Someone very wise (my dad!) once told me that some of the most crazy things happen in my life. I should write them down because they are so funny, ridiculous, obnoxious, silly that there is no way I could make them up. Take for example the fact that my bags have been lost FOUR times (and only when I fly into Switzerland). The past 36 hours have been like that. So I guess now is the time to record those happenings. To get the most of the story lets rewind even further.
Saturday, June 25: Paul has been feeling sick, feverish, hot and cold and just plain BLEH for several days. He is on my computer trying to order us a media box when he decides to close the blinds. In the process my computer slams onto the ground. He pick it up. It appears to work fine (we all know appearances are deceiving). I go to a teacher BBQ. Perhaps I have a bottle of wine or so. I remember having a great time.
Sunday, June 26: I wake up a bit groggy and hung over. I had mostly packed, but not completely so I throw some shoes and pants into the half packed bag. Paul takes this moment to mention that my computer, my love, my baby, is no longer working. He had even cycled to work to get the tools to fix it. It isn't working. We will have to take it to the only Mac store nearby in Glasgow. I am a bit annoyed, but I figure they can fix it. We get on the plane in Geneva and other than still feeling a bit sick. Everything goes well, until our decent. The turbulence is like a roller coaster that has fallen off the tracks and my stomach pitches and rolls. I ask the flight attendants (luckily sitting right behind me) for a barf bag just in case. As I am waiting to hurl, my strange neurological condition grabs hold of me. Usually it is just an arm or a foot but this time it comes down in full force. Both my hands spasm into weird claw like shapes, my jaw is hard to move, my right calf spasms into a clenched position, and my left leg, which had been pulled up next to me with the foot on the seat is locked in place. I can't unbend my leg at all, or move my hands or wrists. We land and the flight attendant brings me water. I tell her that I can't open my hands, but not to worry, this happens regularly enough that I am not worried. It will fade in 20 minutes to an hour. She tells me to take deep breaths and relax. Paul glares at her a bit (mostly because she tells me not to be nervous), and I just tell her really that I am fine. Then I realize the bigger problem here is that I cannot unbend my left leg. It is still stubbornly stuck in it's bent position. We are landed and the plane is empty.
Enter the fire brigade! They come and take my details. I try to assure them that the throwing up and the muscle spasms are NOT related. They just happened to have bad timing and come together. They fetch a wheel chair and are unable to push me down the aisle because the chair is too wide. I end up hopping on my right leg all the way through the plane. My stupid stuck left leg just stays all annoying and bent. I can tell the new flight attendants (waiting to go to Amsterdam) are intrigued by this weird, hopping person. I eventually get pushed through the airport, through passport control until they drop me outside of baggage claim. There I assure the fire brigade I am fine, and just wait another 15 minutes as my muscles slowly release their grip on my leg. I straighten it out and with some difficulty we walk to the taxis. We eventually make it to the hotel and call it an early night. Neither Paul or I feel particularly well.
Monday, June 27: Paul wakes up still feeling sick. I tell him to pop to the doctors to make sure he doesn't have any weird diseases from Jamaica. I take the 50 minute train to Glasgow to drop off my computer. I get to the store and the first guy turns it on. He watches as the boot screen just sits there, white and blank. There are no options to boot. It makes terrible whirring clicking noises. He concedes that I need a specialist. I make an appointment for the late afternoon and go find a cinema (in ENGLISH!) to pass some time. Paul texts me to let me know he has been admitted to the hospital (WHAT?) then tells me not to worry. Yeah. Right. My appointment time comes so I run back to the Mac store to the "Genius Bar" the guy tries again to turn it on, but with no luck. He then takes my computer for a while to try some things out. He takes out the hard drive and puts it in a different computer. That computer fails to start. He puts a fresh hard drive in mine, and it boots up immediately. He comes back with the news that my hard drive has completely failed and from the looks of it data recovery will be very difficult. He asks me the dreaded question - have I backed up anything?
I haven't recently, most recently my honeymoon photos have just been transferred. So have my shower photos and my rehearsal and pics of my friends from the night before. Luckily I put my favorites on Facebook, but there are 100s more that I loved. Then there are all my graduate papers from last year. Gone. All my work for my online school. Gone. All my recent assignments, outlines, etc. for the current course (at least a weeks worth of work). Wiped from the face of this earth. Not the best news. Then I get the message they are keeping Paul in hospital over night. It is all too much. After a quick phone call (and I will admit I screamed a bit at him for dropping my computer, then apologized since he was in the hospital) I hopped on the train back to Edinburgh.
I find Paul in Ward 43 at Western General Hospital in Edinburgh. Ward 43 is the infectious disease ward. They were testing him for everything - Malaria, Dengue, who knows what else - just in case. They decided to keep him over night since he was feeling so rubbish. I stay with him until well past visiting hours, then get the bus back. Halfway home our friends who live here in Edinburgh call me. They have talked to Paul didn't realize all the things that were happening. I eventually make it to them and after a meal and a drink or two, I feel more relaxed and we call it a night. I stay over at their house (better than an empty hotel room!)
Tuesday, June 28: I get to share breakfast with our friends, and then get back on the bus to the hospital. They have taken more blood and decided Paul is sick but not infectious. They discharge him and we finally get home. We both shower and are thankful to get a break.
Do you see what I mean? I can't make this stuff up, it is too ridiculous. To add on top of this, I had missed my first graduate assignment (while I was at the hospital!) and I had a LOT of work to be doing. It's like that song that I posted first, the Sunscreen song. It says that, "The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday." Last Tuesday I didn't know I would have to take a wheel chair off a plane, I would lose all my information on my computer or Paul would be in the Infectious Disease ward. But that just goes to show you, life is one crazy, up, down, spinning, weird, silly, wonderful ride. I wonder what will happen tomorrow?
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
There Is No Going Back
I've been home for a few days now and it is shocking to me that I didn't manage to wake up until 12:04pm. I had great intentions last night. I set 4 separate alarms and put my phone out of arms-reach. Somehow I still managed to turn off all the alarms and sleep through them. I am desperately hoping that this gets better by tomorrow, where I will be making an appearance at lunch time at my old school to turn in my timesheet.
Enough of that rant, I am now moving on to my topic of the day (although you might have noticed by now that I enjoy tangents). I was talking to one of my close friends, Kathleen, about how she wanted to move out of Chicago and live somewhere else, maybe Europe. She is trying to move to Denver (which I am fully behind!), and has found the same problems as many of us. The older we get the more difficult it is to change your situation. Right out of college it was easy. I had no strings, barely any possessions, and no commitments. I moved to a foreign country and was ready to do anything. I look back at young me a little enviously sometimes. I know it was only 3 years ago, but right now I would not want to live in someone else's home. I love having my own space and freedom. Once you get a taste of something a bit better, it makes it all the more difficult to move back.
Take for example my and Paul's honeymoon. We had been sleeping on a king size bed and had the treehouse to ourselves. Other than a few hotel visits here and there, I have never slept on a king-sized bed for an extended amount of time. This 2 weeks was amazing (and necessary). It was the longest I had gone without snuggling, but it was so hot and sticky, and we were constantly covered in Deet. We each needed our own space to sleep, and our king provided that space. Then we arrived back at home. Home sweet home. I looked at our bed and almost laughed. We still sleep on a full-sized bed. The first night of sleeping I elbowed Paul in the face just above the eye. I was shocked he was sleeping so near to me and was confused as to where we were. It took me a few seconds to get my bearings, apologize, then go back to sleep. Now every night I get into bed and remark about how small our bed is. We got a taste of the king size and it is hard to go back. We have readjusted over the few days we have been home, but everyday when I get up (before Paul), I come back in to find that he has confiscated the entire bed. I can't say I blame him. I suppose we know the size of our bed when we move next.
