From Queenie to Papaya

It's already Wednesday and it's unbelievable to think we'll be leaving this beautiful country in a few days. This trip has been everything I could have imagined and more.

We found a little home at Taino Cove in Treasure Beach. On the southwest side of the island, the resort is deep in rural land overlooking the ocean. The houses nearby a large and colorful, with large gates and lots of land surrounding them. The site we were working on was nestled into the side of a mountain - it's safe to say that I wasn't expecting this landscape. To be completely honest, when I thought of Jamaica I thought of beaches, some more beaches, and a few more beaches. It was breathtaking to see so much greenery everywhere we went. Our new home for the next few days, Whistling Bird, is a little piece of the jungle - beautiful and green - right on the beach in Negril. The tree frogs sing their song and the ocean breeze eases the humidity. The landscape is totally different than Treasure Beach. Buildings and homes are closer together, stores are larger, roads are wider and there are sidewalks. There's also a nightclub close to the resort, so the loud music gives us a constant taste of Jamaican culture - although it's not loud enough to drown out the tree frogs. Jamaica so far has been incredible. The food, the sights, the people - everything is lovely. The food is full of flavor and the sights are vivid. The people are indredibly friendly. Children run up to you and give you hugs, they ask to play and share their toys with you. One boy - I believe his name was Nisha - curled into Nicolette's arms and giggled with happiness, which is definitely not something a child in Jersey would do with a stranger. The sense of community in Jamaica is so strong - from people always waving at our bus, to someone giving us a watermelon just because. I think the best interaction I've had was with Scratchy, one of the day workers at our first site, St. Mary's. He was the first to approach everybody and ask them their names. He laughed with us, joked with us, worked extremely hard with us and eventually friended us on Facebook.  Today was another great day. We drove up to YS falls and gave our bodies a rest day before heading back to work tomorrow. Lennox, Dane and I sadly can't remember the third zip liner's name were some of the friendliest people you could meet. They were quick to ask our names, ask us about our trip and make us feel comfortable as we glided through the air above the falls. I think Jamaica has something in the air, really. Something that makes you feel at ease and makes you feel like you can conquer anything. If not, then I have no clue why I jumped of a cliff into a rushing waterfall - which by the way was amazing.  That's it for tonight. I didn't get to say goodbye to Queenie, the beautiful dog at Taino Cove, but I have Papaya (the friendly neighborhood cat) sitting next to me now. See you in a few days, Jersey. -- Natalie Correa 

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