Immersion in Cross-Cultural Deaf Communities: A Personal Reflection
A Senior Honors Creative Project
By
Krista Haddix
Thesis Advisor
Jennifer Warmer
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana
April 2009
Date of Graduation
May 8, 2009
Abstract
The inspiration for this creative scrapbooking project was gleaned from the immersive
experiences that I had while living at two separate Deaf schools. One of these schools was the
Indiana School for the Deaf, where I had the opportunity to live, teach, volunteer, and take
classes for both semesters of my sophomore year. The other Deaf community, in which I lived
the summer after my junior year, was the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf in Montego
Bay, Jamaica. Both of these immersive experiences have influenced my personal and global
perspectives and have deepened my heart for the Deaf community and its members. This
scrapbook contains a compilation of reflections that document the growth I experienced during
my time at these two schools. Four different sections are included in this book, which have
allowed me to narrow my focus to the specific aspects of my immersion that have had the
greatest impact on me. These sections include Culture, Schools, Students, and Staff. The reader
will find short papers, journal entries, documented discussions, pictures with descriptions, and
artwork within the sections of the scrapbook. This project has been a continuation of my
development as a Deaf educator and member of the Deaf community, and it is my hope that its
readers will grow in their understanding of the Deaf Culture as well.
Acknowledgments
- I would like to thank Ms. Jennifer Warmer for advising me in the development of this
creative project. I have greatly appreciated the interest, input, and accountability that she has
offered me throughout the entire process.
Rationale
The year that I spent at the Indiana School for the Deaf and the 7 weeks that I lived at the
Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf were the most notably influential experiences that I have
had during my college career. I entered college with a passion for the Deaf community and was
excited to begin the Deaf Education program at Ball State. At that time, however, I had not spent
such extended amounts of time within the Deaf Culture and was oblivious to much of what held
the community together. I had spent each spring break of my high school career at CCCD and
had formed some surface-level relationships with Deaf individuals. By the time that I moved
onto the ISD campus my sophomore year, I knew that I was in for some culture shock. I am
thankful that I was able to experience this type of immersion early on in my college career,
because it set the tone for my last two years at Ball State. I began to understand more clearly why
I wanted to be a part of the Deaf community, and I believe that it also inspired me to return to
CCCD, my first "love," the summer after my junior year.
The amount of influence that these experiences have had on my future as an effective
Deaf educator cannot be ignored. The development of this project has allowed me to further
reflect upon the aspects of my immersion that have been central to my professional and personal
development. It can be too easy for one to leave such experiences in the past and to not take the
time to analyze the ways in which they have molded him or her as a unique individual.
Throughout the months that I worked on this project, I was able to do just that; the process has
opened up new perspectives and understandings to me as I have compared the two schools and
their cultural differences and similarities.
As I worked on creating an outline of the various components to be included in my
scrapbook, I came to find that the key factors of my growth created 4 sections: culture, schools,
students, and staff. I used this finding to develop a scrapbook that would lead the reader through
each area in a way that best unfolded my story and allowed for a comparison between ISD and
CCCD. The information that I have learned in my Deaf education courses has allowed me to
create a final product that is both based on experience and knowledge.
The development of this creative project has been both a fulfilling and beneficial
capstone experience. It has allowed me to use the knowledge that I have gained from
professionals to reflect on my immersion in these two cultures and to analyze how it has affected
me as an individual. My understanding of the Deaf Culture and community has been expanded as
I have looked more closely at the people within the communities and their hearts. Both of these
experiences have given me a better vision of what type of educator and person I hope to be after
graduation, and I know that these memories will always be a part of who I am.
-e
SP~ing
b~
COI'ee~. Du~ing
~1
junio~
tqy ot
~
I c<IIIldn' Pt: I!froQgIt of it I I'I!tvI'liiid
JCll/Qica I!Gch
Of IIy hi."
IIy SOI>IIcorore IItId
Yt!a •
;~~~;II~:
hod the ClIIIIortu" ty to
threeNow
CCCD
sChools
in JCIIIoica.
Bay.
I bega"
llleet:ing
Deaf 51
tE!Qn
fi~5t:.