This is one of the reasons we are keeping on flatmates while we live in Switzerland. We could afford to live here alone, but why would we? We like our flatmates, and in the span of three years we will have saved over 60K from having flatmates. I am afraid, however, that as soon as we live alone, there will be no going back. I will enjoy the freedom to leave our things wherever we want, not worry about putting on a robe if I need to grab something at night, and not worrying about talking late at night. We are night owls and always worried about waking others so we keep the TV turned down and whisper. If we lived alone it would just be us. I am very excited for this time in our life, but I know that time is not now. Now we are saving for our future and enjoying the company of our friends. Because we don't know any better, it is really not a problem.
Another thing I do not understand is earning a steady, decent salary. This next year may change me, but until now I have never earned a solid, decent salary. As a nanny I earned about $600 a month. I didn't pay room and board so I saved all this money every month. The following year I worked as an Americorps volunteer and earned a whopping $850 a month. I thought I was making big bucks. This year as a nanny I was making just over 1.5K a month. After 2 months I decided that job was not for me, so I started working for FTA. This online school pays hourly, and I was earning more than I had ever in my life. The funny thing is, people who make a REAL salary in Switzerland would laugh at me. I make in months what they make in days. The key is that I don't know any better. Don't get me wrong, I know that people, especially in banking, make a lot more money than me. But I have never made more money. So even with my modest earnings, I feel rich as a queen. I almost don't want to move forward because then it would be difficult to go back. I still appreciate every dollar I earn, and I feel that is so important. This next year I start as a full time preschool/4th grade/6th grade teacher. And a part-time online teacher/curriculum designer. And a part time tutor. And a grad student. Maybe what I need to learn the value of is time.
Time is such a funny thing. It absolutely slips through my fingers. I know it is slipping through my fingers and I can't make it stop. This little honeymoon we had helped me to understand how important time with my husband is. Last year I was a workaholic and had a lot of trouble taking time off. This is the trouble of working from home. I feel like there is always more to do. But after 3 weeks without me, everything was still chugging along fine. This reminds me that I should enjoy each day more fully. I should spend more time on me, and on Paul. I have gotten a taste of what it is like to have some time to myself and I can't go back. Maybe this means I will be slightly less productive online next year. Well so be it. I think I will have a higher quality of life.
It is 23:49 and obviously my jet-lag is not getting any better. I suppose it is time to head to bed and try to get some sleep. What in your life do you have that you wouldn't give up? Would you ever be willing to give everything up to get your dream? Think carefully about that, because it is never as easy, smooth and comfortable as you think. Until the next blog - goodnight :)
Enough of that rant, I am now moving on to my topic of the day (although you might have noticed by now that I enjoy tangents). I was talking to one of my close friends, Kathleen, about how she wanted to move out of Chicago and live somewhere else, maybe Europe. She is trying to move to Denver (which I am fully behind!), and has found the same problems as many of us. The older we get the more difficult it is to change your situation. Right out of college it was easy. I had no strings, barely any possessions, and no commitments. I moved to a foreign country and was ready to do anything. I look back at young me a little enviously sometimes. I know it was only 3 years ago, but right now I would not want to live in someone else's home. I love having my own space and freedom. Once you get a taste of something a bit better, it makes it all the more difficult to move back.
Take for example my and Paul's honeymoon. We had been sleeping on a king size bed and had the treehouse to ourselves. Other than a few hotel visits here and there, I have never slept on a king-sized bed for an extended amount of time. This 2 weeks was amazing (and necessary). It was the longest I had gone without snuggling, but it was so hot and sticky, and we were constantly covered in Deet. We each needed our own space to sleep, and our king provided that space. Then we arrived back at home. Home sweet home. I looked at our bed and almost laughed. We still sleep on a full-sized bed. The first night of sleeping I elbowed Paul in the face just above the eye. I was shocked he was sleeping so near to me and was confused as to where we were. It took me a few seconds to get my bearings, apologize, then go back to sleep. Now every night I get into bed and remark about how small our bed is. We got a taste of the king size and it is hard to go back. We have readjusted over the few days we have been home, but everyday when I get up (before Paul), I come back in to find that he has confiscated the entire bed. I can't say I blame him. I suppose we know the size of our bed when we move next.
This is one of the reasons we are keeping on flatmates while we live in Switzerland. We could afford to live here alone, but why would we? We like our flatmates, and in the span of three years we will have saved over 60K from having flatmates. I am afraid, however, that as soon as we live alone, there will be no going back. I will enjoy the freedom to leave our things wherever we want, not worry about putting on a robe if I need to grab something at night, and not worrying about talking late at night. We are night owls and always worried about waking others so we keep the TV turned down and whisper. If we lived alone it would just be us. I am very excited for this time in our life, but I know that time is not now. Now we are saving for our future and enjoying the company of our friends. Because we don't know any better, it is really not a problem.
Another thing I do not understand is earning a steady, decent salary. This next year may change me, but until now I have never earned a solid, decent salary. As a nanny I earned about $600 a month. I didn't pay room and board so I saved all this money every month. The following year I worked as an Americorps volunteer and earned a whopping $850 a month. I thought I was making big bucks. This year as a nanny I was making just over 1.5K a month. After 2 months I decided that job was not for me, so I started working for FTA. This online school pays hourly, and I was earning more than I had ever in my life. The funny thing is, people who make a REAL salary in Switzerland would laugh at me. I make in months what they make in days. The key is that I don't know any better. Don't get me wrong, I know that people, especially in banking, make a lot more money than me. But I have never made more money. So even with my modest earnings, I feel rich as a queen. I almost don't want to move forward because then it would be difficult to go back. I still appreciate every dollar I earn, and I feel that is so important. This next year I start as a full time preschool/4th grade/6th grade teacher. And a part-time online teacher/curriculum designer. And a part time tutor. And a grad student. Maybe what I need to learn the value of is time.
Time is such a funny thing. It absolutely slips through my fingers. I know it is slipping through my fingers and I can't make it stop. This little honeymoon we had helped me to understand how important time with my husband is. Last year I was a workaholic and had a lot of trouble taking time off. This is the trouble of working from home. I feel like there is always more to do. But after 3 weeks without me, everything was still chugging along fine. This reminds me that I should enjoy each day more fully. I should spend more time on me, and on Paul. I have gotten a taste of what it is like to have some time to myself and I can't go back. Maybe this means I will be slightly less productive online next year. Well so be it. I think I will have a higher quality of life.
It is 23:49 and obviously my jet-lag is not getting any better. I suppose it is time to head to bed and try to get some sleep. What in your life do you have that you wouldn't give up? Would you ever be willing to give everything up to get your dream? Think carefully about that, because it is never as easy, smooth and comfortable as you think. Until the next blog - goodnight :)
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Homeward Bound and Home Again
This past month has been rush after rush. It was completely packed full from day to day. Even though we didn't do much on our honeymoon, it was still out of the country. Packing, unpacking, packing. It gets quite tiring moving sometimes. I always forget how utterly exhausting it is to travel. Let's take our trip home as an example. On Friday we checked out of Great Huts and drove 4-5 hours to our next hotel (the previous entry discusses that journey). We ate, showered, slept, then got up, packed again, and headed to the airport. After dropping the car off, we went through bag drop, passport control, security, then did a bit of shopping in the airport. On our 3 hour journey to Philadelphia we had a row of small children in front of us and behind us. All 4 of the kids were screaming or crying at some point.
