From whities to brownies

The past few days have been busy. Class is in full swing, and we are buried in homework. We are happy to have started our first interpreting class, and look forward to having Josh as our teacher for the first time. Despite the busy schedule, we have managed to sneak in an adventure or two.

Yesterday after class Kayla and I went to the salon where our host mom gets her hair done, and we each got our hair braided. It took about 3 hours for them to braid both of our hair. It's amazing how quickly they can braid! It cost us $500 each to get it done (don't panic! that's only about $6 American!) We enjoyed talking with the locals and learning more about the area. I personally think I look like an Avatar, but we love how easy it is and hope to get it done one more time before we leave!

When we got in the taxi after getting our hair done, our driver, Gary, called us "brownies." We've been upgraded! The locals call us "whities." It's not derogatory, they are just fascinated because they don't see white people very often. But our tans, along with our braids, have helped us move up to the next level :) Gary says that by the time we leave, we will be "yardies," which is what the locals call themselves.

Speaking of Gary...we learned a lesson in Jamaican culture at lunch today! Kayla, Josh, and I went into town with Gary to pick up lunch for the group since it was raining. We were told that the local men are very flirty, and we've all heard quite a few cat calls since we arrived. "Hey nice lehdeh" is our current favorite. Anyway, nothing could have prepared me for the full fledged flirtation from our cab driver today! I'll admit, it's nice to have our own personal "body guard" who knows his way around and can negotiate with the locals in Patois to get us a better deal.

We have picked up a few phrases in Patois from Gary and from our brother, Chris. It is so fascinating! Anyway, time to socialize with the family!

Love and miss you all,
Kayla and Linds