So, it’s Friday! I don’t know if it’s because of the beer I drank last
night (courtesy of St. Patrick, the patron saint of drunken Irish and
people who pretend they’re Irish for one day out of the year) or the
gorgeous weather that we have outside (after days of dreary clouds,
rain, snow, and general coldness, blah) or because it’s Friday, but
whatever the reason(s), I’m in a GOOD MOOD. It is my hope and prayer
that everyone else is feeling great today, including my friends in Ohio
and California. If you have a black cloud over your head, go outside
and let it melt away. Or remark on the incredulity of a massive 60-foot Jesus statue in Ohio. Or try your hardest not to smile at this.
Yep, it’s a good day, and with that, let’s do another entry in this Jamaica journal of mine…
And the journal continues…
Sara
Now, Sara is a speeder. How do I know this? Well, she didn’t have a
driver’s license with her because she got a speeding ticket in the week
before we were supposed to go to Jamaica. Illinois is one of the few
states that believes in taking someone’s only valid ID (in most cases)
would motivate them to pay the ticket. Unfortunately, a ticket is not a
valid ID for airlines, so Sara was denied boarding with us. After
waiting through Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, she finally got a
state ID and, along with Paul, was able to join us in Jamaica on
Wednesday, four days later. Despite this setback, Sara was glad to
finally be able to join us and had a blast with Julie and I teaching
class. Our team wasn’t quite complete without her.
Ruthie
She, along with her siamese twin, Kelly*, taught the sixth grade class.
Their class was one of the best well-behaved classes out of all of
ours. Ruthie also set many of the older schoolboys’ hearts aflutter. I
don’t blame them; after all, she gave Jon a run for his money.
She also fell in love with Erin, Jeff and Jodi’s cute baby girl. (Jeff
and Jodi were the people who were in charge of CCCD’s Montego Bay
campus.) Ruthie could often be found feeding or holding the baby. After
Jamaica, this awesome girl celebrated two milestones: a two-year
annivesary with her beloved Tim and her 21st birthday. Congratulations!
Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn was Rick and Patti’s daughter who didn’t want to be thought as
Rick and Patti’s daughter during our time in Jamaica. We got that.
(Imagine going somewhere with a group of people close to your age with
your parents in tow!) This budding artist turned out some phenomenal
watercolors when we had some down time. It made the cartoon dog I drew
look shameful in comparison. I think we’ll be hearing about her more in
the years to come.
Jon
He’s a big stud. That’s what his username says. There’s three things
that sums up Jon in Jamaica for me. One is an iPod. He always had one
in his ear when going to bed. Two, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road.
He would always read it before going to bed or whenever he had the
time. Three, welding. Jon was the one who did a lot of the cutting and
welding for the doors that were installed in the new building, working
with the deaf welder despite not knowing a lot of sign language. Jon
was funny, crazy and made Jamaica a lot of fun. I also know for a fact
that Jon now knows and will always remember the correct sign for
“lunch.”
Kelly
Ruthie’s siamese twin*, Kelly is a fun, bubbly person who helped make
the trip fun, despite being a cheater at Phase 10. Yes, that’s right, I
finally said it and I’m not taking it back! Despite her questionable
card playing morals, like Ruthie, Kelly fell in love with Erin and
could be found at the rocking chair with the baby in her arms. I would
always see her with talking with the kids and the older boys who
thought that she was very pretty and cool. They were not wrong there.
Mike
God wanted Mike to come to Jamaica. What? Don’t believe me? Consider
this: Mike was supposed to leave us one day early to attend a friend’s
wedding. Mike was dropped off at the airport Friday evening. That night
we all went out to Margaritaville with some of the CCCD teachers and we
got a phone call from Mike at the airport asking to be picked up. A
major snowstorm had swept through the Midwest and wiped out all of the
flights, leaving Mike stranded in Jamaica for one more day so he could
properly finish the trip out with us. Having the Big Man Upstairs
intervene says something about Mike. This funny big guy was a great
part of the team, doing a lot of the masonry work that needed to be
done. We were glad he was able to stay with us for that extra day and
we wouldn’t have it any other way.
* Ok, so they’re not really Siamese
twins (quibbles, quibbles), but where one was, the other was certain to
be close by. They were inseparate. They’re great friends with each
other.
