Around Jamaica in 14 days: Prologue

Rafting on the Rio Grande

A lot of my friends - from all continents - have asked me about my country and I usually have no problem telling them of its grandeur and beauty... and I find myself only speaking of Ocho Rios (in the parish of St. Ann) and Montego Bay (in the parish of St. James). So, over the next few weeks, I will give you all a snapshot of my island home... parish-by-parish. This will include some history and pictures of places in whichever parish is being featured.

Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean (10,991 km² or  4,244 sq mi) following Cuba and Hispaniola and is the largest English-Speaking island in the same region. There are 14 sections known as parishes and three counties (Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey). The parishes are from East to West as follows (circumferential):

Blue Mountain

St. Thomas, Kingston, St. Andrew, St. Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester, St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, St. James, Hanover, Trelawny, St. Ann, St. Mary, and Portland. 

Jamaica is 66% mountainous with 22 major rivers, one dormant volcano (located in St. Thomas), and one major mountain range (the Blue Mountain Range) which spans from Portland to St. Andrew. Some points of Blue Mountain are visible from as far as St. Catherine, and it's highest point -Blue Mountain Peak - is 2, 256 m or 7, 400 ft high. 

Frenchman's Cove

Outside of the obvious tourist spots, there are literally hundreds of other amazing, non-traditional hangouts that will prove to be either just as enjoyable or even more enjoyable than some of the traditional, common tourist spots on the island. During the next couple of blogs, I will take you on a parish-by-parish tour of my island home: from the rolling Blue Mountain Ranges, to Frenchman's Cove; from Port Royal to the Cockpit Country and Appleton Estate; from Rose Hall Estate with the Legend of the White Witch to Fern Gully! I will show you, my friends, the not-so popular beauty of the island! I'm definitely looking forward to sharing this with you!!

Physical map of Jamaica

Jodi-Ann is an Environmental Studies major in Nova Scotia, Canada.
*** Pictures acquired from external sources

Happy Victoria Day!!!

Westjet Hospitality

I was looking forward to getting home. That's all. Board the plane, sleep and get home. My day started out horribly, with incidents involving expired mayonnaise and a stolen granola bar. So I sat down at the airport and waited for the boarding call. 
My flights from Canada to Jamaica are usually booked with connections (call me cheap, but I have an unusually frugal student budget. Don't judge me!), but this flight was heading directly for Jamaica (for the right price!) and I wasn't sure how I would feel sitting down for five hours. I braced myself for expected delays and the usual humdrum of an uneventful flight.
To my surprise, and utter delight, I had to lift my head from the book I was engaged in when I heard that the boarding call was made... on time. I was truly flabbergasted! I was delighted! I disengaged myself from the book, ever so slowly (just to make sure it was real) and made my way to the aircraft. It was there, at the door, that I met Maureen. For the first time, in a very, very long time, I knew I was going to have a great flight. Since the flight wasn't full, I immediately asked to have my seats exchanged and my request was granted (another win, one does not want to get stuck in immigration in Jamaica; it's just too hot!!).

Ryan, Myself and Kari.

Flight WS2908 to Montego Bay, Jamaica had a team of three flight attendants: Kari, Maureen and Ryan. They were very courteous and delightful hosts who also showed a genuine interest in your needs. When they asked for my choice in beverage and I selected black tea with an unusual amount of sugar (don't judge me!), a delightful conversation ensued. It all began when I felt guilty for asking for that much sugar. Since I don't drink coffee, I get my energy rush from having sweets. So I turned and said, with my Jamaican accent: "I have to have sugar; it's my substitute for coffee..." Kari turned to me with a smile after picking up my accent and asked if I was Jamaican, I answered with a smile and a nod and the rest was history. They even returned to talk more about my Jamaican heritage and culture. They made a 5-hour flight feel like minutes. 
 This is astonishingly amazing. I have done quite a bit of traveling and I must admit: most flight attendants do the bare  minimum and get through their flights. They go through safety procedures, they do their meal services (and do a little sales rep. work in between) and they go back to their station. Today proved to me that these flight attendants went beyond their service standard to make the flight a little less stressful. 
I wasn't the only one they paid attention to; a pair of newlyweds were bumped up to first class and given the royal treatment, which I believe was very nice of the attendants. I didn't even finish watching the movie provided by their satellite TV service, as I was fully engaged with this wonderful team of flight attendants. This is my first flight with Westjet and it certainly will not be the last! I personally thanked them for their service and encouraged them to remain as wonderful as they were with me and other passengers on this flight. 

Ryan, Myself (very tired, but happy) and Maureen

Oh! We also arrived in Jamaica 27 minutes before scheduled arrival!! So the entire crew, including pilots, was awesome!!


Thank you Kari, Maureen and Ryan and those awesome pilots (I forgot their names)! Thank you Westjet.





Jodi-Ann is an Environmental Studies major in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Preston, you were right. Westjet is better than that other airline and I will continue to use their service.

