Update on April Who Moved to Kingston

You all remember April, the American girl who moved to Kingston a few months ago? We have an update on how her first 3 months went. Aside from the straight facts about normal life there I laughed a lot while reading it and I cannot WAIT to link with her in a couple weeks!

Here’s What April’s Been Up To

I can’t believe my 3 months in Jamaica are over already. It seems like just yesterday I was throwing more tank tops in my bag and rushing to the Atlanta airport to catch my flight. And now I’m back in Atlanta going through some serious Jamaica withdrawal.

While the weeks up to my departure found me nervous, anxious, excited and scared to death, I couldn’t be happier to have taken this step. Literally within a few days of arriving at getting settled into my apartment, it was like I had never left the island (granted it had only been 3 months). And while it took some time to get acclimated to a different day-to-day routine, it was fairly painless thanks to some great friends I’ve met along the way.

Friday Nights at the Lion’s Den

You guys know Max Romeo, right? He’s the musician responsible for Chase the Devil and War Inna Bablyon. On Friday nights, I would head to Treadways, St. Catherine where Max and his family hosts a karaoke party. After a couple hours of the folks from the community butchering top 100 hits and a few songs by surprise guest artists, the lights go down and the party begins. Think daggering in trees and on the roof, dance contests where an 8 year old takes the crown and the best ital stew I have ever tasted!

Live Music

Over the last few years there has been this resurgence of the band in Jamaica and I’m loving it! Dubtonic Kru, Raging Fyah, C-Sharp, Rootz Underground, Di Blueprint and more are bringing back roots, rock and reggae in a big way in Jamaica and foreign. In any given week, it’s possible to see. One of my favorites were the concerts in Emancipation Park every Wednesday night during Reggae Month (February). Arranged by JaRIA (Jamaica Reggae Industry Association), these concerts brought together some of hottest new acts with Jamaica’s music legends. Marcia Griffiths, Bob Andy, Damian Marley, Iba Mahr and many more — complete sonic euphoria!

People think I’m Jamaican

Yeah, I’m a black chick and currently locking my hair, so the natural assumption if you see me walking down Hope Road to Juici Patti or catching a mini bus to Portmore is that I’m Jamaican. But, even after I open my mouth, I’ve managed to fool many. It’s not something I intentionally set out to do; it just happens, I guess. I’ve had a street vendor argue me down that I was either from Jamaica or one of those “small islands” and had just lived in the US long enough to try to disguise my accent, but I couldn’t fool him. Riiiiiiggghhht. LOL

Roadtrips!

I’ve driven in Jamaica in the past, but during this stay, I was driving up a storm, every chance I could get. Road trips are always one of my favorite things to do in Jamaica. I don’t have to have a specific destination in mind either, just pack up and drive. I’ll spare you the gory details, but some of my most memorable trips have included getting lost in cane fields for 2 hours, getting lost in Spanish Town during curfew and being “questioned” by JDF, getting pulled over by JAPD (I know it’s JCF, but JAPD sounds better :-)), getting flat tires, running out of gas at night in the middle of nowhere, picking up strangers…Fun times indeed!

Jamaica is a great place full of amazing people

This isn’t a new realization, but moreso a confirmation of my previous assessments and motivation to move to JA in the first place. Jamaica, like any other nation, is far from being perfect. It’s not one dimensional either. It’s more than just the resorts or the poverty. It’s that plus the pride, the positive vibes and more. You just have to dig in and start pulling back the layers to discover the beauty that lies within.

When asked in an interview why Jamaica is such a great place, artist Protoje (whom I LOVE, btw) said this:

 “People have endured so much in Jamaica. Nevertheless, it’s one of the most positive places. The creation, the art, the music – just the positive energy that has been created from this place…People suffer but they always find a way – and out of the hardships Jamaica endures. We always bring something positive out of it – always…Even though we have so much stacked against us people still say, “We Yard”…Jamaica is an inspiration – believe me.” ~Protoje

I couldn’t agree more.

Overall I’m happy with how everything turned out. Despite the lukewarm to cold showers (I like my water HOT), a handful of issues with Digicel and a few altercations with some not-so-nice people, I can’t complain.

Jamaica has been good to me and I’m ready for another extended stay in a few weeks!

Read more about April’s travels in Jamaica and around the world at The Absolute Travel Addict.