Day 8: Goodbye, Jamaica!

On our last day in Jamaica, the team woke up to yet another well-prepared breakfast including banana pancakes, a slice of tomato, scrambled eggs, and french toast. Funny enough, it was just then that several members of the team noticed that the pancake syrup we have been consuming all week was not maple-syrup, but rather, butter-based syrup. 

Following breakfast, our team split off to finish up last minute tasks including taking photos of a few remaining medicinal and non-medicinal plant-life on the property, packing our bags, completing blog posts, finishing up abstracts for applications to Nipissing University's Undergraduate Research Conference, and soaking up the last few hours of Caribbean sun.

Panorama from back entrance to villa

Panorama from gazebo

For lunch we enjoyed seasoned chicken wraps as Marguerite Diana McIntyre-Pike joined us for a presentation. Diana is a passionate and experienced pioneer and promoter of community tourism in Jamaica. She works with the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) and is the Caribbean coordinator of the International Community Tourism Network. Diana explained to us the importance and positive affect her community tourism efforts have had on participating communities and villages. The concept of promoting an entire village, rather than a particular landmark, heritage site, business or singular activity in such communities enables the visitors she and her colleagues host to immerse themselves in real Jamaican culture. The visitors eat authentic Jamaican cuisine, while witnessing and learning how people from more rural areas of Jamaica work and live. Diana's presentation  was quite invigorating and inspiring as she seemed to be bursting from the seams with passion to tell us about her efforts, 40 years of experience, and vision for Jamaica and other tourist destinations around the world. Following Diana's presentation, her colleague, Philip, discussed how his own work as a member of Global Diaspora in Jamaica is intended to facilitate and improve community development.

Presentation at lunch - from right to left: Philip, Richard, Diana

Diana’s organization and her own passions, along with Philip’s, seemed to mesh wonderfully with Richard’s vision for Camp Millbrooks. Richard is extremely focused on creating sustainable jobs and improving the lives of those in Tangle River and the surrounding communities. I believe we all learned some valuable and interesting information concerning community tourism, the efforts of Diana’s and Philip’s organizations, and how they may complement Richard’s future endeavours.

Group photo after the presentation

After the presentation, we began to get ready to go, with some last minute packing, last minute questions, and last minute jumps in the pool. As we said goodbye to the staff and Richard, who we had gotten to know so well over the past week, the reality that we were leaving set in. We grouped up for one last photo before heading to the airport.

Group shot in front of the resort

Unfortunately, it seemed to take no time to get to the airport from the house, as we took in the roadside view for one last time. After grabbing souvenirs and discussing how much we would miss Jamaica, we boarded the last West Jet flight and headed home.

Checking in at the airport

-Written by Daniel Goldsmith

Day 7: Last Full Day in Jamaica

Our last full day in Jamaica started off with sunbathing and swimming before breakfast. For breakfast we had a traditional Jamaican breakfast that included a bread similar to fried dumplings called Johnny cakes, with callaloo, a vegetable that resembles spinach but has a thicker stem. For someone like me who can’t handle spice very well, the callaloo had a surprising kick to it. We also had the staple sliced fried plantain. 

View from the pool as storm clouds roll in

After breakfast we watched storm clouds move across the sky dramatically and it rained as we we started our workday at the large dining room table. Linda lead a discussion going over the week and all we had seen and experienced. We then moved on to the proposal, discussing what we now thought of it, and then compared the ideas we had coming into the project to the new insights we gained by actually being on-site and seeing Camp Millbrooks for ourselves. We took a quick lunch break and then divided into smaller groups to discuss ideas for our proposal and everything Linda had touched upon. 

Fruit of the cerasee vine

As a biology student, my part in the project is slightly different from the other students, and so I left the others and took the opportunity to take pictures of the many medicinal plants on the property. Unfortunately, I did not finish this as I got sidetracked taking pictures of the many fruit trees and plants that are very different from what we have at home.

I stopped taking pictures of plants as the sun started setting and I tried to capture the sunset instead, while Dan, Steve and I were in a discussion with Richard. This gave us an opportunity to reflect on the week with Richard and ask any last minute questions we may have had. Later, dinner was served buffet style with baked chicken, stewed beef, mixed veggies and another staple, rice and peas. Many of us went up for seconds, tired and hungry after a long day of work in the fresh air! After dinner Emily and Olivia went with Natalya and Joan to visit a home for pregnant teenage girls, while the rest of us gathered outside and enjoyed our last night in this beautiful place.

