A Reflection on 10 Years at Bosco

     Sorry it's been a few days since my last post.  I hope this one makes up for it.  I thought rather than telling what I have been doing the past few days, I would change it up and write more of an "article".
     Why have I been coming back to Jamaica for 10 years?  On some levels that seems like a simple question to answer, but on others it isn't very easy.  If you were to ask me back in 2004, the first year I came down here, if I would still be coming, I would have said my trips would only last for as long as I was a student at Wright State.  For those who don't know, my first 3 trips were with Wright State and a group of 20 others.  As I stated previously, although I dragged my feet to come back in 2004, some friends talked me into coming, and I realized 3 days into my trip that I wanted to come back again and again.
     It was sometime during my 2nd trip that a boy asked me if I could stay for Christmas.  He was a boy I had gotten close to.  He really missed home and he just wanted someone to spend Christmas with him.  I obviously had already made plans to return home with the WSU group and I was not going to be able to stay for Christmas.  I told him that, but I said that I could try for the next year.
     The year of my third trip was somewhat of a trying time for me being able to come back.  In March of that year, Fr. Chris, the Campus Minister at WSU passed away.  I vividly remember the night I found out about it.  It was a Saturday evening and I was in my apartment at school.  Yes, it was a sudden death and it was unexpected, but the thing that bothered me the most was that something inside of me said that I may not get chosen to go back to Jamaica again now that he was gone.  The last conversation he and I had one-on-one was during my second trip, he said that he could see me doing mission work once I was done with school since I was so good with the kids.  Now that he was gone, there was no one to make sure my name was on the list.  It ended up being true that I was not selected initially for the trip since I had already been twice and the trip was so popular that they wanted more people to experience the trip.
     I was determined to still make a trip on my own though, for Christmas.  I hadn't yet started to make concrete plans for a trip of my own when I got an email one day saying that someone had to back out and that I was next in line.  I was so glad to hear that.  When I went in right away to pay my deposit, I asked Joan about staying for an additional 2 weeks for Christmas at my own expense.  She checked with Mimi and Susan and it ended up being fine, and I did just that.
     My trips really have been an evolution over the past decade, and for a while, I never knew if the time I was spending at Bosco would be my last.  I can't pinpoint really why I have a longing to come back year after year.  I do know that for a little while, I wanted to convince myself that I was making a difference, even though I knew I was.  I didn't want to be "just another volunteer".  These boys see and meet so many people over the years, and a very large majority of them only come once, so they start to develop a friendship with people only to have the volunteers leave mere days later.  I have sometimes thought that it's almost like a zoo: people come to see the kids, experience a little about what they go through, then return to their lives back home.  Now I'm not here to judge or to say that the experiences people who visit here have aren't real because they are, I just personally wanted the boys to have some consistency, and I knew that If I came back every Christmas that they could depend on that consistency.
     When I first started coming here, I never knew from one year to the next what was happening at Bosco or how the boys were doing.  Social Media didn't exist at that time, and even if it were to have existed, the facility definitely wasn't outfitted with the means to be able to keep in touch.  The place only had one phone line, and if I wanted to email home, I had to wait in line with the 19 other students after the office closed and write home on the dial-up line that was also the single shared phone line.  Fast-forward to now, I can pretty much daily know what is going on with the boys.  There is high-speed wireless on the compound, and with the advent of Social Media, I am kept up to date with everything that goes on.
     I have also had the privilege to keep in touch with boys who have long left the gates of Bosco because they are now on their own working hard to make a living for themselves.  Believe it or not, the first boy I ever met here on the very first day is the one I keep in touch with the most.  It has been really great to watch him grow up from a 13 year old boy to now 22 and watch him and help him through his struggles of living on his own.  I have seen him learn from his mistakes, and every time I talk to him on the phone, I am so proud of the man he has become.  I don't doubt that I have had a strong hand in the person he has become to this day.  How powerful is that?
     I have seen hundreds of boys come through the gates of Bosco, and for a large majority of them, I don't know what happens to them.  They run away, they are sent home, they are kicked out, or whatever.  The good ones however, stay, learn a trade, and leave this place with a certificate of training and hopefully get jobs that will better their lives and their family lives.  The ones I keep in touch with know that I still come back every Christmas.  Now, they come and visit me at Bosco.  I know of at least 3 past boys if not more who will be coming back on Christmas to see me.  How awesome.  I know that some of the boys take my annual visit for granted and see me as just someone who comes and gives them stuff every year, but they eventually realize that my visits are more than that.  I could be home for Christmas, but (probably against my family's best wishes) I continue to come back year after year.
     I still can't get over the fact that there are about 4 or so boys who have been youth here since before my first trip.  10 years or more is a long time to be here and I have been able to see them grow up from 6-8 year olds into the boys they are now.  I can't wait to be able to keep in touch with them once they leave these gates.
     My trips here are only usually a little more than 2 weeks a year, but anyone who knows me would think I have lived a lifetime down here.  It sure feels like that to me.  It is so bizarre how a 2 week annual trip can have such an impact on the way I live my everyday life.  I don't think a day passes where I don't talk about "Jamaica this, or Jamaica that".  It's not quite to the point of obsession, but some might think that.
     As I said before, there was a time when I never knew what year would be my last year, so I always tried to make my trips count, and I tried to spend every waking moment with the boys.  I still don't know when my last trip will be if ever, but I don't worry myself with that.  I just take each year as it comes to me because I know that I have already personally made a difference in many many lives, and each following year that I am able to continue that is just icing on the cake.
     Well, the next few days are important because we will be getting ready for the Christmas Festivities.  Coming here now 8 years for Christmas, I know the drill.  I have earned my Elf Ears as Santa's Helper and I have really been able to experience the true meaning of Christmas.  One could say that it gets very repetitive from Christmas to Christmas, and the pictures I bring back show that...they all look the same each year, just different boys.  There is something however that still brings me to tears each Christmas, being able to hand out small gift sacks to the boys full of donated items that most other kids their age would just throw away, and also being able to serve them a big Christmas Lunch.  They are so happy and excited for the little things that they get, and it is only on Christmas Day that I am able to see that joy they have knowing that they are getting more here on Christmas than they would if they were not here, and it is such an honour to be a part of that year after year.
     In closing, I just want to thank everyone for the support I have gotten over the years.  I purposely don't ask people for much help for my trips.  They are my trips.  I have found that through sharing my experiences, people feel compelled to give, either monetarily or through donations I bring down for Christmas, and I am thankful for that.  It is my hope that I can continue to keep coming down here for as long as I am able, be that 1 year more or 10 years more or maybe even 20 years more.  I have built friendships and relationships that even if this place isn't around in 20 years, I know I still have a home to return to at Christmas for as long as I am welcome.  Good Night.  Stay tuned for more about my trip.

