iLEAD Jamaica Expedition 2019

By Mariah Jackett "Hahom" means "thank you" to the  Taíno . Goodbyes are never easy. We left Jamaica yesterday and I think I can speak for all of us when I say that part of us is going to be left behind there. Nicholas, a staff member at the Estate, was nice enough to offer us pieces of sugar cane for our trip to the airport, which many of us ate on the bus. Spectacular views on the highway to the airport This week has been nothing short of amazing with countless opportunities to learn and experience the diverse culture of Jamaica. From going to visit the primary school and witnessing the differences in the education system, to going out of our comfort zones exploring caves in a foreign country, to even learning about the Taíno, the  Indigenous peoples of Jamaica - everything has been a learning experience. The children at Bamboo Primary School were wonderful to meet. Taíno  symbols The meeting we had with the farmers this week gave...

By Hannah Turcotte Sunday morning began with a few of us doing some yoga at the top of the hill, looking out onto the mountains. After breakfast, we went to a nearby church to join in on a service. The pastor gave us a warm welcome and we enjoyed the lively music and singing. At the end of the service, the pastor called us up to the front where the whole church prayed for us and wished us well. This was an incredible moment because it demonstrates the hospitality and kindness that the Jamaican people have towards everyone.  I got to feed a donkey banana leaves at the Taino Heritage Park Next, we drove to Taino Heritage Park. The Taino were the Indigenous peoples of Jamaica, and the camp reenacts their way of life. We started off our time here by giving thanks to the sun, moon, water, and trees - central components of Taino culture. Then we enjoyed some traditional food served on a banana leaf, including smoked chicken and cassava bread. We then toured the camp, play...

By Olivia Todd Off for a morning trek Today was our first day off, and the iLEAD Jamaica students have been looking forward to being able to spend the whole day to relax or do some sightseeing. The majority of the group went for our regular early morning walk into the local town to see if there were any farmers surrounding us for us to get some more insight on their practices. Following that, half of the group decided to stay back and hang by the pool while the other half of the student group wanted to spend some more time in Ocho Rios. So we got together and planned a fun day ahead of us. We have been looking forward to going to Dunn’s River ever since we read the blog posts of students from previous years and made sure to put that on our to-do list. When we finally got there, the view was surreal. We had a picnic lunch (prepared by the fantastic staff at Geddes Estate) by the waterfalls and then we were able to hop in the ocean. Those who were feeling daring enough sat on t...

By Taylor Fortin On Friday, we took a trip to the Green Grotto Caves. As part of the project, touring the caves gave us more insight on the operation of a tourist attraction, and what locals and tourists may expect from a historical cave tour. The Green Grotto caves are a prominent tourist attraction on the north coast of the Island, and are rich with history. During the 17th century, the caves were used as a hideout for the Spaniards who were being driven out of the country when the English took control of the island. In the 20th Century, smugglers running arms to Cuba used them. During the Second World War, the Government of Jamaica used the entrance of the cave as a storeroom for rum in barrels. Slaves escaping to the mountains also used the caves for centuries. In more recent history, the entrance and largest section of the caves were used to host concerts, parties, and events. These operations were stopped when it was discovered that the constant vibrations were damaging to t...

By Alyssa Nichol On the way to Ocho Rios Mahogany Beach  Thursday we had the opportunity to go to Ocho Rios and wander around the tourist marketplace. This was a very interesting experience since we were able to observe various methods of how the locals sell their merchandise. The locals know their consumers well and are very assertive (bordering on aggressive) when it comes to promoting their products. Some students were able to haggle the prices of products with the vendors while other students found this to be an intimidating environment and were not as comfortable doing so. Enjoying the calming vibes at the festival The month of February is Black History Month and ­­­­­­­­­­­­Ocho Rios hosted a music festival to celebrate the occasion. The host was a local radio station (Irie FM) which played a variety of Jamaican music. There were also a variety of food booths with traditional Jamaican food being served. We arrived at the park roughly halfway through the fes...

By Olivia Brundia On the fourth day of the trip, the group of students and professors  ventured to the town of Ocho Rios via bus.    We had the opportunity to stop at two beaches, amongst other activities for the day.    The larger of the two beaches that we went to had a fee to get in of $3.00 USD, and had different sections marked off with rope.    There was a portion dedicated to public swimming, boat lanes for tourist-related activities, and further down the stretch of coastline larger resorts had their own access points.    After a long winter that is only halfway through its course, the sun and salt water was a welcome change, and there were some small schools of fish swimming near the surface of the water.    This was particularly exciting as some students in the group had never touched an ocean before, and it was the birthday of one of my classmates. Celebrating Johanna's birthday! Aside from festiv...

By Astrid Songmene Asking Mr. Scott (RADA) a few questions Wednesday started off with a wonderful breakfast consisting of fresh fruits, plantain and cereal. At 11:30 am we had the honour of welcoming guests to the Geddes Great House. They were two representatives from the Rural Agriculture Development Authority (RADA), Mr. Sheldon Scott and his colleague. We spent the morning having an open discussion about organic farming and potential strategic marketing options to create an acceptance of such farming techniques and selling these methods within the Jamaican community. This guided conversation with these experts was important for the project development for the organic farming/social marketing team. It helped in justifying the research we had done so far and gave us new ideas for establishing social marketing methods that matched with the current agricultural industry in Jamaica.  After the discussion we had lunch, which consisted o...