Pluckin' down on the farm

During lunch on Tuesday, one of the farmers asked me if I wanted to go help pluck chickens on Wednesday. I am pretty sure he was asking as a joke, but after thinking about it I thought that it would be a good experience to have. A few times I question if I wanted to because I love chicken and I was scared that it may make me not want to eat chicken anymore. Anyway, Wednesday morning I headed down to the farm around 8am to get started. No worries, I documented it all for you to enjoy!

This is where our friend begins his journey. They put the chickens in this "cone shaped thingy" (yes, that is the technical name) to cut the head off. Having them upside down helps with the blood flow and the "cone shaped thingy" keeps them inside because they twitch like crazy. A few times they twitched so much they flew out and were literally a chicken running around with it's head cutoff. When this happened I absolutely lost it with laughter. The Jamaicans enjoyed watching me, watching the headless chicken run around.

After the head is cut off, we dipped them into a pot of boiling water. This cleans off the blood and allows the feathers to come out easier. Here I am with my first of six chickens!

You can tell I was a little hesitant at first....

In no time though I was plucking that chicken like it was my job!

My first victim after all the feathers were out!

What an experience that was! I will never again take going to the store to buy a nice clean piece of meat for granted!

things I have learned while here

Here is a list of things I have learned while in Jamaica: 

(Oh and me plucking chickens will be a post for tomorrow night- get excited!)

Wow! There really are bugs that look like leaves. It is not just in National Geographic ladies and gentlemen!

If you are peeling an orange and don't realize you let some juice drip; you will know within a few minutes. Quickly I learned to peel oranges outside and anytime food touches my counter to wipe it down with water and soap to prevent a miniature stampede of bugs on my counter. 

I learned how to carve the island of Jamaica into a Jamaican pumpkin. This is (supposed to be) the island and there is a heart where we live. Thanks Erin for getting us pumpkins. Afterward we baked the pumpkin seeds with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Oh my how yummy those were!

We have not had any water pressure for the past week and a half. So here is my shower...I get water out of the white bucket and use the clear basin to shower. Oh the things I have been taught. (Sorry, this picture is sideways)

The power of stickers! When I am working with Miss Sanieka it is a huge challenge to keep her focused. So now, every time she is following directions and doing the right thing, she gets a sticker. One day was awesome, she had stickers all the way up her arm! If this is what it takes to teach her how to write her name, I am all about it!

And of course...I have learned how to set a mousetrap. After the first night of setting one, I realized the trap was not where I had left it; it had moved basically all the way across the room. When the mouse is still alive and trying to escape the trap (haha good luck it ain't gonna happen) they can move the trap all over from wiggling around on it. So, Erin told me to stick a bottle cap on it and then put a chair leg in the bottle cap..GENIUS! (PS - my mouse count is at 21!)