Sorry, I am going to go off on a tangent. I have a GREAT new invention for airplanes. Instead of letting people with small children sit near everyone else, they should have a special, soundproof room with seats and space for kids to crawl in the back. That way the families are happy and the rest of the plane doesn't have to walk off with a headache because a mom wasn't prepared enough with snacks or games. I know babies just cry sometimes, but none of these kids were babies. They could all talk and mostly screaming for attention. Okay, back to the main topic.
So I got off the plane in Philadelphia with a headache, but we still had to go through U.S. border control, customs, re-check our bags, then go through security AGAIN. By the time we were through security our flight was supposedly boarding in 5 minutes. We ran to the gate but of course boarding was late. After finding some quick American food, we got back in time for our boarding zone to be called. We quickly got on and were able to change seats so that Paul and I could sit together. The flight took off at 6:15pm. It was an 8 hour flight, and a "red-eye". They started 3 different movies before showing all the same movies I had watched on my way out. I settled on reading (The Girl Who Played With Fire), then eventually napping on Paul. I had originally tried to nap on the trey table which actually works quite well for me. This time however, I was sitting behind the most obnoxious man in the world who kept pushing back on his already reclining chair and squashing my head. An hour later I choose Pauls shoulder instead.
8 hours later we had arrived in Zurich. Border Patrol again, then bag pick up. They only managed to get one of our bags to us from when we dropped them in back after customs in Philadelphia. Why am I not surprised? This is the 4th time my bags have been lost coming into Switzerland. At least we are home and we have clothes and shoes we can use. We then caught a direct 2.5 hour train to Lausanne, then our local bus, then we were home.
HOME. It's such an interesting idea. People throughout our trip kept asking me, "Where are you from?" and I had to respond with, "Now that's a complicated question. Do you mean where do I live now? Where did I grow up? Where I've lived in the last 5 years?" When most people (in a different country) who ask the, "Where are you from" question actually want to know where you were born and raised. If I told them "Switzerland" immediately they might think I am Swiss. I don't want any of that confusion to be going around. Now if someone asked me where was my "home" that would be easy. Although I often think of Torrance as home, I realized when I came back to Lausanne after almost a month of absence, this is really my home. I had missed my friends, the reliable trains, the fresh food, and the beautiful sights. I missed my bed and (sigh) my awesome Macbook Pro. There is something to be said for having your stuff organized somewhere, knowing a place so well that you can walk through the place at night and almost never run into anything (unless your husband has moved a piece of furniture to an unexpected place).
I think this questions of, "where are you from" should be changed. I am afraid as time goes on it will only be more complicated to answer. It is not like Paul and I are both British or both American. No matter where we live (as long as we are together), there will never be a time when both of us are living in our "home" countries. It makes things a bit more difficult but certainly more interesting. I guess I should be grateful that I am a chatty person and can quickly explain our strange circumstances. Here is a sample of how pretty much all of these conversations go.
Random Stranger: "Where are you from?"
Me: "Well we live in Switzerland"
RS: "Oh so you are Swiss" (sometimes people say Swedish)
Me: "No I'm American"
RS:"Oh you two are Americans! Where from?"
Me: "Well I grew up in Torrance, near L.A., but I haven't lived there since I was 18. My husband is British. He's from Newcastle"
RS: (Blank stare)
Me: "Nescastle is up north, near Scotland."
RS: "Oh yes, I've been to London once about 15 years ago"
Me: "Oh that's so interesting"
So in the end, what was the point of the conversation? I guess people are just trying to make connections, to understand where we are coming from. Maybe it is just all the long traveling and the long day that makes me tired. But I think we should think of a more interesting question to ask people we just meet. How about, "What are you passionate about?" or "What's the best book you've ever read?" I certainly think those would have more exciting answers than the tired old "where are you from" spiel.
So this blog is all over the place, but I guess what I am getting at is that it is nice to be home, with good water pressure and a place to eat my salads and fruit. I'm sure in a week I will miss vacation and Jamaica, but by then we will be in Edinburgh. I'm sure I will meet many more lovely people who will want to know where I'm from. I've got to come up with a better response!
Sorry, I am going to go off on a tangent. I have a GREAT new invention for airplanes. Instead of letting people with small children sit near everyone else, they should have a special, soundproof room with seats and space for kids to crawl in the back. That way the families are happy and the rest of the plane doesn't have to walk off with a headache because a mom wasn't prepared enough with snacks or games. I know babies just cry sometimes, but none of these kids were babies. They could all talk and mostly screaming for attention. Okay, back to the main topic.
So I got off the plane in Philadelphia with a headache, but we still had to go through U.S. border control, customs, re-check our bags, then go through security AGAIN. By the time we were through security our flight was supposedly boarding in 5 minutes. We ran to the gate but of course boarding was late. After finding some quick American food, we got back in time for our boarding zone to be called. We quickly got on and were able to change seats so that Paul and I could sit together. The flight took off at 6:15pm. It was an 8 hour flight, and a "red-eye". They started 3 different movies before showing all the same movies I had watched on my way out. I settled on reading (The Girl Who Played With Fire), then eventually napping on Paul. I had originally tried to nap on the trey table which actually works quite well for me. This time however, I was sitting behind the most obnoxious man in the world who kept pushing back on his already reclining chair and squashing my head. An hour later I choose Pauls shoulder instead.
8 hours later we had arrived in Zurich. Border Patrol again, then bag pick up. They only managed to get one of our bags to us from when we dropped them in back after customs in Philadelphia. Why am I not surprised? This is the 4th time my bags have been lost coming into Switzerland. At least we are home and we have clothes and shoes we can use. We then caught a direct 2.5 hour train to Lausanne, then our local bus, then we were home.
HOME. It's such an interesting idea. People throughout our trip kept asking me, "Where are you from?" and I had to respond with, "Now that's a complicated question. Do you mean where do I live now? Where did I grow up? Where I've lived in the last 5 years?" When most people (in a different country) who ask the, "Where are you from" question actually want to know where you were born and raised. If I told them "Switzerland" immediately they might think I am Swiss. I don't want any of that confusion to be going around. Now if someone asked me where was my "home" that would be easy. Although I often think of Torrance as home, I realized when I came back to Lausanne after almost a month of absence, this is really my home. I had missed my friends, the reliable trains, the fresh food, and the beautiful sights. I missed my bed and (sigh) my awesome Macbook Pro. There is something to be said for having your stuff organized somewhere, knowing a place so well that you can walk through the place at night and almost never run into anything (unless your husband has moved a piece of furniture to an unexpected place).
I think this questions of, "where are you from" should be changed. I am afraid as time goes on it will only be more complicated to answer. It is not like Paul and I are both British or both American. No matter where we live (as long as we are together), there will never be a time when both of us are living in our "home" countries. It makes things a bit more difficult but certainly more interesting. I guess I should be grateful that I am a chatty person and can quickly explain our strange circumstances. Here is a sample of how pretty much all of these conversations go.
Random Stranger: "Where are you from?"
Me: "Well we live in Switzerland"
RS: "Oh so you are Swiss" (sometimes people say Swedish)
Me: "No I'm American"
RS:"Oh you two are Americans! Where from?"
Me: "Well I grew up in Torrance, near L.A., but I haven't lived there since I was 18. My husband is British. He's from Newcastle"
RS: (Blank stare)
Me: "Nescastle is up north, near Scotland."
