Oz Exchange: Got a tan. Saved the World. Life is Good.

One would think the above is impossible. Usually superheros wear full body spandex topped off with a cape and there's no way the sun is getting thought that. But last week, I proved em' wrong. I saved the world and got a badass tan. Well, maybe not the entire world...maybe it was only a small piece...and maybe it involved a few afternoons at the beach, and maybe my tan isn't exactly 'badass'....and I most certainly didn't stop any buildings from falling or any old ladies from getting hit by a bus. But I did something great. I made an impact that changed people lives as well as my own. I made a difference.

A few weeks ago, myself and 16 other students at Durango High School saved a little piece of the world. Though Interact (the high school branch of Rotary International) and a contact currently in the Peace Corps, we spent 6 days in Jamaica sweating, painting, teaching, learning, tanning, growing and changing. Changing the lives of others and making a lasting impact. Growing as people as we gained new experiences in a foreign land. Tanning on a daily basis, learning from others, teaching those around us, painting wall after wall and sweating profusely. It's hard to put into words the kind of things you gain from this without over doing the cheese factor. But you all know how much I love being cheesy! So...

I know that I'm a better person because of everything that we accomplished last week. Everything from smalling up (cramming as many people into public transport as possible....11 people into the back of a tiny truck bed and 5 more into the cab), to reading to the kids at Baboscel Primary school, to picking up trash around the Cricket pitch and painting the Community Centre, every minute of every day, I was becoming a better person. The sense of community I found within our group of Interacters was astonishing, we learned from each other, we cried together and we laughed at one another. There's nothing better than being able to crack a joke at someone else's expense :) We are a family in a sense, Rotary has united us in the same way it has brought together so many people across the world. Our little group of 16 kids and 5 adults will always have this experience to share. The people we met in Jamaica will always share this experience with us. It was wonderful. Life changing. Eye opening. And pretty much just amazing :)

Now for the visuals! The very best part of any blog is the photos! Cause I know how few of you actually read this and just look at the photos. So enjoy!

For a few days we volunteered at a primary school, to us this kid was known as the "cool kid with the dreads"...as you can see he's pretty wicked :)

On the first day at the school we spent time teaching kids in the 4th grade to read then we went to the different grade levels and read them the book "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss. When we asked them questions at the end they were all so excited. This is one of my favorite photos.

Jamaica used to be a British Colony, just like Australia. So, guess what!! THEY PLAY CRICKET!! And they have Milo, they have tea and coffee after dinner, they have supper, and they drive on the left, and the use the metric system, and they even have some of the same slang! It was just like being at home. That's probably my favorite part about Jamaica, the fact that the British took over it however many years ago so that I could visit in the 21st century and feel like I was in OZ :)

We also spent a lot of time painting things....and this is what happens when you spend a lot of time painting things. We were so worried about getting speckle tans :) This is Ally, Leah and me (L to R)

Of the 6 days we had in Jamaica, we spent one being tourists. The obnoxious American kind......and we went to the Dunn River falls. Which, as you can see by this amazing photo taken by the professional photographer that happened to be one of our chaperons, are quite pretty. They are about 9 kilometers long and you start at the bottom at the beach and climb your way up. Heaps cool eh?

And because we did this trip through Rotary, we got to go to a Rotary meeting! Which was one of the highlights for me on the trip...cause I'm all obsessed with Rotary and what not. You see, the Peace Corps contact we have in Jamaica is former Rotarian from Durango and a new member of the Ocho Rios club in Jamaica. Here we have Tori, the club President, and the Sargent at arms. Did I mention they have the same sense of humor as Aussies :) takin the mickey is what they do.

And here's a few photos just for laughs :)