws operate there much like they do here in the States; it's illegal, but selective enforcement means there can be a wink and a nod and no one is the worse for it. That being said, that kind of thing isn't for me, and even if it was breaking the law as a representative of the U.S. government probably isn't in the job description. I mean, it's not like you can walk around in a drunken/coked up haze for 40 years and then just wake up one day and decide to be President.....oh wait.....
• What kind of work will you be doing? My specific title is "Water Sanitation/Community Environmental Health". That could be anything from what we eloquently describe as a "poo doctor" to working for Habitat for Humanity to working at a marine park or sanctuary. I won't know where I'm even going to be in the country until we get there, so as far as the job is concerned it'll just develop on it's on I suppose. I really hope to get a youth swimming/water safety thing going though, as well as working with sustainable oceanic/fishing practices work. We'll see.
• Do you get paid? You get a living stipend every month which is supposed to cover rent and food. At the end of the two years you can collect what's called a readjustment allowance of something like $6000, which will promptly be blown on every type of American luxury there is...up to an including beer, beer, showers, beer, chips, cd's, and beer.
• What does D'yer Maker mean? It's a Led Zeppelin song off of Houses of the Holy. It was the band's first attempt at making a reggae-ish type song. The title of the tune is meant to be a joke; Robert Plant and John Bonham came from rural England and had thick accents. "D'yer Maker" is supposed to be what the word "Jamaica" sounds like when they said it (i.e. Jermaiker or something). Apparently they got a kick out of people, mostly Americans, telling them "wow man I really like that song Die-er Maker!"

If you have any others you can think of please feel free to let me know. I'm still getting used to the blog stuff here, so don't be surprised if I...a) suck or b) don't update much due to spotty internet access. I'll have my contact information in Jamaica up as soon as I know where that will be, as it will probably change pretty often.

I guess I'm really looking forward to getting that sense of awe back through all of this. If can get to seeing the world as it should be and then asking "why not?", and maybe if you can get there with me, then all of this will have been for good.

-Dan