Boonoonoos

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Greetings from Jamaica, mon!
And in case you're wondering, yeah, they really say that. Now, onto more pressing matters: We're finally here! Yes, it was a long time coming, but Nancy and I have successfully moved into our new place of residence as of Wednesday at 4pm. That was, of course, after "The Incidents". And by "The Incidents" I mean the fact that we were delayed by three hours flying out of Boston because of mechanical/electrical problems on the plane (aka - none of the lights in the cockpit were working and it's a bit difficult to fly a plane when you don't know your speed or altitude). This delay caused us to miss our connecting flight from Miami to Kingston, which, in turn, led to our spending two extra days in Miami because Hurricane Rita was busy reaking havoc on southern Florida (and we were busy admiring the throngs of transvestites in Miami International Airport). As a result, we ended up switching airlines twice and having our luggage lost somewhere in the atmosphere, which led to my being held up in a gray cell while being interrogated by customs officials as to why I wanted to get back into the airport to find Nancy and to claim my baggage. Clearly, they weren't close enough to my clothing to smell that I'd been wearing the same outfit for three days. But hey, at least we're here!

Yesterday Nancy and I found out that we'll be working at St. Pius X School and Parish. Nancy will be teaching English and working with the choir, as she was a music/vocal performance major in college, and I will be teaching math and starting a reading program for the elementary school students, as I was a Communication major which doesn't actually qualify me to do much of anything. However, for any of you who have ever had the pleasure of experiencing my mathematics skills, you'll clearly realize that these students are in for quite a learning experience, to say the very least about my abilities.

In addition to working, we'll surely be spending a lot of time at our home, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Mountains that surround Kingston. Nancy and I live with Sr. Sophia who hails from the island nation of Tonga, Sr. Paolo from Brescia (near Milan), Italy, and our new dog Spunky or Dumpty or George The Democrat, born right here in Kingston, his name being entirely dependent on who is calling for him. George and I (I call him George so as to restore my faith in at least ONE george i know) have forged an almost immediate relationship and I convinced him to agree to the following contact: I will give him chicken bones and scratch his butt so long as he doesn't growl or bite or jump or bear his teeth at me. He is also responsible for keeping the goats out of the yard. Sophia is quite a treat to spend time with: she divides her time pretty evenly between eating and laughing, has absolutely no sense of direction, and has admittedly driven away after hitting two men on bicycles with her car. Paolo is teaching Nancy and I many new Italians phrases, like "no more food, thanks, I'm full" and "get out of my way before I rear-end your motorbike." She's got vicious road rage, but is compassionate enough to say a prayer for each person she cuts off and cusses out while driving.

All in all, things here are looking good so far. It's blazing hot both day and night and the skies are prone to randomly opening up to pour rain and throw lightening bolts, but we think that's only because it's the rainy season. Having just spent $4,000 Jamaican dollars to ensure that we are, indeed, resident aliens in Jamaica, Nancy and I will spent the next week traveling the island (it's only three hours from east to west) and seeing the sights, doing the tourist thing, then the week after we jump into our teaching curriculum so we can start corrupting Jamaican children. The excitment of it all! I'm terribly sorry this entry has turned out to be so lengthy, but you all know how I love to talk. I hope everyone is doing well in their respective sections of the world, with their respective jobs or schooling or both. I miss you all heaps and I hope to hear from you soon!! love, meg

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Comments

[Betty]

Guess Who's Mom
Hi Meghan, I feel like I know you already. I love your blog...you filled in lots of info that I wondered about. I will be checking your blog along with Nancy's. I hope the very best for you and Nancy. I feel like I am living through your world. I know you will do a wonderful job teaching even if Communications is your major. After all, you will be able to communicate better than most math people I have known over my life. Take care.