Bosco 2013 Day 3 and 4

     Yesterday wasn't very eventful.  I woke up and went on the playfield with the boys (you will hear that quite often) and just got to hang out with them. I always seem to have my "posse" of boys who come cling to me as soon as they see me come out on the field.
     After about an hour or so, I went and got some letters that were sent with me from a previous Wright State student who has been down here.  I gave them out to the boys and we sat in the Dining Hall and wrote her letters back.  It's kind of a project because some of the boys don't really know how to write.  Of those that do, some can't write sentences of their own, but can only copy what has already been written, so I wrote a template for them to copy.

     Next came lunch.  Some of you (mainly WSU students who have been down here) have asked me what I do for meals.  Generally during the week, I eat with the office staff: Sr. Susan, her assistant and the financial officer.  Sr. Mimi sometimes joins us too and any other guests who may be here.  This year, a friend of Sue's is here, Carolyn Rowland (anyone who's been here remember Carolyn's house? That's her name on the house.) The catering boys fix a little something for us to eat. 
     In the afternoon I got a group of about 5 boys to help me finish decorating the Rec Room for Christmas.  We hang ornaments from the ceiling, which can be a challenge because tape doesn't stick very well and its all concrete, so I usually borrow some double sided foam tape from Sr. Susan and use it sparingly to hang the ornaments.    Its the best we can do.  After that, we went to the Dining Hall to put up the tree and decorations there too.

 
     Back to meals, sometimes I get to eat with the sisters (and guests) at the convent for supper if they are fixing it that night.  Otherwise, I get the same food that is fixed for the childcare and other staff who look after the boys.  I just give the ladies my tupperware dish and the put my food in it.  Sr. Susan has told me multiple times that I am her easiest guest because she doesn't have to worry about entertaining me.  If I am around for a meal that is already being fixed I will eat that, otherwise I will make do.  As a last option, I will just eat what the boys eat, which isn't too horrible. 
     This morning, again I went to the playfield with the boys for a couple of hours.  I will admit, as I have in the past, that sometimes it does get boring, but just the fact that I am there with the boys kind of breaks up the monotony anyway.  I met a boy who has the same first name as me, which is weird because my name is obviously not very common in Jamaica.

