Crazy week
on George Hamilton (Jamaica), 15/Jul/2010 23:09, 34 days ago
Well this has been a bit of a crazy week. We thought we got hacked on our computer because strange things started happening which meant we spent entire days sorting out the mess. In the end we're not sure what happened...just one of those crazy computer glitches. The down side is I only just uploaded all my week's photos today but the upside is I saw the week as a whole.We gathered on Sunday to watch the final World Cup game between Spain and The Netherlands. Well, we all know how that ended. I had my money on Holland...but since it was only $100 Jamaican I wasn't too concerned really. Plus I know nothing about soccer so the fact I predicted one of the two finalists is pretty crazy. But it's just as well I didn't win because Mark donated all the winnings which totalled $1,300 Jamaican to a local children's charity. Good on you, Mark.My volunteer job at the Girl Guides of Jamaica was entertaining as always. This was my third week now. The first two weeks I counted coins so today's assignment of counting the shop inventory was no surprise. I've never seen so many pins and badges in my life and there are thousands more waiting for me next week. The job's not important, it's fun chatting to the people there all day. I was even told I was starting to talk like a Jamaican because I pronounced the second "t" in "twenty". I think I always do that but it's crazy to think I'm picking up the accent. Plus I am learning patois - they stop and explain what they are saying. They're enjoying teaching me and today I learned when and where to say "cha".But one of the highlights of volunteering at the Girl Guides is they pay me with free lunch and so I have to be polite and eat it all when I'm not used to eating a big meal at noon. Today I was given coconut water and jelly for dessert. An obvious delicacy for the locals who downed it in seconds. I had tried coconut water once before and quite honestly, it made me feel sick and this glass was only slightly better, so I nursed my water and poured it down the drain when no one was looking. The coconut jelly was a bit better but it's definitely an acquired taste. I learned that the jelly is only found in freshly picked coconuts. It's what eventually goes hard and becomes the coconut flakes we're more familiar with. Jamaicans extract the oil from the harder flesh so Francella, the cook, stored a chunk of coconut in the fridge for the oil later.And finally, we're babysitting Hecter the hamster for a couple of weeks. We have to make sure he spends the evening running around in his plastic ball so he's tired out overnight. Otherwise he spends the entire night like a crazy fool running in his wheel which always wakes us up. This apartment is very small and there's no getting away from the hamster wheel when the Hope Road traffic noise dies down overnight.A crazy week, but it went by quickly.