Qne
•
Odul ts I IrQs shy at
but
The students did not care how lIIIeII •§II tCllJ&UGga
We knew. they Were si"",ty t!JCci ed to ()
n co a
With us IItId to tea"" about
Ii".. n -"ica
After IIy cOftt;f ti,.. Vi 1ting CCCD I knew that
IrQrlcing Wi th the Deaf lias SOlllething that .... ....._
catted to do Wi II IIy life Each Of the foll
--Years. I COUnted daRn the
to IIy
Dlring
I began Seeking out cotlege
hat
allow me to
ctOSely With the Oegf
sign
IIlngUOge interpre ing
felt into IIy tap
but I lIrIInted IIIore than the
lII:lnted a
interQ ton With the People Ftnolly I
CQne ClCI'Os$ Bolt Stote lIni"",. ity I SIIIt that
they hOd a prog..... fo,. DeaF Educa ion lind
actually sen alt
5 to llYe at a
decis
on
residential
Deaf chaot fo,. a Yea,. I hod ...
ou~
~k
deepe~
~
retu~~
prog~ ~~td
Prog~
l~
~
Introducing
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Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf
124 North Court Street
Lewisburg, WV 2490 t
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CHARL8T TEBA Y
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930A 16F
WIM)()f,
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I C4WOR.t Vt.1.~ fL,yst V\.1.DYlM,,~ ~""JC4Vt.1.C4I,eC4 to tht tyopl,eC4l sl..<.~L..ght
stytC4Vt.1.~""g thyol..<.gh Vt.1.~ w~""~ow C4""~ tht byttzt of Vt.1.~ fC4"" bLow~g
gt""tL~ 0"" Vt.1.~ fC4ct. Th~S WC4S ~t; ~t hC4~ btgl..<."". Tht R.~~S wOl..<.l~bt
tC4t~~ bytC4R.fC4st C4YOI..<.~ 6:30 C4.Vt.1.., bw.t ctftty A Lo~ ~C4~ of tYC4vtl, C4tA.d
"'-Ot ~tt hAv~""g Vt.1.tt C4""~ of thtVt.1., I cttc~cttct to slttp ~"" C4 l~ttl..t C4tA.d tC4t ~II\,
Vt.1.~ YOOVt.1.. I WAS ytAct~ to go to chl..<.ych w~th Mys. Russtll, tht 'PY~"'-C~'PC4l,
C4YOI..<.~ s:?:30 A.Vt.1..
Mys. R.u.55tU's hOl..<.5t A""ct Vt.1.~ YOOVt.1. wtr-t co"""'-tcttct b~ C4"" optll\,C4~y gC4YC4gt. I sttp'Ptct Ol..<.t of Vt.1.~ YOOVt.1., C4""ct SOD"" MY'S. R.u.55tll CC4Vt.1.t Ol..<.t,
ctytsStct I..<.'P C4""ct r-tAct~ fOY chl..<.ych. "'c::tooct V\.1.DnM..~I" I sC4~ct, SVt.1.~l~~. MiS
th~s ~Ol..<.y fL,yst t~V\.1.t Ol..<.t of ~Ol..<.y YOOVt.1. th~ Vt.1.0Y"'-~~ 7!" sht ytpl~ct,
stl..<."""'-tct. "YtC4h ... "
I looR. bC4CR. At thC4t Vt.1.0nM..~ C4""ct lC4l..<.gh to Vt.1.~stlf. D1~S WAS o"'-t
of Vt.1.~ fi,yst NC4h-hAh" V\.1.DV\.1.til\.ts. I WC4S ~""JC4Vt.1.AI,eA "'-OW, C4tA.d Vt.1.A""~
th~""gs wtr-t go~~ to bt ct~ffeyt""t. Li.ftst~lts, exptctAt~""s,
COVt.1.Vt.1.I..<.~A~O"", 'Pytfeyt"'-Cts, ytlAt~"'-Sh~'Ps. I AlVt.1.ost "'-tVty sLtpt 'PASt
s:?:00 Aftty thAt, C4tA.d thC4t WAS o""l~ 0"" tht wtdutA.ds. WAS ~t btCAl..<.5t I
thol..<.ght I wOl..<.lct bt V~wtct C4S lAZ~7 No ... wtlL, 6I\.Dt "'-tctssC4~ltl. MA~bt.
"Sl..<.t ~t's AVt.1.C4Z~""g how ql..<.l,eR.l~ o"'-t CC4"" btcoV\.1.t C4ccl~Vt.1.C4tt~ to C4 "'-tw
cl..<.ltl..<.yt. AtA.d h06l\.t5tL~, I l~R.tct tht ChC4~tl It WAS Y'tfrtsh~~. Tht 51..<.""
