75 years.

The Jamaica Tourist Board apparently spent millions of dollars to air this commercial during the Super Bowl. It is nice, yet expected.

Yesterday, during my run, I realized there was a 5K race departing from where I was. So I joined the route. I ended up beside the Jamaica Defense Force soldiers at one point. They run in their combat boots and sing the whole time. I also took this picture of a man holding presumably the hands of his children for most of the race while they all ran. It is always nice to run the streets of Kingston in a safe environment.

I visited Raggamuffin Hostel for the first time this week, and it is lovely. It is a coffeeshop with service provided by Deafcan Coffee. Read about them here. Go and visit if you can!

In Jamaica, everything is back to normal after Tuesday’s earthquake. Cayman Islands are almost back to normal. Here is my follow up story for Reuters.

Yesterday, the Caribbean was hit by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake. It occurred about 10km underwater, not on a fault line, luckily. According to the Mona Geomatics Institute, this was bigger than the Port Royal earthquake in 1692. Five thousand people died. If yesterday’s earthquake had moved to the left or right, there would likely be more damage. It was felt as far away as Miami, Cuba and Cayman Islands.

I did not feel a thing. Nor did my children. My husband, however, thought he was feeling sick or needed to eat something, as he was at his office and it began to shake and sway and things fell off the shelves. And it was apparently mayhem in the main business district of Kingston, where everyone fled the buildings they were working in.

I contributed to reports from Reuters and Associated Press. I found people to talk to in both Jamaica and Cayman Islands. Everyone was in a state of shock. Damage was much worse in Cayman, with sinkholes and blown out drains. There were no fatalities or injuries, thankfully.

It should also be noted that this was the response from the Jamaican government’s official office for disaster preparedness. A little concerning. No direction on what to do, where to go, what not to do…

Read the articles here and here.

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.