"Another Day in Paradise"

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Wake up early in the morning to get ready for the internship, we are told Clifton will arrive at 8am to pick us up, it's a big morning down at the MOH/PAHO because it's World Blood Donor Day and it's lots of festivities down at the office.

In an attempt to eat breakfast before our ride, I make a soy drink from powder I bought at the market the other day (Bannana and Pineapple flavor) -- looks like cloudy yellow in my water bottle -- tastes like -- interesting -- drink it down. Wait out on the porch for our ride.

8:00am.
8:05am.
8:10am.

8:15am -- Clifton arrives, the woman who runs the guesthouse realizes our ride is here and tells us we need to eat the hotel breakfast before we go -- she talks to the driver and tells him that he will wait for us to eat.

Keith and I know it's important for us to leave right away (seeing as how we are now already 15 mins late). We are brought coffee (soooo good) and watermelon while they finish cooking our breakfast -- we are uncomfortable and decide to drink as much coffee as fast as possible and leave any way (burned my tongue and can't quite taste now). We convince the woman we really do need to leave.
We leave with Clifton -- but not before I walk to the wrong side of the car (the American side -- not the Jamaican side) -- he gives me a hard time about trying to drive in today.

Get into the internship, and we get invited to go to an event honoring Teenage Blood Donors. We go. The only two white people in the entire room (which is really just the lobby of the Ministry of Health/PAHO building -- this building used to be a hotel -- which is complete with an amazing swimming pool that Keith and I stare longingly out our office window at). The Kingston High School Drumming group plays -- a couple songs during the event -- they sound incredible!

Go to a meeting with the Ministry of Health to review their results from their analysis on the mental health programs/policies (I'm pretty excited about this -- and keep asking questions). Go back to our office, and eat lunch (which is the Jamaican version of Cup-O-Noodles, complete with a fold-up fork inside the cup -- GENIUS! I hope the person that thought of that is really freakin rich!) then spend the rest of the day reading documents and dreaming of curried chicken.

Clifton takes us home. Do some reading on the roof-top patio. Eat curried chicken. Talk with another guest. Go online.

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