Crazy Taxi

Well hello everyone! This is Justin. I am pleased to announce that after a long and gruesome battle with technology, I am victorious. Kind of. After many tries, the Infirmary video is FINALLY posted without skipping. It is probably my favorite one of the summer, so be sure to check it out. The Extreme Home Makeover video is up and two of the three parts don’t skip. Unfortunately, that is how it is going to have to be. So, I apologize for the inconvenience there, but enjoy the videos how they are. You can find the link to the right of this blog page or just click here. This week, we are going to make a video describing our weekly experiences in Ocho Rios. Should be fun!

I have a short story to tell you for the day. On Monday, while half of the summer staff was in Montego Bay picking up our team for the week, Seth and I took two Jamaicans, John and Neal (Fridgy) into town. They both love pizza and we pretty much had the day off, so we decided to take them for a feast at Dominoes. We took Creamy’s bus for most of the trip there, and then walked about three miles until we arrived. When Neal took his first bite of pizza his words were, “God Bless America.” I thought that was pretty funny.

The real story comes when we were ready to leave to go back to Harmons. We went to the taxi station and hopped in a taxi. The taxis in Jamaica are pretty small. Definitely smaller than in the States. It was Seth, John, and I in the back seat and Fridgy in the front seat. To me, the stupid American, this seemed like a pretty full taxi. We drove about 100 yards and the taxi stopped and talked to a lady outside of the backseat window. She said she needed a ride to Porus, which is where we were going. Let’s just say this lady was not skinny by any means. In fact, she was probably the biggest Jamaican I had ever seen, other than Sean Kingston. So you can probably guess what happens next. The driver asks John to move up in his seat, so he is practically straddling the middle console of the front seat and Seth and I get squished up against the window as we drive our 10 mile adventure to Porus.

When we finally reach Porus, and I can finally breathe, we get out to go to another taxi station to go from Porus to Harmons. In Jamaica, taxis are like subways. You can’t just go anywhere in the taxi. The all have limitations to their destinations. So we get to the station from Porus to Harmons and there is only one taxi, which appears to be full. In the back seat is a mother with her three kids and in the front seat is a pregnant woman. Remember, these taxis are small. I think to myself, “Okay, we'll have to wait until another taxi comes.” But, the stupid American was wrong again. Before I know it, I am in the taxi with a random Jamaican boy in my lap, another random kid next to me, followed by her mother, with her child on her lap, and then Seth, smashed against the window. And that’s just the back seat. In the front was Fridgy with his arm around the pregnant girl in the passenger seat.(John stayed in Porus to do some errands. Thank you Jesus.) And we continued on to Harmons.

This experience just opened my eyes to the culture differences here in Jamaica. Can you imagine getting into a taxi, throwing some random person’s kid on your lap or putting your arm around a pregnant woman in the front seat, and continuing on your way as if nothing was going on? Well a few days ago, I would have said no too. But I think I will try it when I get home. Just kidding. Once was enough.