Arriving in Jamaica

I landed in Kingston! After a day training in Miami and a early morning at the airport. It was crazy getting 38 people to the airport and then through check in (with two years worth of baggage), and then through security. A couple of hours later we were on the plane for a short hour and twenty minute flight. We arrived in Kingston to a warm welcome from the Jamaica staff. They were all excited and helpful ready with water and shade, it was 85 degrees outside. They brought us to the Jamaica PC office and they fed us our first (AMAZING) Jamaican meal. They then had the Nexus Performing Arts Company perform for us. We had some basic introductions and paperwork and then to our hotel for more food, Jamaica beer and time by the pool, we have to enjoy this time with real amenities before we are sent off to our posts!

Today we had training again in Kingston, a introduction to the native language of Jamaican patois/patwa. I am nervous and excited to learn more about the language and culture. Tomorrow we have more training and get introduced to our host families.

I am mostly tired and the reality of this whole thing is starting to set in. They take safety very serious here and we are getting a lot of training/information. The scariest thing so far is the driving!!! They drive on the left side of the road and there are pot holes everywhere.. People are swerving on narrow roads and dodging cars. Tomorrow I leave Kingston to Hellshire, I can’t wait to see another part of Jamaica. We are with host families for three weeks there before we move again for another section of training.