Hey there -
We are all well here in our new town. The Hotel is nice & we have 2 rooms next to each other. The GM sent us a nice welcome gift bag & last night we had a couple fancy chocolate trays in our rooms as well. We have not actually eaten a meal here yet - but I heard they didn't have a chef just now anyhow...hahaha.
Yes, we have a new car - a Toyota, of course. I picked it up yesterday. It had only 8 miles on it. It is a nice blue that I chose cuz I imagined how it would look sitting next to my other car which is yellow. My husband thought that was a strange way to choose a color...well, what does he know? Anyhow, I now have a car & insurance - getting a foothold on the States, one bill at a time...
There was only one house with a gourmet kitchen like we wanted, but the rest of the house is not the right one...so, there is another house that I like & that my husband seems to be willing to trust me on so we will probably put an offer on it. My Realtor says we don't even have to get with her to do the offer - they do it all online now.
Speaking of chocolate, there are still a couple left from last night - breakfast!
Last night we finally wandered around the town. IT IS COLD for us recently from the tropics! Temperatures were in the 40's! We walked on Bourbon Street. The Hotel is just a couple blocks away. Bourbon is the street with all the tourist action & the ladies throwing beads. We only caught two necklaces. My younger son said if he had some friends here they would have a contest to see who could get the most necklaces. There were lots of live bands playing & lots of Big Ass Beer's (beers in bottles about 3 times the normal size) & a million places selling daiquiri's. It all smelled like pipe & cigar smoke & lot of kinds of food. If I was in the market for a Voodoo doll, this would certainly be the place to find one, as there is one for everyone! Some of them come in their own little coffin, which is a nice touch. We ate at some upstairs pub & grill. We will probably not eat out too much ('cepting McDonald's across the street for coffee). Need to get us all used to the fact that we are not on vacation this time.
Schools open on the 3rd. I will try going over on the 2nd to see if the office people are there so I can fill out forms, etc.
So far, all the people we encounter are friendly. When we were lost on the first night (hey - it was dark out & there are bridge's just about everywhere you look!) we stopped at McDonald's to feed the boys & as we opened the door to go in a family was coming out. The two young boys (under 7 years old, looked to be) both said 'excuse me' as they passed. It is funny how a little thing like that catches your attention. My older son commented that we are obviously not in Jamaica any more.
Today I need to return the rental car back to the airport. Hopefully I will not get lost, as it will be daytime this time! Maybe later this morning the boys & I will walk out to see if there are any croissants as good as the ones we find in France.
The boys are happy enough, tho a little nervous about a new school, of course. Tho, they are encouraged by the general friendliness that seems to be the norm here.
So far so good on my end. I am sure my husband still has lots of stress going on back in Jamaica. it will be good when he finally has a date for the movers & can come & be with us. Plus, he would probably like to drive the new car!
Hope all is well with you all & that you have a nice New Year's Eve. We will probably go out on Bourbon street again on that night; I expect it will be madness!
helen
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
I've been scattered...
After the bomb exploded in my head, it occurred to me to write this post.
My husband delivered the bomb over the phone yesterday in the form of a news headline, where it sank into my brain, numbing it as the information fell to the bottom of my mind with a clunk. & that bomb was this:
WE ARE MOVING BACK TO THE STATES!
Moving back to the States. For years I have alternately wished for & dreaded such an occurrence. & now it is coming to pass. Our family is ready. I am ready.
There will be a time for a Jamaica tribute post, where I discuss all the things I have loved & will miss about this island & the people I have met here - but this is not that time. Because after that bomb lay quietly in my head for a few hours, it soon exploded & now my thoughts are scattered every which way. Who can think up some blog posts when life as we know it must suddenly change? Not only change, but change within the next couple weeks?
So, this post is offered as a sort of apology in advance. Because I may be out of touch for a while, blogwise.
