This post has more pictures than usual because I really wanted to show what kind of experience I had in the “ghetto”. When I got there it only took minutes for one of them to tell me I suit the ghetto.  In a strange way I was honored.

A couple friends of mine who stay in Ocho Rios invited me to their REAL home in Spanish Town, in the parish of St Catherine.  I agreed without hesitation, not knowing really what I was in for.  We drove just over an hour and reached their home after dark so I never got the full effect til the next morning.  This is a picture of the front yard and behind those walls is where 9 of them live.

Spanish Town ghetto

The night we arrived I was first shown to my host’s room.  All the rooms in this home have separate, padlocked entrances.  His room was around the back of the house which was pitch dark at night.  I followed them in and used the flashlight on my cell phone to see where I was walking.  The next morning I could see that this is what the walkway looked like.

Back of house in Spanish Town

When we arrived we all sat in one room and chatted for a while, and before long one of the brothers who lived in another room came to join us.  Through the wall I could hear the sound of an infant child so I asked about it.  The brother told me it was his daughter in the next room and asked if I’d like to see her.  I TOTALLY wanted to!  He led me around the front of the house to another door and inside I saw his girlfriend and 3 girls, aged 8, 6 and 6 months.  The baby immediately smiled at me and the other two girls looked cautious.  I quickly scanned the room and noticed that in this 20X20 space was a double bed for the mom, dad and baby, and the other two girls slept in a single bed together.  There was a TV on a shelf, a stove in the corner and that was pretty much it.  Wow.  It made me feel greedy the way I live back home.

Back in my friend’s room now I scanned his space.  Just a double bed, dresser and a laundry basket.  This is looking out his door into the dark walkway.  That walkway is also the place where they told me to pee when I had to go LOL.  There are no washrooms or running water here.

We all stayed up a while listening to music til another brother showed up.  He was a real livewire compared to the others I was with.  I suspect he’s the hothead of the family.  He was really nice to me though, and all of them agreed that they were going to take me to a street party in a garrison tonight.  I was hesitant but mildly amused at the thought so we all got dressed and hit the streets.  I admit that there were a few moments walking the dark streets of Spanish Town after midnight with 3 Jamaican men, that my mind wandered to the list of things that could go wrong at any time!  I said a little prayer for safety and decided to enjoy the walk.

The street party was actually pretty lame LOL.  It shut down about 20 minutes after we arrived.  I was a little disappointed but kind of impressed that they told me the police like to keep things quiet and keep parties under control.  Not what I was expecting.  So there we were at 2:30am in the streets of Spanish Town trying to catch a taxi home.  Well this place isn’t like a tourist place….taxi’s are not abundant.  We ended up catching a ride with a random car that passed, and I think they only stopped because they saw a white female in the group.

The picture above is the room I got to sleep in.  Its their mother’s room but the mother works away from home so there was an extra bed for me.  I felt honored they would let me have her room.  One of the guys stayed in there with me for my comfort level and we shared the space with the odd spider on the wall behind  us.  We laid awake and chatted a long time, til about 4am.  It was at that point he told me he felt honored that I would accept their invitation to come there, and that he felt like “somebody” because I came.  I couldn’t help it…..I cried.  And I wondered if he was in any way embarrassed of where he came from.  I told him the total reverse….that I was the one who was honored to be a part of their everyday lives.

The next morning I was awoken at 7:30 by the sweet sounds of a cooing baby through the wall.  The door to the room I was in was open to the outside and everyone was already busy about their day.  I saw one of the brothers preparing bath water for the baby.

I went outside and said good morning to everyone, including the little girls from the night before.  I did a lot this day but I’m saving some of it for another post.  I will tell you that around lunchtime they were gracious enough to ask what I would like and they would go to the market.  So I turned it around and said I would like to take care of lunch.  I wanted curry chicken and I gave them $1000 JMD to get what was needed at the market.  $1000 JMD converts to about $15 USD…..and that fed 9 people.  Amazing.  Everyone voted this brother the best cook so he took care of lunch.  Prepared outside on this table and cooked inside on their gas stove.  I was completely in my element here….loved it.

While lunch was being prepared I took note of how things went in this yard.  There are big barrels of rainwater all over the place and this is their drinking, cooking and bathing water.  They simply scoop water from the big barrels into small tin cans and use it for whatever.  Whenever I squatted behind the house one of them was always gracious enough to pour water over my hands to wash.  And one of them was bathing from a barrel on the other side of the yard while lunch was cooking.

Blue water barrels at side of house

Bathing with a tin can.