YOSt C4YOI..<.""ct 5:00 OY 5:30 tVty~ V\.1.Dy""~""g C4""ct stt C4YOI..<.""ct r:30 'P'Vt.1.. I
felt l..i..R.t I l~vtct w~th tht 51..<."" C4 Lot lM.Dyt, A~ ~t felt gooct. I felt
'Pyoctl..<.ct~Vt. (CAyy~~""g thAt bC4CR. ~""to tht stAtts hC4S bu"" ct~ffi,c..l..<.lt. It
WC4S fu..""""~ COVt.1.~~ bACR. A""ct th~""R.~""g of how etlri!:1 A"" s:?:00 ClASS
SUVt.1.tct. t-tC4hA. 15 ~t tht 51..<.",,7 Oy C4yt AV\.1.tMC4"'-S s~Vt.1.'Pl~ lC4Z~7 ) Mys.
R.u.55tll l~Vtct w~th tht 51..<."", tOO. "Stfor-t school tVty~ ctC4~ sht WOI..<.W get
I..<.'P AtA.d ct~Vt ~""to tow"" to go S~Vt.1. lC4-ps. sht sA~ct sht WC4S 'PYOl..<.ct to bt
tht o""l~ 6I\.D",,-ct~Abetl,e ~"" hty fAVt.1.~l~ A""ct wC4""ttct to R.ttp thC4t stC4tl..<.5.
A""~WC4~, thC4t WC4S C4 tC4l1\,gt""t.
Tht stl..<.ctt""ts At CCCD Ar-t SOV\.1.t of tht hAycttst wonruyS I hC4Vt tvty
su"". I WAS toW thAt I hC4ct WtAR., 50ft hA""cts wht"" OV'wt of tht g~rt.s htLd
thtVt.1.. 6Vt"" thol..<.gh tht~ ct~ct""'t StArt school I..<.""t~l s:?:00 C4.Vt.1.., tht
stl..<.ctt""ts wOl..<.lct get I..<.'P C4t "'-tAyl~ 5:00 OY 5 :30 tvty~ V\.1.DnM..""9 to cto
tht~y wC4sh (b~ hC4""ct) C4""ct choyts btfor-t bytC4R.fAst C4t 6:30. Tht~ tYl..<.l~
VC4ll..<.tct whC4t tht~ hC4ct C4""ct toOR. 'Prictt ~"" tht~y worn. I'll "'-tVty fOyget Vt.1.~
shocR. stt~~ how hAYct tht~ sCYl..<.bbtct tht~yjtA61\.5 to get tVty~ lC4st l~ttl..t
b~t of ct~rt Ol..<.t.
of
As I t~Pt th~s I'~ th~lI\,lrG~~, "w&t~t, I'~ gttt~lI\,g &tht&t~
~~stlf. .. th~s ~s tht
culture stet~oll\, lo'\,Ot thtll\, studell1-ts stet~oll\, ... " H1M..
Ft.<.lI\,lI\,~ how
!10t.<. e&tll\,'t s~&ty&ttt &tll\,~th~"\'g fyo~ et.<.ltt.<.yt.
Wtll, lI\,ot o~~ ~~~ I h&tvt wt&tlrG, soft h&tll\,~s, bt.<.t I &tLso
uw&tllrGt~
yt&tll~ f&tst." A~ whtll\, I w&ts tol~ th&tt, I holl'\.tStl~ thot.<.ght thAt I w&ts
St.<.yt &tyt ~lI\, &t yt.<.Sh, &tytll\,'t wt? Oll\,Ct wt get ot.<.t of
bt~, &tt It&tst. I'~ lo'\,Ot 1rG~~~~~ whtll\,l s&t~ thAt ~t w&ts hRrdfoy ~ to
w&tllrG ~lI\, st~~t w~th so~t of thost stt.<.~tll\,ts. whtll\, I h&tvt so~whtyt
thAt I &t~ go~~, I w&tll\,t to get thtyt! whtll\, I'~ ~ tL.t~ to &t seht~t.<.Lt,
ty~~~ to gtt to ~!1 el&tss &teyoss e&t~pt.<.S ~lI\, ttll\, ~~lI\,t.<.tts, wh&tt is ~~
yt.<.Sh &tll\,~w&t~? M~ Ltgs sttlllA.t~ to bt ty&t~~~ to &t etyt&t~lI\, e&t~tll\,Ct.