Never fear, tho, I am sure the act of moving will generate countless stories of minor domestic irritations, annoying encounters with various officials, a consumer frenzy of astronomical proportions & unexpected (& expected) mishaps. By the time my mind has regrouped, it will be filled with material for many new posts, I am sure.
Be back soon - wish me luck!
My husband delivered the bomb over the phone yesterday in the form of a news headline, where it sank into my brain, numbing it as the information fell to the bottom of my mind with a clunk. & that bomb was this:
WE ARE MOVING BACK TO THE STATES!
Moving back to the States. For years I have alternately wished for & dreaded such an occurrence. & now it is coming to pass. Our family is ready. I am ready.
There will be a time for a Jamaica tribute post, where I discuss all the things I have loved & will miss about this island & the people I have met here - but this is not that time. Because after that bomb lay quietly in my head for a few hours, it soon exploded & now my thoughts are scattered every which way. Who can think up some blog posts when life as we know it must suddenly change? Not only change, but change within the next couple weeks?
So, this post is offered as a sort of apology in advance. Because I may be out of touch for a while, blogwise.
Never fear, tho, I am sure the act of moving will generate countless stories of minor domestic irritations, annoying encounters with various officials, a consumer frenzy of astronomical proportions & unexpected (& expected) mishaps. By the time my mind has regrouped, it will be filled with material for many new posts, I am sure.
Be back soon - wish me luck!
Friday, December 14, 2012
Driving to Work
This story previously appeared in my 2011 Christmas Letter...
My day begins with an early morning drive, about 3 miles down the highway, to deposit Mr. Chef at his hotel for work. Join me for this adventure…
After hurtling down our hill, our faithful Honda Stream rattling & jouncing so that I often look behind to see if car parts are strewn in our wake, we arrive at a stop light. When our light turns green I keep my foot on the brake & wait for the multitude of vehicles that are running the light in each direction, horns blaring, as if the act of honking confers upon them a magical ability to pass thru all traffic signals unscathed. The car behind me is not happy about my slow start, as he has been laying on the horn from the moment the light changed. The possibility of my being broadsided by oncoming traffic appears to be of little concern to him.
We make the turn – we are now heading east along the coast. From this stretch of highway a passenger can get a pretty good view of the ocean. A driver, however, must not risk the look. Sometimes ships can be seen in the distance. The ocean can be roiling & tumbling, or so calm that you wonder if perhaps someone flipped a switch & turned the waves off during the night. No beach to speak of, tho my husband once saw a naked woman in the ocean at this location & he looks surreptitiously out his window every day hoping that lightening might strike twice…
So why can’t the driver look at the scenery? Are you kidding? Four lane road, cement median. Speed limit: roughly 30mph. Shoulder: none. I dart into the slow lane as if my life depends on it, hand poised above my horn. In the fast lane, cars, safari jeeps & buses filled with tourists are racing past us at twice the speed limit, swaying in defiance of gravity, the 30mph limit being nothing but a laughable suggestion. Up ahead, both legal & illegal taxi drivers swoop hopefully from lane to lane vying for passengers. When the taxis see a possibility they stop – sorry, they STOP! – Immediately! Where ever they are: in the fast lane, in the slow lane, in the middle of an intersection. The drivers behind the taxis all honk in disgust while leaning out of their windows hollering & gesticulating wildly; seemingly incredulous that such a thing could happen in front of them (as if this very same situation did not occur yesterday). The cars stuck behind the taxis then swerve with great exaggeration (so that we can all appreciate how upset they are) into whatever lane seems to be moving while cutting in front of the rest of us, as close to our vehicles as possible without actually removing paint. Some drivers are good at this, yet some seem to be relying solely on the braking skills of others. In the midst of this pandemonium, barefoot natives in raggedy clothes wander aimlessly about scratching their dreads & talking into their Blackberrys. They often step into the road at whim. It is advisable not to hit them.
