Yardies, at home and a farrin' (Part 4)

[SweetSugahDumplin 0]

Oh where oh where can Marlon's visa be?

*sigh*

May have to go to Jamaica to see him!

HOLD tight! he soon come im thinkin maybe they should at least have them by friday or monday latest due to hurricane delay.

[JA Tam 7]

My husband lives in Port Antonio (2 hours from Kingston). He still has no power nor water. His house sustained minimal damage. Since the Embassy was closed on Monday and Tuesday of this week, I hope that we will not have to wait much longer for an interview. Plus, Monday, August 27th is Election Day. The folks with August 27th interviews were postponed until Thursday, September 20th. I e-mailed the Embassy two weeks ago, and was told that my husband's interview would be in October at the earliest. Our 1st wedding anniversary is on October 20th. That would be the greatest gift- to have him home.

Elections will not be on August 27th. It is being proposed that the elections be on Sept. 3rd. Hopefully, they have tried to reschedule interviews for the 27th, but I doubt it.

[JA Tam 7]

Hey everyone. I'm just checking in on everyone and sending out well wishes to all of our loved ones in Jamaica. I hope that everyone can rebuild, and that power and order is restored to everyone's lives as quickly as possible. Gregory lives in St. Ann's Bay and he told me that their power was turned back on last night. Trust me, I was going nutz because of lack of digicel service since early Sunday. He actually had to work (he drives all the boats for Breezes), and they made him take the boats down to Trelawny and stay with them. He was there with others, but it wasn't really in a safe and enclosed area. From the way he described it they were in some sort of cove or something. I don't know...but it sounded crazy and cruel to me!! I didn't hear from him until YESTERDAY so I was thinking he got swept away or something...Anyway, I just thank God that he and his family are ok. I haven't been here in a while, but I just want to say congratulations on the recent approvals and to the recent births on the site!! You guys keep on doing what you're doing!! One luv!!

Tamisha

Happy to know that your SO is ok. I can't believe they wanted him out there in that type of weathe. God is good, He kept him safe.

[jerrybutler 0]

We heard from one of Andre's brothers last night who doesn't live in the family home but in Spring Village a ways away. He said his house that he rents got severe water damage and has a hole in the roof, so he is staying with another friend. He hasn't been able to get in touch with anyone in the family in May Pen and he tried to go and see them yesterday but the roads were blocked and he didn't have the time to walk the whole way - so still no word from them at all.

Anna, I heard the same type of thing about the power. I know a lot of people go to major businesses and take the chance of "stealing" the power to charge their phones. I remember the last hurricane one of the gas stations was selling charges for X amount of dollars...crazy

I can't even imagine not having power for a whole 2 months. A lot of power lines are down in JA and my mom and I was talking about how long it was going to take. Its just crazy because you would think that the electrical company would employ more people to take care of this matter. I'm not just talking now but on a regular basis. The first thing that JA should respect is Preparedness for Disasters. If you know that an attempt of a Hurricane happens so offten or the actual hurricane, then wouldn't it just make sense to make the necessary precautions and develop a quick response team. It just all seems like common sense to me. I don't even know what he is going to do to get power for the cell phones. I know that I'll be down there and we better get our friggin visa because what woman you know is going to travel miles away to be in the friggin dark in another country if she doesn't truly love the person and it isn't legit. Sorry guys I am just pissed off because the country is just to lax for me. We always talk about moving back there after a while but I'm a tell you, I can't move somewhere that is so backwards. They are going to have to make some serious changes for me to live there. I love the beach and the freedom but I also love civilization and common sense.

I don't want this to get out of hand, but Shonnie.....just a quick question....have you traveled to any other 3rd world countries? or know of anyone that lives in another country (even the USA) that has been devasted by mother nature?? After traveling to Jamaica for 10 yrs and other countries all of my life and seeing, hanging and getting to know the island, the people, way of life, etc etc etc, we all "appreciate" the comforts that most of us have here at home. Craig was petrified of me going to stay at his place because of no hot water, just the way the house is.....but I LOVE his home, the cold water....whatever I dealt with it. Having to run a hose from one house to another. Not having running water to do dishes, clothes, etc etc..........that was absolutely no big deal to me. My Uncle has a beach (summer) house, we grew up staying there for the summers when we were kids. We had no hot water, air conditioning, heat. It was pretty rundown (in normal standards), but ........we LOVED going there. I love the fact that I'm able to show my son how other cultures live and appreciate the things that he has, which trust me, he doesn't get everything "he" wants. He just bought his own Xbox 360. Worked all summer and paid $400.00 for it !!