RS: "Oh yes, I've been to London once about 15 years ago"
Me: "Oh that's so interesting"
So in the end, what was the point of the conversation? I guess people are just trying to make connections, to understand where we are coming from. Maybe it is just all the long traveling and the long day that makes me tired. But I think we should think of a more interesting question to ask people we just meet. How about, "What are you passionate about?" or "What's the best book you've ever read?" I certainly think those would have more exciting answers than the tired old "where are you from" spiel.
So this blog is all over the place, but I guess what I am getting at is that it is nice to be home, with good water pressure and a place to eat my salads and fruit. I'm sure in a week I will miss vacation and Jamaica, but by then we will be in Edinburgh. I'm sure I will meet many more lovely people who will want to know where I'm from. I've got to come up with a better response!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Driving on the Left
It was our last full day in Jamaica today. We started it off right by both having stomach aches. I guess that is a signal it is time to get home and back to work. I have almost forgot what working feels like! What a nice vacation feeling...
Okay, so back to today. It took us a while, but we packed up, said our goodbyes, and left Great Huts. The drive from Boston Bay to Montego Bay is only 156 miles, but it took us about 4.5 hours (with a gas stop). Now I know I have already ranted about Jamaican drivers but this time it was different. I was no longer in the passenger seat, I was DRIVING.
Paul kindly drove us through the worst bit, from Boston Bay to Port Antonio. These roads had never before seen road construction and as I have mentioned are completely riddled with potholes. Some of these potholes stretch across the length of the road so there is no avoiding them. Once we had passed Port Antonio the roads got markedly more drivable. Why, do you ask, were these roads better? We asked one Jamaican and he said the Americans had come in and fixed the roads. Wow. So Paul eventually pulled over and wearily let me hop in the driver seat. It is quite funny being in a car when the drivers seat is on the wrong side of the road!
It took me a while to get the hang of staying between the lines when I was sitting (and driving) on the wrong side! Paul kept looking nervously at me as I rode the line on the edge of the road. In my mind, I was more than happy to ride that line. These Jamaican drivers are absolutely insane. Let me give you a few examples of things I saw while driving today. Keep in mind these are not rare occurrence. These types of things have happened EVERY TIME we drive the car somewhere.
1. A car comes to a complete stop in front of you very quickly without hazards or signaling. This car is often a route taxi and will stop several more times over the next half hour. At no time will this taxi signal his stopping.
2. A car will be parked in the middle of the ONE LANE highway after a blind curve. He might be waiting for a friend, or the car might be empty, but it has no even remotely tried to pull off the road.
3. A car pulled over to the side of the road (and by "side" I mean smack in the middle) and is signaling that he is about to pull over, but in reality, he pulls out quickly in front of us.
4. A car pulled over to the side of the road (hah! If they only knew what the word "side" means!) is signaling that he is about to pull out. His wheels are turned into the road. I have to carefully edge around this car because after waiting for an eternity, he does not move.
5. A car, on the wrong side of the road, is in reverse driving backwards in the wrong direction. WTF?
6. I drove the speed limit (almost) the entire way. While going 80km/hr, I get passed on a winding mountain road by several cars going well over 100km/hr.
7. While minding my own business on my left hand side, a car going the opposite direction is trying to pass a slower car also doing the opposite direction. I am forced to drive on the shoulder because the passing car cannot get over in time.
8. In every city, people, cars, bikes, goats and dogs seem to have no sense for the road. They walk out in the road without looking, open their car doors and seem genuinely oblivious.
9. Small school children stand in clusters by the side of the highway. They fake push each other in front of the cars. My heart nearly jumps out of the road.
10. Lines in the middle of the road seem to be more like general guidelines. After ascending and descending a hill, I nearly have 2 head-on collisions with cars that are on my side of the road. Yet more proof everyone should drive on the right.
Unfortunately, the list goes on and on. I watched cars run red lights, honk for several continuous miles and more. Never in my life have I ever been to a country so full of completely incompetent drivers. What is even worse is that there are loads off police officers that seem to do nothing about it. The rampant disregard for any type of law makes me cautious to return.
Don't get me wrong, this has been a very memorable honeymoon, and the best part was spending it with my lune de miel (Paul!) But we are quite bitten, and tired of being perpetually damp. It makes me long for my big, dry bed, my en suite bathroom, and my large grocery store with fruit and vegetables galore. We really are quite lucky, and we forget that sometimes.
And so our honeymoon comes to an end. We fly out tomorrow at 11:50am. It will be a long travel day, and if we can get internet at the Philadelphia airport, I may just post another update. Until then I will enjoy our first night with air-conditioning and four solid walls to keep the mozzies out.
Okay, so back to today. It took us a while, but we packed up, said our goodbyes, and left Great Huts. The drive from Boston Bay to Montego Bay is only 156 miles, but it took us about 4.5 hours (with a gas stop). Now I know I have already ranted about Jamaican drivers but this time it was different. I was no longer in the passenger seat, I was DRIVING.
Paul kindly drove us through the worst bit, from Boston Bay to Port Antonio. These roads had never before seen road construction and as I have mentioned are completely riddled with potholes. Some of these potholes stretch across the length of the road so there is no avoiding them. Once we had passed Port Antonio the roads got markedly more drivable. Why, do you ask, were these roads better? We asked one Jamaican and he said the Americans had come in and fixed the roads. Wow. So Paul eventually pulled over and wearily let me hop in the driver seat. It is quite funny being in a car when the drivers seat is on the wrong side of the road!
It took me a while to get the hang of staying between the lines when I was sitting (and driving) on the wrong side! Paul kept looking nervously at me as I rode the line on the edge of the road. In my mind, I was more than happy to ride that line. These Jamaican drivers are absolutely insane. Let me give you a few examples of things I saw while driving today. Keep in mind these are not rare occurrence. These types of things have happened EVERY TIME we drive the car somewhere.
1. A car comes to a complete stop in front of you very quickly without hazards or signaling. This car is often a route taxi and will stop several more times over the next half hour. At no time will this taxi signal his stopping.
2. A car will be parked in the middle of the ONE LANE highway after a blind curve. He might be waiting for a friend, or the car might be empty, but it has no even remotely tried to pull off the road.
3. A car pulled over to the side of the road (and by "side" I mean smack in the middle) and is signaling that he is about to pull over, but in reality, he pulls out quickly in front of us.
4. A car pulled over to the side of the road (hah! If they only knew what the word "side" means!) is signaling that he is about to pull out. His wheels are turned into the road. I have to carefully edge around this car because after waiting for an eternity, he does not move.
5. A car, on the wrong side of the road, is in reverse driving backwards in the wrong direction. WTF?
6. I drove the speed limit (almost) the entire way. While going 80km/hr, I get passed on a winding mountain road by several cars going well over 100km/hr.
7. While minding my own business on my left hand side, a car going the opposite direction is trying to pass a slower car also doing the opposite direction. I am forced to drive on the shoulder because the passing car cannot get over in time.
8. In every city, people, cars, bikes, goats and dogs seem to have no sense for the road. They walk out in the road without looking, open their car doors and seem genuinely oblivious.
9. Small school children stand in clusters by the side of the highway. They fake push each other in front of the cars. My heart nearly jumps out of the road.
10. Lines in the middle of the road seem to be more like general guidelines. After ascending and descending a hill, I nearly have 2 head-on collisions with cars that are on my side of the road. Yet more proof everyone should drive on the right.
Unfortunately, the list goes on and on. I watched cars run red lights, honk for several continuous miles and more. Never in my life have I ever been to a country so full of completely incompetent drivers. What is even worse is that there are loads off police officers that seem to do nothing about it. The rampant disregard for any type of law makes me cautious to return.
