I write this to try to help you understand our change in culture (this is long, so take your time): We left Karon and Brad's house in Orem, UT at 4:45am on Monday, January 12, 2008 (thanks Brad....he made a sacrifice to be able to get us there that early). We got at the airport at about 5:30, with enough time to get ourselves all situated. This was difficult because my bag weighed 59 lbs. while Lorie's weighed 42 and 45. My other bag weighed about 40 but was too small to fit anything else in. And, as most of you know, if you have anything that weighs more that 50 lbs. it's $50 to check it. (I think it's the most ridiculous regulation in the history of air travel) This made Lorie really upset because her biggest pet peeve is when you have to open your bags at the airport to shuffle items from one bag to another and people see all of your personal items. Why can't the airline just weigh both of your bags and if they weigh under 100 lbs., then there is no extra charge???? Anyway, so after shuffling items back and forth from bag to bag, we eventually got it so it was just right!
We flew into Chicago and ate at the Chili's airport restaurant. We were both very impressed with the food....and reasonably priced might I add! (I would recommend this to anyone who is going to buy food at an airport and has time between flights...the food at any fast food restaurant is way overpriced for what you get) Then, we flew to Miami...which was a disaster. Miami airport is so unorganized and my least favorite airport in the United States. The flight attendants told us that we had to go to a certain gate so we walked like 20 minutes to get there (I don't know if it was 20 minutes, but it seemed like forever). Then we stood there waiting by the check-in desk while some flight attendants talked to each other and did everything they could to not pay attention to us, only to find out that we had gone to the wrong gate. So, with little help we walked around trying to find out where to go. We ended up talking to some lady in spanish who told us to go to gate F. We had to leave the terminal and go into a different and go through baggage check and security once again and we barely made it in time to even get on the plane and get to Jamaica.
We arrived in Jamaica hungry and tired. Luckily I ate mine and Lorie's banana chips on the plane. We got to Jamaica and realized that we needed an exact address of where we were going to stay, which we didn't have. We had to make a few phone calls, which turned out to be unsuccessful. Then I had to ask the lady if I could use her work computer to get on the internet and find the address. This was a mess because I couldn't find the address, but eventually we got it and went to the baggage claim to find that none of our luggage had arrived to Jamaica. =( so we left the airport without any luggage and walked out to find to senior missionaries waiting for us. Thank Goodness! One was named Elder Preece and the other was named Elder Warr...?
Air Jamaica - "The best way to lose your luggage"
Merrill (Gramps) had a brother named Melvin who had a son named Charlie who had a son named Olene. Merrill (Gramps) had a son named Gary who had a son named Chris who had a son named Mason. However, Olene is over 60 and mason is 23. It was great being able to find Elder and Sister Warr. They are from Malta, Idaho and are so much like Grandpa and Uncle Keith that you would think they were brothers. Sister Warr is named Janis and they have a few kids. We have spent quite a bit of time with Elder and Sister Warr that they feel like family already. And they are! Interesting that I had to come to Jamaica to find family. (Check Lorie's Blog for pictures.)
http://www.halakahikiohana.blogspot.com/
They took us to our house in Spanish town where we'd be living and this is where I started to get a little worried. We are living with a 43 year old divorced man. They didn't tell us this, otherwise I would have seen if there was something to do about living alone. I felt like I had arrived in Peru all over again. I was really worried for Lorie. The biggest concern that I had and still have is food. The bowls and pots and pans just never seem to get clean enough. We share a kitchen, which is a nightmare. (American food and Jamaican food do not mix) It always seems like everything is so dirty. You clean it up and it still just feels dirty. The cupboards smelled of curry. The refrigerator was covered in juices and sticky substances all over. (that felt good to clean) I don't like complaining but I want you to understand how unavoidable the mess was. The culture here is just not American Culture, so everything is difficult to get used to. I am so grateful for Jamaican Grocery Stores. They have saved us from starving. Also, I would like to thank KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Dominoes at this time. They have kept our spirits up!
Luckily, we have AIR CONDITIONING!!!! (our bedroom is an icebox compared to the rest of the house.) The people have been wonderful, also. Not the most productive people, but they would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. Our days so far have mainly been of reading, internet, reading, tv, food, reading, and cleaning. Not to forget mosquito swatting/killing. Church is enjoyable. We still have difficulty understanding many people. The Patua slang is very difficult to understand. It's like very fast gibberish with changing I to me. Like, "Mi wan you to get da rice and peas" translated "I would like you to get some rice and beans."
FernGully - Not really the last rainforest
Also, the driver's seat is on the right side and the passenger's side is on the left. They drive on the left side of the road. This was very scary when we got in the car with the senior missionaries. We went to Montego Bay for our first workshop. The car ride was very scenic and we went through FernGully. This was really cool because the road is almost completely encompassed with huge jungle covered hills that tower over you. It's almost overwhelming. Our workshop went well and we taught two young Perpetual Education Fund students who plan on doing nursing.
FernGully - The Real FernGully
This week nobody has been able to focus because of the Caribbean Conference. President Eyring, Elder Bednar and Elder Neil L. Anderson (pres. of the quorum of the 70) came. This was a huge treat! Priesthood Session was excellent and the morning conference was great too! Sister Allred from the Relief Society Presidency also came. They came to the chapel that we attend, so it was a very special opportunity.
If you would like to know anything specific that I can post about, comment and I'll explain something more in detail.
President Eyring, Elder Bednar, Elder Anderson, and Sister Allred.