If it's only for a few days, work with it. You are going to be with a man that is from a totally different culture. For the 1st year that he's here, you'll be "training" him to do and use alllllllllllllllllllllllllllll sorts of things. Going to the grocery store....he won't believe his eyes !! You think you are frustrated??? Shoot....you just wait till he gets here !!!

I am not being mean....and I know that you are frustrated, it's frustrating that some have to live the way they do, even in good ole US of A !!!!

AMEN TO THAT SISTA!!!! I applaud you in your staunch defense of our beautiful country JA. We all have to give and take the good with the bad and remember it is a "third world country" I had not been home in fifteen years and was very much in culture shock at the progresses that were made in those years. To us USC it might look like they are backward but they have come a long way from when I grew up there. Not to take the side of the government and the powers that be but they have to work with the resources that they have. Some of these same people who get electricity do not even pay for it or even pay their bill. We all have to take it in stgride and give thanks to the Almighty for his mercies. Our loved ones were speared and we can go be witgh them no matter what the condition their "home" or the country. I just wanna lie in Mike's arms whether we are sweltering in the dark with not running or hot water. Remember "FOR BETTER OR WORSE".

Holla

Claire

[jerrybutler 0]

Oh where oh where can Marlon's visa be?

*sigh*

May have to go to Jamaica to see him!

Hold on tight girl. Him soon come. LOL

Claire

[Black Velvet 4]

JA Tam,

Regarding the rescheduling of interviews, here is what I read from the Embassy website-

Consular Section at US Embassy to Close on Election Day

The Consular Section at the United States Embassy in Kingston and the US Consular Agency in Montego Bay will be closed to the public in observance of the Jamaican National Elections on Monday, August 27. There will be no visa interviews or routine American Citizen Services available. Visa applicants holding interview dates for August 27 are NOT required to make new appointments. The embassy has set aside Thursday, September 20 to interview anyone possessing a valid appointment confirmation for August 27. Applicants who desire to travel prior to September 20 are encouraged to monitor the embassy’s website for possible openings and cancellations. The embassy’s website is http://kingston.usembassy.gov/non-immigrant_visas.html. (more)

Mrs. Scott

[nannygirl82 0]

Sarah hate to be the bad news person....but even thought they may say a couple of days it can take weeks or months to get...they told mike a week...it took more like 2 weeks to get...so i would just hold tight and and he will get it....and talking to airpak....waste of time....

[12/11/2006 0]

We heard from one of Andre's brothers last night who doesn't live in the family home but in Spring Village a ways away. He said his house that he rents got severe water damage and has a hole in the roof, so he is staying with another friend. He hasn't been able to get in touch with anyone in the family in May Pen and he tried to go and see them yesterday but the roads were blocked and he didn't have the time to walk the whole way - so still no word from them at all.

Anna, I heard the same type of thing about the power. I know a lot of people go to major businesses and take the chance of "stealing" the power to charge their phones. I remember the last hurricane one of the gas stations was selling charges for X amount of dollars...crazy

I can't even imagine not having power for a whole 2 months. A lot of power lines are down in JA and my mom and I was talking about how long it was going to take. Its just crazy because you would think that the electrical company would employ more people to take care of this matter. I'm not just talking now but on a regular basis. The first thing that JA should respect is Preparedness for Disasters. If you know that an attempt of a Hurricane happens so offten or the actual hurricane, then wouldn't it just make sense to make the necessary precautions and develop a quick response team. It just all seems like common sense to me. I don't even know what he is going to do to get power for the cell phones. I know that I'll be down there and we better get our friggin visa because what woman you know is going to travel miles away to be in the friggin dark in another country if she doesn't truly love the person and it isn't legit. Sorry guys I am just pissed off because the country is just to lax for me. We always talk about moving back there after a while but I'm a tell you, I can't move somewhere that is so backwards. They are going to have to make some serious changes for me to live there. I love the beach and the freedom but I also love civilization and common sense.

