Presentation Day 2

In our second presentation day, I have learned a lot about Martinique, The Bahamas, and Saint Martin (some of these islands may have been from the first presentation day).

Martinique

• Language plays a big role.
• The most famous celebration is Carnival.
• Foods in Martinique include Piment and Court-bouillon.
• Martinique Carnival is similar to that of Trinidad's and Rio's Carnival.

The Bahamas

• Bahamas is located on a chain of islands.
• 85% of the people are African descent.
• They gained their independence in 1973.
• The Queen Staircase is made fully of limestone
• Major crime is drug smuggling.

Saint Martin

• The island was settled in the year 800.

What worked for these presentations were the interesting facts that the presenters gave (that was not included in their presentations). What did not work for the presentations were the fast skimming of the presentation slides and not a lot of talking (some presenters did not talk very much and did not know certain information about their island when asked). The overall presentations again, we nicely done.

Presentation Day 1

In our first presentation day, I have learn variety of great information about Caribbean islands such as Barbados, Haiti, and Dominica.

Barbados

• I have learned that there are many cultures that are overlooked in Barbados. 
• The Amerindians were the first to inhabit Barbados
• The descendants of the Irish servants still live on the Island.
• The forgotten cultures were suppressed by the English.

Haiti

• Haiti gained their independence on January 1, 1803.
• A huge earthquake hit on January 12, 2010.
• The earthquake killed more than 160,000 people.

Dominica

• Their culture is enriched by Carnival (a festival).
• They are known for their wine
• Mountain Chicken is actually bullfrog

The overall presentations were even more well done (compared to our previous presentation). What really worked for the presenters were the videos they showed/made to present, everybody very much enjoyed watching the videos. Other than some presenters still not giving enough good information, the presentations themselves did not have anything wrong with them

Student Presentation Proposal Review

During class, we have presented our presentation proposals. Although many of us were confused on how to present, I believe that everyone did an outstanding job. The presentations were well made and the information given were quite intriguing. However, there were some things that did not work when presenting.

1. Many of us keep reading off of the presentation.
2. Some presentations did not give much information so it was hard to understand their research.
3. Some people actually gave way too much information that made the presentation uninteresting.
4. A number of the students did not look prepared (there were many who looked confused when presenting).

All in all, the proposal presentation were very well made, I have learned many thing about the other Caribbean islands. Since this is our first presentation (by ourselves) of course students would get nervous and make a mistake. In the next presentation, we will be more prepared!

My Research Project

In class, we were assigned to choose a topic of any choice and write a 2000 word research paper on it. My research question was, "Why Should Tourists Visit Jamaica?" Currently, I am researching about the history of Jamaica to help me get an idea of what to write. But now I have decided that my main three points are culture, natural beauty, and entertainment. With culture, I have researched about what the villagers in Jamaica wear, what they do everyday, their music/dance, and their language. In my natural beauty topic, I will research about the natural beauties of Jamaica including Blue Mountain, Green Grotto Caves, and the Seven Mile Beach. And lastly, I will research about the entertainment in Jamaica, these include climbing waterfalls, river tubing, scuba diving, etc...

What I find really challenging is the fact that Jamaica is quite a dangerous place. Jamaica has a very high crime rate and the island is filled with drug dealers. There have also been many cases where many tourists were kidnapped or killed making my research on why to visit Jamaica difficult. Although that is the case, Jamaica is still a nice place to visit (although I advise you to stay within the tourists area) so I will try to make it work!

About Jamaica

The Beautiful island of Jamaica is located within the Caribbean Sea. Jamaica is the third largest island, as well as, the largest English-speaking island in the Caribbean. Known to its natives as "Xaymaca," the island has many other names such as, "The Land of Wood and Water" and "The Land of Springs." Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1494, he described the island to be "the fairest isle that eyes have beheld."

Jamaica is known to have a very rich and dynamic culture. The most popular of Jamaica's culture is it's music. Known as the "Birthplace of Reggae," Jamaica created the music genre Reggae which has become quite popular in many countries such as Germany.

The locals in Jamaica are said to be very friendly and welcoming. Some locals will invite you into their homes, take you around town, and even show you the hidden gems of Jamaica.

Jamaica also has a very interesting language. English is the official language in Jamaica, but the locals created their own dialect style. Their dialect version is a mix of  African, English, and Rastafarian.