Planes, Green, & Tiny Roads

Planes, Green, & Tiny Roads

Welcome to Jamaica..land of the GREEN EVERYTHING. Well we started out the evening by traveling on the bumpy school bus with Zach saying "ear" over and over. The desire for a comfortable position was inevitable. (Contribution made by Olivia Conroy). Personally, (Olivia Massey) I rode in my dad's truck with AP Bio homework and a nice stereo. Once we made it to St. Louis airport we unpacked alllll of the 10,000 suitcases, checked-in, went through security, and waited for the plane. All went smoothly and Zach stopped saying "ear"! On the plane we all crashed. Olivia and Natali's ears were exploding from pressure change. For a few people, this was their first flight ever! Flying over water was a first for me. We landed in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Here's where the fun began :)
We unloaded into the airport and made our way down to immigration. In the line we discussed a woman who was carrying a wedding dress. Finally, Mr. Johnson asked if she was getting married. Sure enough she and her fiancee had been engaged 8 years and finally were eloping to Jamaica with only her mom knowing! We got through immigration after some questions and an hour wait. Then we claimed our luggage. Mrs. Harryman played some maracas with a Jamaican music group in the baggage claim. Next we walked through customs. Anyone older than 18 had to claim the young'ns. Basically the next thing to do was walk outside. And then it hit. HUMIDITY!
When we all walked outside it was like we hit a wall of humidity. We had to be very aware of our surroundings. There were dreads everywhere! We all got to eat a variety of food while we waited for the separate traveling group. I had along with many others, a beef patty which is like an empanada. It is practically a spicy hot pocket. It was goooood! Also others had wings with fries or rice, fish with rice, or mac n cheese. The second group showed up and we saw our transportation..A BIG YELLOW BUS (TRAMBIA).
It was a big ol' charter bus. It started to rain, but I use the word rain lightly. I'd compare it to the Silver Dollar City fans that sprinkle you with cold mist while you're waiting to get on Wildfire. It felt wonderful! We loaded up the charter bus and got settled in. The bus was veryyyy nice! The one problem..He drove on the wrong side of the road.
Jamaica, a former British colony, still has the steering wheel on the right side of the car and drives on the left side of the road. If you know me, you know that I love roundabouts. I was a little nervous/stoked when he pulled into the roundabout going the wrong way!! The trip we were taking was from Montego Bay to Kingston. Google the map of Jamaica to see that Montego and Kingston are on the opposite side of the island. (http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Countries/Jamaica/Map). Along the way Blake got a little motion sick. We pulled over and got bananas. Everyone (that likes bananas) loved them! They rubbed bengay on his hands for him to smell and his chest. They also rubbed newspaper on his chest. We traveled across the street to a gas station called CoolOasis. We got out and took a potty break. Many people got Ginger Beer and tried it out. It was a different taste that tingled the back of your throat. Ryan Cummins lovesssss it! Also the boys got some Plantains and Banana and Cassava chips. The road then became very small...dun dun dunnnnnnnn!
To say the road is a two lane street is being optimistic! This road could fit a charter bus next to a semi with no shoulder room. Not only was the road small, it was curvy. You know River Road or 86 Highway that leads to the Candy House? Worse than that. It was so curvy he honked the bus every time he came around a curve as a warning. Sarah Buford loves the sound of Jamaican horns. Natalie Herrod yelled "Goats" every single time we saw a goat...which was a lot! The view was green everywhere. Every tree, leaf, and ditch was full of green. There is plant life everywhere. We were traveling up a hill so every now and then we could see this amazing view of the coast. Honestly I fell asleep at this point so now we'll see the trip from Olivia Conroy's eyes.
Pieces of metal were used for fencing, roofing, and gates. The houses were made of concrete, some looking much better than others. No matter what, they were pained in bright tropical colors. At one point we saw a picturesque scene of a hill with children running up it. It was a real life "Sound of Music" scene. (I thought of you, Dad!) The guys spent their time staring at the TV screen watching the "DVD" symbol hit the walls. Every now and then it would hit a perfect corner and only change colors once. Basically they were living for that moment. The crowd went wild when it occurred. Next the bus stopped at a bakery and got some hot fresh bread. We all got to have a pinch and it was amazingggg! Then we got to Kingston. (Back to Olivia Massey's view with Olivia Conroy's input- NOT THAT IT MATTERS) In the last leg of the trip Chris Six puked. There's really no nice way to say it. (He feels much better now, Marilyn!) We tiredly unloaded from the bus and into Hillside Christian Church- our base. We unpacked all of the supplies and got to eat. We had a cup of soup that was delish- I found a wishbone in it and lost to Natali. No wish for me. Also we had little sandwich triangles and SHELLS AND CHEESE! I love shells and cheese. Anywho we all ate- some eating more than others *cough* SAVANNAH *cough*. Then we left the humid room and got into the bus..again.
Now we blocked traffic to get to the hotel. We got our room assignments and settled in. Some rooms have air conditioning and some DO NOT. We all took cold showers...except Sarah Buford who somehow got warm water..no one's bitter. ugh. There were some Canadians who were having a dance party..Justin Beiber wasn't with them physically (sorry M'Riah) but they were definitely singing his songs. Then everyone fell asleep....at 9 o' clock.

TUESDAY MORNING
We all woke up and got ready with ease. Olivia Conroy's room woke up to kitty cats (meow) and little children (ahhhhhhh) from the school next door. We did our devotions and had some worship time on the patio. It was swonderful :) Basically Missions Week has begun. We rode in the back of trucks to the church. The Olivia x2 (that means both Olivia's and will be referred to a lot.) had 14 people in the back of the truck. It was like we were celebrities. On occasion a person would yell "Yeaaah" *Jamaican accent* and we would all yell "Yeaah maaaan" back :) Now we are at the church and getting in line for breakfast.
Catcha' lata' maaaaaaan!

With love and tired fingers,
Olivia x2

P.S. Pray for everything to go great today!