March 11 2019

Day 4 in Jamaica, today is the day. What do I mean by that? I mean that today is the day we have been preparing for- the day we meet the girls. All semester we have been preparing presentations and activities to guide and help them with all aspects of their self esteem. I thought that would have been easier than meeting them and trying to get them to open up but, to my surprise, the latter was the easiest. Before we met the girls we listened to a speaker at UWI and ate an authentic, homemade Jamaican lunch. Finally, after a morning of anticipation, we were on our way to the Women’s Center to meet the girls. Dr. Key introduced all of us then assigned us and the girls numbers in order to randomly assign us to groups. As soon as myself and the girls in my group laid eyes on each other, we clicked. My girls opened up, interacted, and participated from the day we met to the day I left. I loved it and, frankly, it felt like we had love for each other even though we only knew each other for an hour or so. Prior to us leaving the Women’s Center for the day my girls introduced me to their adorable  kids. Sadly, the bus arrived soon after which meant it was time to go. With that one short hour and one small act of trust and kindness, I already couldn’t wait to come back tomorrow to reconnect with the girls……and their babies.

Per usual, once we got back everybody got dressed and ready to hit the beach. We didn’t stay long but the time we did spend there was amazing. To top off such an amazing day, I had a balcony view of a beach sunset which will probably be amongst the top 20 most beautiful things I’ve seen. Naturally, spending time in the water made us hungry so after a well-needed shower and outfit change, Ari, NeShaun, Frankie, and myself caught a cab to the Pork Pit** where I had my favorite American food and my favorite Jamaican side- ribs with rice and beans. We watched them grill, sauce, and serve the ribs to us. They weren’t the best I’ve ever had but the sauce was different and gave them a little sweet and spicy kick which was a plus. Of course, Ari, Nate and I were not tired so we hung outside with Stefan, one of the TAs. We walked down ring road then back home. That nice 40 minute walk was the perfect way to end our night and tire us out.