I don't want this to get out of hand, but Shonnie.....just a quick question....have you traveled to any other 3rd world countries? or know of anyone that lives in another country (even the USA) that has been devasted by mother nature?? After traveling to Jamaica for 10 yrs and other countries all of my life and seeing, hanging and getting to know the island, the people, way of life, etc etc etc, we all "appreciate" the comforts that most of us have here at home. Craig was petrified of me going to stay at his place because of no hot water, just the way the house is.....but I LOVE his home, the cold water....whatever I dealt with it. Having to run a hose from one house to another. Not having running water to do dishes, clothes, etc etc..........that was absolutely no big deal to me. My Uncle has a beach (summer) house, we grew up staying there for the summers when we were kids. We had no hot water, air conditioning, heat. It was pretty rundown (in normal standards), but ........we LOVED going there. I love the fact that I'm able to show my son how other cultures live and appreciate the things that he has, which trust me, he doesn't get everything "he" wants. He just bought his own Xbox 360. Worked all summer and paid $400.00 for it !!

If it's only for a few days, work with it. You are going to be with a man that is from a totally different culture. For the 1st year that he's here, you'll be "training" him to do and use alllllllllllllllllllllllllllll sorts of things. Going to the grocery store....he won't believe his eyes !! You think you are frustrated??? Shoot....you just wait till he gets here !!!

I am not being mean....and I know that you are frustrated, it's frustrating that some have to live the way they do, even in good ole US of A !!!!

When I spoke earlier I was speaking of available resources. To answer your question yes I have been traveling to and from JA for awhile. My entire family is from there and yes they are from the country, country area. My family originated from Darliston in Westmoreland including my grandmother and mother. When I stay with my fiance we stay in Mulgrave District....The people at the embassy in Kingston asked me if that was located in Jamaica. It was unheard of. There we have no running water, no bathroom (and my fiance is a certified plumber), showering outside, a table top stove, and one electrical cord that is connected to only god know where from . I have stayed with him on numerous occassions and lived in his conditions. I love it there because it was pretty much natural. He also was very embarrassed when I had to stay with him for 2 weeks under those conditions. I mean, no one drives their car by the house because of the conditions of the roads. But, in my opinion when you look JA and compare certain things in the country as a whole and you research how much money they receive off of tourism ( how many people fly in daily), how much money they receive on goods (exports) and then you stay in the country where there is brown water coming out of your pipes located in the yard then you realize the deprivation. When I am in Mobay and Kingston vs. the country country part, its like i'm on a whole different island. Yes there are many things right here in the US that need to be addressed for the most part, if there are people here living without electricty and water, sorry to say but thats their own fault because there are RESOURCES available to them. I work for the Department of Public Health of the city and with people who come from absolutely nothing and are given the option to receive certain benefits offered by the government. Yes this is a richer country but we're not going sit here and act like certain resources could not be available for the citizens of Jamaica. I hate when people refer to JA as such a poor country because in reality, its really not that bad. Call it what it is, the government lacks in certain areas such as clean water to the people or even water at all. Water runs underground and it really doesn't take that much to make it accessible to all areas. When I took my laptop to the country for the children to use it. You should have seen how many wanted to sit and learn and how many actually did learn how to use it efficiently. The only things that were available to them was games and music on the laptop because they did not have the internet. But when you go to Mobay and Kingston, there is wireless internet for tourist.

I'm really not going to let this get outta hand because there are different strokes for different folks and I know that people are very sensitive to topics such as this. But when it comes to questioning my background and how much I know about living in poverty, trust me I have also lived without water and gas. Also, you wouldn't even believe some of the things that I have helped my fiance with living all the way over here. He now cooresponds with me via email when he gets to a computer that has internet access because I initiated that and made it available to him. I am the least bit worried about showing him how things move here in the U.S. because I know he will catch on quickly. He is very intelligent and I know that he will make the best from his resources here. This is why I have specifically chosen my profession. I want to help people as much as possible because it means nothing to me living above watching other people struggle.

[BelwinMills 0]

We heard from one of Andre's brothers last night who doesn't live in the family home but in Spring Village a ways away. He said his house that he rents got severe water damage and has a hole in the roof, so he is staying with another friend. He hasn't been able to get in touch with anyone in the family in May Pen and he tried to go and see them yesterday but the roads were blocked and he didn't have the time to walk the whole way - so still no word from them at all.

