Time for another blog by Nichole! Alright, so I think a common question that we, as a summer staff, get asked a lot (after “What do you miss the most from home?”) is “What do you like the most about being here this summer?” After reflecting on the question and spending over half the summer in Harmons, I think that one of my favorite things about being here for so long is the difference that the prolonged time has on my relationships with Jamaicans. When I have visited in the past for week long trips, I got to meet a lot of people and experience a different culture, but being here for so much time has allowed deeper friendships to form. I feel that, in a way, the summer staff is now a part of the community here. We have been living life with the residents of Harmons and have had the blessing of learning more about their lifestyles, joys, and struggles. An important part of our ministry is building relationships, and so part of our job as summer staffers is simply spending time with our friends. One advantage to this being in our job description is that we get a lot of opportunities to experience Jamaican life. A great example of this that I would love to share with you happened last week, as my friend McKenzie and myself spent an afternoon learning to cook dinner the Jamaican way.
When I visited Harmons with Allegheny College last January, I met a woman named Nicole, whom everyone calls Nancy, as I was working in the store one day. Since we share the same name, I feel that we had an instant bond. We traded addresses and have communicated through snail mail since then. It has been a great joy to continue our friendship this summer face to face. One day, Nancy invited me to learn how to cook dinner and share a meal at her home with her and her 3-year-old son, Shalom. So last Friday, McKenzie and I ventured to her
house after lunchtime. Our dinner menu was fried fish and festivals. (Festivals are a popular Jamaican food that are basically fried dough made of flour, cornmeal, and sugar.)
Nancy scaled and prepared the fish as we talked with her and played with Shalom. Then it was time to cook. On a small gas burner we placed a skillet with some oil. McKenzie volunteered to fry the fish. I must admit it was quite comical at first, watching her try to avoid the splashing hot oil, but she quickly got the hang of it. As she fried, I got the chance to mix the dough for the festivals and later experienced frying them myself. Nancy complimented us on our “natural” cooking skills, but we definitely could not have done it without her expertise.
The more time I spend with the people living in this valley, the more impressed I am with how they make do with what they have, whether it’s scarce or plentiful. It was a simple meal that made for a wonderful afternoon. We got the chance to fellowship and work with a friend, learning more about her and the Jamaican lifestyle. I am so incredibly grateful to have this memory to cherish and I pray that in the weeks that we have left God will continue to bless us with simple afternoons and deeper relationships.
When I visited Harmons with Allegheny College last January, I met a woman named Nicole, whom everyone calls Nancy, as I was working in the store one day. Since we share the same name, I feel that we had an instant bond. We traded addresses and have communicated through snail mail since then. It has been a great joy to continue our friendship this summer face to face. One day, Nancy invited me to learn how to cook dinner and share a meal at her home with her and her 3-year-old son, Shalom. So last Friday, McKenzie and I ventured to her
house after lunchtime. Our dinner menu was fried fish and festivals. (Festivals are a popular Jamaican food that are basically fried dough made of flour, cornmeal, and sugar.)Nancy scaled and prepared the fish as we talked with her and played with Shalom. Then it was time to cook. On a small gas burner we placed a skillet with some oil. McKenzie volunteered to fry the fish. I must admit it was quite comical at first, watching her try to avoid the splashing hot oil, but she quickly got the hang of it. As she fried, I got the chance to mix the dough for the festivals and later experienced frying them myself. Nancy complimented us on our “natural” cooking skills, but we definitely could not have done it without her expertise.
The more time I spend with the people living in this valley, the more impressed I am with how they make do with what they have, whether it’s scarce or plentiful. It was a simple meal that made for a wonderful afternoon. We got the chance to fellowship and work with a friend, learning more about her and the Jamaican lifestyle. I am so incredibly grateful to have this memory to cherish and I pray that in the weeks that we have left God will continue to bless us with simple afternoons and deeper relationships.
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