Moments D695: New Dialects

This morning I brought in some Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee for our department to enjoy.  It's what I do.  I like to share!

And as we prepped the machine to brew the liquid gold, I said "IRIE" with a giggle.  That set us into a discussion of what IRIE meant. In my limited understanding, that meant "alright" in a "Jamaican dialect".   Little did I know that one on our team was well versed in the dialect of Iyaric.

And so, as we waited for the coffee to brew, a group of us started to chat about Jamaica and the depth of the dialect of Iyaric.

On the very tip of the iceberg, Iyaric is Rastafarian created dialect that replaces "me" with "I" in their common Jamaican English.    Instead of focusing on "me", which is seen as self-centered and objectifying, they choose to focus on "I" emphasizing the individual and, at the same time, the concept of oneness.  (As in God is within all men.)  "Me" being inward viewing and "I" being outward viewing.

Interesting.  Deep.  I had no idea.  I love learning and today, by chance, I learned something new about a word that I picked up on a trip to a different country.  I learned this new information, not while travelling in Jamaica, but while back at home in Canada.  What a strange and wonderful world we live in!

Moments sharing a new fun word:  "IRIE".

Moments digging deeper and understanding the philosophical history meaning of the word and the dialect it comes from.

Moments D691: Birthday Cake on the Beach

Boo!  Today was our last day in Jamaica.  That's always a sad day, but I was determined to soak up all the last rays of Jamaica before heading home to a city that had just experienced a snow storm.  Yes.  A snow storm mid-March.  Oh my.  Yes, I was definitely determined to soak up as much sun as possible in the last moments in Jamaica.

And that's exactly what most of the family did.  We checked out of the resort, found ourselves some lounge chairs on the beach and watched the incoming flow of guests.  There were many new untanned bodies on the beach today.  We looked around knowingly at one another: if they weren't careful, they'd burn today.  It was a windy, sunny, cooler day.  A perfect day to burn!

One of the things that we needed to deal with, upon check out, was an entire birthday cake that arrived a day late.  Instead of letting it go to waste, EQ and I brought it down to the beach, with a knife, napkins (for impromptu plates) and forks for all.  And there, on the beach, we cut up the cake and shared it out with the family.  With a few pieces leftover, we offered some of the resort staff the remaining pieces of cake.  What a world of joy that the cake brought to those that saw walking through the resort with the cake, cutting up the cake and of course sharing it around!

A fun way to spend the last moments in the sun, eating birthday cake on the beach.

Moments being silly, eating cake on the beach,  in the sun!

Moments enjoying the last hours in Jamaica.

Moments D690: Dance, dance, dance!

Today the entire crew visiting Jamaica for my cousin's wedding joined in on a full day adventure with Chukka Tours.  The day started out with a rain storm.  It was fun to watch the storm cloud roll in, let loose upon us at breakfast and then pass through just as quickly as it came in.  We were thankful for the quick storm as we had all signed up for their catamaran cruise headed to Dunn's River to climb the falls.   There were over 20 of us.  It needed to be a good weather day and the universe was in agreement!

What a treat to enjoy a day with everyone.  It was a day filled with great moments, and today, I'm going to share a couple of them.  First, we cruised along and stopped for a snorkel.

After our snorkeling time (which was definitely dampened by the rain storm - the reef wasn't very clear!), we headed to Dunn's River Falls.

Walking up the falls wasn't much fun with the group as the tour guides originally had us all hand in hand, in hand, like a trail of kids.  It was like being on lock down when a world of excitement was just in front of you, teasing you for more action.  It didn't take long for EQ & I to split from the group and climb up the falls on our own terms.  What a treat that was.  What a ton of fun it was to play in the falls.

But truly, the best moment of the day was after lunch and on the boat ride back to the resort.  With rum punch in hand, we all rode the waves and sang and danced....and danced some more.  We all did!  All 20+ of us on the front of the catamaran.  With screams of fear (for some of our group fear motion like that!) mixed with screams of laughter we danced the afternoon away.

When we landed back at the resort, we continued to dance, sing, and laugh.  We managed to even catch some, actually a lot, of it on video!  How incredible to spend the day bonding with my family (and extended friends) and to be an adventurer with EQ.  

