My Mission

Friday was my first real visit, on my own.  I jumped on a bus at the Stony Hill Square and rode for close to 20 minutes until I reached Lawrence Tavern.  This is where the bus stops running.  I paid my $70 JD, which I later found out was too high, and starting walking to a taxi.  $70 JD is maybe close to .75 cents USD.  I reached the taxi area and found a driver.  I asked him if he'd drive me to Mt. Cheerful, which is higher up than King Weston, he said yes.  So, we talked as we waited for his taxi to fill with passengers.  He asked me where I was from, which, in turn sparked a conversation about President Bush.  I let him talk first, but I was able to project where this conversation was going once as soon as he said the word.  We continued to talk for quite a while, until he finally had enough passengers to pack us in like sardines.  I then rode up to Mt. Cheerful, which took another 20 minutes and cost me $50 JD.  

I had the driver let me off outside of Miss Edna's house.  She immediately greeted me at the gate, as if she had been watching for me.  She took me around back and I shook my head in agreement as she spoke her native Patois; as I couldn't understand half of what she was saying.  She pulled up a stool in her back yard and handed me a few small, ripe and sweet banana.  Jamaican bananas are the sweetest I've ever tasted.  Chiquita is no competition.  I sat there and watched as she cleaned chickens.  She then told me to wait around for a few minutes so I could watch the process.  This was the first time I would watch a chicken lose its head.  I won't lie, I felt a little sick to my stomach at first.  Then I realized that this is how Miss Edna lives and makes money.  She will sell most of the meat and then live off the rest.  All these years living in the U.S. and never had I witnessed the process in which chicken is prepared for eating.  I see it in packages in the store and that is all.  

I then walked down the hill to visit her daughter, Miss Donna.  Miss Donna is so sweet.  She greeted me with a big smile and a welcome into her home.  She offered me fresh pineapple and bananas.  I enjoyed them.  She then took me outside to try sugar cane.  It was very sweet and tough.  She told me to chew on a piece and then spit it out.  The cane gave my mouth a cooling sensation.  She then told me off all the plants she uses for medicinal purposes.  I was amazed!  She then listed off a number of dishes and things she is going to teach me.  I was getting so excited with the thought of learning the process of making carrot juice and chocolate as well as a number of other Jamaican dishes.    

I eventually had to move on to make other visits for the day.  It was nice starting in Mt. Cheerful because all my other visits were on the way down the mountain.  My final stop of the day was to see Ms. Pet.  She is very sweet and kind.  She has been blind for the last eight years of her life and has only friends to check in on her.  I sat down beside her and listened as she shared her experiences of an earlier life in England.  She recalled and described every detail with such vividness that it was as if I were there.  She really misses her life there.  She mentioned that someone would be there to take care of her if she were still in England.  That they know how to take care of their elderly.  She said that Jamaicans just toss their elderly to the side; they have no use for them.  It was heart-rending to see her feeling this way.  I could not find anything consolable to say, so I reached for her hand.  I held her hand tightly for a few minutes and then shared my excitement of getting to know her better -- of being able to listen to her life experiences.  

It was after 4p.m. and I needed to catch a ride back to Stony Hill.  I figured I'd catch a taxi on the way down the hill.  I decided and start walking, and continued to walk for the next 45 minutes.  No taxis had passed in that time.  Must have been a slow time of the day :)  I reached Lawrence Tavern and then caught a bus to Stony Hill.  I paid $50 JD this time.

Peace and Love,

Matt