Anna, I heard the same type of thing about the power. I know a lot of people go to major businesses and take the chance of "stealing" the power to charge their phones. I remember the last hurricane one of the gas stations was selling charges for X amount of dollars...crazy

I can't even imagine not having power for a whole 2 months. A lot of power lines are down in JA and my mom and I was talking about how long it was going to take. Its just crazy because you would think that the electrical company would employ more people to take care of this matter. I'm not just talking now but on a regular basis. The first thing that JA should respect is Preparedness for Disasters. If you know that an attempt of a Hurricane happens so offten or the actual hurricane, then wouldn't it just make sense to make the necessary precautions and develop a quick response team. It just all seems like common sense to me. I don't even know what he is going to do to get power for the cell phones. I know that I'll be down there and we better get our friggin visa because what woman you know is going to travel miles away to be in the friggin dark in another country if she doesn't truly love the person and it isn't legit. Sorry guys I am just pissed off because the country is just to lax for me. We always talk about moving back there after a while but I'm a tell you, I can't move somewhere that is so backwards. They are going to have to make some serious changes for me to live there. I love the beach and the freedom but I also love civilization and common sense.

I don't want this to get out of hand, but Shonnie.....just a quick question....have you traveled to any other 3rd world countries? or know of anyone that lives in another country (even the USA) that has been devasted by mother nature?? After traveling to Jamaica for 10 yrs and other countries all of my life and seeing, hanging and getting to know the island, the people, way of life, etc etc etc, we all "appreciate" the comforts that most of us have here at home. Craig was petrified of me going to stay at his place because of no hot water, just the way the house is.....but I LOVE his home, the cold water....whatever I dealt with it. Having to run a hose from one house to another. Not having running water to do dishes, clothes, etc etc..........that was absolutely no big deal to me. My Uncle has a beach (summer) house, we grew up staying there for the summers when we were kids. We had no hot water, air conditioning, heat. It was pretty rundown (in normal standards), but ........we LOVED going there. I love the fact that I'm able to show my son how other cultures live and appreciate the things that he has, which trust me, he doesn't get everything "he" wants. He just bought his own Xbox 360. Worked all summer and paid $400.00 for it !!

If it's only for a few days, work with it. You are going to be with a man that is from a totally different culture. For the 1st year that he's here, you'll be "training" him to do and use alllllllllllllllllllllllllllll sorts of things. Going to the grocery store....he won't believe his eyes !! You think you are frustrated??? Shoot....you just wait till he gets here !!!

I am not being mean....and I know that you are frustrated, it's frustrating that some have to live the way they do, even in good ole US of A !!!!

Yes you will have to teach him many new gadgets. Kelly right on. It is just what they know and how they grew up and they know no different. When my friends came up from Jamaica I took 6 of them to walmart for the first time we stayed for six hours. CRAZY I TELL U!!!! The washer and dryer can even be tricky. Finding a job can be frustrating. Thank goodness school starts next week for hubby. I think the real journey starts when our SO get here. We have had wonderful times but its a lot of change for our SO's to get use to. Thank goodness my man had many friends here when he came. His friends partied all night at our reception and were the last to leave the pig roast. We met one of his sisters cousins in the south burbs which is helpful cause he moved here 5 years ago. Net working on here with wonderful people has been great and helpful.

With work starting off and being crazy now. Having friends around is wonderful. I can't imagine just me showing him around all the time. I had to move my classroom on the first day of school. They added an extra Kindergarten class. Yesterday we moved 3 classrooms. Going from the fourth floor to the portable unit outside. I have had a sub everyday this week and hope to teach on Friday (so not ready yet). I haven't spent anytime with hubby at all this week. He understands and I told him to go out with his friends this week before school starts.

O.K. I hope I make a little bit of sense I am so tired and aching but have been missing my VJ addiction.

All the best to everyones family during the clean up time.

[12/11/2006 0]

On a lighter note! Melvin received his medical in Mobay and was told that the embassy would receive his results via mail. So hopefully things well will work out and the embassy will receive it on time. He said they did not use the sealed envelope technique with him But thats okay. Thanks for your words of encouragement anyways.

