Four Seasons Hotel Kingston

... first literary undertaking with details of the regions here described & the habits & costums of the people Escpecially if you are from Senegal,please get in touch with me at kevinpinto31@yahoo.com. I would be happy to provide regular updates & excerpts of my novel as make progress with my characters & plot so let me just say get in touch.

Jamaica was my very first missions trip. I went with Shayna and Chad for one week and we had an amazing and eye opening experience. The water was beautiful and we went to ocho rios and climbed the waterfal too-it was so beautiful! We also witnessed poverty and need in ways that we had never seen before. We were able to minister God's love to people but honestly I think we all took away much more from this experience than we could ever give!

Yesterday my family had a birthday party for there now 3 year old grand daughter! talk about a party they had a moon bounce with an alligator mouth for an entrance. Plenty of jerk chicken, roast fish, and rice. I cant believe how much rice they eat. I havent eaten lunch since ive been with my host family and i still think i am getting fat. My host brother asked me if i wanted a beer and was handing one to me when my host sister yelled at him. No one ...

... crimes and it was pretty funny.  He told us that petty theft and home break-ins and fishing for stuff through peoples windows with sticks is the most common crime.  Rarely is there violent crime and if there is its against women so thats good for me.  He also said that if other jamaicans see someone getting robbed or taken advantage off they will b************ out of them.  after the security meeting we had a health meeting and got our first aid kits and finnaly got ...

I got a ride from the airport to the upper town. After check in, I ventured in the city and was soon offered some "stuff". Oh well, no thank you. The Bob Marley museum is quite interesting and probably the only notable attraction in Kingston (other than this feeling of being in a different country).

... facility for HIV-positive orphans in Jamaica. Last month, I asked the director what the program was doing to transition these youth into adulthood and to emancipate them into independent-living. The director replied that such services had not been created yet. Up until now, none of the teens had lived long enough to graduate from high school, much less live in the community on their own. With the introduction of accessible and government-funded antiretroviral ...

... cup of coffee and some of the nicest wait staff this side of the Blue Mountains. For the past several weeks, several of the staff have provided me with their insight into the Jamaican culture, filling in gaps or reaffirming social norms noted in my class assignments and lectures. They and their kindness have been invaluable. Tammy, one of the waitresses, has taken a particular interest in my literature class since we met, offering ...

... Initially, it was planned that I would be working with the Kingston Women's Resource and Outreach Center, but that is possibly going to change (as the job available may not be relevant to the fieldwork needed for a dissertation).  I am anxious to be settled in an agency, to start feeling like I have a home in another organization and to begin my fieldwork.  It should prove to be a very interesting and crazy ride over the next four months. :) For now, several ...

... until his death. Before traveling to Jamaica I read his biography called Catch a Fire from which I learned about Marley's life and life in Jamaica. Bob Marley was born at Nine Miles in St. Ann Parish on the north coast of Jamaica in 1945. He was the son of a British sea captain and a Jamaican woman. Bob was a fitness fanatic (played football, i.e., soccer) and a vegan who only ate Ital (ee-tal) food (no salt, or meat - only fruit, vegetables, bread ...

... Organization. When we arrived, we were led to a dreary warehouse and given simple instructions "Organize.. get rid of this..and that.. make rooom here." The pictures explain more fully. I'm still amazed we finished. And although i don't mean to brag, ok i do... they LOVED the final product.