So it had to happen. After so many great months I suppose it was inevitable I had to have a bad one or two right? I’m hopefully at the end of what I am calling the “Jamaica Blues” syndrome that happens to many expats here in Jamaica. Living in Jamaica can be tough and when you’re spoiled on things in the States like customer service and more than one choice you sometimes forget that in Jamaica its a one way or no way attitude if you can evan get it done at all. I’ve had a string of bad luck that started with troubles with my websites server, then the internet connection in my home took forever and then it moved on to troubles with my van and now I’m home alone with the kids and no help. Elise is back in the States for an extended stay and I have been here with the children acting as Mommy and Daddy for a couple of months now. It looks to stay that way for some time so I have had to make some changes.
It has actually required a major rework of my life and of course my work schedule in order to deal with the kids and their schedules. I’m basically not working which is my excuse for not updating the site in so long. There have been so many other things that have brought me down including the cost of living here and some of the other hassles in dealing with such a backwards and corrupted system. Things really are messed up here and its not getting any better for Jamaica or most Jamaicans.
As an example it took me over 4 months to get a phone installed in my apartment and then another two weeks to get internet access. I wanted the 3MB internet service but they said only 1MB is available in Negril. Of course we happen to be a little to far from the dsl service so I’m only allowed to get the 512kb package which is simply not enough considering it only gets me about 350kbs on the best days. I cannot upload large video files as I have been planning for quite some time. My Vonage phone won’t work with someone on the net at the same time and I’m pretty sure Jamaica Cable and Wireless is throttling p2p traffic. When I try to dl some files it just shuts down. I’m not happy with my internet service and I have not been for over 3 years now. I’m kinda over it.
I got into a fist fight with a mosquito late one night and in the process of kicking its ass I ripped the cord from my laptop in a pretty funny kung fu kick move that sent the laptop crashing. The ripped cord has been a real issue. I bought a universal laptop cord at Yellows Computer here in Negril but it has burned out on me twice now. They have my laptop and I’m using my home pc which is also the TV and Xbox game center. I have to fight for time online as both kids are now playing games and then the neighborhood kids found out we have Xbox Live so now we get a few kids each day over to play Madden or Halo online.
I let someone drive my van and they crashed it up good. The door and window are busted and its looking like hell. Then it developed a mystery short in it that kept killing the battery on me. I got stranded at least four times with the kids and those sucked horribly. Each time I got stuck in the worst place and in the the worst way. I sat next to the Scotia Bank in Negril for two hours in the pouring rain one afternoon with the kids in the van. I asked dozens of drivers for jumper cables and no one had any. I finally gave up and started walking home until I grabbed a ride in a cab. I went back the next day and picked it up with a new cab driver and some homemade wire cables. I tried to buy jumper cables but there are none in Negril or Sav so I made my own from some wire I found. I had to buy a new battery for $7000 Jamaica or about $100US for the cheapo economy battery you get at WalMart in Florida for $30. The battery says it was made in Jamaica so I wonder how the heck it costs so much?
The kids have been a drain on my time but so much fun I don’t care. It’s been pretty cool actually. I get to spend my day playing games, swimming in pools and reading silly books. Having so many other kids around has been a lot to handle but the most fun of all. Watching my children play with others and grow has been a great experience that makes up for all the headaches of the past two months.
We had a situation with a woman who moved in here. Shes a bad mother and her child infected mine with some badness. He’s a good kid I think but she’s dragging him around the world with no idea what happening. He speaks Italian, she speaks 3 languages but has not taught him English. Poor kid spent almost 10 days with me, as she kept dumping him here each morning, with no way to communicate or express himself. He began to act out and throw things. He spit on the cleaning staff and urinated in the pool. He ran around and ignored her repeated requests while chanting nya, nya, nya and my youngest son Robby has picked it up. I want to smack him for being such a smart ass but I’ve been talking to him more. Robby has been difficult for me as he requires nearly constant supervision. Thats been hard and he’s been pushing to see my limits at the same time so its doubly hard.
There has been a slew of other small crap like crackheads and their whorefriends, mongrel mutts and messy garbage and the infestation of rude goats here on Somerset Road that has been dragging on me. I see a lot of crap here in Jamaica that no one seems to care about and I’ve been telling people they should do something about it. I think I offended a Jamaican or two when I told them to stop disrespecting themselves and the environment. Some folks get pissy when you tell them to pick up their garbage or wash their ass but I figure if you don’t tell them maybe they will never know.
Anyway, I just wanted to say I’m still here. Its summer and like Bob said; “The sun is shining and the weather is clear”. I’m picking fresh mangoes from the tree every few days and the birds in the yard have been amazing. Oh thats right. I had a uniquely Jamaican moment a few days back. I was walking back from the mango tree with arm full of mangoes. It was about to rain and the sun was shining beyond some dark rain clouds. As I was walking I heard a hummingbird and as I looked up a Jamaican Mango Hummingbird was fluttering in my face with the most perfect rainbow blazing across the blue Negril sky as a backdrop. It really was a zen moment and I appreciated the fact I had a jamaican mango to eat and a Jamaican Mango to watch sip nectar from the Hibiscus blooms. The hummingbirds seem naturally interested in humans and many of them will fly right up to your face if you whistle at them. The Jamaican Mango is huge in comparison to the Doctor Bird and it’s actually kinda loud. I’ve trained myself to hear them from pretty far and I follow them around the yard. I don’t feed them but I have been thinking about it. I do feed the two Jamaican Canaries that come to rest on the ground below my front each morning. If not the bird feed I bought they have a steady supply of rice and other wild seeds that they really seem to enjoy. It’s only two likkle birds but they do sit rather near to my door step just about every morning singing sweet songs. I whistle back at them and they will turn their heads and look up at me with one eye. My neighbor Rick started feeding this one lone white pigeon who then told the entire pigeon community to come over. We had about 20 birds in the yard today and not enough bread to go around.
I have a zillion photos on the laptop that I am hoping to post once I get the new cord. I have not had the camera out for much other than shots of Alfred Jesse and Robert Nesta for their sites which desperately need updating as well. I finally have internet at home and no time now to work with it. Sounds like Jamaica mon! Everyting irie…
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