We approach another stop light – it turns red. Before stopping I check my rear view mirror to make sure that the car behind me is in agreement with my planned action. If he seems like he is not amenable we will run the red light instead. It matters not that this light is in front of the police station. The policemen are waiting up ahead at their speed trap, as we can tell by all the flashing headlights in the oncoming lanes. I wish the policemen luck (in their cute striped pants & machine guns) & smirk when they catch someone who blew past me a moment ago. As for me, I drive the speed limit these days. The policemen’s pants aren’t that cute…
After this, the speed limit increases to about 50mph. The road opens up, the ocean slides away & we are now in the hotel zone, where the hotels hide behind their fortress-like gates, each manned by security personnel. Soon we approach our destination, where the gatekeepers allow us entry, without even a password. Once again, my husband has arrived at work calm & relaxed after our uneventful drive…now I just have to make the trip back home…
My day begins with an early morning drive, about 3 miles down the highway, to deposit Mr. Chef at his hotel for work. Join me for this adventure…
After hurtling down our hill, our faithful Honda Stream rattling & jouncing so that I often look behind to see if car parts are strewn in our wake, we arrive at a stop light. When our light turns green I keep my foot on the brake & wait for the multitude of vehicles that are running the light in each direction, horns blaring, as if the act of honking confers upon them a magical ability to pass thru all traffic signals unscathed. The car behind me is not happy about my slow start, as he has been laying on the horn from the moment the light changed. The possibility of my being broadsided by oncoming traffic appears to be of little concern to him.
We make the turn – we are now heading east along the coast. From this stretch of highway a passenger can get a pretty good view of the ocean. A driver, however, must not risk the look. Sometimes ships can be seen in the distance. The ocean can be roiling & tumbling, or so calm that you wonder if perhaps someone flipped a switch & turned the waves off during the night. No beach to speak of, tho my husband once saw a naked woman in the ocean at this location & he looks surreptitiously out his window every day hoping that lightening might strike twice…
So why can’t the driver look at the scenery? Are you kidding? Four lane road, cement median. Speed limit: roughly 30mph. Shoulder: none. I dart into the slow lane as if my life depends on it, hand poised above my horn. In the fast lane, cars, safari jeeps & buses filled with tourists are racing past us at twice the speed limit, swaying in defiance of gravity, the 30mph limit being nothing but a laughable suggestion. Up ahead, both legal & illegal taxi drivers swoop hopefully from lane to lane vying for passengers. When the taxis see a possibility they stop – sorry, they STOP! – Immediately! Where ever they are: in the fast lane, in the slow lane, in the middle of an intersection. The drivers behind the taxis all honk in disgust while leaning out of their windows hollering & gesticulating wildly; seemingly incredulous that such a thing could happen in front of them (as if this very same situation did not occur yesterday). The cars stuck behind the taxis then swerve with great exaggeration (so that we can all appreciate how upset they are) into whatever lane seems to be moving while cutting in front of the rest of us, as close to our vehicles as possible without actually removing paint. Some drivers are good at this, yet some seem to be relying solely on the braking skills of others. In the midst of this pandemonium, barefoot natives in raggedy clothes wander aimlessly about scratching their dreads & talking into their Blackberrys. They often step into the road at whim. It is advisable not to hit them.
We approach another stop light – it turns red. Before stopping I check my rear view mirror to make sure that the car behind me is in agreement with my planned action. If he seems like he is not amenable we will run the red light instead. It matters not that this light is in front of the police station. The policemen are waiting up ahead at their speed trap, as we can tell by all the flashing headlights in the oncoming lanes. I wish the policemen luck (in their cute striped pants & machine guns) & smirk when they catch someone who blew past me a moment ago. As for me, I drive the speed limit these days. The policemen’s pants aren’t that cute…
After this, the speed limit increases to about 50mph. The road opens up, the ocean slides away & we are now in the hotel zone, where the hotels hide behind their fortress-like gates, each manned by security personnel. Soon we approach our destination, where the gatekeepers allow us entry, without even a password. Once again, my husband has arrived at work calm & relaxed after our uneventful drive…now I just have to make the trip back home…
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