w&tllrG~~ slowl!1 . Wt
•
of &t
seht~t.<.lt wtrt &t eh&tlLt~t, tspte~&tU~ ~t.<.~lI\,g tht fi,yst eot.<.pLt WttlrGs of
<::;ttt~lI\,g t.<.St~ to tht ~~fftytll\,Cts ~lI\, pt.<.lI\,Ctt.<.&tl~t~ &tll\,~ stll\,st
~~ t~~t &tt CCCt>. 1 ,IrG~w th&ttj&t~&t~&tlo'\,S tt~t~ to follow b~ tht
Yt.<.lt
th&tt s&t~s "No pyobLt~, ~lI\,," &t~ I h&t~ h&t~ so~ tX'ptyL.tll\,Ct w~th, th&tt
~t.<.~~ ~~ h~gh sehool ~ps. I ty~t~
to Py~&tyt
~~stlf ~tll\,t&tll~ foy
~&tIrG~lI\,g thtst eh&tll\,gts
btfoyt I &tYY~Vt~ ~lI\, MOll\,ttgo ~&t~, bt.<.t o~~ so
~t.<.eh e&tll\, bt ~o~ btfoyt ~ot.<.'yt f&te~~ thost s~tt.<.&tt~Oll\,s. I h&t~ lo'\,O
seht~t.<.Lt whtll\, I &tniVt~, &tll\,~ tVtll\, ~f I ~~~, wOt.<.l~ ~t bt foLLowt~? M&t~bt
loostl~ . I w&ts so t.<.St~ to bt~~ toL~ whRtto ~o, whell1-to ~o ~t, &tll\,~ how
~t shot.<.l~ bt ~o~. <::;y&tll\,tt~, I w&tSll\,'t tteh.M..e&tll~ &t Nstt.<.~tll\,t" Oy
Nstt.<.~tll\,t tt&tehty" &tt CCCt>. I h&t~ lo'\,O gt.<.~~tl~1I'\.tS to foLlow ~lI\, Oy~ty to
t&tyll\, eyt~~t. A~ so~~""-tS I w&ts tt&teh~~ tht tt&tehtys. So I h&t~ to ~~
~t1 ~~lI\,~
of &tll Pytttll\,s~oll\,s. ALL I w&tll\,tt~ to ~o w&ts ~&tlrGt ~~stLf
&tv&ta&tbLt to tht tt&tehtys &tll\,~ stt.<.~tll\,ts thtyt. To bt thtyt to htLp, tt&teh,
tll\,Cot.<.y&tgt, Lt&tyll\"
&t~ sh&tyt IrGlo'\,OwLt~gt. t>t~ ~lI\, ~~. ht&tyt, I w&tll\,tt~
to
•
g~Vt b&telrG. ~t.<.t SOlllA.tt~""-tS &tll I eot.<.~ th~lI\,lrG W&ts "so~to~ ttLl ~t how
to ~o th&tt!" ofttll\, ~t.<.~~ tht fi,yst eOt.<.pLt WttlrGs I wo~tyt~ wh~ I w&ts
thtyt, ~f I w&ts ~t~t~. Aftty yt&tLi.z~~ th&tt tht~ ~~~lI\,'t h&tvt &tll\,~
t.X:ptet&ttl.oll\,s fOY ~t Oy ~~ i.lI\,volvt~tll\,t, I e&t~t to tht eOll\,Clt.<.Si.oll\, th&tt
~&t~bt I wOt.<.l~ bt ~yt eo~foyt&tblt ~f I wOt.<.L~ stop hoL~~~
t.X:ptetAti.oll\,s fOY them &t~ thti.y eO~~t.<..M..e&tti.oll\, wi.th me. It stt~ li.lrGt
&t sty&tll\,gt s~stt~ to WOylrG Oll\" s&t~~~ ~t i.lI\, WOy~S lo'\,OW, bt.<.t ~t &tett.<.&tLl!1
opt~~ t.<.p &t
whoLt ~w woYl~
of fytt~o~. I btg&tll\, to s~ ot.<.t of ~~
eo~foyt zo~ ~Oyt &tll\,~ bt ~yt &tet~vtl~ i.lI\,volvt~; whtll\, I fot.<.lI\,~ thAt
~hi.~ I ~~~ Oy ~~~lI\,'t ~o wOt.<.l~ t.<.pstt tht~, I ft.gt.<.yt~ I . eot.<.l~ ~o
wh&tttvty I felt lt~ to ~o! 111i.s beg&tll\, tht ~tVtLop~tll\,t of elosty
ytLAti.oll\,sh~ps wi.th both tht stt.<.~tll\,ts &tll\,~ tht tt&tehtys, wh~h Lt~ to tht
tt&tehtys' "'Ppyte~&tt~~ &t~ w&tll\,t~~ ~Oyt Ot.<.t
of ~t ~lI\, Y'ttt.<.Yll\,.