 It's interesting to talk to the boys and find out how some are better behaved than others.  A question I ask them this time of year is "much pass?" Which means how many times did they pass.  They get a pass for each week they have not gotten in trouble either in school or otherwise.  For 15 weeks before Christmas they are graded.  They have to get enough passes to be able to go home, and another amount to be able to go to Grand Market, and another amount to even be able to see Santa on Christmas Eve.  In the past, it seems that a lot of the boys I get closer to seem to be the ones who misbehave the most.  This year that is the case, but there are a few who do have "nuff pass".
     Something I always enjoyed about when I came here with the Wright State group from 2004 to 2006 was getting to be with the boys on the playfield after our daily activities during their school day.  That was when we really got a chance to get to know the boys.  A reason I enjoy coming here on my own (for fear of sounding selfish) is because I get to spend lots of time with them on the playfield and I get the attention.  Sometimes, however, I get too much attention, but like I said before, it beats the monotony that they usually have.
     Today was the Staff Christmas Party.  In the afternoon, I stayed with the boys for a little over an hour while the staff arrived down at the Catering Hall.  We watched Netflix (thanks to Edney, their computer teacher who hooked it up).  Once it was time for the party to start, I left some of the senior boys in charge (per the direction of Susan) to watch the movies with the boys. 
     It's always fun at the Staff Party.  We play Bingo.  Mr. Plunkett is always the caller, and he is a character.  He is one of the Childcare Staff who has been here for over 20+ years (maybe even closer to 30).  It's a lot of entertainment and it is a great time to spend with all of the staff I have met here and the teachers I don't get to see otherwise because school is always out by the time I get down here each year.  The Bingo lasted the whole afternoon and into the early evening.  That pretty much concluded my day today.  We will see what happens tomorrow.

Bosco 2013 Day 1 and 2

     Well I arrived in Kingston around 2:30 yesterday.  It was a very smooth trip overall with little to no delays.  I was worried at first the night before because it snowed about an inch or so, so I wasn't sure how the airport would be with flight delays, especially at 6 in the morning.  It was fine though.  When I was in Miami, I did run into Bishop Neil Tiedeman, the Bishop of the Diocese of Mandeville here in Jamaica.  He was returning from the states to Jamaica on my same flight.  I recognized him, but I don't think he recognized me at first because it was out of context, but he eventually put two and two together and knew me because once he saw me on the plane, he asked if I was going to Mandeville and if I needed a ride.  I told him that Susan was sending someone for me, but thanks anyway.  I guess it's good to know people in high places.
     Customs and Immigration went well.  I sometimes get worried, especially when I am going through Customs by myself with 4 bags (2 checked and 2 carry-ons), but it never fails that they ask me what's in my bags, and I say "clothes", which is true.  There just happens to be mostly items that I am leaving with the boys as donations too.  They don't seem to question me further and they just let me through.  When I reached the outside of the airport, Sr. Mimi was there to greet me with 2 boys and of course Doogie. 
      For those who don't know who Doogie is, he is a 40-some-year old who is mentally handicapped.  He was found in Kingston many many years ago and looked like he was eaten by rats.  They first thought he looked around 8 or so, but dental records showed that he was in fact 18.  He has been at Bosco ever since. Apparently he has been asking/telling everyone he has seen for the past 2 months that he was going to the airport to pick me up.  I guess that's what kind of impact coming here for 10 years has, even on Doogie.  Now that he came with Mimi to get me, he doesn't stop telling me that he came to get me and how happy he is to see me.
     When I finally got to Bosco (did I mention for the 10th year now? My first trip was in 2004 with the Wright State Catholic Campus Ministry), I was pooped.  Even though my travels went smoothly, I think the fact that I have been so busy before my trip with work and only a day off between a 2 week trip with work and Jamaica, this is going to be a good rest time too.  Mimi told me that the count of boys is down to less than 120 boys.  They usually have 150-160.  I mentioned that in a way that's a good thing, right? But she said not really because they are staffed for 150 boys and since the government pays them per boy, they aren't getting as much money.
     Most of the boys who are here have been here at least since last year. I recognize most of them and they are thrilled to death that I am here, as am I.  If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I would still be coming back here for a decade, I would have laughed.  I barely wanted to come on my first trip, but it was a few of my WSU CCM friends who talked me into coming.  I vividly remember though that the 3rd day into my first trip I said to myself that I would do whatever I can to continue to come back year after year for as long as I can.  For a few years, I was treating my trip as if it were going to be my last one because I was never for sure that I would come back again, and that was hard.  Now, I just try to make the best of every trip and I know that I will always have family here.  There are even people who I don't know who know me and know what I do here, and that speaks volumes to me.  This place, even though I only come 2 weeks out of the year, is like a second home to me.  I am amazed year after year how that when I return it is as if I never left.  The boys pick up conversations right where we left off and tell me things that I have long forgotten.  I don't feel like I come here every year to visit these boys, I feel like I am here, living with them for 2 weeks.