View of a cloudy sunset from Millbrooks Resort

- Written by Skye Duncan Stephens

Day 6: SaluVida and Public Beach

Today we woke up extra early to meet with Jermaine McCracken before breakfast to discuss how SaluVida will be integrated at Camp Millbrooks in terms of health and well-being. It was an interesting discussion. SaluVida is a wellness model that focuses on health and preventative steps to ensure staying healthy. We got to learn a different approach to health care and Jermaine gave us some new perspectives. For example, she noted that women should prepare their bodies before pregnancy by living a healthy lifestyle. Jermaine said that a healthy life should include a balance of healthy nutrition, socialization, and exercise. Her vision for the camp is to have a health retreat where people can connect with nature and with themselves. She would like to provide knowledge and information to individuals so that they can be their best selves and lead more productive lives. 

Jermaine demonstrates the emWave system with Olivia

After our talk she showed us a part of her emWave system that allows you to focus on one thing, while measuring your heart rate and ability to focus. I had to concentrate on a garden setting which was very relaxing; although, I found it hard to focus on one thing for an extended period of time.

Shot from Steve's GoPro

After our meeting, we had some free time to lounge around by the pool and soak up some sun – maybe too much sun for some! It was a nice and relaxing afternoon compared to our normal days that were jam-packed with activities and adventures. We did go to the beach to switch up our surroundings and get out a little, which was really nice. On the way to the beach, we went to a souvenir shop and picked up some things to bring home. The beach we went to was a public beach that wasn’t too busy. It was close to the airport and we got to watch some planes fly in and out. 

Airplane headed to Sangster's International Airport

Unfortunately, we will be on one of those planes flying out on Tuesday as we head back to the cold in Canada. I think everyone can agree that Jamaica is a beautiful place to be!

- Written by Emily Horn

Day 5: "Off Day"

Today was a big day considering it was declared to be an “off day” for enjoyment. The morning started off with a bang with a classic Jamaican breakfast. On the menu were ackee and saltfish, boiled green bananas, and yam. Have to say, they do eat well down here. After that, we were energized and ready to take on the Blue Hole in Ocho Rios. This attraction is approximately 45 minutes away from Milbrooks Resort and involves super blue water and waterfalls - my kind of day!

Our first stop was at a souvenir shop, where I picked up a nice sun hat and sampled multiple Jamaican fine liqueurs, such as Appleton Rum and Sangsters Cream Rum. When we got to the  Blue Hole, our guides greeted us: Jamal, Enriquez and Demar. 

Jamal is modeling my new hat, if anyone cares

The first stop at the Blue Hole was at a spot where we could rock jump, rope swing, and swim under the falls. To be honest, I ended up sinking a GoPro attachment there but was fortunate enough to be able to pay a diver to fetch it out for me. J

Jump off!

Afterwards, we walked down a trail to a second location that included platform jumping, waterfall repelling, and exploring through caves behind a set of falls. It was super fun! Jamal, Enriquez, ,and Demar did not even need the rope to repel down the falls. They ran up and down that thing so many times I was cross-eyed at one point. This made me think of how many times they have done that in their lives. This could have very well been their playground when growing up. Cool to think about.

Dakota and Clare swim under the waterfall

On my way back to the van after the excursion, I was able to learn a couple things about Jamaican culture. First, a little boy taught me the Jamaican handshake. “One Love” is what it stands for. It is similar to a thumb war, but instead of battling you would brush each other's thumb three times.

Steve learns a new handshake

After learning this handshake, it is safe to say I did it with every Jamaican I met. The second thing I learned was about Jamaican bartering techniques. This was the second time I had experienced this - the first time being at the beach in Margaritaville on the second day. It was a reminder of how advanced some of their conversational selling tactics are. For instance, on my two minute walk back to the van, I encountered three separate individuals selling multiple items to me at once. One of the persons walked up, cracked me a beer, and asked for five dollars. When I declined the offer, as tempting as it was, he told me it was too late because it was already opened. The guides also asked me multiple times for a tip. As a group we gave them  tips because they were rockstars. I found this quite unique because this constant/asking/selling style I have not experienced in North Bay. Our driver explained to me later that Jamaica has a saying or motto that reflects their friendly culture: “They treat you, you treat them.”

On the ride back home we stopped for some frozen yogurt, chocolate, and Jamaican patties. I have to say, if someone opened an all-hour Jamaican patty outlet in North Bay, they would do well. These things are fantastic. At the patty restaurant, two young boys came up to me selling chocolate wafers for their school in the parking lot. They were not half bad; I wish I could remember the name.

At the end of the day, back at Milbrooks we were greeted with a nice Jamaican dinner which included festivals (not the music kind), and jerk chicken. Festivals are pretty much small rolls of cornmeal bread. All in all, the days here seem to be getting better and better with more fun-filled excitement. Cannot wait to see what tomorrow will bring!