It was a day filled with dancing; dancing in the waves of the ocean, dancing in the river splashing up the falls and then dancing atop the catamaran.  Dance, dance dance!

Moments enjoying a day trip with the family.

Moments being extremely silly and loving life!

Moments D688: Gifts Shared

Today was an incredible day.  It was a day poised to be a celebration love.  My younger cousin married the man of her dreams.  What a celebration it was with the perfect Jamaican weather.

But, today wasn't all about young love.  It was about family.  It was about friends.  It was about appreciating life; reflecting on the past and dreaming of the future.

And while I wasn't ready for today's moment, the gift shared with me today was the most beautiful gift I've ever received.  And with the sharing of this gift, a feel a new tradition was born as well!

EQ shared a unique birthday tradition with my family tonight.  He was introduced to it while travelling in Ecuador years ago.  The premise is this:  Instead of sharing physical gifts with the one celebrating a birthday loved one shared stories of what gifts (physical or otherwise) the birthday person has given them that either touched them deeply or inspired them on some level.

And just like that, after dinner, EQ orchestrated a discussion of gifts shared by the birthday girl to each family member at the table.  What an incredible journey that discussion brought!    From the adventure of a lifetime, to ancient stories featuring a Christmas ornament, to lighting up a room and teaching compassion.   What a journey indeed.  It was a tear-inspiring moment, so much so that my dear Big Sis couldn't participate for she was too choked up to do so.  Beautiful.  Simply beautiful.

It was, by far, the most memorable, touching birthday present I've ever received.

I believe this is a new tradition that shall be instituted in my world.  Yes.  That seems fitting to who I am and how I see the world.

A present for the moment today, and a present for moments of celebration to come.  How's that for digging deeper?

Beautiful!

Moments celebrating family, love, and life.

Moments relishing gifts shared...and shared again.

Moments D687: Zip & Drop

Today started much the same as yesterday.  Slow to rise, lazy breakfast and a stroll along the beach.  This afternoon, however, it was a much different story!

Five of us headed to Mystic Mountain.

What an afternoon it was!  We tried a little of everything!  We walked through and read up on some of the local history from the museum at the top.  We ran the bobsled track (a couple of times!) and, all five of us, ran the zip lines!  Yes!  That's right!  All. Five.

So, while I originally thought today's moment would be seeing my Dad dive in dance with the locals at the museum (seriously, what a gut laughing moment we all loved!) the real moment found me while we were out on the zip lines.

Why that moment?  Well, that's because my Big Sis went out on a limb.  Literally.  And she's afraid of heights.

Not only did she survive the 15-20 minute chairlift, but she agreed to ride the bob sled and experience the zip line course.  (Did I mention she's afraid of heights?  Oh.  And she doesn't like rides.  Too fast.  Too scary.  And fast corners?  Yup.  Even scarier for her.  (um. Helllloooo!  A bobsled course? You know that there are corners on those tracks, right?  And....that a bobsled moves pretty fast?)

And yet, she did it.  All of it.

But it wasn't until we were suited up for the zip line course that she realized that there was a free fall drop on the zipline course.  "A WHAT?" she said.

Yes.  That's right.  A freefall drop.  Where they lean you out in your harness, over the edge of the platform and drop you to the one below.  Tethered of course.  Through a pulley system.  Easy!

She went white when we told her.

And then, she bravely followed us to the first zip line.

She screamed through the first line and while I didn't see her before she began the next line (there were too many people between us!), I didn't hear her scream on the second line.  I think she must have enjoyed it on some level!

And then we came to the free fall drop.  EQ and I had officially been separated from my parents and my Big Sis.  I couldn't see how she was doing.  Was she enjoying herself?  Was she scared and just pushing through?  I wasn't close enough to give her a squeeze of encouragement if she needed it. I found myself nervous for her. I hoped it wasn't too scary for her.  I could only send her some energy from the back of the pack of people.

And then I heard her scream.  I knew that in that moment it was over.  She had dropped from one platform to the next.

Phew!

When we finally caught up again, EQ & I pumped her for her thoughts on the experience.  While she wasn't as ghostly white as she was when she found out about the free fall drop, she was pretty shaken.  But, beneath that nervous laugh was a look of accomplishment.  She'd never admit it (stubborn 'ol bird!), but I think she secretly loved it and was proud of herself for taking the leap.