     I slept in late this morning and was awakened by some boys who Mimi sent down to my house to have me help get the Christmas tree out of storage and put up with the boys.  So that's what we did.  Their Christmas decorations are getting a little worse for wear, but they are still working.  We only got the tree for the rec room put up, and tomorrow I hope to finish decorating the Rec room and then put up the tree in the Dining Hall and decorate that as well.  I didn't have the right things today to decorate and when it was time to put the tree up in the dining hall, it was lunch time, so I figured I would wait until tomorrow, plus I wanted to get re-acquainted with the boys on the playfield since I was put to work right away before I even got a chance to really see the boys.
     It's been really great to hang out with some of the boys who have been here since my very first year.  Yes, there are still boys AT Bosco who have been here for 10+ years.  I still do keep in touch with some boys who have aged out and are on their own, and some come back to see me at Christmas, but I even find it hard to believe that some have been here the entire time since at least 2004 or before and are now learning a trade and will soon get a job of their own.

Grand Market, Christmas Eve

I went to a performance on Sunday at Albion Gully that was a fundraiser for one of the youth groups there.  One of the Passionist Volunteers (Tania) was the youth coordinator for it.  I was told it was going to be a concert, but it ended up being a rally, and I guess in Jamaica that means that it takes forever.  4 1/2 hours later, it was done. 

Fr. Lucian (the coordinator for the Passionist Volunteer program) played Santa.  It was hilarious because as he was dancing around up on the stage, the pillow on his suit came out slowly and only got worse the more he ran around.  By the end, everyone was laughing hysterically.  I guess that's the price that's paid for a good time in Jamaica.

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Yesterday was Grand Market.  In Jamaica, everyone waits until the very last minute to do their Christmas shopping, and that's what they call Grand Market.  Its a Jamaican tradition.  Some of the boys get the opportunity to go into town if they have enough "passes" (good behaviour) to go. Sr. Mimi drove a group of us into town.  Usually the boys hang around me because they know I have money and they want me to buy them things.  I should preface this with the fact that each boy who earned the right to go to Grand Market (about 15) got $1000JA...a little over $10US.  I was surprised when right away most of the boys left to go on their own.  The only boy who hung around me was Junior Whynter.

This is his picture.  I had never met him before this, but that is how I have become close with some of the other boys in the past.  I am proud of him.  Out of the 15 weeks he has had the opportunity to pass, he passed every single of them.  I rarely see a boy do that.  We walked around town and did some shopping.  We ended up walking to the Mandeville Shopping Centre, which was at the bottom of town (we started at the top) so it was kind of a walk, but he wanted to go see Sr. Mimi and the likkle boys she took to Fontana Pharmacy to see Santa there.

Here are some of the boys we met there.  Santa wasn't there yet, but he showed up soon after we left and gave each of them a little gift.  This wasn't the Santa that they were going to see later in the evening at Bosco, but Santa nonetheless.  

While we were at Fontana, I thought we would stop by Devon House to get some ice cream.  While eating the ice cream, we walked back up to the crowded area, finished our shopping/looking and caught a taxi back to Bosco.  It was a special time with my new friend.  I always look forward to Grand Market because i'm always lucky enough to spend time with a boy or two and get to know them outside of Bosco.

After we returned from Grand Market, a group of us got ready to go to Midnight Mass (at 5:00pm).  They decided to have it at 5 this year, like last year, because no one shows up at midnight.  There wasn't much difference at 5 though.  Most everyone was doing their shopping at Grand Market.  We took about 20 boys with us to Mass.  Sr. Mimi and I sit with the boys during Mass.  In the past, at Midnight, we would make sure they would all stay awake. We didnt have to worry about that this year.