[BelwinMills 0]

We heard from one of Andre's brothers last night who doesn't live in the family home but in Spring Village a ways away. He said his house that he rents got severe water damage and has a hole in the roof, so he is staying with another friend. He hasn't been able to get in touch with anyone in the family in May Pen and he tried to go and see them yesterday but the roads were blocked and he didn't have the time to walk the whole way - so still no word from them at all.

Anna, I heard the same type of thing about the power. I know a lot of people go to major businesses and take the chance of "stealing" the power to charge their phones. I remember the last hurricane one of the gas stations was selling charges for X amount of dollars...crazy

I can't even imagine not having power for a whole 2 months. A lot of power lines are down in JA and my mom and I was talking about how long it was going to take. Its just crazy because you would think that the electrical company would employ more people to take care of this matter. I'm not just talking now but on a regular basis. The first thing that JA should respect is Preparedness for Disasters. If you know that an attempt of a Hurricane happens so offten or the actual hurricane, then wouldn't it just make sense to make the necessary precautions and develop a quick response team. It just all seems like common sense to me. I don't even know what he is going to do to get power for the cell phones. I know that I'll be down there and we better get our friggin visa because what woman you know is going to travel miles away to be in the friggin dark in another country if she doesn't truly love the person and it isn't legit. Sorry guys I am just pissed off because the country is just to lax for me. We always talk about moving back there after a while but I'm a tell you, I can't move somewhere that is so backwards. They are going to have to make some serious changes for me to live there. I love the beach and the freedom but I also love civilization and common sense.

I don't want this to get out of hand, but Shonnie.....just a quick question....have you traveled to any other 3rd world countries? or know of anyone that lives in another country (even the USA) that has been devasted by mother nature?? After traveling to Jamaica for 10 yrs and other countries all of my life and seeing, hanging and getting to know the island, the people, way of life, etc etc etc, we all "appreciate" the comforts that most of us have here at home. Craig was petrified of me going to stay at his place because of no hot water, just the way the house is.....but I LOVE his home, the cold water....whatever I dealt with it. Having to run a hose from one house to another. Not having running water to do dishes, clothes, etc etc..........that was absolutely no big deal to me. My Uncle has a beach (summer) house, we grew up staying there for the summers when we were kids. We had no hot water, air conditioning, heat. It was pretty rundown (in normal standards), but ........we LOVED going there. I love the fact that I'm able to show my son how other cultures live and appreciate the things that he has, which trust me, he doesn't get everything "he" wants. He just bought his own Xbox 360. Worked all summer and paid $400.00 for it !!

If it's only for a few days, work with it. You are going to be with a man that is from a totally different culture. For the 1st year that he's here, you'll be "training" him to do and use alllllllllllllllllllllllllllll sorts of things. Going to the grocery store....he won't believe his eyes !! You think you are frustrated??? Shoot....you just wait till he gets here !!!

I am not being mean....and I know that you are frustrated, it's frustrating that some have to live the way they do, even in good ole US of A !!!!

When I spoke earlier I was speaking of available resources. To answer your question yes I have been traveling to and from JA for awhile. My entire family is from there and yes they are from the country, country area. My family originated from Darliston in Westmoreland including my grandmother and mother. When I stay with my fiance we stay in Mulgrave District....The people at the embassy in Kingston asked me if that was located in Jamaica. It was unheard of. There we have no running water, no bathroom (and my fiance is a certified plumber), showering outside, a table top stove, and one electrical cord that is connected to only god know where from . I have stayed with him on numerous occassions and lived in his conditions. I love it there because it was pretty much natural. He also was very embarrassed when I had to stay with him for 2 weeks under those conditions. I mean, no one drives their car by the house because of the conditions of the roads. But, in my opinion when you look JA and compare certain things in the country as a whole and you research how much money they receive off of tourism ( how many people fly in daily), how much money they receive on goods (exports) and then you stay in the country where there is brown water coming out of your pipes located in the yard then you realize the deprivation. When I am in Mobay and Kingston vs. the country country part, its like i'm on a whole different island. Yes there are many things right here in the US that need to be addressed for the most part, if there are people here living without electricty and water, sorry to say but thats their own fault because there are RESOURCES available to them. I work for the Department of Public Health of the city and with people who come from absolutely nothing and are given the option to receive certain benefits offered by the government. Yes this is a richer country but we're not going sit here and act like certain resources could not be available for the citizens of Jamaica. I hate when people refer to JA as such a poor country because in reality, its really not that bad. Call it what it is, the government lacks in certain areas such as clean water to the people or even water at all. Water runs underground and it really doesn't take that much to make it accessible to all areas. When I took my laptop to the country for the children to use it. You should have seen how many wanted to sit and learn and how many actually did learn how to use it efficiently. The only things that were available to them was games and music on the laptop because they did not have the internet. But when you go to Mobay and Kingston, there is wireless internet for tourist.