- Written by Steve Mason

Day 4: Vaughansfield Primary School and the Caves at Camp Milbrooks

While preparing for the iLEAD Jamaica expedition back in Canada, we were told that we would have the opportunity to visit a local elementary school. This excited us as none of us had ever experienced the conditions of schools, much less a rural school, in a developing country first-hand. Once we arrived at Vaughansfield Infant and Primary School, we noticed conditions such as small school size, large class sizes, lack of school supplies, and the distance students have to walk to and from the institution. Us Canadians are lucky to have school buses, that's for sure. The contrast between this Jamaican school and the Canadian schools  we had been exposed to surprised most of us.

Kindergarten class

Unfortunately, we missed visiting the school on Jamaica Day by one day, when they would have worn the Jamaican national colours - yellow, black, and green. Fortunately, some students gifted us with the performance of a traditional dance called The Dinky Mini. I personally could not stop smiling at how enthusiastic the students were to share a piece of their culture with us.

Students perform the Dinky Mini

Dakota watches the dancing with kids from grades 1 and 2

After visiting the school, we headed to Camp Milbrooks for a second time, where we ventured into the "bush". We walked along the path the Maroons would have used in order to hide from plantation owners and British soldiers in the local caves. There are several caves located on Camp Milbrooks' property. Although, we only had the chance to visit the closest cave, it was an experience I will never forget.

Climbing the trail leading to the first cave

View from the cave

 The cave was used by the Maroons as a home while hiding from slave owners.

Exploring the cave

While at the camp, Richard (the owner) explained to us exactly how he envisions his property to be in the future, showing us where the museum, gift shop/visitors centre, amphitheatre, and wellness centre will be located. He mentioned how important it was for him to move business from the city centres to the rural areas of Jamaica. That's exactly what he wants to do with the development of Camp Milbrooks, as well as with educational programs for local farmers and students. Richard wants locals to understand what resources they have around them, what properties these resources contain, and how to be sustainable with the use of those resources. He stated, "Most importantly, I want it to be a place where educators and students can come and learn about what they see there". Richard is more focused on the community development and educational portion of his business than the profit side.

- Written by Dakota O'Hara

Day 3: RADA, Farmer's Market and Camp Millbrooks

Today was our second full day in Jamaica, and the sunburns have already caught most of us. This morning after a delicious breakfast and a bit of sun bathing and swimming, we got the opportunity to sit down with Richard’s (the Resort owner) event planner, Joan. Her job is to make sure that any events that go on at the resort go on without a hitch; she is also tasked with making sure any requests that guests have made are successfully achieved (no matter how strange). She joked that she was basically the fairy godmother to the guests because she could make almost anything happen. We also talked about Jamaican culture and how easygoing everyone is and that’s how the resort operates. She put an emphasis on the dress code of the employees,that fact that there really isn’t one, that it’s about destressing and mental health, and that some guests would feel uncomfortable if they were waited on by people wearing formal clothing. However, for formal events the staff would dress in uniform. I personally really enjoy the staff (although I am terrible with names); they are really friendly. 

We also got to learn a lot of about the Jamaican health care system. Jamaican health care is essentially free, just not very good in terms of waiting times and the availability of diagnostic testing; for example, they don’t have a publicly available MRI machine. However, they have a lot of herbal cures for common diseases. If you have the money, we’ve learned that you can get a lot more expansive healthcare. In this discussion we discovered that teen pregnancy is a big problem and there isn’t much put in place to help, In Jamaica it used to be that if you got pregnant while in school you had to leave school and were not able to go back. We have been told that very few social programs exist in Jamaica, it is more of a "if you earn it then it’s yours". Which is why the idea of developing the mental health and wellness sector of the camp is going to be a very important aspect.  Joan was very nice and seemed super interested in how we can help especially in the marketing department.

Local Farmers' Market

Next we adventured off the resort and headed to a local farmers market. The market was really interesting mostly because I had only been introduced to many of the fruits being sold yesterday. We passed by a live radio broadcast (with 40-year Jamaican radio veteran Barry G) and got to give a shout out on national radio, which was really fun. Olivia even got to talk a little bit about our Jamaican experience so far. We also got to talk to a farmer that Richard usually gets his supplies from. I wasn’t really a part of the discussion but those who were asked her a lot of questions.

Barry G interviews Richard and Olivia

Furthermore, we had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Taylor from RADA (Rural Agriculture Development Agency). He explained that the agency helps farmers by giving them resources and training in order to grow the agriculture industry as a whole. We talked about growing seasons and how there really isn't any because plants will always grow due to the warm climate. We also briefly discussed the idea of GMOs and if they are used, as well as mentions of exporting capabilities of exotic fruits, herbs and flowers. 