After Mass, it was time for Santa at Bosco.  I helped Pat Kelly get in his costume and I got into my elf costume.  The Passionist Volunteers came over and one of them (Tania) dressed as Mrs. Claus. 

 

As we all were getting ready, Sr. Susan went to the rec. room, where the boys were eagerly waiting, to talk to them about the true meaning of Christmas.  Then, a jingle bell started ringing, and Santa made his appearance.After a big round of applause, Santa sat on his bench, and the boys who hadn't seen Santa at Bosco before all lined up and waited to sit on his lap.

Then, we passed out their bags that Sr. Mimi and I packed a couple of days ago.  After all of the bags were handed out, they were allowed to open them.  Let the chaos ensue.  They loved their gifts.  Quite honestly, the stuff they got, for the kids their age, any American kid would throw away if they got it for Christmas.  The boys here embrace the little they get and most of all, are so thankful for what they got.  A boy who wasn't allowed to go to Grand Market asked me to get him a toy car.  I had one in my suitcase (one that was also a Transformer), so I gave it to him.  To see the smile on his face makes it all worth it.  

He is on the left...Clayton Reid.  There was another boy who has been here a month.  He has had one of the worst attitudes about being here at Bosco, never liking even one second of his time here.  I have told him to make the best of it.  Well anyway, after he got his package, he came to me and thanked me for everything.  He really seemed to be enjoying himself.  He said the only thing he missed was his father.  It never ceases to amaze me how thankful these boys are for the little they get.  It just goes to show that Christmas isn't about the presents...it's about who you share the time with.  I decided after my first Christmas here in 2006 that I wanted to spend Christmas here for as often as I can, because I know that one day I won't be able to for one reason or another.  

This is Sr. Mimi with Rushane Hall (my shadow).

Here is Santa with some of the boys including Junior Whynter, who I went to Grand Market with...did I mention that he is such a good kid?  In the red is Rohan Jackson.  He's here with me now as I am writing this, and wanted to make sure I mentioned him.

Well, as things were settling down, the boys cleaned up their mess (the trash) and packed up their things, and the rest of us (elves) went to the convent to have our Christmas Eve dinner.  After 7 years of Christmas here, it is easy to take the good work that I am doing for granted, and I admit that sometimes I do, but I am reminded both on Christmas and Christmas Eve the real reason I come down here, and it makes it all worth it.

Well, I think I will finish this post here.  I will write about my Christmas and the meal we had with the boys at some other time.  I hope this is giving everyone at least a glimpse about how I am spending my time here.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Birthday party, Pat's arrival, and packing presents

We had the birthday party on Wednesday.  Ever since I  came down here with Wright State, we have done the birthday party.  It is usually for the boys who have birthdays in November, December, and sometimes January.  I haven't really gone to the boys' birthday party since I was last here with WSU in 2006 except one summer that I was here for a week in 2009.  The funny thing is that every one is exactly the same, but the boys love it every time.  

The boys spend about an hour playing with toys that are held to be played only during birthday parties.

There are checkers, legos, toy cars, and other "sunday nursery" type toys.

Here are a couple of boys with the toys they are playing with.

Tom (one of the Passionist Volunteer International volunteers [PVIs]) joined us at the party.

Once the boys are finshed with the toys, Mimi gets them together for cake.  We sing Happy Birthday and they all fan out the candles with their hands because if they blow on them, they will spit on the cake.

After cake and ice cream (which is a really messy ordeal for me because I dish it out), the boys play musical chairs.  Mimi really enjoys it, even if she looks like she is yelling at the boys to behave.  After the musical chairs, they have a dance-off.  Then we passed out their presents, which is usually a hat and toy airplane or something like that, with some smaller trinkets.

After the party, I spent the rest of the day on the playfield with the boys.  I'm finding that either I'm out of shape, or 27 years old is too old to keep up with these boys.  I get worn out too soon.  After the boys ate supper and showered, Edney and I went out to eat in Mandeville and got Chinese food.

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I didn't do a whole lot yesterday, honestly.  I kind of chose to take the day off...i got a few naps in between meals.  Pat Kelly came in the evening.  He comes each year to play Santa for the boys.  We had a cookout at the convent and Newton (he runs the catering department here) cooked hamburgers for us all.  I then went up school and let the boys who passed for the week (good behaviour) watch a couple of movies (Despicable Me and the Incredibles).  The consensus was that they liked The Incredibles more, although the found parts of Despicable Me funny.  

