Day 7: The First Full Day of Group Work (By Ashwin)

Today was the first time that all three groups on the field school worked through an entire day of a single focused project. While the other groups were spending time doing archaeology and working on a film, the entirety of my day consisted of applying metal primer to the roof of the house that Dr. Quillin, Charlie, Blake, and I (the Falmouth architectural restoration group) have been working on. I experienced working on the roof of a house for the first time. Other than doing some work with concrete during the Managua field school trip a couple of years ago, all of the restoration work I've been doing has definitely been very new to me. Based on today's personal experience, the main thing I've noticed about the restoration work is how physically difficult it is. The morning started off with very humid conditions and 80+ degree weather, and as the day went on conditions progressively got harder to work in. Being on the roof which reflected a lot of the sun's light and heat definitely contributed to the work's difficulty. On top of that the restoration group has had to endure being in a lot of awkward positions that put a lot of strain on the back and legs for dozens of minutes at a time. At the end of it all, however, it's satisfying to see the house getting a little closer to completion.

I should also mention our reading/seminar topic of the day on Jamaica's success in track and field. It addressed the popular belief that genetics play the main role in the country's accomplishments, which I agreed with prior to reading about it. Rather than genetics, it has more to do with a lot of the opportunities available in Jamaica that you wouldn't find anywhere else. The reading described a colonial athletic tradition, the interscholastic games, that has created a huge platform for young boys and girls in Jamaica to discover and show off their talents within track and field. Usain Bolt credited the event with producing a great number of successful track and field athletes that is still growing. Aside from the interscholastic games' contribution to Jamaica's track and field success, geographic factors have proven to be beneficial, as well as the country's public health program and large amount of professional track and field coaches.