My summary of this experience….I was in complete awe that they all function normally and the only reason they are “poor” is because we look at them and say “awwww those poor people”.  Everyone right down to the 6 year old has it completely together here!  The little girls take care of the baby while the dad cooks.  They know how to hang laundry.  This is just the way they live and they don’t seem to be upset that they bathe from rain barrels.  Its all just what you’re used to and we are REALLY spoiled in North America.

Even though I was hot, sweaty and felt kinda gross without a shower I would do it again in a heartbeat.  In fact I’m going back to see them in September.  The chicken was some of the best food I’ve eaten and no, I didn’t get sick from eating in these conditions.  My friends have a really old laptop so I uploaded ALL the pics I took of them and the kids so they would have something to look at.  I can’t imagine raising children and never having any photo’s as keepsakes.  I can’t wait to go back and see the baby walking a few months.

This was by far, one of my most treasured experiences in Jamaica and I will definitely be going back.

Oniel’s House

On my 2006 Sumfest trip I was all over the place. A few days in Ocho Rios, then Montego Bay, and I had considered hitting Negril for a few days too. As luck would have it I accidentally ran into a guy in Mobay that I knew from YEARS ago in Negril. As it turned out he and his cousin now owned a house up the hill in Negril and had a spare bedroom that he could rent to me for a few nights. Sold! He picked me up the next morning at my hotel in Mobay and off we went.

Verandah at Oniel's house

His house was up the hill in Negril with a similar view of Alice’s house, you can see in THIS POST. But they’re actually not that close together. Here’s Oniel’s view of 7 Mile Beach, and a house being built just below.

I caught these children always playing in between the houses being built. I frequently sat on the verandah writing in my jounal and sipping Rum and coke.

Picture of children in Negril

Oniel’s place was quite nice. 3 bedrooms and very spacious. He lives there with his cousins and apparently rents this spare room out to other international people he knows, when they visit Jamaica. This is the room I got. It was so nice sleeping right under the window because up in the hills there is a constant breeze.

Every day I had these little guys nipping at my heels! I adored his puppies! And they seemed to like to follow me around everywhere I went.

The coolest thing about up where the house is, something I never experienced before, were bike taxi’s. The roads coming up the hill are pretty bad for cars so you can’t catch a real taxi to come up here. But at the bottom of the hill there are guys on motorbikes who take people up and down the hill. I noticed the same thing up where Alice lives. I never had the opportunity to try one though, because my friends all have cars and pretty much drove us anytime we went somewhere. Next time I’ll try one on purpose.

And last but not least, this is where I spent the majority of my time at Oniel’s place. Sitting in this spot writing and enjoying the scenery and relaxation.

This was a popular spot on the veranda. I sat and watched his cousin get his hair twisted one day too. It was neat to watch and visit with the cousin who was doing it. Below you’ll see what she was doing to his hair, and the finished product was his whole head twisted.

Picture of Jamaican hair twists

Mama’s House

I “actually” met my second Mama on my birthday in 2006. I “cyber-met” her long before that on a Jamaican travel forum. When we started chatting about 5 years ago she didn’t yet live in Jamaica, but finally she made her move and the timing was perfect for me to visit her.

I flew into Jamaica on my birthday in 2006 and Mama met me at the airport for the first time! It was hilarious to finally meet her and seemed like we’d known each other all our lives. She’s been like family ever since and I’ve stayed with her a couple times now, once when she lived in Montego Bay and once at her new place in Negril.

Her house in Negril

Her house in Negril is AWESOME! She had it built over time and its the cutest place ever! I remember driving into Negril and arriving at her new house at night. Its pitch dark up in these hills and her house with the porch lights on was like a beacon in the night LOL. So adorable! She lives in the upper level here and she rents out the identical lower level to guests.

Lower level veranda...I spent a lot of time on it!

Since I arrived in the dark, I was shocked at the view she had the next morning. Breathtaking. I think she has a million dollar view, one of the best in Negril.

View of 7-Mile beach in Negril, from her house.

Each level of the house consists of 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, living room, dining room and full kitchen. It was perfect for me and the friend I was traveling with, plenty of room even for dinner guests. This night we brought over a bunch of country children for some curry chicken dinner.

Kids over for dinner

Here are some of the neighbor’s homes in the area. Its a relatively new development up here and people are still in the process of completing their homes while they live in them. Beautiful neighborhood tucked up in the hills but only about 10 minutes to the beach. I’d live there in a heartbeat.

Neighbor's house to the left.

Neighbor's house to the right and up further

Its always a pleasure visiting my Mama. Will be seeing her again next month!