The Caribbean and Beyond: A Few Points to Ponder
There are many tradeoffs when choosing a Caribbean lifestyle. At times, living in Jamaica makes me feel I’m navigating a ship in the dark. I’ve made some mistakes that have set me back dearly but I’ve also gotten a few things right. I’m hoping that sharing them will help you avoid costly and painful errors as you make the huge decision about starting this new chapter. The deeper I transition into this process of living on a Caribbean island, the more…
Happiness or Misery?
I know that I usually pontificate on all things “Jamaica.” I usually just fill you in on my most recent thoughts on life here. You may be wondering where a post on happiness or misery fits in, right? Well, I’ve come to realize that I have to enter this adventure in the right frame of mind. It’s easy to get bogged down with the negative when you are in a foreign place and facing new challenges. Jamaica and my integration…
My “Likkle” Town in Jamaica
My little town, Treasure Beach, on the south shore of Jamaica, enjoys an interesting cross-section of cultures, backgrounds and personalities. A lovely mixture of people have settled here from around the world. These “expats,” foreign tourists and local Jamaicans, make our little slice of Jamaica especially diverse. It’s been important find my place among them as I began setting up a home and a “life” here. Jumping into Jamaica with both feet, getting involved in community service projects, chatting with my…
Finding My Rhythm
Life is a bit crazy these days as I go back and forth between the USA and Jamaica like a yo-yo. We are not quite ready to cuts ties with our home in New Hampshire and are still working on the process of setting life up in Jamaica. Each trip forces me into finding my daily rhythm over and over again. This is what the Jamaican half of my life is like… In the past, I’ve had my daughter or…
Settling In Or Moving On?
I’m not going to lie. Settling into life in Jamaica hasn’t been without some bumps and bruises. As I write, the little bar across the street has been blasting the same song over and over and over for the last hour. Intermittently, someone is blasting an air horn, honking a car horn and blowing a loud whistle. I wish I could capture an audio recording of it for you. It’s a Monday night, no special event, no holiday…just a random gathering…
A Program Worth Supporting…Yutes 4 Change
I can’t say enough good things about this program or its creator, Ricardo Burke. They are changing lives and touching hearts through community service, hard work and sacrifice. Please take a few minutes to hear about their triumphs and struggles. To learn more, check out their website listed below. http://yutes4changefoundation.org/
Jamaica, 4 Things I Never Expected
There are obviously many differences, culturally and otherwise, from country to country and Jamaica is no different. Encountering and striving to understand these divergent ways of life in Jamaica is part of the fascinating experience of travel, isn’t it? It only makes sense that things are going to be different when we travel to new places and, in fact, wouldn’t it be boring if every place and every person were the same? I was astonished, for example, to meet men…
Life on the Verandah
If kitchens are seen as the gathering spot in American homes, the verandah garners that title in Jamaica. It seems that it is THE place to meet and greet. A centerpiece in Jamaican culture, they aren’t hidden away on the back the house but are front and center, where one can sit and watch the world go by. Many of the homes I’ve lived in throughout my life have had porches or patios. They were, in my mind, a place…
Jamaica, For Your Health
Only in “middle age” chronologically, I seem to inhabit the body of an old lady in everyday life. I creak and crack worse than most ninety year olds. My body, having stood the test of birthing 10 babies and running a goat farm for 20 years, now rebels against me. Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis swell my joints and cause me long periods of great fatigue. My bones ache and my body screams for healing. Traditional medicine dictates that I stay…
Torn Between Two Worlds
Today, the world outside my window is a melting mess of white snow and sloppy brown mud. It sounds like rain as it cascades off of my roof. Snow? In Jamaica? No, sadly, I’m back “at home” in New Hampshire for a while, enduring snow storms and frozen blasts of wind from the icy north, with thoughts of the sunshine, flip-flops and warm smiles waiting for me back “at home” in Jamaica. Can a woman have two true homes at the…
