Our Saturday: art class and some shopping (for food)

11 Feb 2012

Another great morning in Jamaica.  The kids went to art class again and while they were there I decided to tackle the market all alone (well with Nay in tow).  It went surprisingly well.  I still was not able to get pictures… pictures could not capture what it is like in the market anyway.  It is truly an experience. So this is what I got and you tell me if I did okay (prices not to different from home, just fun to shop this way… and sometimes you do get some great deals):

·         3 green peppers

·         1 small head lettuce (ab ½ the size of a head at home, but it is hard to come by so I got it)

·         8 white onions

·         1 bag green grape

·         1 bag red grape

·         ½ lb strawberries (these were JA$600 alone. I was either cheated or they are ridiculously priced)

·         6 gala apples

·         4 cloves garlic

·         1 bag red beans (gonna make peas and rice from scratch instead of canned kidney beans)

·         2 bag juice (yum!... enough said)

·         1 small pillow (kids size)

·         6 pairs of socks for Nay (don’t know why I came here with only 2 pair of socks for him)

·         1 ball for Nay

·         2 packs of gum

Total JA$2300 (US$26)

After the kids got out of class we decided to walk down to the harbor to see the ships and the beautiful water.  We were entertained with some local youth running full speed and diving into the harbour.  At first I wasn’t sure what they were doing, but they were simply enjoying this beautiful Saturday swimming with friends.  We watched planes take off and land as we had a great view of the airport, which Nay LOVED.

View of one of the ships from the harbor in downtown Kingston (to my right)

View to my left

Further to my right

View right in front of me

Our driver arrived about 20 mins late (which we didn’t mind since we were enjoying the harbour) and we headed to the grocery store.  I was able to get essentials like chicken (not lives ones like I could have gotten in the market, but already dead and packaged), paper towels, juice and waffles.

Once home we ran to the corner store to get the last few things we needed.  EVERYTHING is closed on Sundays here and we learned the hard way not to be well stocked on Saturday.  I have to pause here to say how much I LOVE THE CORNER STORE here.  That is going to be one convenience I truly miss when we leave.  The other day I got:

·         A soda

·         A bottle of cleaning solution

·         A flask of “adult beverage” (I just had to try the Jamaican rum I had heard so much about)

·         2 onions

·         And 3 ice cream cones (of the most amazing grapenut flavor I have ever had)

Total JA$800 (ab US$9)

The items I purchased were completely random and if you could see this “store” you would love it to.  Imagine a drive-thru window… that’s it… that’s the “store”, except it is made from wood and can fit about 2 people in the space. She have EVERYTHING though.  You name she can pull it out from under the counter.  I LOVE it!

Right next door to the corner store is a small little place to eat.  It just opened but the cook is amazing.  For JA$300 (US$3.45) they give us enough food to feed me and the kids. We are so lucky to have found these spots and they are within walking distance (maybe 4-5 minute walk from the house).

After lunch we lounged around for a while and then the kids decided to go see if their friend is home.  I just received a call from them telling me they made it to her house (she lives around the corner and down the street a little) and that they are walking to the park (which is about 3-4 more houses down from their friend).  My heart was pounding and I was a nervous wreck waiting on them to get home, but I am trying to give them a little freedom so they won’t feel like prisoners here in Jamaica, locked up tight all the time.  The neighborhood we are in is under constant monitoring and  patrolled by campus police regularly and you have to go through a guard gate to get in here so I know they are fine (along with the dozens of other kids running and playing outside.  I’m still not sure how often I will give them that little piece of freedom… we usually get up and walk as a family to the park but they wanted to see their friend and it wasn’t a good time for Nay.

We will probably hang out the rest of the evening watching tv and trying some of our new snacks we picked up at the grocery store. 

Oh and before I forget, my mom’s passport came yesterday!  YYYYAAAYYY  I’ll keep you posted!