Falmouth Field School

The Jamaica Paradox        I remember a discussion we had on the trip about Jamaica and its reputation for having such a happy populace who at the same time are living in less than ideal conditions. I started thinking a lot about this discussion. I talked to Dr. Quillin about it and he told me I should look into the Jamaican “quality of life”. Before I speak about what I found, it is important to explain the difference between two terms: quality of life and standard of living. Standard of living refers to the level of wealth, comfort, material goods and necessities available to a certain socioeconomic class in a certain geographic area(“Standard”). Quality of life is the general well-being of individuals and societies(“Quality”). Quality of life can be viewed from many different frames of reference, for example healthcare, politics, employment and social and physical environment. Standard of living is more based on income(“Standard”). Neither of these alone ar...

Asa Forman Dr. Lee and Dr. Quillin Falmouth Field School 22 January 2016 Bioluminescent Organisms From January 5th to January 15th, 2016, I and several other students from the Post Oak High School went on a trip to Falmouth, a small town on the Northwest Coast of Jamaica. While we were there, we learned about the Falmouth Port, the architecture of the 19th century, the people in Falmouth, the story behind why Jamaicans run so fast, and many more interesting topics. During the trip, our group also got to experience many fun and involving activities, such as visiting John Tharp's original house, rafting on the Martha Brae River, and visiting the first Persian Water Wheel in Falmouth. We also experienced something very surreal: a bioluminescent lagoon. When we jumped into the lagoon, some microorganisms in the lagoon became irritated and illuminated themselves. The organisms were called dinoflagellates. However, before talking about dinoflagellates, I think it would be hel...

        After returning from Jamaica, each of us was tasked with picking a topic to research or a project to complete. I chose to finish the AutoCAD drawing that we worked on this year and research the reasons behind making an architectural drawing in AutoCAD, as well as the process of getting a building permit in Jamaica. Within Jamaica, the process of obtaining a permit to build takes about three to four months according to KeVaughn Harding, the Executive Director of Falmouth Heritage Renewal (FHR) who we worked closely with during our stay in Jamaica.         The process starts with a proposal to restore a historical house, which includes architectural drawings of the building, as well as “ the application form, photographs of the site, proof of ownership of the property, and endorsement of the property owner,” (Harding). These AutoCAD drawings that we have been producing will be used as some of the archit...

During our trip to Jamaica we learned many things, but what was particularly interesting was the political system of Jamaica. The reason why it is so intriguing is because of how unique it is. Jamaican politics is comprised of two major political parties: the People’s National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). This is where things start to get interesting. Both parties’ followers are rivals and sometimes in gangs. For this reason, many people think that Jamaican politics is corrupted due to the involvement of organized crime in the political system. But it is a very unique relationship between Jamaican politics and domestic gangs in that they rely on each other for power. The politicians rely on the gangs to win elections and stay in power, and the gangs rely on the politicians for legitimacy and power (“Jamaica’s Mixture”). The reason why the political system operates this way is because of Alexander Bustamante and Norman Manley's actions and because of how the g...

Women in Jamaican Society While we were in Jamaica, I noticed that there were many more men hanging out around town than women. Based on that observation, I wondered where the women were in Falmouth. The only women I saw around town were women who were actively working, in shops or otherwise. Moreover, I wondered, traditionally, what is a women’s role in Jamaican society? I wondered if traditional gender roles in Jamaica are normal in Jamaican society. In my research I found, historically, women were expected to care for domestic duties such as taking care of the house and children. According to a study done by University of the West Indies, Caribbean Tribes often viewed a subservient wife and dominating husband as “proper relations” between man and women (Brereton). Although, the Jamaican government is working to eliminate bias in favor of men by creating policies that ensure women will not be underrepresented in politics, women still face struggles everyday that traditional gen...

    Reggae is a popular music genre in Jamaica. Jamaican music has a rich history. The name Reggae was created in 1960. The name is identified as a "ragged" style of dance moves  (Scaruffi). Reggae is one of the world's living music traditions (Sherman). Reggae was developed in Jamaica but was not completely developed in Jamaica. It has roots in Africa, and America (New Orleans rhythm'n'blues). It was developed with a style of chanting and emphasized the syncopated beats. When compared to Rock music; Reggae inverts the roles of the guitarist as well as the bassist's role (Scaruffi).     Reggae is created by using the artist's experience, emotions, and traditions. Reggae Is an emotional outlet in Jamaica. The artists put their pride and soul into making a song. For many artists Reggae is their way of life. To many Reggae is entertainment for the soul. It can be used as a social force that can portray the pressures of everyday life into a powerful message. ...

