Is that Sophia or Richard Simmons I See Running Laps?

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Well, thank goodness the drive to Montego Bay was as hellish as I was expecting! Not only was it painfully long, but the “highway” which runs across the island just happens to be the same slow roads that we traverse on a daily basis. Some parts are straight and have two lanes in each direction, but the vast majority of the ride is through dangerously curvy mountain roads, over humongous pot holes and sections where the road doesn’t exist at all, as it is in the process of being rebuilt. The main problem is that the rain, which comes every day, has the bad habit of flooding the roads, so huge segments will be entirely underwater when you try to drive through. I believe Nancy inserted a picture somewhere on here of the “swimming pool” which forms in front of our house every day. It is at least 30 feet wide and is usually deep enough to reach the underside of the car. And I’m not just talking about side roads: all of the major roads flood, too, because there is no drainage system to speak of. It’s ridiculous.

But anyway, back on task: the ride to MoBay was horrendously long and our only saving grace was the book-on-tape that Sr. Rosalie had brought along. For at least 3 hours we listened to the plight of an old man suffering from Alzheimers who couldn’t remember if he’d murdered his wife or not. Sacré bleu!! It was not terrifically exciting.

So, we are supposed to spend a week here in MoBay. There are 6 SMSM sisters here: Valaria (like Malaria with a V), Preista (like Priest with an A), Ruth (like Babe Ruth), Ann (like Ann), Benilda and Tekewitha (I don’t know what those are like). Four of them life on Mt. Salem at the Holy Family Community Center and the other two live on Catherine Mount - the two houses would be within walking distance of each other if it weren’t for the impossibly winding roads, countless reckless drivers, and ravenous goats all over the roads. One day we went swimming at Doctor's Cave, which is apparently one of the touristy beaches because a) you had to pay to get in (thank goodness the sisters had a free pass), and b) there was a restaurant/bar right on the beach where outgoing Jamaican men led ridiculous American tourists in square-dancing lessons. But the water was deliciously warm and so clear you could see right down to the bottom and we befriended Rohan (a rescue diver on the beach) who let us borrow his scuba goggles to look at all the colorful fish and gorgeous coral reefs along the shore and the pier. He was even kind enough (or bored enough, as there was no one else on the beach at that time because it was raining) to dive down and pick up sea urchins and a sea cucumber from the ocean floor so that we could see them and play with them and let them suction themselves to the palms of our hands. What a wonderful time!

Another night we went swimming at about 10pm on one of the public beaches where there was a couple making out on one side of the beach and a group of people exercising on the other end. Of course Sophia, being Sophia, decided she wanted to exercise with them, and so started trying to do arm circles and sit-ups on the beach. When they started running, though, she did about half a lap then decided she must stop before her heart stopped. It was probably wise on her part.

More to come soon…
Love, Meg

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