Jennifer - February

Hello All,This is Jenny and I am studying in Kingston, Jamaica. Now you may start thinking what a wonderful warm, sunny beach filled place to study abroad in. However, Kingston is the capital city of Jamaica, and yes I've been to a few beaches, but Kingston is a city, maybe more run down then Chicago without all the skyscrapers, but it still has the same smells! By writing this I want to explain a little bit about studying in a developing country where I've suddenly become a minority person. I have found so many things to learn from a developing country because it is so different then the United States or similar developed countries. Two major things that I've learned and have been working on is to be flexible and to appreciate the small things. I am doing a service learning program, so three days a week right now I am working at an organization that does advocacy work for people with disabilities, very slowly in Jamaican time which is very frustrating. So everyday I see mostly blind people that are at this organization mainly for the company it provides them with. Many of them cannot get jobs aside from being little street vendors, because the general population doesn't believe a blind person can amount to anything. However, they still are very joyful, interesting people who always love seeing me and talking to me. Basically, they find such joy in just talking to an American. Finally, the hardest thing to get use to when I first arrived in Jamaica, next to the crazy driving and public transportation, were all the names or things people would call me. I've heard everything including: pretty, beautiful, whitie, that I'm so innocent because I should be ashamed for all the black people that my grandfather killed, I'm hissed at so they can get my attention, marriage proposals, and many offers to go home with various males on the street in passing, and many phone numbers and flowers. Again they are just fascinated with seeing a white person, and it has really made me learn how to interact with people that have many differences from me. Now I don't know if this has convinced you to consider studying abroad in a developing county, but generally, I am so glad that I'm here and I know that it is much better for me then any other developed country!!