Blog #2

After our stay in Portland at Sea Cliff with many different  excursions and encounters with locals, we traveled to Trench Town. Our walking tour of Trench Town was amazing and one of my favorite experiences so far. Even though the town is impoverished and facing struggle, there is still so much beauty and culture to be seen, experienced, and felt within the streets. 

It is hard to explain, but I truly believe Jamaica is a special place. The energy is different and so are the people. For example, even though we were walking and in the sun and heat for hours that day, I felt great. In America, sometimes I become irritated or grumpy during this type of weather, but I had no complaints. I feel so blessed to be here. Our tour guide had some very wise words that I loved and have been thinking about a lot.

He said:

"I love, love, one love. The way we walk is right, forward." 

He also made his words into art, and her is one of my favorites:

After the tour, we got to read with students from the Trench Town Reading Center. I read and ate lunch with a six year old little girl named Damelle. I was surprised by her reading ability and maturity. She could read at a level that the some of students in my third grade clinical classroom in America have not yet reached. I was impressed. She also could communicate and hold a conversation easily. She was genuinely interested in talking to me, and even asked me questions too. I'm used to being the one that asks all the questions when talking to children to get them to speak. At the end of our time with them, we hugged, high-fived, and she ran after our car waving to us as we drove away. I really hope to see her again when we visit on Friday.

I've come to the realization on this trip that their truly is beauty to be found within everything and everyone. I am already a positive and optimistic person. However, after these experiences, I feel as if I am learning to become a better person, with a more positive outlook in the sense that I see and focus on the beauty in people and places instead of dwelling the negatives, complaining, and letting small things that are annoying or frustrating ruin an experience. There are some things that are out of our control.. many things actually, but it is what it is and the one thing we can control is our attitude. I think a positive mental attitude is an important choice in life. This sounds somewhat cheesy as I'm rereading it. But I think that these words, even thou they may be cliches are true.