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n
J
Clm~ ~\~ f\.') clCN\0 rwe::, wt-M
g~ ~
~ ~~ ftJ5
~ DJ"'e, \\-JT~S2:-
d.bav.,-\- '-\'Y\i S ~QI'U)
\t i ~ ~Qr N.xu~S
~ \ ~~ Jes~ (1\1'8
~ ~ 'M-J.A1.
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..
Robin's Nest Orpbanage
I had the opportunity to
t Ro
different occasions. Though BODle
them were Deaf. This is one
mcesr OI1ma~les
has even won awards.
some of the children to ·,rec:ebr~Jmyst.lI't_~,.
missionaries Ooy) frequ
.... Qltt$l»eec:l1
with some of the kid
r \lana e
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o
o
('\
. I
· f
I
family
b
E
~
On Thursday nights at ISD all of the ·dential students packed th . bags, ready to
go home on Friday for the weekend. Th . famili Jived all 0 r th
te of Indiana
but no matter how far that same trip was mad
ry we kend. Many of the families
have moved closer to Indianapoli
that th children re abl to go hom every
night; approximately 40% of the tudeo
day stud
"
and family situations.
a language-rich environment in
emsel~res. hay a n
fbeing understood
h
hearing paren who take
provid this type of high-language,
d nts nd to do th best on their
m are not as fortunate. They
DOilOes. Du to a lack of time and/or
t not enough to
It breaks my heart. Imagin for a m men
ing in the tudents' hoe. Seeing lip
moving between peopl across the room, n v r being acknowledged or welcomed
into the discu ·on. Or being yelled at by your par n only understanding their
anger through the expressions nth· fac . It is no wonder that the tel vision
becomes the be t friend of so many of th
studen. I can remember speaking to a
new Deaf friend of mine in his late twenti expressing the pain he fi It at realizing
all of the wa ted hours that he had spen in front of the T.V. a a child.
The situation is similar inJamaica. CCCD is a residential school like ISD. There are
thre CCCD chools on the island ofJamaica so the on in Montego Bay gathers
the children that are closest to their region of the island. About 1 or 2 of the 53
tudents are 'day students" and only about 20% of the tud n gQ home on any
given weekend. Many do not see their parents until the tended breaks arrive and
their parents are required to com and pick them up. Even then, sometimes the
principal needs to call som parents repeatedly to get them to come for their
children. One of th t achers at CCCD was distraught as he
ressed to m th
difficulty of se ing some students crying not wanting to go home; they have food at
hool they said. And friends they can communicate with. In general ud nt
integration into the hearingJamaican culture is much mor difficult than i is for
rna t Deaf students in the United States. tudent life as it i experien ed by th
Deaf students cannot of course, be removed from the strong and proud culture
found in Jamaica. One of the mo t eye-opening conv rsations I had with a C CD
student, who was 16 years old went omething like this:
Tashana: How many fathers do you hav ?
M : What?
Tashana: How many father do you have?
Me: How many parents do I have?
Tashana: Fathers!
Me: I hav one father. I don't understand ... i that what you're asking m ?
Ta hana: How many mothers do you have?
Me: How many mothers? I have one ... I hav two parents, one father one moth r.
Ta hana: (blank stare and then) Wh r does your father live?
Me: He lives in th Unit d States in Indiana.
Tashana: Where doe your moth r liv ?
M : She live with my father, in the United States. They are together.
Tashana: Ohh ...
Me: How many fathers do you have?
Tashana: Two fathers three mother. On of my moth rsjust had another baby
( miles).
Me: Awww that must be fun! So where do your parents live?
Tashana: Not together ... two live in America, the re t inJamaica.
Me: So, do they sign?
Tashana: No Ijust try to lip read. It's hard.