I know I was damn proud of her!  For her joining the family in Jamaica.  That was a big step for her.  For risking possible embarrassing family moments.  For agreeing to step even further outside of her comfort zone and try something extremely new.  Never before had I known her to try something so scary and challenging for her. She's pushing her boundaries.  I'm proud of her for doing so.  On all points, today's moment only highlights how far she's come.  A free fall from a tree.  So incredible!

Moments watching a new experience unfold.

Moments feeling proud for steps taken forward by those you love.

Moments D686: Waterslide Fun

We were up early, but not too early.  After a lazy breakfast, we decided that today was a beach day.

Snorkelling, drinks, a walk along the beach, swimming, some lounging, (more drinks) and then....later in the day, my cousin mentioned how much fun the waterslide was.

Um....pardon?  The waterslide?  You mean the "big kids" can play on it?

OOOOOH yeah!

And so we did.  

My first ride down the slide was very slow.  Boring.  Disappointing.  

Boo!

But, not one to give up, I decided to give it another try.  This time, with some coaching from EQ on how to keep my butt from slowing me down, I managed to fly down the slide and into the pool below.  

Weeeeeeeeee!

Yes. Now that's more like it!

After three or four more trips up and back down again, it was dinner time.  What a fun way to end the day!

Moments enjoying the silliness of a waterslide.

Moments realizing you really are a big kid!

Moments D685: Jamaica Clocks

This morning, bright and ugly (after all, I think we hit the bed around 2am after our late arrival!) the family, EQ and I were up early to meet up with our Nolitours representative Amelle.  We were all eager to hear about the offerings of the resort and what other day trips/tours that were available to us.

And though the rest of the day ended up being a very delicious lazy day at the beach, with a permanent drinks in hand, the moment that made me smile the most, surprisingly, came from this early morning meeting.

Amelle was thorough in her explanation of what the Sunset Jamaica Grande could offer us.  From free onsite kayaking to offsite tours for a small fee, she had answers to many questions.  She even had an answer for a question I asked from the audience:

"Why are there no clocks in the rooms?"

Amelle's explanation:  The outlets in our rooms were look the same as those we had at home (110 volts) but they actually cycle slower at 50 HZ.  As everyone in the audience looked around quizzically at one another, Amelle stood patiently at the front of the room.  Then, with a wink, she continued her explanation:  because the cycles were slower, digital clocks were unable to keep proper time and would always run late.  Yes, that's right, always run late.  Therefore, there really was no point in keeping digital clocks in the room when they didn't keep proper time.  She joked that we're on vacation and we shouldn't mind the time anyway!

I found it rather amusing because there is a stereotype that Jamaicans are always late.  It all makes perfect sense.  It's not them, it's their electricity causing the lateness after all, the slow cycling of digital clocks keeping slow time certainly isn't helpful to keeping on time!

Silly, enlightening moments.

Moments enjoying a silly wink.

Moments realizing how, over time (sorry for the pun!) stereotypes can be formed.

Moments D684: Jamaica Mon

Today was a busy day!  Last minute running around prepping for the coming week in Jamaica.  I needed a dress for my cousin's wedding.  We had to stop at Heini's to pick up EQ's camera that she borrowed earlier in the week and then we had to make our way to the airport.  Early.  It's the beginning of March break and it's a mad dash to get out of the city.

And EQ & I were no different dashing about with silly grins upon our faces, eager to be on the plane and arriving in a new world.  Well, a new world for me and all of my family travelling down.  EQ, on the other hand, this was his third trip to Jamaica.  I can hope that our family trip turns out to be a visit that trumps his other visits.  Doubtful knowing the depth of his travels, but hey, I'm a dreamer!

But I digress.

For me, walking through the Montego Bay airport was today's moment.  The promise of a new adventure. The hope for a beautiful wedding.  The opportunity to spend quality time with my family and have EQ ever more enveloped into the fold.  A week to just soak it all in.

Those moments where you know, you are at the beginning of many beautiful moments to follow.

Moments soaking in new energy.

Moments excited for to the days to come.