Week 7: Adventuring as a Local
Wow- It’s been a busy week.
Last time I posted, I was heading to the Reggae Jam but right before it- I saw white tents at Devon House. Gathered my friends and we ended up at a Fashion Show! It was fashion night in Jamaica- there were multiple fashion shows around the country. Some events were even bargain hunting until 12 AM at HalfWay Tree. The fashion show that we were at was super trendy and high-end. When we first arrived, we were talking to a random lady who was super nice and helpful about explaining the event. Nonetheless, an hour later- this lady has one of the collections in the show! I searched her up online after and she is trending very well with over 7K followers! I messaged her afterwards to say thanks and I promised to purchase an item from her before I left Jamaica.
On Friday, I went to the Red Bones Café to listen to a Steel Drum Band. They are known as steel pans, originating from Trinidad and Tobago. They are gongs with divided surface sounding different pitches. They played folk, gospel and even Celine Dion. I was told that this band played very light music – whereas typically it is a fast moving beat.
On Saturday morning, I went Downtown Kingston with my roommate. Even though we have heard many warnings and receive surprised looks about our plans, we didn’t want to let that stop us. It is understood that Jamaica has danger but we are smart girls who take the necessary precautions. If you are going to take route bus/taxis, do your research ahead of time. We wore running shoes, no fancy bags or clothes and little money. I even left my phone at home because I didn’t want to risk it. It isn’t worth what you can prevent. There is also a saying in Jamaica for tourists- don’t ask for directions, don’t look like you are lost. That is false. At this point in time, you wouldn’t be embarking on a journey like mine if you don’t have good judgment. Ask who you believe is a kind person. You can tell when you approach someone. We asked many people for directions and had no issues.
Coronation Market itself was super busy. It was jam-packed with vendors selling items on the street from clothes to groceries. I felt like it was a Taiwan Night Market. You really had to watch where you were going. We did see a couple of fights break out but it was mild and between the vendors. We also heard that even though it is jam-packed with people, gun shootings are common. Hence- that was why they wear running shoes- to prep themselves to run. Listening to that, it was concerning yet- at the same time, many of the locals we meet here go to the market all the time. Just stay aware. That is the key. The food products were considerably lower price and I ended up buying a dutch pot for 700 JMD. These are handmade and have a flat bottom for it to sit comfortably on gas and electric stoves. The dutchy can be used for baking, frying, steaming rice and is often used to make curried goat and stewed peas. It is a staple for a Jamaican Kitchen. I am excited to use it! We also saw a lot of preaching in the market. There was a gospel jam session happening in the middle of the market. Everyone stopped what they were doing to gather around the priest and sang their hearts out. The only thing I would say I didn’t like about the market was the harassment from the randoms. There was a lot more catcalling than I was used to and it was much more sexual.
Afterwards, we stopped by Port Royal Street where the Digicel 5k Night Run was held. It was a long road by the pier viewing the ocean. You can’t swim here but some locals were wading around close to the dock. We also stumbled across the Jamaica National Art Gallery. Going through the paintings and exhibitions, the sense of colonization, plantation and slavery history was depicted through the works of art. I find it beautiful that they are able to preserve these photos. For lunch, we had chicken butt and neck from the streets. Super yummy! (J was not a fan of the parts haha!).
We then took the bus back and found ourselves lost in Constant Spring where we ran into a road filled with Jamaican art and board games. There was a wooden sign that had Red Stripes on it. I was super tempted to buy it since Red Stripe is the local beer of Jamaica. We also went by the Nigerian Embassy as they were having a food festival and to Devon’s House with another event- where they were searching for an MC for a national show that would happen in February. In the evening, we went to the Jamaica Food and Dinner Festival – the Food Truck one in Barbican Beach. It had a wide array of trucks selling different types of food. We had loaded fries, a burger, and I had many sausages from this one truck. We had a bunch of beer and we were hanging out, meeting different people and playing board games. I had such a great time and at one point, I found myself confessing my love and soul to the sausages because they were so delicious.
On Sunday, we went to our friend’s house to hang out at their pool. Very relaxing day! From there, we met some people who brought us to Dub Club, closed to Kingston in the Hills. Before that though, we stopped by a random shack in the streets which was actually a local bar. We met some locals who were entertainers and this one man was singing to his daughter the entire time the song Middles ft Bipolar Sunshine. She was 7 months- so cute! It was a lower establishment, and they were just as surprised we were hanging with them as we were. They brought chairs from their homes to let us sit on. Lots of ganja being sold here too. It was quite a vision. We had great talks with them. While we were sitting down though, we heard a gunshot. Didn’t expect that but it was nowhere near us so we were not worried. We also went and got pan chicken from the streets – mmmmm so good. We were enjoying our meal and a man started yelling at the vendor so police officers came. We went on our way to the Dub Club which was a series of turns and turns on the hills. The Dub Club began as an informal gathering of brethren devotees of roots, reggae, and dub which is now Kingston’s Weekly pilgrimage to Skyline Drive. The hills are filled with a motley mix of old school rastas, young hipsters all gathered to relish the fresh and ancient sounds mixed together. Very authentic experience. I really enjoyed it!
On Monday I participated in the UN Symposium – “Sharing Experiences on GBV and HIV Programming in Jamaica”. This led to my new blog in the ICAD group seen here: http://blog.icad-cisd.com/?p=1462. I also went to a hip hop Dance class yesterday taught by Zoe. I am planning to partake in weekly classes though to learn AfroBeat, Dancehall, and folk dance. I ended up catching a cold after a night out in our pool. I actually had to call in sick on Friday because I was not getting any better. It seems I may have gotten the Jamaican Flu.
Off to bed I go-
XOXO Tara