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Earth Day: An Important Message

As you all may have figured, a day like today has me feeling like a 6 year-old on Christmas Day; I feel like a teenager going on my first date; I feel like... you get the idea! HAPPY AWESOME EARTH DAY!!! 
The earth is the place where we live, where we get our food, where we get to enjoy the wonderful pleasures of life, memories (good & bad), and best of all, it provides the right atmosphere for us to even breathe (the most essential part of our survival). However, so much has gone wrong - over-consumption, affluenza (living above one's means), waste, cosmetic/materialistic desires, and abuse of our space - and we each look for a scapegoat to blame for all that is happening.
I sat in a class recently with a professor that I have great admiration for and she asked a very important question: Is unplugging a phone charger enough (i.e. enough to save energy, etc)? Initially, I answered "yes" and tried to argue my point. We did some experiments to prove (or disprove) my hypothesis. Turns out, the phone charger uses so little energy that you'd save on average CAD $0.03 (<--- That's CENTS) per month for unplugging your charger. Wow, I thought. I was more disappointed than embarrassed for so passionately arguing my point.
So what can we do to sustain our planet? So many solutions exist, but most of them include a significant change in lifestyle. For example, limiting consumption of... well... everything, is a great start. Secondly, practice using resources sustainably (turn off lights, drink tap water instead of bottled water - the plastic often winds up where it shouldn't - and use a reusable mug/cup, etc). 
Unfortunately, various forms of the technology we have use rare earth minerals that can only be found in ONE place on earth. Due to our consumption patterns, certain cell phones and TVs will increasingly become more desirable, thus depleting the resource. To make matters worse, some of these minerals are non-recyclable. So my suggestion is: Manage the use of your devices so you don't wind up with a new one every 6 months. 
Finally, follow the 5 R's:  
Refuse - Refuse to purchase harmful, unsustainable products;
Reduce -Reduce packaging and other wasteful materials in products;
Reuse - Reuse products and purchase items that are either returnable or recyclable;
Recycle - Recycle products (and bear in mind that fruit skins and compost is a great natural fertilizer);
Rethink - Rethink the way waste is dealt with and rethink the ways in which products are used.***
Happy Earth Day, Everyone! Celebrate your planet, celebrate your home! ~JGIC



Jodi-Ann is an Environmental Studies major in Nova Scotia, Canada.
***Notes adapted from class activities, (Wiacek, A., 2014)
I do not own these photos. Photos acquired from external sources.

Jamaicans Don't Do Recipes; We Just Don't!

I don't mean to brag... but, I can COOK!! Unfortunately, if I make something for you and you ask me for a "recipe," it's over!! 
Jamaicans are known for using their "judgement" to prepare meals, and the spontaneity may be the reason why our dishes become World Class meals! I notice, too, that when I follow a recipe to the tee, the food doesn't appeal to me as much in most cases. 
So, last Sunday, my roommate asked me for a "recipe" for curried chicken... life zoomed in on me at that point. I turned slowly to look at my roommate and whispered, softly but effectively: "I'm Jamaican, I don't know any." I eventually told her to grab a pot and let's see what we could discover.
In my special Jamaican way, this is what ensued:
1) Cut up the chicken small-small (Jamaicans tend to repeat specific words for emphasis e.g. fool-fool, jump-up, back-back, etc).
2) Cut up some onion and garlic 
"How much?" she asked. I shrugged and told her about half an onion and 4 cloves of garlic.
3) Sprinkle likkle (little, a small amount of) salt on it, just make sure you can taste it when you're done seasoning the meat.
4) Cut up piece-a carrot and Irish potato and put it in the mixture.

"Jeez, Jodi! How much?" My roommate seemed annoyed. I turned to her with a smile and said, "You cooking for four? Use your judgement. How much carrot and potato can four people eat in di curry chicken?" We continued.
5) Add some curry... She looked at me, so I told her to start sprinkling and I would tell her when to stop. After about 15 seconds of sprinkling, I determined that it was enough. 
6) I encouraged her to throw in a few herbs (thyme leaves, oregano) and black pepper to give it a little flavor and, of course, the cayenne pepper.
7) We added some coconut paste to the mixture and voila! Curry Chicken like a boss!! 
The chicken actually came out very good and we had a few guests over to confirm this. We tend to be very good cooks, but I promise you, we learn to cook by watching our parents in the kitchen... "a likkle bit a dis and a likkle bit a dat!"
You know what I have discovered too, my friends? If you visit 10 homes in Jamaica that prepared curried chicken, I guarantee you will find 10 different authentic and delicious flavours of curry. I have never followed a recipe book that can give me the flavour my palette is used to, so... I will stick to my good ol' judgement and whip up whatever combination my "gut" tells me to go with; I usually get it just right!! If there are Jamaican recipes you guys are interested in, there are several of them available on the web, but the best way to get the most out of these dishes is to have a Jamaican prepare them for you! ~JGIC

 

 Jodi-Ann is an Environmental Studies Major in Nova Scotia, Canada.

