you like look a mash of callaloo

...this was the response I (Julie) got this morning when I was halfway down the stairs. I greeted my host mom with a hearty "Good morning!" Our host mother, Miss Rose, looked at me, wrinkled up her nose, and said "You look like a mash of callaloo." I answered, "Me?" And Miss Rose then let me know "You're not leaving my house looking like that." I wasn't wearing anything that anybody we know would think to iron, but here in Jamaica.....completely different story. As Miss Rose keeps saying, "Mr. Ellis (our host dad) done presses his clothes to go out to de garden." As you might have already guessed, Matt's had a few lessons from Miss Rose on how to iron his clothes. Not only did she have him wearing a tie yesterday to church, but she had him iron both his pants and shirt so that the crease could be seen a few feet away.

Don't get us wrong. We're having a great time with Miss Rose and Mr. Ellis. They're taking good care of us. That's part of the reason she won't let us walk out of the house looking like slobs (or what she perceives to be a slob). And in Jamaica, if you look like a slob, nobody's going to hesitate to tell you. God forbid we look like "ippies" (hippies). Another thing Miss Rose keeps telling us. Miss Rose is trying to guide us into the Jamaican culture, teaching us things that will help us integrate more. Integration is the first, and quite possibly the most important step in being a successful PCV.


p.s. a picture of our current digs: