Strawberry Hill

After all the excitement and hard work of the Creative Thinking Contest, we decided we deserved a treat. We had heard lots of good reviews about Strawberry Hill, a resort and restaurant in Irish Town, St. Andrew. And although it is a bit pricey for the Peace Corps Volunteer budget we decided to splurge and venture up into the hills of the Blue Mountains for Sunday brunch. We were joined by our friends Caitlin, Khaled, and Brooke and we spent most of the day at Strawberry Hill enjoying good conversation, wonderful food, and spectacular views.

The Sunday brunch features dozens of salads, seafood, Jamaican cooked food, and fabulous desserts. Our favorite items on the spread were the smoked marlin and the cold garlic shrimp salad. Strawberry Hill's beautiful restaurant and villas are nestled in the Blue Mountains overlooking Kingston. The grounds are breathtaking, with paths and nooks circling through rich vegetation, flowers, and historic buildings. It was truly a delightful day!

- Kaelyn

You can view the rest of our pictures of Strawberry Hill here.

Lizards

We have been getting a lot of rain recently, and I think this has increased the population of lizards in the ackee tree behind the apartment. I saw four of them in the tree one day. There appeared to be some sort of mating/killing ritual going on between two of them. The big lizard that you see in the picture was doing something to the little lizard. But the cool thing you see in the picture is that the lizard was inflating its throat like a balloon. Neat. Just like Animal Planet.

-Shane

Ants in the Shower

For some strange reason a large number of ants have taken up residence in our shower. We believe that they are consolidating in the handles. They aren't usually seen until you turn on the water and are actually in the shower, then they come rushing out of the handles onto the wall and run around in circles for a while. I'm pretty sure they are trying not to get wet, but if that was the goal why would they take up residence in the shower in the first place? The really stupid ones are those that try to escape along the tub sides and seek protection among the soap and shampoo bottles, I find them to be too close for comfort so they all get drowned. I know that seems harsh but I'm afraid of them jumping off the shampoo bottle into my hair when I wash it and the thought of ants in my hair is just too much. But other than those we have pretty much decided to co-exist with the ants in the shower, mostly because we don't know how to get rid of them. So for now we just have to deal with the unpleasantness of hundreds of ants coming out to join you while bathing.

-Kaelyn

Goats Beware

I saw this sign last week and thought it was pretty funny. I'm pretty sure it was a joke considering it was outside a store in the New Kingston area, but you never know.

- Kaelyn

Sinkle Bible and Joseph Coat

I have started a small garden at my apartment. Since it is on the second story, everything has to be in pots, but that still leaves a lot of options for smaller plants. I have one pot with aloe, called Sinkle Bible, that I originally bought at the Denbigh Agricultural Fair back in August. It started out slowly because I wasn't giving it enough water. It looks sort of like a cactus, but it needs more water than cacti do.

The other plant is Joseph Coat because the leaves can be any number of hues, from purple to green to yellow. It came from Ocho Rios, near the small craft market, where a man was selling different sorts of plants on the ground outside of the craft stalls. I was giving the Joseph Coat too much water at first, so one of the four plants died. But now it is under control, and appears to be thriving.

-Shane

If You Don't Like Cats, Stop Reading

One of my PCV friends who lives nearby has a real passion for animals. So at least once a week, sometimes more, she volunteers at the Kingston SPCA. The facility there has about 20 cages for cats, 20 cages for dogs, a clinic, and space to let the dogs get some exercise. It is in a small renovated house, so it's really pretty cramped. Cats and dogs are not treated very well in many parts of Jamaica, although there are exceptions. Large guard dogs are usually fed very well, and many cats have good homes. But the large amount of stray, hungry, and dirty dogs shows that there is a great need for something like the SPCA in Jamaica.

Since the SPCA has so much work to do, and there is only one office in Kingston, it needs a lot of help. So me and a couple of other volunteers went to the SPCA last Saturday to clean up the cattery. My job was thoroughly cleaning out the cages, while others cleaned the walls behind the cages. Aside from a dirty cage looking bad for prospective adopters, cat waste can carry diseases that make others cats sick. So, with a bleach solution, I cleaned out every possible surface on the cages as best I could. In order to do that, though, the cats had to be transferred out of their current cage into a holding cage, in an exercise that closely resembled one of those puzzles with the little colored squares that must be pushed around to form a specific pattern. It was bad because we misplaced a few cats and they got put back in the wrong cages. But luckily one of the staff there was able to put them back in the right place.

So, if you don't like cats, or are allergic to them, this would not have been a fun experience. But seeing so many little kittens all at the same time was kind of fun, even if some of them did have severe diarrhea. I think I had my fill of cats over the weekend, so I don't need to adopt one to replace old Duodinho, wherever he is.

-Shane

Bucket O' Fish

Monday evening we were on our way from Portmore to Kingston to have dinner with a friend and since we didn't feel like waiting we decided to take the first bus that came along. It was an executive class bus which is a $30 premium over the regular city buses. These exec buses are nice coaster buses with AC and tend to be faster than the other buses because they can weave in and out of traffic easily. To me these are a step above the rest and usually the rides are pretty uneventful without the colorful characters you might find on other types of buses. That all changed when I had to sit next to a bucket of fish.

The man with the fish got on 2 stops after we did and promptly sat next to Shane in the back row of the bus. I was sitting in front of Shane which meant that when the man put his bucket in the aisle the fish were sitting right next to me. Usually someone would have to sit in the aisle on the jump seat but not a soul would dare because that would mean their seat would have to rest upon the bucket. So I alone got the lovely pleasure of enjoying the bucket and it's fabulous aroma. But the joy of the bus ride did not end there because the fish man also felt it necessary to sing the entire way.

It was unforgettable - nuff said.

- Kaelyn

Moldy Shoes and Bees

Two slightly strange things happened over the weekend. The first was the discovery of mold growing in the soles of my absolute favorite shoes in the whole wide world - my Jerry Garcia Birkenstocks. Boo! Thankfully these aren't my original limited edition pair but only a substitute. The originals are badly in need of resoleing and the new pair might be too if I'm not careful. I guess I need to be better about wearing them more often - now that I've bleached and sunned them that is. I find it slightly strange that a pair of sandals would be suffering from lack of use in Jamaica of all places. But that's what happens when business casual dress is required at all times!

The second strange event was the visit some bees paid us inside our apartment yesterday afternoon. At first there was one and that was a bit strange but not too alarming. We tried to usher it back outside the window but it seemed a bit confused. Then there were three flying around and coming a bit too close for comfort so we decided we had better take action and Shane went after them with our oldest Newsweek (good thing we got two new ones on Friday). But unfortunately it didn't end there and at least 10 perished throughout the afternoon and evening. We ended up having to close all the windows and doors when we realized there were lots more of them flying around our veranda and balcony. That of course made things very hot and uncomfortable. Thankfully by the end of the night they had moved on and it was safe to once again venture outside.

-Kaelyn

Rodents and Bugs

So 14 months in I've started to notice that things that in my former life would have made me freak out really don't phase me too much any more. For instance, over the weekend while at our friends' house we encountered a mouse and a cockroach in the same evening. Granted I wasn't the one with the broom batting the mouse out the door like a hockey puck (that was all Shane) but I also wasn't standing on a chair screeching. And I didn't even look up when the cockroach was being chased around with a shoe. The next day another mouse visited and this time it was trapped in the bathroom and knocked unconscious with a broom (once again all Shane). Not that I enjoy mice or cockroaches but I guess I've just learned you can't do too much to keep them away. It has lots more to do with poorly constructed houses where the doors meet the floor at an angle than with cleanliness. Not that cleanliness doesn't matter, but where we live in Portmore the houses are so close together that if your neighbors are messy and bringing pests around chances are they are going to visit you too. Plus there are always the pests that come in along with other items. Food for instance. On Tuesday night we cooked up a yummy pot of spaghetti sauce and when I was adding the noodles I found tons of tiny bugs at the bottom of the colander. Sure enough our other bag of newly purchased pastas was crawling with little bugs. The whole dinner was promptly tossed in the trash and while it was annoying to have to fix something else, there wasn't really much else that could have been done. Well we could have eaten the spaghetti bugs and all, but the transformation hasn't gone that far, yet. For now I'm just content with the fact that I can live with these annoyances and they don't cause me to go into a home sick panic. But I do think I'll enjoy the fact that in 10 months time I won't have to keep every single item of food in the fridge (packaged food included) to keep the ants away. For now I'll keep my crackers chilled, inspect my groceries closely, and make sure Shane is always around with the broom.

- Kaelyn

Missing Kitty

So, it's been a week since we have seen our sweet likkle kitty, Duo. We've talked to many neighbors and looked all around but there has been no sign of him. Everyone is pretty sad and misses him a lot, which is sweet. Our neighbors suggested that maybe he was cat-napped since he is so darn cute and friendly to humans. We like to think that rather than that something bad happened to him. Mr. Kitty, his bestest cat friend, comes over to our house and mopes around. We understand how he feels. But what to do? We just have to accept it and move on. It's doubtful we will get another cat, as we're sure we won't find any others like Duo and we weren't really looking to get a pet before he came along. But here's to Duodinho for being the the best little kitty cat we've ever had!

Love,
Kae & Shane

My Tale

My journey began when I was unsuspectingly snatched away from my mother in the nice cool hills of St. Elizabeth and dropped into a shoe box that someone tied up with string and carried around as if a cake was inside. There were plenty of air holes which also provided me a view of my surroundings and allowed in the many smells of my trip. My first stop was Santa Cruz which I didn't like too much because big wet rain drops started to disintegrate my little house. Luckily my carrier had some tape handy and was able to patch it up. Then there were many bus and taxi rides. I tried to meow every so often so people would be certain that I was a cat and not a cake but there was so much loud music I'm not sure if anyone even heard me. I peeked out of my air holes but some of the other people on the bus were pretty stinky so I had to be careful which holes I used.

Then all of a sudden the car rides were over and I was being let out of my box. Everywhere I turned there was concrete, I was definitely not in St. Bess anymore. What had happened to the beautiful mountains, the crisp clean air, the grass and the trees? Most importantly what had happened to my mother? There were those pesky humans who I recognized from my mother's house, two of them who had always been there and the other two who had come to visit. I later learned that this new house belonged to the two visitors, not nearly as enjoyable as my former home but at least they had a litter box for me to use because after that long journey I had to go! I looked around for something to eat, no milk just hard food - boy was this going to take some getting used to.

The first night they made me sleep outside on the veranda, but soon they learned that those silly iron bars weren't going to stop me from adventuring. When they all left on Saturday I decided I wasn't going to spend my day all alone on the porch. I climbed around the roof tops and found lots of other humans to take pity on me and give me milk. Unfortunately, only having been at this new home for 1 day I didn't quite know my way back home. Luckily, my new owners searched high and low until they found me. But should they really be that worried, nobody would believe a fat, fluffy kitten like me could be a stray - of course they would take care of me until I was returned to my home.

But after that it was inside for me. Apparently, there are scary things out there I don't know about and I'm not big enough to defend myself yet. So now I just have to dart out whenever the door is opened, but that's okay because inside is fun too. There are lots of electrical cords to swat at and I have a nice little ball made out of newspaper and duct tape. I even got to watch my favorite football team Brazil play yesterday. Mostly I was mesmerized and sat staring at the TV but every once in a while I got inspired and showed off how I too could carry my ball across the floor like a ballet dancer. That's how I earned my full name - Duodinho. I'm pretty thankful they named me after Ronaldinho and not Ronaldo because I'd much rather be hip and cool than looking a bit fat and sloppy. Then of course there were plenty of naps to take and the heat here was really getting to me, sometimes I just have to lie on the floor and cool off. Those fans are nice too but they make all my fur stick up like a mohawk.

The humans are pretty fun too, they have nice laps to curl up in and I really crave the attention they give me. I couldn't believe it this morning when it was 6:00am and those silly owners of mine weren't up yet. I had to sneak into their room and convince them to come out and play with me. I mean really if they were planning on leaving me in the house all alone while they went to work today the least they should do is give me lots of attention in the morning! All in all I think I'll manage just fine in my new home, especially once they decide I'm big enough to venture outside on my own and if they keep giving me little treats like milk and tuna.

Meow!
- Duo

Kittens are Cute

Our friend Genip had four kittens a week and a half ago. It may sound a bit surprising to those who know us well that we have made friends with a cat, but she is really cute and we are good friends with her owners, Caitlin and Khaled. When we heard about her adorable babies that looked just like her we decided to adopt one. So on our way to Negril we stopped by to visit the babies and pick out which one would be ours. It was a pretty easy decision - we picked the squeaker. It won't be able to come home with us for at least 6 weeks but when it does we are going to name it Coco. For those who don't know, Coco refers both to coconut flavored rum called Coco-Mania and also to the wonderfully sturdy root crop, coco. Coco, may you be hungry for roaches, lizards, and creepy crawly things.

- Kae

RIP: Porky

My sister just called with very sad news. Our beta fish that we left in her care during our Peace Corps service has passed away. Porcus Puff, known to close friends as Porky, was a wonderful fish. He never asked for much, just clean water once a week and a few sprinkles of beta food each day. He liked to excercise by fighting his own image in a mirror. Getting him out of the city and moving to the country in our absence did wonders to his health. He lived to the ripe old age of 1.5 years. Which is a record in our fish owning experience. Thank you, Erin, for your wonderful job as a caretaker - we couldn't have asked for anyone better. And thank you Porky for all the memories. We hope you enjoy the big fish bowl in the sky.

Peace & Love,

Your Owners - Kae and Shane

Note: The picture isn't really Porky, he wasn't very photogenic so he asked us to use a model.

O Christmas Tree

Last night we kicked off our Christmas celebrations and we really started to feel Christmas in the air. We attended the 3rd Annual Portmore Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony which was hosted by our office. It was a very lovely event and the tree was gorgeous. However, at times you thought to yourself how weird it was to be in Jamaica sitting under a 30 foot evergreen tree. The tree was plucked from somebody's yard in Portmore which was a pretty strange in itself considering the dessert like conditions of the area. The setting of the event was also very ironic - it was held by the Portmore Mall on a traffic island that is situated between 3 busy roadways. I'm not sure if traffic island is really the right word but it was a large triangle of green space where the 3 roads come together. Unfortunately, in a few weeks it won't be there any more because it is also the site where the Highway 2000 Project will connect Portmore the the new Causeway. These sorts of green spaces are really as close as you get to parks in Portmore. But it was well groomed and in addition to the tree there was a stage and some potted palm trees decorated with lights . Around 200 chairs were set up in front of the stage to accommodate the community members who came for the ceremony. The scheduled start time was 5:00 but in typical Jamaican fashion things got started around 6:30. While we were waiting the Christmas breezes were blowing all around us and making it quite chilly for Jamaica. Then finally things began with the JUTC choir taking the stage. JUTC is the bus company that serves the Kingston Metropolitan Area, I'm not sure why they have a choir but according to their schedule they will be doing several Christmas performances. Their big hit was Feliz Navidad which they did twice. They really got into that one, dancing and waving. It was very entertaining. Then there was the customary prayer and greetings were given by the Mayor, and by two other people on behalf of the MP (Member of Parliament) and Senator who for whatever reason couldn't attend themselves. The funny thing is that each time someone new comes on stage they have to acknowledge all the important people who are present. Which ends up taking up half their time. And you end up hearing over and over again the names of all the important people who are present. Last night it was: His Honorable George Lee, Mayor of Portmore; four Councilors for Portmore; the Mayor's caretaker (the opposition candidate for mayor); Miss Portmore 2005; the Administrative Manager of the Portmore Municipal Council; an important Reverend; Asst. Supt. of the Police; the Mayor's wife; and a few more of lesser importance who I don't really recall. After they got through all that each greeting was pretty much about the current hard times in Jamaica, the sharing and caring of the Christmas season, and hopes for a prosperous 2006. Then the Mayor, the Councilors and Miss Portmore all gathered around the switch and lit up the tree while Christmas music blared in the background. Afterwards we mingled a bit waiting for the refreshments to be served but they had forgotten the plates and it was taking too long so we left. But all in all it was a fun time and it will be exciting to drive by the mall and see that giant tree all lit up!

-Kaelyn