Aunt Kem/ Hike/ Art's House

On Saturday Marie and I awoke to having nothing on our early morning schedule. We decided to try snorkeling again. Scott joined us with his goggles and we walked back to the sea. The water was much clearer. We saw lots of fish, a few types of coral, tube worms, sea cucumbers, and sea stars. It was my first time snorkeling and I only took one gulp of water, when I foolishly tried to adjust my apparatus with my face in the water.

host site. When Peace Corps Volunteers first enter a country they are hosted by a family tAfter we were tired out, we all went back to the house and changed to visit Scott and Carrie'so get a feel for the communities and the way of life. Scott and Carrie were placed with Aunt Kem, who is amazingly hospitable. We took a bus to her driveway then walked uphill about a quarter mile to her house. When we arrived she and Ms. Vern, her housekeeper, were working very hard in the kitchen preparing our meal. Carrie went into help and learn how to cook more Jamaica dishes as Scott led us around the yard. The yard had many fruit trees in it, and lots of flowers. We wandered around the yard for a while enjoying the wonderful surroundings, then returned to Aunt Kems balcony to relax. From her balcony you could see much of the south coast. It was a great view that required lots of time to take it in.

After a brief nap, we sat down to the table and had dinner. The meal was: fried chicken, yam, gravy, potato salad, pumpkin(squash), lettuce salad, and fried plantains. The entire meal Aunt Kem kept saying, "Oh I have nothing to feed you, this isn't enough food." After I took fourths as well as my brother, there was still plenty of food on the table. Any time we would clear our plates, she insisted that we ate more. It reminded me of my grandmother who always tried to feed you, even if you weren't hungry, and if you ate a little bit, it meant you needed MORE!
The meal was great, and followed up by rum, raisin ice cream. When Jamaicans make rum ice cream it is RUM ice cream. I felt like I had just taken a shot after each bite.

After a brief chat of previous Peace Corps Volunteers living with Aunt Kem, it was time to hike home. We walked along the main highway for a little bit, but it certainly is not safe where there is no shoulder. We hiked along a seperate road for a while, then met up with a small trail that cut across peoples properties. It was about 6 miles back to Scott and Carrie's house. We all enjoyed the walk after we had stuffed our bellies so full.

When we got home, Scott and Carrie told us to change into our swimming suits because we are going to the neighbors house, where there is a pool. We changed and grabbed some towels and walked next door to a house that is HUGE. Cindy, a woman from Colorado who is a massage therapist and care taker for the house, greeted us in the kitchen as she was cooking a pot of bean soup. The house belongs to Art (?) who was the head of the Vietnam Memorial Installation, as well as one of the organizers for the Atlanta Olympics. Cindy lives there year round, and is alone most of the time. Art and his family come down every so often to enjoy a week in Jamaica.
Carrie took Marie and I on a tour and Cindy continued to cook. As the soup simmered, we all went to the pool area where it overlooks the sea and Scott and I swam as we all enjoyed conversation. That night we enjoyed the sunset, great bean soup, and good conversation. Scott and I also enjoyed the end of Army of Darkness and the end of three baseball games. Scott is excited to have neighbors with a satellite so he can watch TV every once in a while.