Don't get me wrong, this has been a very memorable honeymoon, and the best part was spending it with my lune de miel (Paul!) But we are quite bitten, and tired of being perpetually damp. It makes me long for my big, dry bed, my en suite bathroom, and my large grocery store with fruit and vegetables galore. We really are quite lucky, and we forget that sometimes.
And so our honeymoon comes to an end. We fly out tomorrow at 11:50am. It will be a long travel day, and if we can get internet at the Philadelphia airport, I may just post another update. Until then I will enjoy our first night with air-conditioning and four solid walls to keep the mozzies out.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
It's Like I'm on Indiana Jones!
Yesterday was a nice relaxing day - after about noon or so we got ourselves up and headed to a nearby beach called Frenchman's Cove. On the way a police officer waved us off the road. It looked like they were pulling off every car. Paul opened his window to have a chat. The police officer explained that he was allowed to pull over anyone anytime because that was a law in Jamaica. We said it was no problem. Here is a summary of our exchange:
Officer: Can I see your car's papers and your driver's license?
Paul: Here are the car's papers. (Turning to Liz) Where is my driver's license?
Liz: I think it's in the back, I'll look for it (Liz gets out and rummages)
Officer: Is this your first time to Jamaica?
Paul: Yes
Officer: Do you like it here?
Paul: It is very nice, but very hot.
Officer: I would guess by your accent that you like it the hot.
Paul: No, A little bit of heat is okay, but not too much. At least I don't have to dress up in this heat.
Officer: (laughs) Ya mon.
Liz: (from the backseat) Paul, I think we left your wallet with your DL in the safe.
Officer: Where are you two staying?
Paul: Great Huts
Liz: You can follow us back there if you need his DL.
Officer: (laughs)No, no, no problem. I'm not going to follow you home. I'll just give you some advice. Have you been to Somerset Falls?
Liz: Apparently it's under construction.
Officer: How about Winifred Beach?
Liz: Yes we love it there!
Officer: Where are you going today?
Liz: Frenchman's Cove. Is it nice there?
Officer: Beautiful beach! Great place to go!
Liz: Good snorkeling?
Officer: Great snorkeling. You have a great day now! No worries mon!
Nicest police officer I ever met! So without a driver's license we continued to Frenchman's Cove. There is a fee to get in which means there is no one on the beach selling you anything. I got a few mixed drinks and read for a while before Paul and I tried to snorkel. I guess if you went out deep enough there was some good stuff to see, but the water was a mix of salt and fresh water and hard to see through. We eventually swam against the strong waves and put our snorkel masks aside. We decided to spend some time in the water just together.
The cove itself was surrounded by hundreds of different plants. It was a small beach, much smaller than Winifred, but had a pretty stream that joined the beach on one side. On either side of the beach there were cliffs covered in greenery. I forgot my digital camera, but it is absolutely beautiful, just like most of Jamaica. By 7pm we had finished dinner and the mosquitoes were arriving in full force. We packed up and head to the car.
Now I have talked about the terrible condition of the roads before, but for the first time we were driving in the dark on this pot-holed road. After many sharp turns, bouncing, and the headlights shining towards a cliff or wall of green, I felt like I was on the ride, "Indiana Jones" at Disneyland. Not the best feeling in the world. Luckily Paul is a great driver, and with my occasional yell of "pothole!" we made it home with no flat tires. Only two more days of crazy driving before we are on our way home!
Officer: Can I see your car's papers and your driver's license?
Paul: Here are the car's papers. (Turning to Liz) Where is my driver's license?
Liz: I think it's in the back, I'll look for it (Liz gets out and rummages)
Officer: Is this your first time to Jamaica?
Paul: Yes
Officer: Do you like it here?
Paul: It is very nice, but very hot.
Officer: I would guess by your accent that you like it the hot.
Paul: No, A little bit of heat is okay, but not too much. At least I don't have to dress up in this heat.
Officer: (laughs) Ya mon.
Liz: (from the backseat) Paul, I think we left your wallet with your DL in the safe.
Officer: Where are you two staying?
Paul: Great Huts
Liz: You can follow us back there if you need his DL.
Officer: (laughs)No, no, no problem. I'm not going to follow you home. I'll just give you some advice. Have you been to Somerset Falls?
Liz: Apparently it's under construction.
Officer: How about Winifred Beach?
Liz: Yes we love it there!
Officer: Where are you going today?
Liz: Frenchman's Cove. Is it nice there?
Officer: Beautiful beach! Great place to go!
Liz: Good snorkeling?
Officer: Great snorkeling. You have a great day now! No worries mon!
Nicest police officer I ever met! So without a driver's license we continued to Frenchman's Cove. There is a fee to get in which means there is no one on the beach selling you anything. I got a few mixed drinks and read for a while before Paul and I tried to snorkel. I guess if you went out deep enough there was some good stuff to see, but the water was a mix of salt and fresh water and hard to see through. We eventually swam against the strong waves and put our snorkel masks aside. We decided to spend some time in the water just together.
The cove itself was surrounded by hundreds of different plants. It was a small beach, much smaller than Winifred, but had a pretty stream that joined the beach on one side. On either side of the beach there were cliffs covered in greenery. I forgot my digital camera, but it is absolutely beautiful, just like most of Jamaica. By 7pm we had finished dinner and the mosquitoes were arriving in full force. We packed up and head to the car.
Now I have talked about the terrible condition of the roads before, but for the first time we were driving in the dark on this pot-holed road. After many sharp turns, bouncing, and the headlights shining towards a cliff or wall of green, I felt like I was on the ride, "Indiana Jones" at Disneyland. Not the best feeling in the world. Luckily Paul is a great driver, and with my occasional yell of "pothole!" we made it home with no flat tires. Only two more days of crazy driving before we are on our way home!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Downhill Mountain Biking
We have spent the last 3 days relaxing on a beach, riding bikes, and napping. Here are some little insights to our day...
Sunday, June 12 - Paul and I tried to snorkel in the bay right next to our tree house. It was full of waves (and people) and you could barely see anything through the sand that was kicked up by the waves. We got out and decided to change locations. We packed up and decided to walk to the nearby Winifred beach. We knew we could snorkel there without too much trouble. We had driven the last time but decided to walk this time. A hot, miserable 40 minutes later we had finally arrived. We picked a place, and put our stuff down. Because it is Jamaica, we were immediately attacked by people trying to sell us things. Paul and I just pretended to only speak French. We did a bit of snorkeling and I eventually had to get out because I was getting sea sick (sea sick from snorkeling in the waves!). I got the closest thing to ginger ale - Ting - a grapefruit soda and sat on the beach to read. A while later Paul joined me and we had dinner with Dungun, the 5 star chef. We chatted with him for a while about how they were worried Winifred beach would be bought up and made private, how his restaurant had been burnt down several times but how he kept building it back up. Then we talked a bit about how friendly Jamaicans are to which he replied, "We have to be friendly, our jobs depend on it." That made me a bit sad, I think it must be frustrating to feel like you have to be friendly just to buy yourself food. Our nice chef found us a ride back up the avalanche road to Great Huts.
