In just over an hour we leave for Norman Manly International Airport in Kingston for our 9 and a half hour flight back to Gatwick. Time has flown by, it really does not feel like three weeks have passed since we first arrived. Weather is, as usual, very hot; it's 33 degrees Celcius in the shade as I write this and the sweat it dripping off me, so humid!
We finished our experience on a high note last night when we hosted a "Jamrish" night for the teachers in the school and other members of the community whom we met in the course of our journey. The two Jamaican Jesuits, Garvaundo and Letroy helped us set it up, order in food and drink as well as sound equipment. It was blend of cultures so we as an Irish group attempted some Irish dancing (with hilarious results!) and we sang "The Wild Rover" to much applause. Garvaundo, a quite brilliant singer in his own right, taught us a traditional Jamaican patois ditty as well. After the meal, we had games, the best of which was doing the limbo, though inevitably, the Jamaicans beat us hands down! At the end, Miss Brown, vice-principal of St Annie's addressed the party and remarked that while we are not the only international group to visit St Annie's we are the only group that makes the effort to get to know, socialise with and immerse ourselves so thoroughly in the Jamaican way of life. Clearly our aim of building relationships with our Jamicans friends had produced results!
Yesterday (Thursday 21st July 2011) we had our last day in the school. There were no lessons, just a sports day laid on for the kids in the school yard. They had flat races, lime-and-spoon race and a novel 'maths quiz' whereby the the kids had to sprint up to a table, complete the sum on the piece of paper they found there and then race back to the start line with the correct answer! At the end of the races we had a massive water fight with the kids and teachers in the yard- no one was spared the actually quite refreshing dousing of water in that blazing heat!
On (Wednesday 20th July) evening we were visited by Margaret Bolt (yes, she is related to Usain Bolt: he's her husband's cousin!) the former principal of St. Peter Claver primary school (under Jesuit patronage) and now working in the Jamaican Ministry of Education. She was very honest in admitting her occasional feelings of despair in her task of improving the Jamaican school system despite endless cuts and an acute awareness of the implications for those too many kids that get left behind or fall through the crack because of insufficient resources, poor training or the debilitating class and social problems that blight the system and restrict opportunities for poor children. She did remind us though that we should not underestimate the impact we have on the kids on despite our short time there and that there were many schools in Jamaica who never recieve visitations from the outside world.
We were also joined at the dinner table by Fr. Frank Power, a Divine Word Missionary priest, originally from Cork and who has been working in a rural Jamaican parish for the past two years. He has been working in the Caribbean islands for over twenty years in all and is attempting to establish a new primary school in a remote community located an hour and half from Kingston. A real front line trouper! I've been studiously avoiding the news from home these past three weeks but I broke my 'fast' when I discussed the news with a well informed Frank over dinner; on hearing a little of what has been happening I think I was justified in avoiding it for the three weeks!