So after a very, very long journey we made it safely to our new home for the week, Treasure Beach. Jamaica is amazing, we have been greeted warmly from the minute we stepped through customs; our driver Satchwell was waiting outside to escort us the 2 hours out of Montego Bay to the much more low key Great Bay area. We all agreed it was nice to be going somewhere other tourists on our flight were not, we are excited to experience the real people and culture here by avoiding those areas. We all slowly boarded the van after many hours of travel, hot and tired but excited, Satchwell put on some true Jamaican reggae beats and we were on our way. Soon the grogginess of travel lifted and we started to take in our new surroundings. As we drove Satchwell explained various lyrics to songs we could not understand due to the thick accents and patiois dialect, and pointed out landmarks areas such as Black River which was the first town in Jamaica to have electricity, a car, and a telephone. Once at our hotel, The Inn at Great Bay, our hosts welcomed us and showed us to our rooms, which are all comfy and accommodating. Since we had some time to kill before orientation we headed to the beach (basically our backyard) to take a dip. The water was incredible, warm and so relaxing, and a much needed activity after being on 2 buses and 2 planes. We had friends immediately, the locals were eager to show us around and chat with the newbies. We have been here less than 24 hours and already it is shaping up to be an experience of a lifetime, we are all excited to get dirty at the farm tomorrow and start the projects we came here to do. More to come!
-Kelsey
"Easter Monday" - we arrived!
Jamaica is everything that you would imagine and hope for. Our two hour trip to Treasure Beach was a first rate tour de Jamaica: trees strangled by flowering vines, teal blue water, challenging and mesmerizing patiois, and after a fairly smooth travel schedule we arrived here in Treasure Beach at 3:23 pm (JA time). After the trip through the verdant green ravines, hillsides, and valleys - we were greeted by a proper Jamaican celebration; complete with 12 beach laid speakers, cricket games, football, red stripe, swimming, and sun. We swam for the first time today to find the beach warm yet refreshing and full of sand-dollars. Our new friends taught us the tricks to surfing the Jamaican waves.
-Amber
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