Monday, June 13- Paul and I wake up early to get to the downhill mountain biking. Even with allowing ourselves extra time we show up 20 minutes late. Luckily the van with all the other tourists was late as well. We had brunch, then got in the mildly air-conditioned bus and headed up the mountain. Once near the top, we were given our "bikes" aka beach cruisers. They were one speed, with a break on the handlebars that didn't work.It wasn't quite what we expected, and the tour stopped every five minutes or so to taste coffee, take pictures, meet cute kids at a school, learn about herbs etc. We were hoping more for mountain bikes and a trail. I guess it has to be easy for all the tourists. My favorite part was the school. I took pictures and videos of the kids, and I want to show my kids how lucky they are. These kids were very cute and good at speaking. It made me miss my little ones! We maybe had an hour or so of downhill riding before they took us back to a waterfall. I jumped into the deep spot and the cool water felt perfect. Unfortunately the stop was very short. We had a beer drinking contest (me against two boys) and I won! I did have a 2-second head start... but I got another free beer for winning! We then were driven back to town for a lunch of, you guessed it, chicken, rice and pea! We had a relaxing rest of the day, and were asleep very early.
Tuesday, June 14 - I can't believe how fast this vacation is going. Today has just been a chill and relax day. I took a 2 hour nap this morning, read a bit, browsed the internet, and now we are going to order pizza for dinner. Tomorrow we might be out all day river rafting, so it was a nice day to just relax in a windy spot in the shade. Sometimes we just need a nothing day. Who knows what will happen tomorrow!
Sunday, June 12 - Paul and I tried to snorkel in the bay right next to our tree house. It was full of waves (and people) and you could barely see anything through the sand that was kicked up by the waves. We got out and decided to change locations. We packed up and decided to walk to the nearby Winifred beach. We knew we could snorkel there without too much trouble. We had driven the last time but decided to walk this time. A hot, miserable 40 minutes later we had finally arrived. We picked a place, and put our stuff down. Because it is Jamaica, we were immediately attacked by people trying to sell us things. Paul and I just pretended to only speak French. We did a bit of snorkeling and I eventually had to get out because I was getting sea sick (sea sick from snorkeling in the waves!). I got the closest thing to ginger ale - Ting - a grapefruit soda and sat on the beach to read. A while later Paul joined me and we had dinner with Dungun, the 5 star chef. We chatted with him for a while about how they were worried Winifred beach would be bought up and made private, how his restaurant had been burnt down several times but how he kept building it back up. Then we talked a bit about how friendly Jamaicans are to which he replied, "We have to be friendly, our jobs depend on it." That made me a bit sad, I think it must be frustrating to feel like you have to be friendly just to buy yourself food. Our nice chef found us a ride back up the avalanche road to Great Huts.
Monday, June 13- Paul and I wake up early to get to the downhill mountain biking. Even with allowing ourselves extra time we show up 20 minutes late. Luckily the van with all the other tourists was late as well. We had brunch, then got in the mildly air-conditioned bus and headed up the mountain. Once near the top, we were given our "bikes" aka beach cruisers. They were one speed, with a break on the handlebars that didn't work.It wasn't quite what we expected, and the tour stopped every five minutes or so to taste coffee, take pictures, meet cute kids at a school, learn about herbs etc. We were hoping more for mountain bikes and a trail. I guess it has to be easy for all the tourists. My favorite part was the school. I took pictures and videos of the kids, and I want to show my kids how lucky they are. These kids were very cute and good at speaking. It made me miss my little ones! We maybe had an hour or so of downhill riding before they took us back to a waterfall. I jumped into the deep spot and the cool water felt perfect. Unfortunately the stop was very short. We had a beer drinking contest (me against two boys) and I won! I did have a 2-second head start... but I got another free beer for winning! We then were driven back to town for a lunch of, you guessed it, chicken, rice and pea! We had a relaxing rest of the day, and were asleep very early.
Tuesday, June 14 - I can't believe how fast this vacation is going. Today has just been a chill and relax day. I took a 2 hour nap this morning, read a bit, browsed the internet, and now we are going to order pizza for dinner. Tomorrow we might be out all day river rafting, so it was a nice day to just relax in a windy spot in the shade. Sometimes we just need a nothing day. Who knows what will happen tomorrow!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Another Day in Paradise
It's hard not to love being on vacation, especially in a place as beautiful as Jamaica. As wonderful as it may be, it can still be quite frustrating to be covered in bug bites, itchy, hot and sweaty most of the day. Our day started out this way. I think a few sly mosquitoes have found their way into our net over our bed and just attack our bodies all night. We always wake up with more bites than we went to sleep with - not much fun. This morning was also hot as ever, and as we ate another round of greasy eggs, I was dreaming a bit about my cereal and banana that I usually have for breakfast in Switzerland. The grass is always greener, right?
After breakfast we loaded up on bug spray, then headed down to the little cliff side beach that is filled with hammocks. Paul and I each took a hammock, and I was really enjoying reading, swinging and relaxing. Only a few times did some locals try to sell me another bracelet. By the third person that had interrupted my reading, I responded with something like, "Whatever you are selling, I really don't want it. Yes, I'm sure it's nice, I still don't want it." At that point it started raining so Paul and I headed inside to pack up and get ready for a day at the beach.
A friend we made here who is a volunteer at the homeless shelter, named Andrew, volunteered to take us to a nearby local beach called Winifred Beach. The drive down was treacherous (imagine the road that was torn up in "Cars", times 10) with huge rocks, dips, craters really. Paul and I were quite nervous as we have a rental car and we really don't want to have to replace to tire. After another nerve racking 10 minutes, we made it to the beach. It was absolutely perfect. It looks like the kind of beaches you expect in Jamaica. White sand, clear blue water, reefs, shacks selling food and beer, and not many people. We set up camp in the shade, and Andrew and I went snorkeling. We went quite far out, but it wasn't too deep. The water was clear the whole way. I love to snorkel because it feels like you are in an alien world. All these animals are just going about their daily business and you get to watch them, very cool! We saw a lot of fish and some creepy clear floating jelly things. We swam a mile or two, then headed in. Paul and I read and napped, had some fresh caught fish (fried of course!) with rice and "peas" (aka pinto beans). After a bit of reading and napping, Paul and I headed out to snorkel. This is his second time snorkeling, and if you will remember, the first time didn't go so well. We kept to the shallows this time, and followed the reef that ran along the shore. It was magical, holding hands in the clear blue water, watching stingrays, Sand Fish, schools of fish, sea urchins, and more. The sunlight was streaming through the water creating rainbows on the white underwater sand. I would have kissed him if we didn't both have snorkels on. We took turns pointing out cool things, diving for sand dollars, and exploring the water. We eventually headed out, took some cute couple pictures (courtesy of our friend Andrew) then started our slow, crazy decent up the landslide they like to call a road.
We are eating in the hotel tonight because they are having a dance show. We hope it's good! Tomorrow should be another great, mosquito filled day :)
After breakfast we loaded up on bug spray, then headed down to the little cliff side beach that is filled with hammocks. Paul and I each took a hammock, and I was really enjoying reading, swinging and relaxing. Only a few times did some locals try to sell me another bracelet. By the third person that had interrupted my reading, I responded with something like, "Whatever you are selling, I really don't want it. Yes, I'm sure it's nice, I still don't want it." At that point it started raining so Paul and I headed inside to pack up and get ready for a day at the beach.
