Every morning, as I drive my children to school, I witness several major traffic infractions. Mostly, it is the taxi drivers. They cut into traffic, don’t stop when they should, and worst, drive in the oncoming traffic lane. They simply don’t want to wait in the horrendous traffic lines, which is understandable. But at the risk of injury, or worse, death? It is so dangerous. Sometimes, they obey the law if the police are nearby, but as soon as enforcement is absent that day, most of them violate the law. In this picture, a driver is heading south (in the wrong direction) on a major road. This is normal. It is only a matter of time before there is a major accident.

I love her voice. Shenseea for ElleUSA.

For the first time since I landed here almost eight years ago, I was cold this morning. It was 21 degrees Celcius, I believe, and my Jamaican-born and raised children are also complaining of being “cold”. There are also a lot of people wearing hats and jackets. It is a strange feeling…

Cruise ships regularly visit Jamaica’s north coast, but yesterday, for the first time, a cruise ship docked at the Kingston Harbour. Port Royal to be exact. Most people are ecstatic, saying that this represents development and progress and prosperity. To be sure, it does, but it remains to be seen how this development will affect this historical site. (Apparently, there are still historically significant underwater sites yet to be explored.) It also remains to be seen how the development, along with the thousands of tourists, will affect the nearby community, as well as marine life. The area is already vulnerable and plagued by garbage, so hopefully, the development is adhering to environmental standards. I wonder if the tourists will remain at the site, or if they will venture into Kingston.

This is a good article on dancehall legend Gerald “Bogle” Levy in the Economist, of all things.

It is Otahetie apple season. We have a tree in our yard so we have been eating them everyday. Yum.