LARKLAND WILLIAMS is, as he calls himself, a self-made man. He started out as an illi-terate carpenter in St Mary, struggled as a busboy in Montego Bay, waited in restaurants and on cruise ships, and eventually settled as a tour guide at Caribic Vacations, where he worked for 20 years. Today, 56-year-old Williams works for the JACAL Tour Company in Montego Bay and is the father of five, all soundly literate young men and women. His youngest son, Dwayne, has recently left home for Cornwall College and hopes to be a doctor.

Behind this simplified version of a rags-to-riches story, so to speak, there is a self-taught guitarist and linguist. Williams' journey has not been easy, but it has been grounded in a willingness to learn.

"Back in the country (St Mary), I couldn't read or write much. There were nine of us and my mother and father couldn't afford to send us to school," he begins.

"When I came to Montego Bay in my 20s, I was becoming a man, going on an adventure, but something was missing. I realised it was the educational part of the adventure. And that's why I went to JAMAL."

Illiteracy problem

The Jamaican Movement for the Advancement of Literacy, founded in 1972, was a government-assisted foundation aimed at addressing the illiteracy problem, which, at the time plagued more than 40 per cent of the population 15 years and over. Today, with an illiteracy level reduced to half its rate in the '70s, the agency not only fights for complete literacy, but also for opportunities to continue education. Under this expanded vision, JAMAL has been renamed the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL).

"It was easier back then," says Williams, reminiscing on the enrolment procedure at the JAMAL centre in Montego Bay. "Sixteen years ago or so, I can't remember the exact years, I filled out a form and started attending the school daily for two hours."

By day, he rolled around MoBay as a busboy; by night, he learned how to read letters and compute numbers.

Back then, he says, the classroom had 10-15 students who also wanted to have a better life. Many were construction workers, usually in their 20s. The centre had around five classes, each taught by two teachers and a morning and evening shift.

"I came to learn, and I did," he says. "I learned algebra and geometry, read books, and wrote essays." He even became something resembling a teacher's pet. One of his tutors, Mrs Thompson, who passed recently, called him 'Boasty Boy and made him help other students in geometry. "She was stern. She used to say 'Boasty Boy', go and show them the problem on the board'. And I'd say 'The problem is like this, like this', and the students would follow my instructions."

After five years at the centre, Williams graduated and worked as a waiter in Ocho Rios. Amid the silverware and tourists, his ears were still perked for learning. "At Ochi, there were a lot of Germans coming in. So I'd shout 'How do you say this in German?' and slowly, it became easier and easier to communicate with them. I recorded myself and listened to how I sounded, and that's how I picked up on both German and Spanish."

Williams introduced himself to Caribic Vacations 20 years ago after a particularly exhausting job on a cruise ship.

Stepping stone

"I told them I know a little German, if you could employ me. I spoke to them in German, and they asked me if I'd ever been to Germany. And then they hired me.

"JAMAL was my stepping stone. I wouldn't be where I am today. I couldn't read or write properly. That is where I stuck my nose and then (at JAMAL) I learned what I could not do." Upon request, Williams sometimes goes back to the centre in Montego Bay, teaching German, or sharing his stories to motivate students.

Recently, Williams left Caribic Vacations, bought a bus and among other things, operates private tours. These days, he is 'cooling down', and doing a little study of herbal medicine, or playing the guitar.

- Haeryun Kang