why we lovey ya so

Thought we might highlight a couple of things we love about Jamaica:

~Jamaicans are crazy. And I mean this in the best sense of the word (for the most part). Whether it's the passa passa (local gossip), or the clothes worn to dances, or the way they respond to certain situations, Jamaicans are crazy. They keep life interesting. Things seem to always be lively here. Sometimes we feel like we are living in a real live soap opera, which can be tiring at times, but there's never a dull moment.

One of the best parallels of this can be seen in their flashy dress. We once heard a PCV compare Halloween costumes to the way that Jamaicans dress at dancehalls. And, uh, we'd say that's pretty accurate. Glitter. Vibrant colors. Fabrics such as polyester, velvet, chiffon, nylon; anything really, except cotton. Shiny jewelry, shoes, shirts, hair pieces, whatever. Dangly earrings. Hairstyles that make you go: “What the...? How'd they...? Huh?” Essentially, think of your basic T-shirt and jeans....now try to imagine what the exact OPPOSITE of that would be. Now add some green hair dye, speckles of silver nail polish, and multi-colored sequins, and you're probably imagining one of the looks we witnessed this last Saturday night.

This outlandishness translates into many aspects of Jamaican life. We aren't fooling around here people. We don't want no foo-foo, fenky-fenky foolishness. When Jamaicans do things, they go all out. Whether it's church service (usually averaging about 5 hours), a birthday party (big enough that the whole community, and neighboring communities come to), or basic school graduation (I left after 2 hours, but I heard it went for 3 more).

~To go along with this, Jamaicans are passionate people. This adds to the colorful, liveliness of our everyday life here. From the way they dress (as mentioned above), to the way they talk, to what they feel. When Jamaicans speak, they really speak. They gesticulate with their hands and eyes, lips and hips. They emphasize their words. They stress their tone.
And when Jamaicans feel, they really feel. When they're excited, they're dancing off the walls. When they're angry, you can see the smoke coming out their ears. When they're happy, they're rolling on the ground laughing. When they're in love with you, they follow you around everyday relentlessly, professing their undying feelings until you start to lose your mind. Trust me, happens all the time.