Happy Easter

7 April

Today was a great day.  We were able to mark another place off of our list of things we want to do before we go home.  We headed to the Rockfort Mineral Bath this afternoon.  Supposedly this spring opened in in the Great Earthquake of 1907 and offers healing qualities (which explains why there were so many senior citizens there I guess :-} ).  The only downfall is that you are only allowed one hour in the water.  The water was amazing... it wasn't full of chlorine or salt.  The kids could swim without their eyes or nose burning.  The water felt smooth... I know that sounds strange but that is the best way for me to describe it.  It felt like how I would imagine bathing in a tub full of water and fabric softener.

After our swim I tried to stop and get the kids some lunch... they were starving after our swim.  I went to the ATM only to learn that my card would not work.  Uh oh!  I had just enough cash to pay the taxi to get home. Once home I headed out to the ATM machine on campus and then to Juici Patties to get the kids some lunch.  After a two mile walk to return with what little food could get (the patti place, the only food place open, had only 3 patties left in the whole restaurant... I was able to get two of them) I was exhausted.

I spent the rest of the evening trying to work on a paper that I have to give at a conference next week.

All-in-all it was a great day!

Joshua and Averie about to jump in

Getting the baby used to the water

The kids and I in the Mineral Bath

Joshua and Mama dancing to a Michael Jackson song in the yard of the mineral bath

Still dancing and Mama singing :-)

 8 April

Happy Easter Everyone!!! Today has been a great day here in Jamaica.  We woke this morning and had Bun and Cheese for breakfast.  Bun is a spiced fruit bread and the cheese is a processed cheese in "tin".  The thought of eating both together (I try to limit my processed food intake ;-} ) did not sit well with me.  To my surprise it actually tasted pretty good.  The kids really liked it. It was exciting being able to celebrate the holiday the way everyone in this country does.

Bun and Cheese! An Easter tradition here in Jamaica

It was actually pretty good... the kids really like it!

 After breakfast we headed to the Chinese Cemetery to witness Gah San.  Gah San is an annual celebration in the cemetery where people come out and clean the burial sites of their loved ones and leave food offerings and burn incense.  We are obviously not Chinese but no one seemed to mind that we were there.  It was really exciting for me to see such a process.  In my research I usually see the aftermath of burial and never get to witness any rituals associated with it.

A man having a burial site cleaned and burning incense and some kind of paper I didn't recognize

A view of some burials in the cemetery

Another view of the cemetery (this is the older section)

 When we got home I decided to cook a traditional Jamaican Easter dinner.  I cook Fried fish, brown stewed fish (with a little to much browning) rice and peas, and cabbage salad.  It was delicious.  I thought we would have enough in case we get hungry later but the food was devoured.

Fried fish, brown stewed fish, rice and peas and cabbage salad