Is anyone still reading?
If anybody's out there: HI! Sorry I haven't posted in such a long time. I have some updates, and I will also soon post pictures from lovely Kingston.
So, Benny and I are doing really well so far in Jamaica. Work is work, and hard work at that, but my colleagues are very nice. Everyone in the embassy community has been so welcoming. People are especially nice about giving us rides, since our car is still in Washington and may be there into the foreseeable future. We're having trouble getting it shipped to Jamaica because of some pesky customs requirements. We're probably at least 2 months away from getting it here. Luckily, we have a huge apartment with cable and internet, and a grocery store is within walking distance.
Kingston is an interesting city. About half of it is off-limits to us for security reasons, and headlines like "8 murders in 7 hours" are not uncommon. The violence is limited to certain parts of the city and has not been directed at Americans (or any foreigners for that matter), but one has to be careful not to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. On a day to day basis, the bigger concern is traffic. The city becomes utterly grid-locked for hours at a time. Operating on the embassy's early hours helps us to avoid the worst traffic, but it's amazing how there can be so much traffic in such a small place. Oh, and it's true what they say about the potholes. They're huge.
Despite all that, the city does have its charms. The setting is hilly with views of the water in the distance. Our apartment has a nice view of the residential areas on the hills behind us. Unfortunately, we ended up in an apartment without a water view, but some of the higher floors of the building have amazing views of the harbor. One of my favorite places so far is a small island out in the harbor called Lime Cay. From where we live it's about a 40 minute drive and a 15 minute boat ride out to this beautiful little tropical island, complete with turquoise water and white sand.
Pictures of everything will be in the next post.
So, Benny and I are doing really well so far in Jamaica. Work is work, and hard work at that, but my colleagues are very nice. Everyone in the embassy community has been so welcoming. People are especially nice about giving us rides, since our car is still in Washington and may be there into the foreseeable future. We're having trouble getting it shipped to Jamaica because of some pesky customs requirements. We're probably at least 2 months away from getting it here. Luckily, we have a huge apartment with cable and internet, and a grocery store is within walking distance.
Kingston is an interesting city. About half of it is off-limits to us for security reasons, and headlines like "8 murders in 7 hours" are not uncommon. The violence is limited to certain parts of the city and has not been directed at Americans (or any foreigners for that matter), but one has to be careful not to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. On a day to day basis, the bigger concern is traffic. The city becomes utterly grid-locked for hours at a time. Operating on the embassy's early hours helps us to avoid the worst traffic, but it's amazing how there can be so much traffic in such a small place. Oh, and it's true what they say about the potholes. They're huge.
Despite all that, the city does have its charms. The setting is hilly with views of the water in the distance. Our apartment has a nice view of the residential areas on the hills behind us. Unfortunately, we ended up in an apartment without a water view, but some of the higher floors of the building have amazing views of the harbor. One of my favorite places so far is a small island out in the harbor called Lime Cay. From where we live it's about a 40 minute drive and a 15 minute boat ride out to this beautiful little tropical island, complete with turquoise water and white sand.
Pictures of everything will be in the next post.
posted by Melissa and Benito at 5:51 PM
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