Jamaican Me Crazy, Mon!

What a week. A brief recap by the numbers. 5 days with 12 hours of sleep. 13 amazing Fulbrighters and at least three whole jerk chickens eaten.  Too many Red Stripes, games of pool/dominoes, and ridiculous stories to count. One game of beach volleyball, a trip down a water slide, and one scramble up a long series of waterfalls. One paper mache giant crab and the resulting thorough airport screening, learning about and being impressed by 12 research projects, and ultimately, falling in love with Jamaica.  In short, it was a whirlwind of a trip.

It started off on the right foot, too.  Upon arriving at the hotel in New Kingston, I and the four Fulbrighters from Trinidad and Tobago (who were also flying to Jamaica from Barbados) dropped off our baggage and immediately set out to find some jerk chicken.  One of the Trinny Fulbrighters had been in the area before and took us to a local place not more than two blocks away.  Our bellies full, we set out to find some fun.  We were walking around Emancipation Park (beautiful!) when one of the Trinny Fulbrighter's head perked up prairie dog style.  The cause? He heard SOCA!  With carnival just a couple of weeks in the past, all the Trinny Fulbrighters were still coming down from that soca-infused high and were excited to hear its rapid tempo on the streets of Jamaica.  We followed the sound to a nearby hotel which was hosting a soca fete (read: party).  Alas they were charging a $30 US cover, which proved too rich for our blood, so we decided to just chill near the hotel pool and drink some Red Stripes.  Growing restless we set out to find something else to do.  One of the Trinnies got into a conversation with a Jamaican named Donovan who said he would take us to a local bar not far away.  Fifteen minutes later we were inside Chelsea, a rather deserted and decrepit (but expensive as we would later find out) bar where we proceeded to spend the next couple of hours shooting pool, listening to Donovan's stories (crazy!), and drinking more Red Stripe.  I can't remember what time it was when we finally left, but all I know is that waking up to give my presentation the following morning (after pulling an all-nighter the night before) was painful.

Pool @ Chelsea with Jacob and Donovan (photo courtesy of Miguella!)

The next day started off with a short trip to the Embassy to be introduced to the staff and collect our expense allowance.  Afterwards we returned to the hotel to begin the presentations.  Not only was I first but I was also the only Fulbrighter not pursuing a specific research project.  Therefore my presentation probably came off as more of a lecture than a window into my life in Barbados, but overall I think it went well enough.  Following seven more presentations we set out for a tour of Devon House, which was the mansion built by Jamaica's first black millionaire in the late 1800s.  Our guide told us about every piece of furniture in the place but didn't mention the man who built it, George Stiebel, more than a couple times.  A very odd tour indeed. 

Our furniture obsessed tour guide

After the tour we proceeded to the Bob Marley museum, which turned out to be closed by the time we got there (we were running late all day).  Still, the staff was nice enough to let us look around and even show us a bit of the film they have on Bob.  Quite an amazing man - it's a shame he died so young.

Bob's sweet ride.  Love me a Range Rover Defender!

Lion of Judah

Migs showing off her Blue Mountain Coffee

Following our abbreviated stay at the Bob Marley museum we headed back to Devon House for dinner at the Grog Shoppe.  Everyone was ready for some food and drink and a chance to sit and talk.  Fully satiated we headed back to the hotel to regroup before going out to the Jamaica Fulbrighters' favorite local bar.  Located half inside, half outside, the bar was the perfect space to hang out.  The owner, Jermaine, had just had two brand new pool tables installed a few days earlier and was offering beer specials for 100 Jamaican (roughly $1.20 U.S.).  After a couple hours there we called it a night and headed home.

New pool table at Jermaine's

The next day was rough.  We had to wake up at 5:45 so we could take a specific road (the Gorge) to Ochos Rios which was scheduled to be closed at 7 for construction.  Despite our preparation we didn't make it to the road in time.  However, the U.S. Embassy was able to call in a favor and we got a police escort through the construction site.  Pretty baller.  Still, not many on the bus noticed since everyone was passed out in pain from the night before.  A while later, in an effort to revive our spirits, our guides made us stop on the road for breakfast at this string of huts.  The ploy worked - people immediately felt better.

Never-ending string of food stalls

An hour later we reached our destination: the Sunset Jamaica Grande all-inclusive resort in Ochos Rios where we had a day pass to essentially do as we please.  But, before we could hit the beach we had to listen to a presentation from a Jamaican Fulbrighter and kinda-sorta go on a tour of the property.  No one understood why we were at a resort (not really seeing Jamaica that way) let alone why we needed to go on a tour of the property, so most of us just melted away before anything could be said or done.  Over the next few hours we played beach volleyball, drank free beers, took trips down the water slide, and relaxed by the pool/beach; resigned to spending time at the resort we decided to make the best of it.

The tour of the property, which very quickly ended

Finally, after many hours at the resort we headed to the spectacular Dunn's River Falls.  I climbed up the Falls with a couple of the guys, which turned out to be a good decision because it worked up my appetite for the most amazing jerk chicken on the trip (we ate at this nearby place called Schotties, where we plowed through our food before embarking on the long trip back to New Kingston).

At the beginning of the Falls

Love this photo.  Again, courtesy of Miguella.

The jerk being prepared at Schotties. Another Mig shot.

Upon returning to the hotel we all decided to call it a night since we were so exhausted and we wanted our last day in Jamaica to be enjoyed to the max.  The next morning we awoke to finish off the presentations and do a community service project at a nearby training organization called the Stella Maris Foundation.  The Foundation trains Jamaicans in useful skills - such as IT, early childhood care, crafts, sewing, etc - in order to keep them off the streets.  We were asked to give some of the kids advice about finding jobs and staying upbeat/focused.  The session went well and it was a shame we didn't have more time to spend there.  The kids were really starting to open up towards the end.

Beautiful paper mache houses made at Stella Maris

Sewing machines donated by the Japanese Embassay @ Stella Maris

One of the kids sharing a song he wrote about HIV/AIDS with us

Following our time at the Foundation we headed back to the hotel for an hour of rest before heading out to dinner.  Again, very good food but the highlight was the conversation.  Simply ridiculous.  After dinner we collected ourselves at the hotel and then headed out for our final night in Jamaica.  We started out at Jermaine's bar again, where we played dominoes and eased into a partying mood.  After a couple hours there we set off for a Dancehall (read: Jamaican club), where we partied hearty into the wee hours of the morning.  I headed back to the hotel around 4am, got around 3 hours of sleep, then woke up to have breakfast with the DomRep crew that was heading to the airport at 8:15 (our bus didnt leave for the airport till 10).  Luckily I wasn't heading to Barbados alone.  The T&T group had to fly there first before continuing on to Trinidad.  Even luckier I got to sit next to GiGi on the flight home, which was the perfect way to end the trip.  The only better thing that could have happened is if it had never ended at all.