Culture...

Since coming here I have had “plenty chance” to experience things authentically Jamaican and have done what I can to relay those experiences in these pages. A lot of them usually spark from some comedic exchange wherein something was easily lost in translation or I just had not idea what to do with myself because I was that out of place. Fair enough. It’s to be expected.

And then there are other things that I have either seen or heard and have done my best to simply describe. So it is with this quick post. A few things that are authentically Jamaican that make me stop and think to myself, “Huh. Never really seen that before.”

Bashment: Similar to a backyard cookout, this huge party is centered on an extremely massive speaker stack which is cranked up to unbelievable heights and can be heard for miles around – that is not an exaggeration. We had the privilege of having one occur directly across the street from us and the aforementioned speaker stack was a good quarter mile from my room yet the music was so loud, it sounded as if there were speakers right outside my door. The music starts playing around 3:00pm and it usually kicks off with old R&B and cheesy 80’s love ballads. In one minute I was hearing Percy Sledge’s, “When A Man Loves a Woman,” followed immediately Lionel Richie’s, “Hello, Is It Me You’re Looking For?” People eventually arrive and from what I could see, there isn’t much socializing in the way of talking which, no doubt, is directly related to the volume of the speakers. Seriously, I think there was an article in the news about astronauts in the International Space Station jamming to reggae. All interaction consists of people dancing with each other in ways that can most easily be described as “blatantly inappropriate.” And this goes on until 6:30am.

Bun and Cheese: As far as I can tell so far, this is mainly an Easter tradition and it consists of a long loaf of break, similar to the color rye bread, but its taste is spicier and sweeter; almost like it had been baked with cloves and all spice. It’s quite a thing to have bun and cheese on the table. If you find yourself with bun and cheese, you know it’s important. People here talking about making their “Easter bun” and even the packaging of bun bought in the grocery story wishes you a great Easter. Thanks to the generosity of parishioners, not to mention the fathers’ love of bun and cheese, we have had a constant supply of bun and cheese for two weeks now and while I never really thought pairing cheese with a fruity loaf of bread would be good, I have quickly become a fan of bun and cheese.

Let’s Burn Everything: While the island has some semblance of a garbage removal system, sometimes it is just easier to burn everything. This especially comes into play when it comes to handling garden trimmings and the like. It is not uncommon to look upon the sides of the local mountain ranges and seeing random columns of smoke decorate it. The bottom line is that sometimes it’s just easier to burn everything than it is to haul it somewhere or wait for someone to come and get it eventually. Burn bans and things of that nature do not exist here, at least they don’t in “back-a-bush” places like Bull Savannah. When Petruscha gave birth to her puppies, she decided to do it on a futon and while the metal frame was salvageable, the mattress was not so we simply put it in a previously-made fire area along with other items on the grounds, doused it in gasoline, dropped and match and let it burn for the day. By nightfall it was all ashes.

Billy: This is more of a local thing than a nationwide thing, but I’m sure there is an instance of Billy in every pocket of the island. Billy is the local bookie. He’s also the guy you want to see if you want to convert U.S. currency to Jamaican. Billy sits in the shade among some buildings in the next town over, Junction where he and his girlfriend run a liquor store. Billy spends his days sitting by his detailed, black, Honda Civic coupe along with five to ten other people hanging around him, a form of security I’m sure. As people approach him he simply greets them and does business with them. One of his unique talents is the speed of his mind with numbers. Every time I have walked up to him with some money to exchange, he does the math quickly in his head, takes out his pocket calculator to ensure he has done it right and to show me what he’s about to give me, places the U.S. money under the floor mat of his car, takes out a monstrous wad of Jamaican money and quickly flips out the amount promised. All of this takes place within 10 to 15 seconds and Billy gives a better rate than the banks. The kicker is, when the banks or currency exchange joints run out of money to use, they walk across the street and conduct business with Billy who is more than happy to help out.

That’s what I’ve got for right now. I know it’s a slight departure from my usual narratives but we have just started school again this week after a beautiful two week break, much of which was spent at a beach cottage belonging to a member of the diocese with whom the priests here have a wonderful relationship. So I could tell you of the numerous times where I either fell asleep or awoke to crashing waves and ocean breezes all while enjoying a comfortable queen size bed and a room the size of my old condo, but somehow I don’t think you want to hear that.