Week 2: Strawberry Cheesecake
This week I decided to ask the counter lady what her favourite flavor was- she said strawberry cheesecake!
My review: Even though it tasted delicious, I wish it had more cheesecake than strawberry.
I’m still not clear in what my position entails at CVC but from what I have been told by the past interns- they really work on “Jamaican time”. Instructions and details are not given to you directly and you must advocate for yourself. Take initiative on the assignments you want to work on.
Right now I’ve been trying to conduct a literature review on the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) which includes Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands are also affiliated with the organization. They work together to maintain and promote harmonization of foreign policy, seek common positions on international issues and promote economic integration. My task is to find articles and research reports on the transgender community relating to HIV/AIDs specifically in this region. At first, it was an impossible task but I started remembering all those times we conducted literature reviews in undergrad and found a bunch in social justice organizations such as Amnesty International, etc.
These reports that were found are more specifically towards the state of the topic in the OECS. There are no particular studies that I could find in relation to specifics of the topic. Reading the reports indicate how prominent action is needed to be taken towards the criminality of homosexuals, queers, lgbt youth, sexual violence and much more. The reports included testimonials and news reports of individuals who were too afraid to come out or those who were killed over their gender identity. The criminalization of homosexuality and gender identity has to be reviewed and taking action upon. Although the reports stated that the society is less judgmental, it is only in situations where the individual is not bluntly stating their gender/sexual identity. Additionally, it is against the law in the OECS to be homosexual. Whether society accepts or not, the law still must be changed as these individuals are open to potential criminal charges for simply being homosexual. That is not okay.
I also learned that the road our office on is known for sex workers at night. We walked back one evening and the next day our office colleagues asked if we met them. They said to be careful but be polite to them if we ever saw them because if we find ourselves in danger, the sex workers would help us.
I am learning a lot about the state of the Caribbean islands. Often in my undergrad, I have looked into countries that are well known and researched such as USA, Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, China, etc. I must be truthful- I have never studied the health issues and health systems of countries like Jamaica. It reminds me how important each country plays in this world and how our cultures are so vastly different.
In terms of living in Jamaica updates- it is SO loud at night, day, and morning. The culture here greets each other good morning by honking and I live on a very busy street. It is difficult to have a well-rest sleep when at 3 am or 4 am someone will rev their engine and wake us all up. Loud, blasting music is common too. It is a sense of pride if your speakers are loud and they literally take out their entire trunk to put sound speakers in. I have no problem when its good music because then I can dance in my apartment to it while I cook. Just not into the bad music haha!
Banking in Jamaica is also very difficult. You have to do your research beforehand because your Canadian branch may not know everything (from what I learned hands on). RBC on google states they have a branch in Jamaica but when I went into my local branch in Cambridge, they could not confirm or deny that. I opened a bank account with Scotiabank instead but didn’t realize when I got here- Scotiabank Canada and Scotiabank Jamaica is two separate enterprises. The tellers here wouldn’t help me because I had a Canadian account. I figured out the ABM limits after many trips to the bank. They are only open until 12:30 pm or 1:30 pm so you must be diligent with your banking. Thankfully, the ScotiaBank Canada on twitter has been great to me and helped me through the process.
With exploring the city, I am slowly gaining more confidence to find things on my own. Marlon (one of our office friends) took us to a river and it was beautiful! We drove through the mountain hills and we were in the middle of nowhere. It is a local river where people come and go to eat together and play. The current was very strong because it had just rained and we had to be careful not to get washed away. We also saw the locals gather up their goats who were playing in the river- so cute! Overall- it was an amazing way to get out of the city. I also went to go find the Chinese Benevolent Association because they had an opera and dance show. I got lost on my way, it was hectic to the max but I made it in the end. The CBA was super nice and they gave me their numbers and drove me home. They offered to be my family away from home and I have been feeling super homesick so it was a really great way to end a bad day.
Right now we are prepping for Hurricane Matthew. I don’t know how I feel about it after Typhoon Soudelor I find myself struggling to be worried. We took Friday off to prep the office and boarded up the windows. I went to buy some more canned goods but I don’t know if I am concerned. The grocery store line is a bit crazy though. People were fighting for bread and water. Line ups were around over 1 hour everywhere you go. Talking to my parents on the phone about the situation and they told me to have fun with it. My friends’ back home sound a bit worried that I am staying in Jamaica during this hurricane though but I told them not to worry.
We shall see what will happen!