Blogs from Jamaica, Central America Caribbean - page 31

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Central America Caribbean » Jamaica October 7th 2005

Another day starts as usual - mass at 7am with Fr. Melodramatic, making want to amputate both of my ears. This is followed by yet another ride through the mountains, this time to Montpelier. No, not the home of our first President, but rather the home of more than 100 Haitian refugees seeking political asylum. And 100 is probably a modest estimate - last year there were more than 800 refugees, entire families crammed into barracks filled with bunk beds and blue tarps to separate each family. It was absolute squalor today, so I cannot even imagine what it must have been like a year ago with 700 more people living there. Overgrown gardens and soccer fields stand as a testament to the fact that the people living there were entirely unwilling to perform any sort ... read more


I PROMISE TO HAVE PICTURES UP SOON…JUST HAVE TO FIND A COMPUTER WITH DSL THAT ACCEPTS MY CAMERA”S USB DRIVE (I already tried downloading one…it would be helpful if I had a jump drive if anyone has an extra, wink wink ;))haha! Living in Jamaica is definitely the hard life. Right now, I’m preparing to go to Doctor’s Cave beach, the most famous in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Earlier this week I visited the beach and had a great time. I spent five hours soaking up the rays, and enjoying the crystal blue water. The water was about 15 feet deep and I could still easily see the bottom. About 75 yards out, there were huge blow up trampolines anchored to the sea floor. Not long after we arrived a local man and worker at the beach ... read more
Jelly Coconut
Alby Jr.
citrus

Central America Caribbean » Jamaica October 5th 2005

A beautifully horrifying day. Up at 6:00am for mass then off to the AIDS hospice where Sr. Tekewitha works. I was nervous as we walked to the door because this was the kind of work I had come here to do even though I had no idea if I would enjoy it or not. A sense of calmness and peace descended over me as we walked into the hospice, but that same peaceful feeling wore like make-up on the faces of many of the patients: a false exterior, or so it seemed. So many brave faces to cover so many scared and tired souls. Tired of living in a culture, a country, and a world which largely shuns them. A world that is fearful of them and the death they seem to embody and, in some ... read more

Central America Caribbean » Jamaica October 4th 2005

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 ... read more

Central America Caribbean » Jamaica October 1st 2005

Whittled away another night playing canasta (God, how old are we?!) after a rousing evening of Friday night mass (with the carousel-singing-sister) followed by Jamaican jerk chicken wings and guava-pineapple juice. This is the high life!! We spent the previous three days being consumed by feisty mosquitoes. I now know how it feels to be eaten alive - 67 bug bites on my legs, 29 on my arms, and various others on my head, neck, and even the bottom of my feet. HOW DID THEY GET THERE?? Anyway, today more than made up for the pain of previous days as Sophia, Jornah, Nancy and I made the trek to Dunn’s River Falls in beautiful Ocho Rios. Another life-threatening drive through high mountain towns and the curvaceous area of Fern Gully landed us amidst the gorgeous seaside ... read more

Central America Caribbean » Jamaica September 28th 2005

My first days in Jamaica. ---I will get the pictures posted soon, I promise!!! Today marks my 7th day, first full week in Jamaica. Disclaimer: The following are only my first impressions, most of them from very first day, and may or may not represent the country or the people well. I have felt extremely welcomed in Jamaica. It’s hard to believe that more people say hello and wave to me than at home in Kansas. After arriving off the plane, and through customs, I was almost immediately greeted by the two sisters. A short, extremely broad shouldered, grey/white haired sister approached me and began giving very wet kisses on both of my cheeks. At this point I knew that she was Sr. Paolo from Italy. Her Italian accent introduced me to Sr. Sophia from the ... read more
the pool forms in front of our house
my bedroom
George

Central America Caribbean » Jamaica September 28th 2005

I have been meaning to add these entries for a couple weeks now, but have not been afforded the opportunity until now, so now, without further adieu: After 7:30 am mass and a 9:30 meeting yesterday, Nancy and I boarded into Sr. Amora’s car to make the 1 ½ hour trek to Linstead - barely-on-the-map - Jamaica. The house here is absolutely gorgeous: 2 stories with 5 bathrooms, 6 bedrooms, a big kitchen and dining room, a sitting room, a prayer room, an office, a giant porch downstairs and veranda upstairs, a laundry room, a garage, and a storage room in the basement, not to mention large front and back yards filled with banana, guava, coconut, orange, and june plum trees. While the living quarters are quite luxurious, the living is not. We are constantly plagued ... read more

Central America Caribbean » Jamaica September 24th 2005

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 ... read more

Central America Caribbean » Jamaica August 31st 2005

Words can hardly describe this first day. The Bahamas and Atlantis Resort were beautiful, but the thoughts of what was to come and the reason why I was really there were hard to suppress, and I wasn’t really trying too. The ocean was gorgeous and the water was the perfect temperature. I would recommend Atlantis for a family vacation, or maybe a honeymoon, but it was pretty commercial feeling. But who cares, I was only there for 1 night out of 101 to come. My early alphabet name served me well as I was able to board at 8:00am long before the rain came. The Ship is AMAZING. It used to be a cruise ship and still has that feel. The staff is wonderful and seems to be everywhere. (There are 200 of them.) Although I ... read more


“One Love” Montego Bay, Jamaica 9th May - 16th May 2005 The number one rule of travel writing, according to one travel editor at TNT Magazine in London is never, EVER start your story at the airport or on the plane. The have obviously never experienced Air Jamaica’s in-flight aerobics program! The sight of a plane load of people waving their arms and legs in the air simultaneously is one that makes you excited to be landing in Jamaica - the German tourist board should definitely take note of this! Following my marriage to Victoria Kiss on Saturday 7th of May, 2005 we headed off to Jamaica for our much anticipated honeymoon. The insurmountable stress of planning a wedding was offset by the promise of a relaxing week of sun, sea and sand, with plenty of ... read more
Beach Front Property
Sandals Inn
Deckchair Dinner




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