Unlike Tashana many of the students live with their grandpar n aun unci
and siblings. Through many conversations that I had with the stud n and with th
teach rs, I cam to find that those whos parents learned] L (Jamaican ign
Language) were al 0 th ones who actually showed up to parent-teacher m tings
paid their school fees and had highly motivated children. Funny how all of tho
things connect.
My heart broke when I heard the story of the CCCD student that passed
away last January. She was 14. She went up into the mountains to spend
the holiday break with her family. The young girl caught Dengue fever,
which is developed from contact with infected mosquitoes and causes
bleeding. This disease is easily curable, but neither her family nor the
doctors could understand sign language and could not identify her
symptoms quickly enough.
At ISO I lived with 18 others who experienced, in general, the same day-today routine that I did. All of us had a first day in the classroom. All of us
were awkward with our signing. And we all took the same courses together,
slept in the same hall, and lived in the same space. It was easy for me to
find someone who could relate to my emotions, frustrations, and joys.
Living on the school's campus was great. Because of the amount of time
that we were required to volunteer at the school and participate in the Deaf
community, living on campus made it much easier to be fully immersed into
the culture than if we were to simply walk into a classroom each day. All of
the students' performances and athletic competitions were just outside our
doors. I was so thankful to have all of these opportunities at my disposal. It
was fun to be able to go to and volunteer at different events with friends.
But thaI's not to say that it wasn't ever hard. It's funny how nervous you
can get about doing something so simple ... like working at a concession
stand and not understanding someone's sign language. I think we were all
thankful for each other's company.
My parents live 30 minutes from ISO. So whenever I needed to get out or
escape the fenced-in feeling, it was easy! And even if I didn't feel like
driving for half an hour, I could at least go to Starbucks or something. It
was nice to have a certain amount of freedom. And it was normal.
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II)
..I
>
S
CD
.....
::s
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n
II)
do it
.
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The Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf includes 3 residential
Deaf school as well ~ an expanding Deaf Village.
The 3 schools are located in the cities of Montego Bay, Kingston, and
Knockpatrick.
Having residential facilities gives CCCD a way to reach Deaf children
who are in rural areas and who would be unable to travel to school
every day. The amazing thing is that this organization provides Deaf
students with access to the gospel through an education in their native
language and vocational training to benefit their futures.
The students have the opportunity to explore several different
vocational areas in order to find the right fit. Whether they decide to
follow that skill as a career path or continue in further education, the
experience of the training gives the tudents a much better chance of
rmding a job in the Jamaican sOciety.
teeD
,..,
j
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/ ' ', ' "t
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It
·The Caribbean ·
Christian Centre
for the Deaf
They Hear Only With
Their Hearts ...
Will You
Listen
With
? sponsor
a Deaf Child At
CCCD
Your S
in Jamaica
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Living at CooD
I had mentaJIy prepared myself for living in a concrete, open-air dorm room for
7 weeks. 80 I was thrilled when Mrs. Russell, 't he principal, offered me her
guest room. It was connected to her house by an open-air garage a.nd had its
own bathroom, closet, dresser, and even mini fridge. I felt spoiled.
Then reality set in a little more. I was alone. Across seas from anyone that I
knew.
Time was the biggest factor in my ability to acclimate to this new living
situation. I no longer had the safety net of a few mends whenever I decided to
leave my room and socialize. I could feel my own inner resistance to this push I
had to give myself to be awkward and break into conversations. I thjnk it's
natura.! for a.ll of us to want to stay within our own comfort zones. It's just
easier... the default mode. I was tha.nkful for the previous experiences I had had
at lSD, because I knew that it would 'h ave been more difficult without having
already been through. some of those awkward feelings. My head could tell me
that what these kids and staff thought of me didn't matter, but the tension does
not immediately leave.
I quickly made friends with the Cox family. Keith picked me up from the
airport, and I met April and their two kids, Meagan and Jordan, when I arrived
at the school. They were so great with inviting me in, making me feel more at
ease, and comforting me in their ability to relate to the transition period. The
Cox's actua.1.lyarrived on the island the same day I did, though they had stayed
there for the entire previous summer. Keith and April are U.8. representatives
for CCOD, so they help to coordinate the mission tea.ms that come down and
direct their projects while they are there. Keith was also the ohaplain for the
students every Sunda.y that they were on the island. I was so
thankful for the Cox1s and their hospitality. They took me to the
grocery store, let me use their comput;er for ti.he Internet,
invited me in for the occasional bowl of ice crea.m, and stayed
updated With how things were going for me in the olassroom.
