Arriving to Jamaica
It was a cold stay in Chicago, but we all said to ourselves: "One More Day!" Our travel to Jamaica went smoothly. Several of us slept on the plane ride and on the bus. After a long day of traveling, we arrived in Jamaica to a 90 degree weather. Later that day, we arrived to the University of West Indies, Mona (aka UWI). So far it's been great staying on Campus, we enjoy it a lot. At dinner time, Jackie, the local Jamaican lady that makes our dinners, made local Jamaican food for us. It was very delicious, many of us went for seconds.
On Jan. 6th, we had our first tour of UWI campus, we got to see the library, try their local pattys, visit an ancient chapel that was given to them, visited the place where the sugar plantation took place in the slave era, saw many of the sculptures that had lots of significance to them, got to see where Bolt (the fastest runner in the world) trains every morning and at night, was able to see many beautiful sights of the mountains in Jamaica, etc. Later that day, we had our first lecture with Dr. Pillsbury and Wintlett below the shadows of a mango tree. We learned about Jamaican culture, a little about Wintlett's life in Jamaica, and also about Intercultural Competence. At some point, I got distracted by a butterfly. We ended the night with local Jamaican dinner and a get-together with all the students. We had a terrific weather all day long.
On Jan. 7th, we spent most of the day at the beach! We were able to interact with locals, eat delicious fresh fish and lobster, and ride a horse along the beach. It was a fun day where we all bonded together, and relaxed in the sun, while some of us tanned and others burned. We saw several big birds (pelican) flying near us, looking for its next prey (fish, not humans). At night, some of us left to get ice cream after dinner and some went to bed.
So far, we have had an amazing stay on campus and touring a little of Kingston, Jamaica. Stay Connected and updated on all that we do and experience in Jamaica. Until my next post.