A friend we made here who is a volunteer at the homeless shelter, named Andrew, volunteered to take us to a nearby local beach called Winifred Beach. The drive down was treacherous (imagine the road that was torn up in "Cars", times 10) with huge rocks, dips, craters really. Paul and I were quite nervous as we have a rental car and we really don't want to have to replace to tire. After another nerve racking 10 minutes, we made it to the beach. It was absolutely perfect. It looks like the kind of beaches you expect in Jamaica. White sand, clear blue water, reefs, shacks selling food and beer, and not many people. We set up camp in the shade, and Andrew and I went snorkeling. We went quite far out, but it wasn't too deep. The water was clear the whole way. I love to snorkel because it feels like you are in an alien world. All these animals are just going about their daily business and you get to watch them, very cool! We saw a lot of fish and some creepy clear floating jelly things. We swam a mile or two, then headed in. Paul and I read and napped, had some fresh caught fish (fried of course!) with rice and "peas" (aka pinto beans). After a bit of reading and napping, Paul and I headed out to snorkel. This is his second time snorkeling, and if you will remember, the first time didn't go so well. We kept to the shallows this time, and followed the reef that ran along the shore. It was magical, holding hands in the clear blue water, watching stingrays, Sand Fish, schools of fish, sea urchins, and more. The sunlight was streaming through the water creating rainbows on the white underwater sand. I would have kissed him if we didn't both have snorkels on. We took turns pointing out cool things, diving for sand dollars, and exploring the water. We eventually headed out, took some cute couple pictures (courtesy of our friend Andrew) then started our slow, crazy decent up the landslide they like to call a road.
We are eating in the hotel tonight because they are having a dance show. We hope it's good! Tomorrow should be another great, mosquito filled day :)
Friday, June 10, 2011
The Honeymoon Continues...
Day 3- We woke up in time for breakfast again, good scrambled eggs, fruit, and toast. Paul and I were hot, itchy and not exactly ready for adventure. We went back to our cave, oops, I mean hut, and laid down, read, surfed the internet, etc. Around noon we got up the energy to get moving. We met our new friend Rachael and headed out to the nearby city of Port Antonio. It is only about a 20 minute drive, but it is still scary with all the pot holes, dips, and crazy Jamaican drivers who signal without changing lanes, stop in the middle of the road without signaling, and drive on whatever side seems to be the most smooth. Luckily Paul is used to driving on the left, is mostly quite calm with only a few cuss words escaping his mouth as the stupidest of cars go head on toward us. We are also lucky that we do not have a flat tire… yet. 25 nervous minutes later and we were in Port Antonio.
The guide books say it is something to see but all I saw was a pot-hole riddled, frustrating city. Everyone there wanted to know your name, where we were from, and then try to sell us something. Jamaicans are quite friendly, but it seems to come at a price. Everyone wants something from you, and it can get quite exhausting to be hassled all the time. After a quick purchase of a hat, some coffee, then lunch at a locals restaurant overlooking the ocean (we were the only ones eating off of real plates, everyone else was eating out of to-go containers) our self appointed guide continued to show us around. We wanted to be on our own, so finally told him we were heading back. As he was leaving he said, “You don’t have a gift for me? Come on, that’s how it works here, I help you, you give me gift, a J$500 is good.” I for one HATE when people decide to show you around and then ask for money. I didn’t ask for him to take us to HIS shop, then to his friend’s restaurant. We gave him J$200 unhappily and he left without a goodbye. So much for the friendly Jamaicans. We took a nice walk along the water where no one bothered us as bunches of school kids passed by, then hopped back in our blissfully air-conditioned car to drive another harrowing 25 minutes to the hotel. Once there, Paul and I proceeded to fall directly to sleep, just waking up at 6pm in time for dinner. We decided to try the Jerk Chicken village near us. We have finally learned to negotiate prices of food before buying anything. After agreeing on a decent price (probably still massively inflated for tourists) we had a good ¼ chicken and something called bread fruit. It really is fruit that tastes like bread! After an extra helping of breadfruit we headed back to our dark, very large hut with a few beers. We were both ready to be in our new tree house where we would move the next day. We watched a few Heroes episodes, then it was bedtime. Time to prepare for another good, mosquito filled day!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
We in Jamaica Mon!
I've been meaning to write in this everyday, but, typical of me, it is our third day here and I have just gotten around to it. Let's start from the beginning....
Wedding on June 4: The wedding on Saturday was wonderful. It was so fantastic to be surrounded by so many family and friends who we love, who were there to celebrate our marriage. My cousin, Chris Coulter, lead the ceremony beautifully, telling us nice things that friends and family had said about us, and conducting a meaningful and important ceremony. Sara Blazar read my favorite poem by E.E. Cummings (i carry your heart, i carry it in my heart), which made me cry a bit. I kissed Paul for what seemed like ages, and it was wonderful, it went by so fast. Then we had our pictures, which we squeezed a camera man, 2 photographer, Paul me and a driver into a golf cart. The sky was beautiful, and we had a great time just being together. We rode back, got a snack and a drink, then did our grand introductions. Paul then had our first dance together, and we finally got a few moments to chat, dance and enjoy each other. From there, Andrea gave an amazing speech, followed by Mark, then Paul's dad Mick. All were supportive and beautifully said. I am very glad we got them on tape so we can hear them again, it all went by so quickly! Then we had dinner while the slideshow was running, a quick bite of dinner, then back to socializing. Before I knew it, dad was making a speech, funny, cute and wonderful. Then I got up to join him for the dance, and his song started. The look on his face was absolutely priceless, he was so shocked. It was great just to dance with him for a few minutes. Paul and his mom did their dance, then it was open dancing. The band did a great job of keeping the dance floor lively and moving. Paul and I cut cake, nicely fed it to each other, I did the bouquet toss, then more dancing. The only little snafu was the shuttle service that left and didn't come back. After a call and some yelling, they showed up again, and everyone was home safely. Paul and I went for drinks with a few friends, and then finally got some sleep about 2am.
Fast forward two hectic days of packing, saying goodbye, and lots and lots of eating.
Day 0: Paul and I took a red-eye to Charlotte, N.C. Paul had enough drinks that he passed out quickly and easily. I read for a bit then joined him in sleep. We woke up a bit more refreshed and excited for our upcoming trip. We had a few hours of a layover in Charlotte so we got breakfast, tried to exchange money (shop was closed) and upgraded ourselves to first class for the first time in our lives. For $150 a piece I felt we deserved it for our honeymoon. We napped for a while, then woke up to order our drinks (Bloody Mary's!) and eat some snacks. The service is great, the seats are roomy and now we know exactly what we are missing.
Day 1: We landed in Jamaica and after quite a long time our bags arrived too. We went through customs and border control, then found our rental car agency. We decided to rent a GPS (no need to add the stress of getting lost!), then checked out our small, fuel economic car. Little did we know what would await us on the "highway". We packed everything into the car and started out. Paul drove because in Jamaica they drive on the left hand side. It was absolutely pouring rain the entire drive. I spent a lot of the drive gripping the side handle and making little gasping noises. Even though I have already pointed out that they supposedly drive on the left, they really seem to drive where ever they want to depending on where cars are parked, bikes, people walking on the road and potholes. It was quite scary and a few hours in we understood why the rental agency had specifically showed us where the spare tire and jack were stored. too many hours later we arrived at Great Huts. We were tired and hungry and just plain done with traveling. They took our stuff to our upgraded hut (Queen of Sheba), then we just laid down. We eventually joined them for pizza, then went to sleep.
