Second day of work. I took the coaster, leaving around 730, to get to work around 830. The bus stop is a five-minute walk from my apartment. So I get there and based on the advice of my colleagues, I’m supposed to identify the bus I need by guys yelling “Crossroads!”- my destination. Along comes a coaster- picture a minivan packed with people, music blaring and careening through rush hour traffic at about 60km/hour. On this particular morning, there is literally room to squeeze in one person, standing on the step up, with the door open. That person was me. I felt adventurous, so I hopped on, grasping the railing and praying I didn’t fly out and roll into traffic. I did get a couple of light elbows in the face but when some space opened up, the wranglers ushered me up onto the main floor and away from the open door. It was an experience. Then I had an uneventful 15-minute walk to work. Uneventful walks here are rare, it was nice and relatively peaceful, save for the constant beeping of horns. (Seriously, there is an extensive vocabulary of horn honks here.) 

This morning, we had a lovely young woman named Pamela come to sell us fresh fruit, straight from the trees and ground. I bought a papaya (called paw-paw here), a banana and two Jamaican apples. Yummy, and all for less than $2.00.

At YOU today (my workplace) there was a graduation ceremony for inner-city youth who have just completed a training program in new media. The program trains the youth with hard skills as well as the soft skills needed for the workplace. The staff was preparing for this event and I got to help out. The ceremony was incredible. Dozens of Jamaican youth, so energetic and dressed in their best clothes, beaming with pride. The master of ceremonies also singled me and a fellow volunteer Delphine out to the crowd, which was slightly mortifying. But it was all for a good cause, as she told the youth that people do care about them, including me and Delphine, who came from Canada to volunteer. It was a great way to learn more about what YOU actually does and that it is an organization that has a real impact.

Today marked my first run away from the track at Emancipation Park. This means running on the sidewalk, in the city. This is definitely a unique running experience. As Britta, Fred and I walked home last night in the dark, I remarked that it felt like we were in some kind of video game in which you are constantly dodging obstacles. In this case, it is uneven sidewalks, sidewalks that end abruptly for no apparent reason, slow-walking people, child-size potholes, motorcycles going 100km/h, fast-moving cars (there is no other kind in Jamaica), metal rods poking out of the sidewalk, fallen power lines, tree stumps, random posts, honking coasters and taxis, taxi drivers that offer you a ride and strangers calling whatever’s on their mind. So not only is running a physical challenge, but a mental one as well. A few times I wanted to look up and around at my new surroundings, but realized this is not safe. Eyes on the sidewalk!

But I survived and actually enjoyed it. One thing I will have to get used to is the attention. Jamaicans do not even like to walk, and this is a statement that leads to a caveat I have for this blog: when I state that Jamaicans like or do not like something or are all a certain way, I realize that this is a generalization. I am quite uncomfortable with this, but have decided that I am going to generalize based on my experiences and if they add up to a trend, I feel safer making this statement.

So returning to my generalization: Jamaicans do not like to walk. At all. When they do, it is extremely slowly. Some do like exercising, it appears, as I am in good company running in Emancipation Park. But even there, most are at a decidedly slow pace. As a result, a white girl running along the congested sidewalks seems to be an anomaly. People stare, give me funny looks and make comments. I will have to get used to this. 

Other random experiences from the run this morning: I ran by the U.S. Embassy, which already had a lineup of people outside, presumably waiting to address immigration issues. Walk signals do not exist here, or at least they are severely rationed. So to cross, you sort of have to walk into traffic where it is calmest, then wait in the middle of the road to complete the procedure. Running here will involve lots of stops and starts, I think.

Tomorrow is the first day of work for me! Wish me luck.

Last night marked the first night in my new apartment. I am all unpacked, mostly organized as it is a fully furnished place. I love it! Perhaps my favourite thing are the full length windows that open like a balcony, but there is no balcony. My view is unbelievable- at night I get the sunset then the lights of the harbour. I mean unbelievable literally- there are so many things I’m having trouble accepting (in a good way) that are part of my life now. Pictures are to come, but I have no Internet still, so that will have to wait. Right now I am at the hotel where I stayed for a week waiting for Fred and Britta (free wifi!). We are going for a spaghetti dinner at a fellow volunteer’s house. 

Today was busy again. I finally got my bank account and can now operate fully in Jamaican dollars if I so wish. I also walked around for hours- shopping and picking up stuff I need at home. Today was local election day, so it seemed somewhat hectic. Mostly people trying to go to the bank before it close at 2pm and party members trying to get last-minute votes. I walked near the Halfway Tree Transport Centre and actually felt slightly scared as some fellows appeared to be starting a politics-related debate. We’ve been told repeatedly if this happens, go the other way, as it can get quite passionate, escalating to dangerous. Anyway, Fred and Britta just joined me so I must go.