We made it to Jamaica!!!!

Wow! First I must say that Jamaica is ABSOLUTELY GEORGOUS!!!! The mountains are breathtaking and the ocean (although we cannot see it from here is beautiful).  Kingston is a big city and is therefore congested but I can tell I am going to love it.  The people have all been so nice and so helpful. People assume I am Jamaican until I speak (and have a confused look on my face as I have NO idea what they are saying to me) then they either laugh or they are sympathetic and slow their speech and speak in a way I can understand. To all of the sympathetic people I have met so far I am extremely grateful.

Our trip here was good.  We woke up at 230a and got to the airport at 330a (thanks again sister). By the time we got all 12 bags situated and ourselves checked in we had about 25min to get to our gate. The plane was so tiny.  Nay’s car seat couldn’t even fit down the aisle.  We were allowed to board first with the kids, thank goodness, so we were able to struggle a bit longer than ordinary.  Once in flight it was great.  Nay fell asleep and we all got a little shut eye for the next hour. This is the view that I woke up to on the plane:

Isn't it amazing? The sun peaking up over the clouds and the moon just a speck in the dark blue sky.  Ok, enough of me being dramatic lol.

Once we landed in Miami things went pretty good.  We found some breakfast and made our way to our next gate. By the time we found our gate we still had an hour before I plane was supposed to leave. Our plane ended up being delayed an hour so by the time we boarded the plane Nay was all over the place. Once on the plane he calmed down and was asleep again within the first 20 minutes after takeoff.

And so was his brother and sister

The plane ride from Miami to Jamaica was a bit bumpy which kept me awake.  But this was our view so I couldn't complain

Once in Jamaica it took us an hour to collect our bags and make our way through customs.  After that ordeal our wonderful taxi driver, Walton, was waiting for us, holding a sign with our name on it (I have to admit, I enjoyed that part J ).  Our taxi driver took us on a tour of Kingston, providing us with some interesting history along the way.  One the way to campus, he stopped so that we could get a cell phone which ended up taking FOREVER (2+hrs) and we ran to the grocery store next door so that we could get through the weekend. 

We finally made it to our new house only to find out that there was no key waiting for us.  Luckily my new boss and department chair, Dr Monteith, arrived at the same time.  She handled everything and we were in before we knew it. She gave us a tour of the house and then she took me in her car, on a tour of campus.

Now this is where I have to be honest.  After touring the house and campus I felt so overwhelmed. I was ready to throw in the towel and go home.  The campus is huge (or at least a lot bigger than I had anticipated) and our house is even bigger.  The house we are assigned is AMAZING and so big (so please come visit... There is plenty of room)

 

Our new home and all its yard... plenty of room for the kids to run and play and the view is amazing

It has 5 bedrooms and 3 full baths.  It is shaped like a U. Along the horizontal line of the U there is a huge enclosed porch, a living room and dining room, a galley kitchen and a den that we are using as a playroom/ school room.

enclosed porch... the door in the picture leads to the "play room"

part of the living room and all of the doors (there are so many doors that lead to the outside in this house... 6 to be exact)

view of dining from living room. door leads into kitchen

Kitchen (couldn't figure out how to use that stove so I bought a portable electric stove)

Along the right vertical line there is a long hallway that has two bedrooms and a bath along the hallway.  At the end of the hallway there is the “master” with its own bath.  The rooms are big and there is plenty of space.

Long hallway with bedrooms and baths

Along the other vertical line of the U is what they call the helpers quarters, with two bedrooms and a bathroom.  There is also a garage and a “laundry” area even though I do not have a washer and dryer (but I do have a clothes line that I plan to use).

In our yard we have a banana tree and another fruit tree that we have not identified yet. Our neighbors have a coconut tree.  This is more than I ever imagined it would be and I am SSSOOO excited about our fruit trees.

View from our kitchen window and of one of our banana trees... our yard stretches beyond the fence but this is the "court yard" in the middle of the U

Banana trees with bananas ready to be picked

There are some things we are going to have to get used to though.  First, there is no hot water (the kids are screaming in the shower as I type because the water is cold lol) but we can deal with that.  Second, there is no A/C (just for some perspective it was 80 degrees yesterday and everyone was like “oh this is a cool day…”. Last night was almost unbearable, but in the middle of the night the temp dropped to like 60 and we got cool breezes.  Finally, there are bugs and lizards everywhere. We are not afraid of the lizards in the house, they mind their business. We are scared of some of the bugs we can’t identity and have our handy dandy can of bug spray ready.

This morning we got up and walked to campus (about a mile) just to see how far it is. Then we got brave and decided to hail a cab to the "mall" (not quite what you might be thinking)in search of a fan. That went smooth with the help of a very nice local woman. We made it to the mall only to find out many stores don't open on Sundays. We were lucky enough to hail a taxi passing by who was very helpful and ended up taking us to megamart (Kingston's version of Sams club). We found everything we needed, mostly a fan, and was pleased to find out the taxi had waited on us while we shopped. On the ride home our driver stopped by Juicie Patties and I got to introduce the kids to some Jamaican patties. They Loved them :-)

All in all, this trip is going to require some adjustments for all of us, but I know it will be a memorable experience. Keep checking back (or input your email and you will receive a message when I update) for more tales about our journey to and through Jamaica. Also comments are aleays welcome as we miss hearing from you all already. 

With all that said, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE COME VISIT US.  This house is too big for us and we would love to keep if filled with our family and friends. 

Ok! My hubby is kicking me off the computer so that he can watch the football game lol!  I’ll post more soon!