BGMC Passport Archives
Get your Passport ready. We're traveling this month to Jamaica!
Hey, guys and girls! It's me, Buddy Barrel. This month I'm here in
Jamaica, and God is doing some amazing things here. You can read all about it
by opening the downloads below.
Oh, and be sure and read the Buddy Around the World report and the True Missions Story about Jamaica. Print your own copies for your BGMCKids Passport binder!
Away we go!
Nicolas
Nicolas packs his homework in his backpack and joins his
friend Michael to walk home from school. "Whaapun?"
(What's happening?), Michael asks. They talk about what to do that weekend.
Soon they get to Michael's house, a small concrete block home painted a bright
pink. "See yu pan Satday" (See you on
Saturday), Nicolas says, and goes on to his house down the street.
School English / Home English
Nicolas and Michael study their lessons in English at school, but outside of school they speak patois (patwa). Most Jamaicans are descendants of slaves brought from West Africa over 200 years ago. These people learned English from their British masters and mixed it with African languages to form their own kind of English. Nicolas works hard in school to speak and write standard English, though.
Family Life
Nicolas lives in Kingston, the capital city, with his younger sister and two older brothers. They all live with their grandmother while their mother works at a hotel restaurant. He doesn't know his father, and his sister and brothers have different fathers. Sadly, there are many families like this in Jamaica. Michael's mother works hard to be sure her kids can go to school.
Let's Eat!
After a soccer game, the boys are hot and sweaty. Some of them stop to buy slices of cool watermelon from a street vendor. Nicolas and Michael go back to Michael's house. Dinner is almost ready, and it smells wonderful! Jerk, a spicy barbecued chicken, is roasting on a homemade grill. There are also boiled green bananas and a salad of cabbage and carrots. Nicolas is invited to stay. The boys eat until they're stuffed but still manage to find room for some hot cocoa.
A Fun "Satday"
Yay-it's Saturday! Nicolas eats a breakfast of ackee (a red, rich fruit) and saltfish. Then he runs to Michael's house, and they grab a soccer ball and start down the street to find some other boys to play with. They find some friends sitting outside listening to reggae, a popular Jamaican style of music, on the stereo. They agree to play and head to a nearby soccer field. Girls play netball, a game like basketball. They also play Dandy Shandy, a game like dodgeball. Two throwers try to hit a girl in the middle, who does different gymnastic moves to dodge the ball.
Open the Winnie Newsletter download below for the full story.
