Week 3: Hurricane Matthew

No ice cream this week. Devon’s house was closed.

Hurricane Matthew thankfully did not hit Jamaica but it has had devastating effects to other countries like Haiti. No one knew if it was going to hit Jamaica because hurricanes have a mind of their own. With natural disasters you never know what is going to happen. Always prepare!

I didn’t stay at my apartment because J left and I didn’t want to be alone. Randomly I had met a Canadian under the same IYIP program with a different organization. I stayed with her friends who live down the street. One of them is actually my old roomate’s friend from UWO (crazy?!). We spent 3 days indoors watching TV, our laptops and eating.

I talk about my experience more in my ICAD blog here: http://blog.icad-cisd.com/?p=1395 about the miscommunication that happened. There were reports that were over- dramatized about the damage that the Hurricane had done to Jamaica. We ended up watching only one channel to get the most updated and current news of the situation: Jamaica National News. They were doing live broadcast for the duration of the hurricane. It was a bit fun to watch at times because we could tell they were running out of stories since Matthew couldn’t make up his mind. They talked about a lady named Ms. Walker for over an hour because she couldn’t decide whether she wanted to evacuate or not. (It is serious when they say evacuate but if you saw the segment you would understand why it was hard to take it seriously). There was also a public announcement about watching for crocodiles that may be displaced. You’re not allowed to kill the crocodiles because they are protected. You have to call the ministry so someone can come get it.

Everything was closed from Sunday -> Tuesday (only small shops were open). It was a nice break and the CVC office opened up earlier on Tuesday. I got a phone call from Monica on Monday and she asked me where I was for work. I freaked out because it was sunny outside and I thought oh man, they actually didn’t close the office today. She was just being a goof and was only checking in on me haha. We celebrated the end of the Hurricane at Track and Records, a local bar that is part of Usain Bolt (the fastest man alive!) chain. It was a chill vibe and you could purchase merchandise with his signature on it! Debating if I should or not…

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On Thursday we went to a Reggae Jam which is described as an open space for artists to sing. The music was absolutely beautiful and soulful. At one point they started singing about ganja (marijuana) ahha! We met one of the singers and had to leave before he could finish his set. We told him we would be back for the whole night next time!

This weekend I explored a bunch on my own and also contacted one of the girls I met from the International Coastal Day. She took me out to halfway tree plaza and showed me all her favourite stores! It’s hard to explain shopping here. There are many stores but they don’t look like stores on the outside so I have had no guts to go in on my own. They also have many vendors that sell on the streets where you can bargain the prices. They sell everything from clothes to past tests for those in school. I bought two bracelets and a gift for a friend in Canada. I’m excited to go through all these stores!