Goodbye, Mandeville

Last week I found out that I would be leaving Mandeville early and moving to Kingston for my remaining time in Jamaica. The last week has been very difficult for me as I've had to say goodbye to some people and places that I've come to love dearly.

I have spent the last few days taking in all of the sights in Mandeville that I never took the time to appreciate. I'm going to miss the beautiful green mountains that surround the area. I'm going to miss walking down Manchester road with Danae, working our way through the crowd of Jamaicans trying to get our attention and sending every cat call in creation at us. I'm going to miss Mandeville Market, where we go almost daily to get all kinds of  fresh produce. We go so often that the vendors know who we are and know exactly what we have purchased from them in the past. I'm going to miss having access to fresh fruits and veggies whenever I want them.

Yesterday I said goodbye to Knockpatrick school for the Deaf. The principal and the teachers there were sad to see me go. I said goodbye to the missionary families that work there and have been watching out for us since we arrived. We visit their house once a week for a home cooked meal and play with their three adorable children. The worst part was leaving to the kids I have come to love so dearly. They all hold a place in my heart and they will forever. There is little Paris, with one brown eye and one shockingly blue. There's Kyle, who runs up to me every time he sees me and signs "friend." Damion, the little rascal who's always trying to play tricks on me. Britannia, the hyperactive nine year old who is constantly vying for my attention. Seneca, who doesn't have a lot of language and is perfectly content to sit next to us before she gets in line for lunch every day. And, last but not least, four year old Nikayla who I have spent the most one-on-one time with. She doesn't have a lot of language either, but she is so eager to learn to communicate in sign. She will point to things and when I show her a sign, she looks at me and does her best to copy the sign exactly as I signed it. Every time she sees me her face lights up. She loves hiding behind anything or anyone she can, just so she can pop back out and smile at me again.

I have made friends with some wonderful people in Mandeville. Friday night they all came in and we enjoyed a last night out together before I left. It was a great way to end my time here but it was tough knowing I wouldn't be seeing them again. Last night, Danae, Ewan and I made an enormous Jamaican style Thanksgiving feast for my last night in Mandeville. We made roast breadfruit, bammy and pear (avocado), chicken,  fried plantains, festival, complete with bag juice to drink.

This morning I woke up and packed everything to head to Kingston in a few hours. Today I say goodbye to the apartment and the town I have come to love living in. I say goodbye to Danae who has become one of the best friends I could ever ask for. I'll look forward to reuniting with her in Montego Bay at the end of service. I say goodbye to friends I'll never forget. I hope that my time in Kingston goes well, but I'm more than ready to head home and spend some time with my family.

Negril: Round Two

Last Saturday, Danae and I went to Negril with our friends. We checked into the place we were staying, a yoga center not far from the beach. We all decided we didn't want to waste any time and headed straight down to the water. The weather was perfect and the water was so clear and beautiful, we couldn't have asked for a better day. We started off by having a practice snorkel session, which was totally pointless because it was Negril's Seven Mile beach, meaning all we saw was white sand. It was still fun though and I was happy for a chance to practice snorkeling without having poisonous and deadly creatures surrounding me. After that, we went for a walk up the beach and spent the next few hours walking a few steps and then stopping to take pictures as the sun set over the water.

The next morning, bright and early, we headed down to the beach to meet the man who offered to take us out to the reef in his glass bottom boat. The boat ride was about twenty minutes. It was quite the sight, because all 8 of us were sitting around the glass looking down at the ocean floor. We arrived at the reef and I started to panic as I remembered Brittany's incident with the sea urchin. However, I wasn't about to miss such a wonderful opportunity and swallowed my fear as I put on my snorkel and flippers and jumped over the  side of the boat.

There was a school of fish right beside the boat, and I squealed and swam away as quickly as possible. I was nervous but the reef was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Sign language came in handy as we explored. We would point at different things and sign or fingerspell to each other, making things much easier for us! We saw many different kind of fish, jelly fish, and sting rays.

As I got more comfortable, I realized that I could have spent all day exploring the reef. However, it was time to head back to the boat. When I approached the boat, I ran into the same school of fish that was there when I jumped in. This time, I wasn't scared and I let them all swim up to me, touching my arms and legs. I took one last look at everything around me and everything felt completely surreal. Sometimes Danae and I still have a hard time believing we're in Jamaica!

When we reached the  shore, it started to pour. Danae and I took one look at each other and decided to jump in the water and swim in the rain. One by one the guys followed us and next thing we knew we were all swimming and splashing around in a torrential downpour. It couldn't have been a better weekend :D

Love and miss you all,
Linds