  
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**Pictures acquired from Google. I do not own these photos!

Heights By Great Men (and Women)...

The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 I recall as a little girl attending primary school, we had to get up every morning in class to repeat the verse quoted above by H. W. Longfellow. It was so annoying to perform this mundane task that we started to sound like a set of zombified (<- Yes, it's an actual word) robots in a chorus when we were asked to repeat it.
Recently, however, the quote came to mind when I was up studying in the wee hours of the morning. I sat and thought about what it meant and how it applies to what I was doing. My "height" has no definable boundary and so my aims get higher and higher with each passing day, and this quote serves as additonal motivation to do so.
During my first undergrad, I had a professor who thought it was okay to insult my efforts in writing. Since I'm a dramatic person, I never settle for mundane details. She   approached me to tell me that my paper needed "some more work," even though she could hardly find anything to correct. I made so many visits and adjustments to that paper and she eventually gave me a C- for the class, as I just could not please her. Discouraging, right?
Well, I thought about it and continued to work on my writing. I wrote short stories, poems and other articles that have even been published in the newspaper. I never stopped trying. Eventually, I acquired this platform and have been utilizing the same skills she said I was "failing miserably" at. The point is, I never stop. I work consistently and only do so to make improvements to myself and my abilities.
I still have not reached my "height" yet. Actually, I think I'm just beginning to climb.
Each day, we are presented with circumstances that distract us from our desired path, but like the great men H. S. Longfellow was referring, the only way to attain our desired outcomes is to keep at it.
Repetition is good. I believe I carried that quote with me subconsciously through school, through work, through life. I can never settle for less than what is great! I always want something to be as best as I can possibly make it. So if it requires spending some extra hours working on that super difficult assignment, or getting up extra early to volunteer some time, I believe it is worth it. It helps to put my goals in perspective and makes them much easier to attain.
 

Jodi-Ann is an Environmental Studies major in Nova Scotia, Canada.

** I do not own these photos, they were acquired from an external source.

International Women’s Day

Happy Women’s Day!

Women receive a day to be celebrated and honoured, and today I wish to highlight three women of colour who have made various contributions to help us move forward.

Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth: Born into slavery, she was the first black female to win a case against a plantation owner in the court of law during the 19^th Century. The self-named activist believed in liberty and freedom and fought hard to achieve same for her people. Sojourner was also a women’s right pioneer as she not only fought for freedom, she actively fought for the rights of women – coloured or not – and delivered her speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” in 1851 to voice her discontent. She met two presidents (Lincoln and Grant) with whom she had discussions regarding the rights of her people. She was never afraid of repercussions, she faced her battles without fear and she managed to help get the ball rolling for women’s rights.

Mary Church Terrell

Mary Church Terrell: As one of the first women of colour to receive a Bachelor’s Degree, Mary decided to use her education, her knowledge and experiences as an individual on the margin of society to make her voice heard. Terrell grew up to witness how women, especially women of colour, suffered educationally, mentally, emotionally and physically. In an effort to prove she would not be forced to be at the edge of society, she studied different languages in Europe and became qualified enough to become the first coloured female to be on the District of Columbia Board of Education. She, along with her daughter, Phyllis, fought for over 50 years to veto the Jim Crow law that supported segregation. She lived long enough to see to its end in 1954 and died shortly after at the age of 90.

Ida B. Wells

Ida B. Wells: We have heard of Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on the bus; however, Ida B. Wells was the first to do so. During a train ride in 1884, the investigative journalist, author, educator and scholar refused to give up her seat. The events that followed started a chain reaction for the rights of coloured folks. She was a woman who noticed that something was wrong with the society and did her part by documenting the ills and publishing them to places far and wide; even as far as Europe. She was also the co-founder of the NAACP and has several publications citing the harsh realities she faced, not only as a coloured individual, but also as a woman.

Yes, while we celebrate Women’s Day and revel in all the joys of being a woman, we need to remember how hard it was to get here. From winning the right to vote to winning the right to work outside the home; from getting a place in parliament, to having the ability to run for president. As women, we need to show that our fight was worth it! Continue making a mark in this society. Become unforgettable CEOs that run companies with an iron fist and entrepreneurs that keep coming up with new and fresh ideas to keep our world running.

We are the mothers, teachers, nurses and nurturers of this society and that will never change!!

Happy Women’s Day to all my ladies around the world!!

 

Jodi-Ann is an Environmental Studies major in Nova Scotia, Canada.

***Disclaimer: I do not own any of the photos. Photos acquired from external sources.

Sources:

http://www.uni.edu/icss/143/fa06/profiles/terrellbio.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Terrell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ida_B._Wells

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sojourner_Truth

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ain%27t_I_a_Woman%3F