Day 2: It was still raining when we woke up for breakfast, but the rain cools the air down, so we weren't too worried. We had a nice breakfast, then Dr. Paul, the owner, showed us around. There were several absolutely breathtaking views, the cliffs, jungle, and ocean are all so close. Everything is just so beautiful. After the tour, the sun started to shine so we ran home, changed into our bathing suits and arrived at the beach. Within a few minutes we had hopped in the water and I was very keen to start snorkeling. I did not know that Paul had never been snorkeling before, and I swam on ahead. A little while later, I turned around to see Paul absolutely panicking. He had taken his mask off his head and was hyperventilating. He kept trying to swim towards the rocks, which is the worst idea when you are in open water. He eventually got on the rocks, but kept being swept into them or away. His mask fell off his head and sunk to the bottom of the sea. He fell again off the rock, backwards feet over head and I was so frightened for him. He popped up and I told him to swim back to shore. As he made his way back, I tried to retrieve his snorkel but it was just too deep for me. I finally gave up and swam back to join him. His leg had been badly cut open so we went back to our hut (palace, really) and cleaned him up, then rested for a few hours.
After lunch of left over pizza, we wandered into town, past the Jerk Chicken town, and found a nice beach, then a nice bar, to pass some time in. In the bar, all the ladies were watching this great, terrible Jamaican soap opera. It was very entertaining. While sitting on the beach after our beers, we met a cook from a nearby restaurant and eventually agreed to go to dinner there. Paul and I wandered back to Great Huts, watched some BBC, chatted with another guest (Rachel), made another new friend (Andrew, a volunteer) then the four of us headed to dinner. A few beers and a dinner later, we were all drinking in the third floor of our palace. It was great to just chat and relax, with no work waiting for me. Now it is Day 3, what does today have in store for us?
Wedding on June 4: The wedding on Saturday was wonderful. It was so fantastic to be surrounded by so many family and friends who we love, who were there to celebrate our marriage. My cousin, Chris Coulter, lead the ceremony beautifully, telling us nice things that friends and family had said about us, and conducting a meaningful and important ceremony. Sara Blazar read my favorite poem by E.E. Cummings (i carry your heart, i carry it in my heart), which made me cry a bit. I kissed Paul for what seemed like ages, and it was wonderful, it went by so fast. Then we had our pictures, which we squeezed a camera man, 2 photographer, Paul me and a driver into a golf cart. The sky was beautiful, and we had a great time just being together. We rode back, got a snack and a drink, then did our grand introductions. Paul then had our first dance together, and we finally got a few moments to chat, dance and enjoy each other. From there, Andrea gave an amazing speech, followed by Mark, then Paul's dad Mick. All were supportive and beautifully said. I am very glad we got them on tape so we can hear them again, it all went by so quickly! Then we had dinner while the slideshow was running, a quick bite of dinner, then back to socializing. Before I knew it, dad was making a speech, funny, cute and wonderful. Then I got up to join him for the dance, and his song started. The look on his face was absolutely priceless, he was so shocked. It was great just to dance with him for a few minutes. Paul and his mom did their dance, then it was open dancing. The band did a great job of keeping the dance floor lively and moving. Paul and I cut cake, nicely fed it to each other, I did the bouquet toss, then more dancing. The only little snafu was the shuttle service that left and didn't come back. After a call and some yelling, they showed up again, and everyone was home safely. Paul and I went for drinks with a few friends, and then finally got some sleep about 2am.
Fast forward two hectic days of packing, saying goodbye, and lots and lots of eating.
Day 0: Paul and I took a red-eye to Charlotte, N.C. Paul had enough drinks that he passed out quickly and easily. I read for a bit then joined him in sleep. We woke up a bit more refreshed and excited for our upcoming trip. We had a few hours of a layover in Charlotte so we got breakfast, tried to exchange money (shop was closed) and upgraded ourselves to first class for the first time in our lives. For $150 a piece I felt we deserved it for our honeymoon. We napped for a while, then woke up to order our drinks (Bloody Mary's!) and eat some snacks. The service is great, the seats are roomy and now we know exactly what we are missing.
Day 1: We landed in Jamaica and after quite a long time our bags arrived too. We went through customs and border control, then found our rental car agency. We decided to rent a GPS (no need to add the stress of getting lost!), then checked out our small, fuel economic car. Little did we know what would await us on the "highway". We packed everything into the car and started out. Paul drove because in Jamaica they drive on the left hand side. It was absolutely pouring rain the entire drive. I spent a lot of the drive gripping the side handle and making little gasping noises. Even though I have already pointed out that they supposedly drive on the left, they really seem to drive where ever they want to depending on where cars are parked, bikes, people walking on the road and potholes. It was quite scary and a few hours in we understood why the rental agency had specifically showed us where the spare tire and jack were stored. too many hours later we arrived at Great Huts. We were tired and hungry and just plain done with traveling. They took our stuff to our upgraded hut (Queen of Sheba), then we just laid down. We eventually joined them for pizza, then went to sleep.
Day 2: It was still raining when we woke up for breakfast, but the rain cools the air down, so we weren't too worried. We had a nice breakfast, then Dr. Paul, the owner, showed us around. There were several absolutely breathtaking views, the cliffs, jungle, and ocean are all so close. Everything is just so beautiful. After the tour, the sun started to shine so we ran home, changed into our bathing suits and arrived at the beach. Within a few minutes we had hopped in the water and I was very keen to start snorkeling. I did not know that Paul had never been snorkeling before, and I swam on ahead. A little while later, I turned around to see Paul absolutely panicking. He had taken his mask off his head and was hyperventilating. He kept trying to swim towards the rocks, which is the worst idea when you are in open water. He eventually got on the rocks, but kept being swept into them or away. His mask fell off his head and sunk to the bottom of the sea. He fell again off the rock, backwards feet over head and I was so frightened for him. He popped up and I told him to swim back to shore. As he made his way back, I tried to retrieve his snorkel but it was just too deep for me. I finally gave up and swam back to join him. His leg had been badly cut open so we went back to our hut (palace, really) and cleaned him up, then rested for a few hours.
After lunch of left over pizza, we wandered into town, past the Jerk Chicken town, and found a nice beach, then a nice bar, to pass some time in. In the bar, all the ladies were watching this great, terrible Jamaican soap opera. It was very entertaining. While sitting on the beach after our beers, we met a cook from a nearby restaurant and eventually agreed to go to dinner there. Paul and I wandered back to Great Huts, watched some BBC, chatted with another guest (Rachel), made another new friend (Andrew, a volunteer) then the four of us headed to dinner. A few beers and a dinner later, we were all drinking in the third floor of our palace. It was great to just chat and relax, with no work waiting for me. Now it is Day 3, what does today have in store for us?
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Wedding Day
This, unfortunately is going to be a very short short. I slept well last night even though I had a few early morning well wishes (who I ignored in favor of more sleep). I have been told several times that the day will fly by, that I need to really enjoy every moment. Well in this moment I am surrounded by my friends in the hotel room and it is wonderful. Yesterday we had our rehearsal dinner, and invited all of the out-of-town guests. The big party was at the Hawkins house, and it was perfect for socializing and chatting to everyone. I had a really nice time catching up with out of town guests, family members and friends. I only wish that I had 100 more hours to really give each person my full attention for an extended amount of time. This wedding has been like a week event, and I am exhausted but happy. As the wedding continues on, I realize how important it is to have a wedding. Even though it is expensive, time consuming and tiring, it is one of the few times in your life when you can be with everyone you love all at the same time. It is difficult to make people travel to visit you, but wedding and funerals seem to be an exception. I would much rather see everyone while I am alive. The only person who is missing who I really wish was here is my grandpa. We will make him his own special video, but I still want to give him a big hug and see his big smile.
Now it's breakfast time (it's written in my schedule!). The day is going to rush by so I will just take a breath, and enjoy that I will still have the person I love most with me when it is all over.
Now it's breakfast time (it's written in my schedule!). The day is going to rush by so I will just take a breath, and enjoy that I will still have the person I love most with me when it is all over.
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