Costa Rica- Intro

        I knew I would be just a little disappointed to leave Jamaica, but I was very excited to see a new country- Costa Rica. I have always seen and imagined beautiful beach scenery with tropical looking light blue waters, but I had never experienced what a regular citizen would live their everyday lives in the capital city of San José. To kill some time on the plane, I decided to do a little research on Costa Rica. When Mexico broke off from Spain in 1821, Costa Rica was only part of a mini-Mexican Empire for about two years, before Costa Rica helped create the United Provinces of Central America in 1823. The United Provinces did not turn out like all of the countries hoped for, because in 1838, just 15 years after the newly formed provinces were created, countries started to declare their independence, along with Costa Rica. Since I work at Nation Geographic, I had heard a lot about how cool Costa Rica was, I and I couldn’t wait to see and experience everyday life in San José.

A Google Earth view of Costa Rica taken from my laptop

The Costa Rican flag

Jamaica- Conclusion

        My trip to Jamaica was fascinating. I saw so much that I could have never seen anywhere else in the world and I was so impressed. Getting to see what other parts of the world were like was so cool to me, since I had not really been outside of the United States to visit other countries. I loved getting to know the country for real, and not just seeing pictures online and in different National Geographic books and magazines. I am excited to see other parts of Latin and South America, but I wouldn't mind getting to spend just a few more days experiencing life in the wonderful country of Jamaica.

 A picture of a busy downtown, Kingston that I took walking back to my hotel

A picture of Kingston as I lifted off in my plane

Jamaica- Day Two

I woke up in my hotel room to the delicious smell of spiced meat and Jamaica’s famous Blue Mountain coffee. I ate a wonderful breakfast of some kind of meat with some local, fresh herbs and spices which really brought out the flavor. The Blue mountain Coffee was some of the best coffee I have tasted, which makes since, because the coffee beans were fresh, and were grown only a few hours from Kingston. As I walked out of my hotel after breakfast, I figured I would take an hour or two and visit the Bob Marley Museum, since he was such a big part of the Jamaican culture. Bob Marley was seen by many Jamaicans as a prophet of Rastafarianism, which is a Jamaican believe that African American and Afro-Jamaican people are the chosen people to live. Even though I am not here to be a tourist and see sights, I thought this museum, which was formerly his home, might give me a better idea on how he became to be thought of so highly. As I walked up to the entrance of the museum, there was a large sculpture of Bob Marley sitting at the gate. When I went inside, there were pictures of him, and many more artifacts, and even a small theater showing short films. I read on a plaque Bob Marley put all of his beliefs into his songs, and when he became so famous, the Rastafarianism supporters believed he was a prophet, to deliver their messages to the rest of the world. When I was done with the museum, which was a lot bigger than it looked, I was pretty hungry and I found a nice restaurant. I had a very delicious meal of jerk. Jerk is the signature dish in Jamaica and is different kinds of meats rubbed in hot and flavorful spices. I even had a side of some kind of stew with some chicken, tomatoes, yams, and onions. When I was stuffed from my lunch, I decided to walk into one of the churches and see what it was like inside these extravagant looking buildings. Inside were rows and rows of pews, and a red carpet in the middle of the center aisle. There were very beautiful stained glass windows with murals of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in the manger, and other stories from the Bible painted out on the glass. There was an altar in the front of the the sanctuary and a step where the preacher would talk to the audience and give his sermons. When I was done looking around in the church I was getting tired and I decided to return to my hotel room before it got completely dark, and running the risk of getting lost on my way home. When I got back to my hotel, I had a supper of some fish, then I went to bed.                                                  

The entrance of the Bob Marley museum in Kingston  

One of the many exhibits inside the Bob Marley museum

The exterior of the church I toured in Kingston

The interior of the church I toured

Jamaica- Day One

I had finally arrived at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, where it was a sunny morning. As I had to get up early to in order to catch my plane, being me, I forgot to eat breakfast. I stopped at the nearest café I could find, and I ate a delicious but simple soup called pepperpot soup. The waiter told me the soup is made from some salted beef and salted pork, okra, and what Jamaicans call calloo, which is some foreign kind of kale, and I had my usual water with lemon to drink. I paid, thanked my waiter for my soup, and started my day. As I walked out into the streets of Kingston, I saw more churches at once than I probably have seen combined in my life. Every few blocks I walked, there was always some form of a church sitting on the corner. As I was getting a lay of the land, there was a man on the corner of the block telling the legend of Anansi. This is a spider legend which originated from the African country of Ghana, where many Jamaicans’ ancestors originated. I realized I had some extra tickets for a cricket match in the famous Sabina Park, and wanted to go, as I still had time left, but I remembered cricket matches could go on for quite a while. I decided to spend the remainder of my time going to Mas Camp in Kingston. This is where the Carnival, the celebration which leads up to Lint, was starting to be practiced. Each country in Central/South America has their own version of Carnival, so I wanted to see what Jamaica’s was like, even though at Mas Camp the participants in the festival were just practicing. When I arrived at Mas Camp, it was like nothing I had ever seen. There were many women in very extravagant costumes dancing around the grounds. Some of the women’s costumes had large bird wings extending off of the main part of their costume. There were men dancing with the women and doing more twirls and jumps than I knew I could never have done so quickly and flawlessly. I was entertained for hours by this, as there was just so much to take in. When I thought I had seen it all, I was getting tired and it was getting late. I rode a bus back to my hotel, had a quick supper of beans and rice, then decided to go to hit the sack. 

The pepperpot soup I ate for breakfast



Some costumes that are ready to be tried on for Carnival
in a dressing room in Mas Camp

Norman Manley International Airport        

Jamaica- Introduction

Although I thought I was going to miss my home and family in Nashville, I knew it would be nice to visit the warm mid 80 degree weather of the Caribbean country/island of Jamaica in the capital city of Kingston. I couldn’t wait to see what daily life was like for citizens who live there. I had seen many pictures online of the beautiful beaches with little two person villas on them, but I had never actually seen what real life is like. Jamaica is a tropical island in the Caribbean a little south of Cuba with highlands (what the natives call the Blue Mountains) and narrow coastal plains. I wanted to get a little more familiar with Jamaican history. The independence of Jamaica was sparked after World War II. In 1944, a new constitution was signed, along with a legislature, and a House of Representatives, who were elected by adult citizens, but the British government did not want to let go of their Caribbean colony, because they thought Jamaica was not ready to take on the responsibility. However, in 1958, the British government let the Caribbean islands make a federation, but Jamaica broke off in the August of 1962. I am so excited to land and get a feel for what this country is going to be like while experiencing everyday civilian activities.

A small picture of the Jamaican flag

An satellite view of the island of Jamaica

A small overview of where Jamaica's capital, Kingston, is located