Students got to pick Mr. Taylor's brain

Finally, we got to visit the Camp Millbrooks for the first time. On our way we stopped at a neighbouring pineapple farm and got a lesson on how to grow pineapples. We got to taste them as well as Jamaican apples and freshly cut sugar cane. Soon after we got to the camp and were able to actually start to assess how feasible our proposed plans would be to implement. We also started to understand the history of the area and the historical events that have occurred. The camp was different from what any of us had expected and the view was absolutely breathtaking (literally, because we were on a mountain and the air is different). We didn’t get to spend much time at the camp due to the fact it was going to be dark soon. Everyone is excited to return to the camp tomorrow to get a proper tour of the grounds.

We got to enjoy some fresh pineapple

The view from Camp Millbrooks

Oh I almost forgot one of the coolest things that I experienced! On the way back to the resort, we stopped at a grocery store. Now, even though they had a lot of items that we would see in Canada, some of the logos were printed slightly differently and they had a wide selection of things that I never knew existed. It was neat to observe locals buying their groceries because we all were looking around like we were on another planet and to everyone else this was just another chore to do. That was in my opinion the most interesting part of the trip thus far.  

- Written by Jordon Staroba

Day 2: Plant Tour and Sunset in Negril

Everyone was very excited after spending our very first night in Jamaica. The warm Caribbean breeze gave us a peaceful sleep and energized us for what the next day had in store for us. Richard Wright, the resort owner, had a tour of the grounds planned to show and explain some of the plant life that Jamaica has to offer. He explained to us over breakfast that living in Jamaica was like “living in your own laboratory”. 

Owner/Manager, Richard Wright talks about custard apples.

Aloe Vera plant

Poinsettia

The beginning of the tour started at the entrance of the resort where many plants that we had heard of but never seen were located. Richard has different varieties of guava trees, pineapple plants, almond trees as well as aloe and poinsettia growing all over the property. Some of the trees and shrubs we had not seen before were the ackee tree, which is Jamaica’s national fruit. If not ripe or not prepared properly, ackee can be poisonous. 

Ackee

Richard explained to us that many of the flowers and plants held medicinal properties as well. For example, cerasee is a vine that bears a fruit, and if you boil the fruit it acts as a natural blood cleanser. The plant from which Coumadin - a commonly taken blood thinner medication- is derived grows locally. Many of the plants and flowers shown to us had cancer fighting properties as well. 

Periwinkle, source of Coumadin

After the entertaining and educational tour, the group got a chance to cool off and relax on the white sands of the 7 Mile Beach in Negril. While many of us were tired after the long day, we all agreed that staying to watch the sunset was something we couldn't miss. When we returned to Millbrooks later that night dinner was waiting for us on the table. We all sat and enjoyed peppered steak, coconut curry fish, and mixed vegetables. Once dinner was over we sat around once again watching the beautiful, clear, and starry skies of Jamaica.

 

Sunset in Negril

Written by Clare Johnston

Day One: Escape to Jamaica

Our first day together started at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. After spending our first month and a half of the course learning, researching, and of course - waiting, the day was finally here!

On the flight. The West Jet flight attendants were hilarious!

Together we boarded the plane, and after four and a half hours we landed in Montego Bay. It was dark, but we were excited to get off the plane, and check out our resort. 

Main entrance

The resort is beautiful! Upon our arrival, we were offered cold towels to refresh our faces from travelling. We were also served a refreshing pink tropical punch that we enjoyed with our supper.

Enjoying some punch in the kitchen

Our first supper together took place at a magnificent locally-made grand table where we were served chicken, rice and beans, and fresh salad. 

The whole gang on the grande staircase at Milbrooks Resort

After supper we decided to check out the pool. It was dark, so the sky was illuminated by the stars. Some of us were even lucky enough to see shooting stars. We swam together with the radio playing popular Jamaican hits from behind the bar. Some of us stayed up all night talking to the resort staff about Jamaica and listening to music.

Written by Olivia Hall

Thank You, Sponsors!

This year we would like to give a huge thank you to the sponsors of the Jamaica Expedition 2017. Nipissing University School of Business, OPSEU, and CPA Ontario have been very generous and donated a significant amount of money to the students. Thanks to their generosity, all the students will be able to receive the full experience of the expedition.

Please take the time to visit the sponsor's websites and learn a bit more about them:

Ontario Public Service Employees Union

CPA Ontario

Nipissing University School of Business