A frequent participant in the J-1 cultural exchange programme, one Jamaican student said she anticipated her typical smooth trip this summer but instead was left shell-shocked and utterly disgusted by the state of sanitation at her housing facility, where roaches became unwanted tenants, and everything seemed to be broken.

“When I arrived I immediately noticed that the accommodation was not properly maintained. There were signs of poor sanitation, and it quickly became clear that there was a significant cockroach problem. And when I’m talking about cockroaches, I’m talking about a lot of cockroaches in the hallway, in the washing room, in the kitchen, in the bathroom — everywhere. Cockroaches were everywhere. It’s horrible,” the student related.

“The dormitory seemed to have more roaches than residents. They were everywhere — in the kitchen, the bathrooms, and sometimes even our bedrooms. After a while, we joked that they were our unofficial roommates. They woke up with us, ate with us, and refused to pay rent.”