This trip to Jamaica has truly changed my perspective on the world and has truly humbled me to see all this poverty. Nevertheless, I saw smiling happy faces, and I look back on what we have, which is a lot compared to living in a hut made of scrap metal and wooden boards. We have so much luxury, and we take advantage of all of it everyday when some Jamaicans live in barely humane conditions.Every person I met had a good attitude and a smile on their face despite their situation and it really makes me feel good to see a happy face but also out of place at times almost like I felt disgusted with myself to have taken a lot of things for granted.    During my time in Jamaica I worked in the construction team and we did many things like paint and build a staircase etc. but one thing that I really touched me was when I was working on tiling with this man who's name I will not mention  and He was teaching me how to tile. As I was putting a piece tile up He came up and started ta...

It seems quite impossible to capture Jamaica J-Term 2016 into a short blog post, simply because we did so much! Our ten days were filled with meaningful work and conversation, cultural experiences, time together, laughs and memories we will (hopefully) never forget. We had quite a few really amazing, special experiences both working with Falmouth Heritage Renewal and doing more “touristy” things. For me, the most amazing part was that we were in a different country, doing work that will legitimately make a positive impact on someone else’s life. We were helping restore a house, documenting a house with AutoCAD to be restored later this year and making a documentary to help people back at home understand the people of Falmouth better. Our work felt so real and important because it was. Also, I think our eyes were all opened during this trip. We were able to experience Falmouth, Jamaica, as more than just another stop on our cruise. We were able to (more or less) see what everyday ...

Last Thursday was our final day of working in Jamaica.  Everyone was tying up the projects that they were involved in. It was a day of a lot of reflection, both in how we were affected by the beauty and culture of Jamaica, but also what each of us left there. For the first half of the day we all continued on the last bits of our projects.  The construction crew were putting the finishing touches on the stairs, the autocad group was finishing up the plans they had been working on, and the film group was getting some B-roll footage to weave in between our interviews.  It was about three or four hours of work in the morning before we headed off to the beach. The beach was a well deserved relaxation.  All of us, a little under the weather and overwhelmed with a sense of love for the place we were currently getting to experience everyday, were going to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Now as someone who has Galveston as her go-to beach, when I say that...

Today , the construction and documentation cr ews spent the mo rn in g in the markets , unlocking our inner tourist. We spent th e morning buying souvenirs, clothing, and spices , which was something I was really looking forward t o doing. I also thought it was really cool to see all of the differen ces between the shopping venues . We went into the port and its shoppin g establishments, then t o th e local vend ors outside the fenc ed off port, and then finally to the local market . First, we traveled to th e four th gate of the port, where our passports were checked in order to enter into the actual port to see the ship ; which took a n absurd amount of time to complete. I have experiences with going on cruises and have been expose d to things of the like , and it was somewhat like what I have experienced. There were many name brand stores like Harley Dav ids o n and Br ei tl ing. There were also many restaurant chains in the port such as Dairy Queen and Margaritavil...

 At the crafts market in the port, craftsmen sell goods to people passing by. Students in Water Square enjoy the sounds of Falmouth.  A nice scenic street in Falmouth.  Students visit the library for a taste of history.  Colorful fishing boats line a fishing village in Falmouth. Brayden and Matthew take photos of the water that surrounds the fishing village. Jordan models in her trash bag suit in preparation for measuring the foundation of 6 King street.

Today, Daniel, Asa, and I got the opportunity to actually go out and make the materials that we work with in construction. We got to make limestone mortar that is used for brickwork, and we got to saw and shave wood.   Making limestone mortar is really labor-intensive work. To start we had to shovel limestone sand into a shifter and shift it, then that sand is put into a trough filled with limestone paste. Shifting the sand was such a workout for my core. We then had to smush and mix the two together. If I don’t get big guns by the end of this trip I’m gonna be pretty mad.             At the wood workshop we got to cut and shave the wood planks that would be used in the house. It was really crazy because some of the pieces of wood were so long that it took me, Daniel, Asa, and Keniel to hold it to be cut. I cannot imagine how one person would do that by themselves. The last part of the wood making process was...

Ari, Brayden, and Iris meet the principal, Mr. Campbell, at the All Age School when our film crew visited. Brayden helping the children of the all age school complete their worksheets, which Matthew created. Students show off their art skills after completing their worksheets. Brayden amazes the children with his magical light up rectangle. The church we attended Sunday. Street view of Jamaican buildings and students walking home. Some evening bonding to unwind and have a good laugh. More students plus the dog join on the fun.