Something New

So Christmas turned out to be a lot of fun. I got an invite from Pam to stay with her family during the season. It turned out to be a really enjoyable long weekend. Her family was warm and wonderful to me and I was invited to go along with them to a fantastic Christmas Day party at Delroy Chuck's house (The Jamaican Speaker of the House!) and a family party where I got to meet brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents. It was a great Christmas and I even got to drink some killer scotch! All my favorite holiday foods from home were had and I can't think of a nicer way to spend a Jamaican Christmas. I was then invited to go out to an all night party with Pam's sons on Boxing day. It was really insane and probably nicer than any party I had been to in the states. All you can eat food and drink we danced the night away with some of the boys' friends.

I then flew to Ft. Lauderdale to visit with one of my best buddies Daryl for New Years. The yearly tradition went famously as always and ended with a new hit single that you can view on Facebook. Great times were had.

After I got back from Lauderdale, there were about two and a half weeks of rain. In Jamaica, NOTHING happens when there's a big storm, so all my community meetings were canceled and only half the people showed up to school. From such an exciting two weeks, it transitioned to two of the most boring weeks I've had here so far. After the rain settled though I started teaching my photography classes working with the High School art teacher. They have been going well and the kids seem to really enjoy it.

A couple weeks ago I got a call from the supervisor of the agriculture department for Peace Corps asking if I'd be interested in working with the Jamaican Dept of Agriculture helping them develop some software. I said Sure! Thinking that I would be able to get some of my skills that I've been neglecting over the last year and 1/2 up to par again. So last week I interviewed with one of the ministry's heads and I'm moving to Kingston this Sunday! Things move really slowly here or SUPERFAST! It turns out that Pam lives walking distance to the ministry's building so I'm going to be moving into her spare bedroom!

So my final chapter is starting here in Jamaica, five months left and with it a bunch of change that should hopefully inspire me to write more often here.

Wish me luck!