Hustle and Bustle Too Late
We needed to exit the country because of visa situations and Jamaica was on the top of our list to visit because I have never been to Davin’s side of the world. It was a sleepless night for me. Not only was I excited but because I had to pack and make sure we don’t exceed the 40 lbs/baggage very strict requirement for Spirit airlines.
We left “our house” in Brooklyn at 2 am to catch the 6 am flight at La Guardia International airport. Not wanting to spend too much for a taxi cab, we hauled our luggages to the nearest bus stop (five blocks away), to take us to the nearest subway station. Overcome by fatigue and drowsiness, Hubbs and I fell asleep in the train, only to wake up 20 stops later, right at the station where we needed to be.
We got out of the warm subway station into the cold and patiently waited for the next shuttle bus to the airport. Thirty minutes later, we realized we were on the wrong bus stop when a bus driver stopped and told us we should be on the other side of the street. We were running really late, add to that the long waiting lines at the airport. Why oh why did I book a Monday morning flight?! To make the long story short, we missed our flight.
The other people in the line with us for the same flight started cussing and complaining, and blaming the flight personnel. But something told me to keep calm, keep praying, and stay in line. A few minutes later, a flight attendant got out of the plane and announced that they can take us in due to the fact that they needed to call in a different first officer because they were having issues with the the other first officer’s work hours. It would take another half hour before we can fly, hence, they reopened the plane to all the other late passengers. Praise God!
Out of Many, One People
Jamaica is beautiful! Two weeks was indeed too short. We were able to visit three churches during our entire stay. Many of the church members we were personally able to dialogue with expressed their desire to do mission work as well because they were encouraged from our stories. In between church visits, Hubbs made sure I meet many of the important people in his life, from his elementary teacher to his dean in college, from his high school buddies that live in the ghetto to his rich friends that live in the nice gated communities, from his mom who adored and took care of him to his who abandoned him and barely recognize him, and many other wonderful people in between. I saw my husband in a way I have never seen him before. His mom always joked that he could run for Prime Minister of Jamaica because he knows so many people from all ranks of the society.
We were graciously hosted by Davin’s buddy-o-pals in Linstead. I immensely enjoyed my stay and as you can imagine, a few tears were shed when we had to leave.
Parishes Visited
St. James — St. Ann — St. Catherine — St. Mary — Westmoreland — Manchester — Hanover — Kingston.
Vegan Finds
Ackee with roasted breadfruit — a match made in heaven! I don’t miss the salt fish that usually goes with it, either. We brought five dozens of ackee to bring back to the US. But it’s not the same when it’s fresh
Jamaican Patties — I had vegetable and soy chunks patties. ‘Nuff said. Woieeee!
Guava Juice — Davin’s brother brought this with him as we traveled to Westmoreland. And when I tasted it, I was just flabbergasted. Best guava juice ever. I can’t wait to replicate it. Hopefully I do it some justice, tho.
Sorrel Juice — Davin’s mom made the best sorrel juice ever. I’ve had versions of this in times past but hands down, she makes the best.
Pumpkin Rice — Davin’s friend served as rice for lunch and Filipino me looked for “ulam”, you know that main protein that usually goes with a side of rice. But for this meal, the rice was the star. And to my surprise, that rice was as seasoned as any “ulam” you can imagine. Well I have to admit tho that I had to eat roasted seaweed with it because I’m Asian like that. 😉
Rice and Peas — Man, I cannot see myself eating plain rice again.
Tiplets — Davin wanted me to taste their version of gluten, and Sandra made this most amazing sauce to go with it. Mmmhmmm. And if you ever ask for a recipe, almost everyone will tell you to just taste as you go. Basic seasoning though would be garlic, onion, thyme, scallion, paprika, and peppers.
Jamaican Curry — I bought some for lunch when we went to North Carribean University. And I liked the way they were serving food. On the menu board, they give you a host of options for starch and protein. And lunch always, always come with a fresh salad. So I had the garden rice with the curry, because at this point I realized my stomach cannot handle the dumplings. It’s good, mind you, but it’s really heavy that after three bites, I cannot eat no more.
Bran bun — The sweeter, more commercial version is the spice bun although it was still vegan. But we opted for more fiber and less sweet. Good, good stuff…
Salted plantain chips — Potato chips, you’re out!
Cran Wata — Water with cranberry flavor. My best friend when the temperature got too hot.
Say Goodbye…What?
After bidding our farewells to family and friends, we were met with a sad news that I cannot board the plane back to the US due to flight policies regarding ability to show evidence to exit the country. Davin did not have this problem because he has a pending flight to the Philippines in two weeks. I had no ticket, whatsoever. Apparently, the only solution was to buy a ticket right then and there. Cheapest ticket was at $89, which we booked right away. Re-entry to the US was easy peasy. The immigrant officer was very jovial and did not even bother to check the evidence we purchased in Jamaica. Needless to say, we are glad that we have another six months to continue fundraising.