I'm really not going to let this get outta hand because there are different strokes for different folks and I know that people are very sensitive to topics such as this. But when it comes to questioning my background and how much I know about living in poverty, trust me I have also lived without water and gas. Also, you wouldn't even believe some of the things that I have helped my fiance with living all the way over here. He now cooresponds with me via email when he gets to a computer that has internet access because I initiated that and made it available to him. I am the least bit worried about showing him how things move here in the U.S. because I know he will catch on quickly. He is very intelligent and I know that he will make the best from his resources here. This is why I have specifically chosen my profession. I want to help people as much as possible because it means nothing to me living above watching other people struggle.

I want to say your right when he will catch on very quickly. My husband has caught on very quickly to all of the changes. As long as your helpful and very understanding things will go smoothly! Thanks for sharing so much on your background

On a lighter note! Melvin received his medical in Mobay and was told that the embassy would receive his results via mail. So hopefully things well will work out and the embassy will receive it on time. He said they did not use the sealed envelope technique with him But thats okay. Thanks for your words of encouragement anyways.

All will be wonderful! My husband went through MoBay also and everything arrived for the interview. That is wonderful news and Congrats

[JA Tam 7]

Hubby scheduled his medical at Andrews Memorial for September 7th @ 9am

Edited August 23, 2007 by JA Tam

[Dwarf_Ogress 0]

Congrats on the medicals!

And thanks for the words of encouragement, I am just hoping that Marlon can come here by the end of August so he won't have to pay rent for September!

[Empress 0]

On a lighter note! Melvin received his medical in Mobay and was told that the embassy would receive his results via mail. So hopefully things well will work out and the embassy will receive it on time. He said they did not use the sealed envelope technique with him But thats okay. Thanks for your words of encouragement anyways.

Mr. Man did his medical today also but I forgot to ask him if they gave him the results. lol

Anyhoo because of an issue that prolly will come up at the interview (didn't want to risk lying) he checked yes to ever using drugs so the doctor gave him a marijuana urine test NOT BLOOD. The doctor asked him when he used it and he told him that it was when he was a teenager and he was experimenting . I'm confident he'll pass since he passed the blood test couple weeks ago. He believes the doctor would not have tested him if he didn't admit to using it in the past (on the medical sheet). The doctor also told him the blood test was only for HIV and I think TB.

So my advice, as others have said, is NEVER admit to using it unless you have some other reason to. And if for some reason you want to admit it, at least lie that it was over 3 years ago because they WILL ban you. And don't tek the urine weed test as gospel many people have been given blood and/or hair tests

I'll get back to you about whether they gave him the results or not.

[USA-Jamaica 0]

On a lighter note! Melvin received his medical in Mobay and was told that the embassy would receive his results via mail. So hopefully things well will work out and the embassy will receive it on time. He said they did not use the sealed envelope technique with him But thats okay. Thanks for your words of encouragement anyways.

Mr. Man did his medical today also but I forgot to ask him if they gave him the results. lol

Anyhoo because of an issue that prolly will come up at the interview (didn't want to risk lying) he checked yes to ever using drugs so the doctor gave him a marijuana urine test NOT BLOOD. The doctor asked him when he used it and he told him that it was when he was a teenager and he was experimenting . I'm confident he'll pass since he passed the blood test couple weeks ago. He believes the doctor would not have tested him if he didn't admit to using it in the past (on the medical sheet). The doctor also told him the blood test was only for HIV and I think TB.

So my advice, as others have said, is NEVER admit to using it unless you have some other reason to. And if for some reason you want to admit it, at least lie that it was over 3 years ago because they WILL ban you. And don't tek the urine weed test as gospel many people have been given blood and/or hair tests

I'll get back to you about whether they gave him the results or not.

Empress...How much did the medical cost? Did this include the cost for the shots and how many shots did your spouse get?

Jeniec