Our first day...Now that everything is going well, let me tell the story of our first day. We double checked, triple checked and then checked our documents again just to MAKE SURE we had the paperwork we needed when we touched down in Jamaica. Airport and customs took about 15 minutes, tops. No joke. Then BAM! Walked out into the blast furnace of an August day in Kingston. The porter (always use the red cap porters) brought our bags to the curb, took the $5 USD I gave him and asked for more as the going rate is $1/bag. Figured I had rookie fish written all over me but lacking the street creds, I paid up. At this point, we are scanning the crowd for our welcoming committee as we were told there would be one. Nobody. We sweatily stood around and waited as you arent allowed to wait inside the terminal. No space. We took in the sights, smells and sounds, of which there were plenty. 20 sweaty minutes later, the first shadows of doubt began to creep in...40 minutes later, there was no longer any doubt. We had been forgotten. There we were. 7 bags in total, 2 grown ups and Eva. Luckily, even though I had originally thought she was over planning, Moniques cell was still connected. Only problem was that we had no numbers to call and it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I emailed all members of the AISK admin team with Moniques cell #. Luckily people get emails on their phones and they carry them around, even on weekends. We got a call from the person who was supposed to pick us up, along with all other members of the admin team, who, after apologizing to us, gave us the name of a reputable taxi company, the address of our new house, as well as some tips on how to negotiate the fare. Next challenge...taxi company number...after looking around we found a car from the company with the phone number and gave them a call. I couldnt understand a thing that was said but a van rolled up next to us and our pile of luggage. We hopped in and started the drive to our new home. You may recall from yesterdays post that the ugliest part of the city is between the airport and the city. As we drove past, we were in such shock that all three of us were speechless and very concerned for what we had signed ourselves up for. Turns out that they had planned on us coming in the next day, despite the fact that they booked and paid for our tickets. Eeesh. That also means that the marvellous welcome to a clean apartment with pantry and fridge stocked, blankets and sheets on the beds, chocolates on the pillows and Red Stripe in the fridge was nowhere near our reality. Our place had been empty for a number of months before our arrival, and in a country where they dont believe in screens on the windows, things can get pretty gritty. Not to mention the un kept grounds and the dead cat just off our deck. Despite all that, we were met stour apartment by a very apologetic and embarrassed AISK employee and her husband who assured us that by this time tomorrow, the place will be spic and span. Bloody well better be, was what I wanted to say but didnt think that it was the time. She did load all three of us up into her truck and took us to the supermarket where we wandered around in somewhat of a daze randomly putting things into our cart while the sounds of the people and the place washed over us. Thankfully, she paid for the groceries (as she should have) and then we went back out into the parking lot. After negotiating the tip with the grocery bagging ugh who brought our stuff out to the car (mandatory in all grocery stores down here. No choice. Trust me, I tried to tell him I had 2 arms and could carry my own damn food. Not only would he not let me but our host intervened and let me know the guy was stone deaf) and the heat and the craziness of the parking lot. We loaded up the groceries and hopped into the truck. Truck didnt start. Un #%*+ believable. A friend of the host happened to be there with jumper cables to rescue us. Friend turned out to be a McGill grad and the grandson of Norman Manley (as in former prime minister of Jamaica and namesake of the airport we had just escaped). Our first taste of how small Jamaica is. We got back to our house, waved to the security guard at the gate, unloaded the truck and made plans to be picked up early the next morning. Door closed. We tried to process what we had just experienced in the past 12 hours but were unable to wrap our heads around it. I ended up pacing and staring at walls, Monique had her own way of reacting, and Eva? She was fine. I swear she is the one that kept Monique and I together that first evening and night. What an awesome kid. Anyways, that was our first day here. Feels like light years ago and I can assure you that things got much much better after that and in the long run? Not only did it make us stronger, but it resulted in lots of extra stuff for us from the school, which we are OK with...keep the guilt gifts comin.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 13:12:01 +0000
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