March 18, 2005
Xanga-Matt
Comments Off on
Matt
So, it’s Friday! I don’t know if it’s because of the beer I drank last
night (courtesy of St. Patrick, the patron saint of drunken Irish and
people who pretend they’re Irish for one day out of the year) or the
gorgeous weather that we have outside (after days of dreary clouds,
rain, snow, and general coldness, blah) or because it’s Friday, but
whatever the reason(s), I’m in a GOOD MOOD. It is my hope and prayer
that everyone else is feeling great today, including my friends in Ohio
and California. If you have a black cloud over your head, go outside
and let it melt away. Or remark on the incredulity of a massive 60-foot Jesus statue in Ohio. Or try your hardest not to smile at this.
Yep, it’s a good day, and with that, let’s do another entry in this Jamaica journal of mine…
And the journal continues…
Now, Sara is a speeder. How do I know this? Well, she didn’t have a
driver’s license with her because she got a speeding ticket in the week
before we were supposed to go to Jamaica. Illinois is one of the few
states that believes in taking someone’s only valid ID (in most cases)
would motivate them to pay the ticket. Unfortunately, a ticket is not a
valid ID for airlines, so Sara was denied boarding with us. After
waiting through Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, she finally got a
state ID and, along with Paul, was able to join us in Jamaica on
Wednesday, four days later. Despite this setback, Sara was glad to
finally be able to join us and had a blast with Julie and I teaching
class. Our team wasn’t quite complete without her.
She, along with her siamese twin, Kelly*, taught the sixth grade class.
Their class was one of the best well-behaved classes out of all of
ours. Ruthie also set many of the older schoolboys’ hearts aflutter. I
don’t blame them; after all, she gave Jon a run for his money.
She also fell in love with Erin, Jeff and Jodi’s cute baby girl. (Jeff
and Jodi were the people who were in charge of CCCD’s Montego Bay
campus.) Ruthie could often be found feeding or holding the baby. After
Jamaica, this awesome girl celebrated two milestones: a two-year
annivesary with her beloved Tim and her 21st birthday. Congratulations!
Kaitlyn was Rick and Patti’s daughter who didn’t want to be thought as
Rick and Patti’s daughter during our time in Jamaica. We got that.
(Imagine going somewhere with a group of people close to your age with
your parents in tow!) This budding artist turned out some phenomenal
watercolors when we had some down time. It made the cartoon dog I drew
look shameful in comparison. I think we’ll be hearing about her more in
the years to come.
He’s a big stud. That’s what his username says. There’s three things
that sums up Jon in Jamaica for me. One is an iPod. He always had one
in his ear when going to bed. Two, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road.
He would always read it before going to bed or whenever he had the
time. Three, welding. Jon was the one who did a lot of the cutting and
welding for the doors that were installed in the new building, working
with the deaf welder despite not knowing a lot of sign language. Jon
was funny, crazy and made Jamaica a lot of fun. I also know for a fact
that Jon now knows and will always remember the correct sign for
“lunch.”
Ruthie’s siamese twin*, Kelly is a fun, bubbly person who helped make
the trip fun, despite being a cheater at Phase 10. Yes, that’s right, I
finally said it and I’m not taking it back! Despite her questionable
card playing morals, like Ruthie, Kelly fell in love with Erin and
could be found at the rocking chair with the baby in her arms. I would
always see her with talking with the kids and the older boys who
thought that she was very pretty and cool. They were not wrong there.
God wanted Mike to come to Jamaica. What? Don’t believe me? Consider
this: Mike was supposed to leave us one day early to attend a friend’s
wedding. Mike was dropped off at the airport Friday evening. That night
we all went out to Margaritaville with some of the CCCD teachers and we
got a phone call from Mike at the airport asking to be picked up. A
major snowstorm had swept through the Midwest and wiped out all of the
flights, leaving Mike stranded in Jamaica for one more day so he could
properly finish the trip out with us. Having the Big Man Upstairs
intervene says something about Mike. This funny big guy was a great
part of the team, doing a lot of the masonry work that needed to be
done. We were glad he was able to stay with us for that extra day and
we wouldn’t have it any other way.
* Ok, so they’re not really Siamese
twins (quibbles, quibbles), but where one was, the other was certain to
be close by. They were inseparate. They’re great friends with each
other.
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