Program Reviews

Thank you for providing a great experience for our group. We enjoyed the volunteer opportunities with the Botanical Gardens, and we loved volunteering at the girls home. Many of the children in our group got a chance to connect with the children in the girls home, and they walked away with a sense of giving back to the community.

The food that was provided daily was great. Thank you for taking the extra time out to provide vegan meals just for me.

The day at Maroon Town really touched the children. They were provided with the historical information about their ancestors, and the implementation of slavery within Jamaica. All they ever heard about was the implementation of the oppression of Black Americans. Many of our students walked away feeling empowered.

Has been a great experience that I would recommend to others. It has been a very educational and fun experience for me and my classmates. I have especially enjoyed seeing all the different social classes of Jamaica and not just seeing the resort aspect of the island. It has been a great experience for me and has made me get out of my comfort zone by trying new foods and dancing in the Jamaican style. I am very thankful for the experience and it is something that I will always remember,

I had an overall great experience this past couple of days. It was great to try new things and get out of my comfort zone. An example of getting out of my comfort zone is trying new foods. I also enjoyed being able to spend time with others that also stayed at Smokey Manor. I am very grateful for the staff because they tried very hard to accommodate everything to what we enjoyed. My favorite part was the beach

It was very clear that the staff was there to make sure the guests were comfortable. Everyone was friendly and we had no problems. The whole house was very clean and the whole trip was an amazing experience overall. I feel that I really got a good look at what the Jamaican culture is like between the interactions with new people everyday to the new foods I was exposed to. My favorite part of the trip was when we went to the Blue Mountain Estate. Everyone was very informative and was always willing to answer your questions so that you were able to really understand what you were learning.

I would recommend this program to everyone without hesitation.

I loved the guided tours that we went on and the staff here was wonderful! I also appreciated how they prepared meals for us daily ensuring that we got to try local cuisine instead of the restaurants that we know and love. The extra activities at night were also extremely fun and informational! I felt very safe having a security guard outside each night we were sleeping, and locks on the doors. Having hot water everyday was hard to get but that is just a privilege that we get in the states and that I'm used to. They were also very flexible with people who have food restrictions like being a vegetarian.

Would definitely recommend to other people!

This trip was absolutely incredible! Going into it, I didn't know how much I would learn from this experience. In this short period of time, we got to learn about Jamaican cuisine and cooking styles, volunteer with school children, see beautiful sites, and received fantastic historical lessons. Spending the day with Maroons allowed us to truly learn about Jamaican history and culture, and we got to shop in the market & swim in a beautiful blue river! Additionally, I now know more about coffee than I ever knew I could know! Fantastic experience overall, it went by too quickly.

If I could choose my favourite memory from this trip it would have to be going to the school and assisting in the kindergarten class. The kids were so cute and I had a great time there. I also was able to work in a children's' home (orphanage) and as someone who would like to be an international social worker in the future, the orphanage helped with figuring out if that's what I really want to do. Overall this trip was great, I got to meet so many new people, eat new foods and learn more about the Jamaican culture.

Being 16, it was my first time travelling by myself and I would recommand it to anybody. I loved playing with the kids at the orphanage and it is always so surprising how they enjoy the smallest things in life that we take for granted. Also, I had two cooking classes with Louise and I will do the recipes back at home for sure. The food was so good. I loved my experience and I will do it again, no doubt.

Jamaica has been an amazing experience! I've learned more about this beautiful country in couple days than in 12 years in high school. It changed my perspective of the country, its culture, people, traditions and food. We stayed at a very authentical house in Kingston, where rooms were big, view from the balcony was gorgeous and food delicious. Everybody was very friendly and helpful. Visiting university, swimming in the ocean, going to the museum was very different and important. Me, personally, enjoyed the Rastafari camp most of all. I learned so much about their religion and traditions. It was a culture shock!

This program was absolutely amazing and one I'll never forget. I enjoyed getting to know learn about Jamaica's cultures. I loved going to Dunn's River Falls, living like a Maroon for a day and visiting Blue Mountains(Craighton Estate and Strawberry Hill). The hospitality is wonderful and the people here are so friendly. One of the best parts of this trip was going to the elementary schools and orphanages. I had a great time with all of the children and made close connections with them.I never wanted to leave. The staff is amazing and so supporting and willing to help out with whatever we need help with. This trip has been so humbling and memorable for me. I will definitely be returning and I recommend everyone to come and enjoy this once in a lifetime experience.