Meagan, 9, and Jordan, 6, were just joys. Some evenlngs after
the students went back to their dorms, they would invite me
in
to play at their house. Meagan told me b.V the end of my 7 weeks
there that I was one of her best frlends.
I quickly got used to spend1.Iig more time with myself. Not JUBt
time by myself, but With myself and .m y thoughts. I didn't have
the "luxury" of the blaring med1a to think for me during those
times in my room. And I loved it. I finally ha.d time to read what
I wanted to read, and I actually had the opportunity to get to
know myself a l1ttle better. I spent time not only reading, but
Journal1ng, drawing, and dreaming. That's not to say that it
wasn't ever hard. There were some rughts tha.t I would cry, not
knoWing exactly what for, but; just aching to have someone fee]
what I was feeling right alongside me. I guess it could be ca.lled
loneliness. More deeplYI though, it was a yearning for
int1m.acy ... a longing to be known and understood when no one
around me seemed to. During tiheS8 times T had. to contlnuoUBly
remind myself that I was understood, better than I even
understood myself. I was understood by One who wanted that
intImacy as much as I did. God helped to remind me durIng
those times that He crea.ted eaoh and everyone of my nuances
and wanted to become the comfort
~o
sa.tisfy all of my deSires. It
was durIng these times of growlIhthat I realized more and more
that I wa,B there to do mors than teach children. The 7 weeks
that I spent in Jamaica left a mark on my life that will last
forever.
for 3 weeks I I had no 1d.~:!~~.
would be another ool1ege BttLde.
Jerry, who had been a Wl8'a1Lo.uLtl
was a friend or Joy's and ,o~~p,.
grandpa who enjoyed :t;a..."...&.U~
Mega Mart The t1me that .!tMrr:.ftWl
weekends, go out to eat. help
workShops and interpret when ~d~ma
added variety and exo1tement to
our Target or 8t&rbuoks rune
mea.n1ngful. I didn't have a oar to ~81Kt8.ue'~~D.
at IBD, jUst to get outs1de the o&m.pue_W1.tiI
myself, was given the opportunity 1iO;b Umt_
I'elatlonsh1ps, and oreated last1IiS D1E_~~W~
~edtlN\lthet~~to-thet~of
thet~~ I hl;uL~P~to-bet
~~iN\Ith&-~ ~whewI ~
I
t;}u;tt" I
w~~ h,(;weI ~ OWt'\l yOO'WtI
~~(wi,tJ\lho'tw~J wh.i.chtth&~cim\Jt"h,(;weI), I w'"'~
Typical CCCD Day:
Chapel was held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at 8:00 a.m ...
Or 8:10, 8:15, you know. On Tuesdays
the students had
devotions in their homeroom classes i
of chapel I would usually get up
to meet the work teams for breakfast in the ~ (unless they began
work at 6:00 a.m., like some of them did to
heat of the day). When
Joy was at CCCD, we would often get up a tattle
to make pancakes or
French toast and eggs. What a grec:rt way to ~ the day.
Chapel would usually last until 9:00 4m. We sang and signed songs, listened
to a devotion from one of the teachers, and sometimes the students got a
lecture about studying, being messy, or SOIM other issue. Whenever it was
the work team's last day, each class would put on a performance for the
team by doing a skit, signing a song, or doing a dance. 'Those were my
favorite days.
For the first 4 weeks, I spent most of the school day in the 7"' and 8tft
grade classroom. I helped Ms.Ciarke teach reading comprehension and
language. The students got a 15-minute break that was at least 25 minutes
long about an hour before lunch and then continued school for about 2 hours
after lunch.
The students had free time before dinMr, and I usually took advantage of
this time to rest and relax after the school day. After dinner, I would help
to clean the dishes and kitchen with the team before hanging out with the
students for the night. On nice nights we would play outSide, otherwise we
all hung out in what they call ·upstairs," which is really their
chapel/gym/tv/game room. The teachers would often hang out upstairs,
too ...at least the ones that lived on campus. During this time I got to know
the students better, learned the rules to all of their games, watched them
braid each other's hair, and got into good conversations. Before having some
alone time in my room and hitting the sack, I would often go to the Cox's to
write an email or play with Meagan and Jordan.
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