7 August 2006

7 August 2006
Back to the mudanities of Kingston. Having just spend a very peaceful and civilized 5 days in the north of the country albeit surrounded with yanks, entering the hustle and bustle of Kingston has set me once again into a slough of despond.

I know I’m generalizing but people in Kingston are just more ignorant, barging through queues, shouting over you and generally invading your personal space and when it comes to the complex social etiquette of the highway code…….

Kingston in many ways seems to me all about shows of strength and posturing in a very basic way and while I often find this laughable, like a clapped out Toyota with more filler than bodywork but still has the most bling of shiny spinning rims, it can also feel quite intimidating and threatening.

Coming back into the cauldron, where the thick air refuses to move and the mosquitoes are legion is such a contrast to the light breezes enjoyed on the north coast. Perhaps I’m doing Kingston a disservice and the contrast will always be sharp between holiday and home. I certainly wasn’t the only one who noticed it as the Wee Lad burst into tears as he recognized the house. A bittersweet moment, but I shall take comfort that my son enjoyed the holiday and therefore his education in the finer things in life has got off to a good start.
I came back to a veritable flood flowing down my driveway. Our reserve water tank has not worked since we moved in and used to trickle slightly when filled. We made the mistake of asking the landlord to fix this and to his credit he sent people the next day. They promptly made it worse and in true Jamaican fashion, said they would be back the next day. Repeat twice and now we have Dunn’s River Falls emanating from the foundations. During our holidays a self sustaining eco-system appears to have developed in our driveway. I’m sure I’ll incur the wrath if a number of environmental groups if I fix the tank now. Actually no, this is Jamaica