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Today we packed presents for the boys.  All of the stuff Pat and I brought down, along with other things Mimi has gotten through the year, we put together into packages for the boys for Christmas. It was my time to actually be one of Santa's elves

As the picture shows, they don't really get much, and the biggest thing they might get is a McDonald's happy meal toy.  Don't get me wrong, it's a Happy Meal toy after all, what kid wouldn't want a Happy Meal toy for Christmas?  Besides the juice, which they drink right away, they spend all of Christmas playing with the sack of things they got, and have the most fun ever.  Yeah, it doesn't last long, but they have fun nonetheless.  More of that to come after Christmas, I don't want to spoil the story.

What is selected to go into the bags is based on the boys' behaviour.  Sr. Mimi has her naughty/nice list, and the boys who have had good behaviour get more and better things.  The lesser behaved kids get very little.  Such is life though.  They are given 15 weeks and 2 chances each week to keep good behaviour, so it's not like they weren't told.  Those with 3 or fewer passes don't even get to receive presents.

I went on the playfield for the rest of the day and sat and chatted with a few of the boys.  Once they went in for supper, I went to the convent and had dinner.  It was supposed to be a 40th birthday party for Newton, but he got busy with some catering business, so we may actually have to celebrate another time.  His birthday is on Christmas, but he doesn't like to celebrate it then for obvious reasons.  

Well, that's what's been going on the past few days.  O, before I finish, I received news the other day that a past boy, Carlos Baker (Popeye), was shot dead in Montego Bay.  He was trained in the catering department and was working in MoBay.  He has been gone from here for about 4 or 5 years.  Please keep him and his friends and family in your prayers.  I don't really know any other official details besides that.

Alpha Day 2 and back to Bosco

Sorry for the delay in my postings.  I wasn't feeling well the past couple of evenings, but I'm okay now.  I spent the morning at Alpha on Tuesday and mainly hung out with the boys on the playfield before I was going to leave.  I played Monopoly with them for a bit.

As a follow up from the camera workshop I talked about yesterday, Brad Clarke was determined to be the best student of the 15 that participated in the class.  Because of that, they gave him his very own camera.  It's a nice camera so it seems.

Shortly after this picture, some of the boys went on yet another treat. It seems that at Alpha, the boys are constantly going on treats.  There is more opportunity for treats at Alpha because it is in Kingston and more companies and people are willing to donate things or services around the holiday season.  Susan has actually had to decline requests for treats for the boys at Alpha because there have been so many.

So this is Ramone Bullock.  I was on the playfield at Alpha and the boys came to get me saying that Ramone was at the gate waiting for me.  It just so happened he was walking by and was talking to a boy through the gate and they told him that I was there.  This picture makes me laugh just because of the composition of it, he's wearing a striped shirt and he is behind the bars of the gate...ironic?

This is just a pic of the basketball court at Alpha.   There is a HUGE football (soccer) field right next to it as well.

Well, early in the afternoon, we left Alpha. I said my goodbyes.  I might go back on one of my last days, but it depends on the timing and what else is going on.  We brought back one of the Brothers with us to Mandeville because he is sick and there is better access to a doctor with Sr. Susan's doctor.  After we brought him back, he went straight to the doctor and got blood tests.  Turns out, he has dengue, which is a tropical disease spread by mosquitos...closest equivalent in the US: West Nile.  He is staying with me at my house through the holidays, so I got an unexpected house guest.  Don't wory, it's not contagious.

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Yesterday (Wednesday) was Christmas decorating day.  I started about 10 in the morning and recruited the help of 6 boys.  Decorating for Christmas is something the boys and I look forward to each year, but it's something I can't have a lot of the boys help me do...6 is plenty.  My mom sent some decorations down with me (at my request) and we used those to supplement the decorations that were already there but are getting really worn out.  

It took most of the day to get the tree up and the decorations spread through the room.  I didn't manage to get a pic of the rest of the rec. room, but maybe if i remember to, I will.  We also put up a tree in the cafeteria and did a little bit of decorating there too.

I got to see the new addition to the catering hall yesterday too.  It is HUGE!  The new hall is probably 3 times bigger than the current hall and there is a nice big entryway and new bathrooms and store room.  It looks really really nice too.  I didn't get pictures of that either however, but one day I will.  They want me to look into what it will take to put speakers in the new hall, but the challenge is being able to run wiring because all of the other wiring was done before the place was concreted in and sheet rock was put up.  I will probably design the sound system and get the speakers for Susan, but because I only come once a year and she wants it in before this time next year, she will probably get someone else to install it.  That's a project I have to work on once I get back home.  I will talk to an electrician before I leave here and see what he suggests as far as how easy the wiring will be.

Yesterday about 12 boys came from another home in Spur Tree that is closing down.  The people running it (to my understanding) just kind of up and left it.  They have been working to transfer the children from there to other homes.  There were both boys and girls there.  3 of the boys are four years old, 2 of those are twins.  I haven't spent much time with them, and all 12 of them seem to hang around each other.  I think they are getting better at mingling with the others from what I was seeing on the playfield this morning. Here are 2 of the young ones:

That was pretty much it for yesterday...most of the day being taken up by decorating for Christmas.  Today's  big thing is the Birthday Party.  The boys who have had birthdays in November and December (and maybe January?) will all get special time together and treats.  You Wright State students all know what the birthday party is all about.  Usually they have the birthday party earlier in December, but the Wright State group didnt come down this year (they will be coming in April) so they saved the birthday party for when I came down.  I haven't spent a birthday party with the boys since I came during the summer of 2009.  It should be fun.  Well, time to eat lunch, then PARTY!

Alpha Day 1

      So for today, I think my entry will be picture-based, and we'll see how far that story takes me.  I apologize for my broken English because when I come down here, I get stuck somewhere between proper English and  the Jamaican Patois, which is their own dialect.

This is the pic I took yesterday of some of the boys I hung out with.  Some are from previous years, and some are new.  Those of you who know them notice how much some of the likkle ones have grown.  My shadow is the one on the right.

So we (Edney, Sr. Susan and me) left for Kingston at 5am this morning.  Once I got there, I wanted to look around a bit because I had't been there for a while, since 2006, and I really have never seen all of it, just parts.  When I was here in 06, I was installing a sound system in their hospitality room, so that's where i was stuck most of the time.  Anyways, it wasn't long before the boys who know me came and found me.

Joel (above) was the first one.  He and some of his friends have been part of a programme the past 4 days to learn photography.  the JN Foundation came and worked with 15 boys and let them each use digital cameras to take photos.  Saturday, they went to a few places around Kingston to take pics of things.  That's why Joel is all dressed up. He's one of the last remaining boys who has been around since my first trip in 2004 who is still at a boys home.  Most all of the other ones have left or aged out and are on their own.

This is Nigel, he's Joel's brother, and I have also seen him every year since 2004. 

Here's Brad and Joel.  Brad has gotten much taller than last time I saw him.  He's 13 now.  Joel is 16 now.  

Here's some of the boys on the rock at Alpha.  I guess I didn't realize it was the rock right away, so I start to hang out with them.  It is kind of in the middle of the play areas, so it was hard to tell. Oh well, now I know.

Brad, me and another boy.  We chatted for a while sitting on the wall.  Bryan Reid took the picture.  

This boy and I spent some time together today.  We are at the Christmas Party that the JN Foundation threw for the whole school.  There is a dance competition going on that we are watching.  His name is Clayton Mills.  He's only been at Alpha for a month because of a bad situation at home.  He tell me he doesnt cause trouble and he tries to only associate himself with people who are good too.  Hopefully I will get to spend more time with him tomorrow.  He says he's really good at art (drawing).  He kept introducing me to other people.  It's different being at Alpha this year (if only for a few days)...none of the boys know me so I have to actively go meet them.  Since I have been going to Bosco for so long, lots of the boys know me, so it's not hard at all to meet even the new boys because the ones who know me are comfortable coming to me.  Alpha boys aren't as used to visitors, so they are a little less social with the visitors.  

I had to put a picture of Bryan Reid (middle) here.  I have also known him since 2004.  That's part of the reason I wanted to come visit Alpha this year, to see the boys I have known since 2004.  There's Clayton on the right, and the boys on the rock in the background.  (The rock is like a time-out for misbahaviour but lasts way longer).  

Well, I think that's it for now.  I have another full day at Alpha tomorrow so we'll see how that goes.  Feel free to comment if you choose, if not, fine too. Mi a go bed.