Mercedes

At first I thought Stuttgart was going to be a small city - Wikipedia says it has a population of 600,038.  But the metropolitan area has 5.3 million.  I guess everyone comes in from the metropolitan area, because there's a lot of people on the streets!

It's actually a nice city, with a lot of restaurants, bars, and a shopping street.  But the main attraction of the city is the Mercedes Benz museum! 

The town

We're staying in a hotel probably in the centre of the town, and it's a beautiful town.  A lot of stuff is available within walking distance, and it's very pedestrian friendly.  There's an abundance of cafes, bars, and restaurants just around the corner.  At the same time, it's still a small, quaint town, and the people are nice; I like it. Wish I could've uploaded a couple of pictures that I took, but my phone isn't co-operating.

Edit: Here are the pictures!

On the street

From the hotel

New adventure

As fate would have it, I will go on another adventure, for an undefined period of time in Backnang, Germany!  Flight leaves in a few hours, but wanted to do a quick inaugural post prior to leaving.  See you on the other side.

Wrap up

I should have done this at least a few weeks ago, but better late than never!  Never late is better, but I guess a part of me is still running on island time.  My six months ended as of April 15, 2011 and it'll be a six months that I'll remember.  As much as I intended to arrive as a volunteer and bring my skills and knowledge to the table, I came away from the experience with much more.  I gained not only experiences and perspectives, but also friendships and memories.

Don't be dismayed at good-byes

A farewell is necessary before 
you can meet again.


And meeting again after moments or lifetimes
is certain for those who are friends.


So long Jamaica, see you soon.

Bus

During the week, I took my usual route to work during the days.  But one of these days was different than the rest.  One morning the coaster (minibus) was full by the time I got on (it doesn't stop more people from getting in).  That in itself isn't so different because my morning coasters are usually full to the point where it's like a game of twister trying to find a nice place to stand and something to hold onto.  This time, it was crowded enough that I stayed on the step of the bus.  Usually the conductor or 'ducta will say step up, telling you to get off the step and actually into the bus.  I figure it could be because he thinks either that it's more comfortable inside the bus and he would rather I be comfortable or that it's not as dangerous inside the bus and he would rather I be safe.  Since coming to Jamaica and seeing the coasters, I always wanted to stay on the step and hang outside the door.  That seemed to be the cool thing to do on coasters.  So on that very morning, I did what I always wanted to do and I graduated from being just a normal coaster rider.

It was in fact more comfortable since there's usually only two people on the step, and I'd say was safer too as there's something to hold onto without playing the game of twister.  Therefore, I conclude the step is exclusive.  And now, my Jamaican experience is complete.  Time to chill on the beach!

Sunday Morning

Kingston, Jamaica.  It's straightforward, in your face, full of life and bursting with personality.  The roads are jammed with taxi and bus drivers who seem to compete for who can go the fastest and talk with each other in a language of honks, even in gridlocked traffic; here, it's the bicyclists that come out as surprise winners.  As you walk down the street, you pass by higglers, bag juice and snack sellers, car phone charger sellers, all legitimate or otherwise, and everyone seems to be yelling at each other, at you, or at no one in particular, it's hard to tell.


And he rested on the seventh day..
Then you wake up on a Sunday morning.  You decide to step outside and there's only a few cars on the road.  You don't hear honking horns, and there's not too many people out on the road.  You walk around the neighbourhood and observe peace and quiet.

It's neat how different the city feels.  Today, as I walked to my local grocery store, it felt like I was back at home. Kingston is definitely a city of two faces.  Actually three faces - as a fellow volunteer, Dom, has pointed out, the city at night is again, decidedly different.  Perhaps it's because everyone's at Sunday service, or recovering from Saturday night's parties.  The city itself feels relaxed.  And I quite enjoy it.  We all need a day of rest every now and then to rejuvenate and recharge.

Iced tea on the balcony.  Too bad the grill's there

Buns

It took me five and a half months, almost the entirety of my stay, but I found a Chinese bakery, or rather, the bakery found me.  As I visited my local grocery store, lo and behold, inside, they were selling these buns.  A lady comes in every Sunday to sell, and I only have gone on Saturdays or during the week.  Mission accomplished.

Stone Love

East Japanese Restaurant 6th Anniversary Customer Appreciation Party @ Stone Love

On a Sunday night, a friend mentioned that there were tickets to a customer appreciation party the next night, being Monday night.  The host was East Japanese Restaurant.  Having eaten there once, I appreciated the food they have there for sure.  If I ever wanted to eat some good sushi, I know where to go.  However, with their price point, I find I don't have cravings for raw fish all that often here.

In any case, regardless of how much or how little I personally frequent the restaurant, someone frequented the restaurant enough to get some extra tickets to the event.  I figure, even if it's a Monday night, I'll hang out, and if there's a chance I get to have some more of their food, why not?!  We drove to the parking lot of one of the plazas I pass by frequently, and I thought, I don't remember seeing any type of venue here...  And it was true, there wasn't.  Instead, we hopped in a shuttle bus going to a spot a block down the street.  Literally, a block.  Only in Jamaica.  After the night was over, we walked back to the parking lot and it took us no longer than two minutes.  But still, we were shuttled over.

Turned out to be a nice spot, that had a good vibe.  The free food and open bar might have had something to do with that.  What I think was the neatest thing though was the mutual respect and appreciation the two cultures have for each other.  Jamaicans and Japanese.  The Japanese are probably some of the most frequent tourists to Kingston, which may be like a mecca of music and culture for them, but it really isn't the tourist hot spot.  Jamaicans I think are just very warm, welcoming, and supportive to those who arrive with an open mind and embrace what the country has to offer.  A simply yet effective gesture of this support was a donation box that was passed around in support of the quake.  This night occurred shortly after the earthquake so it was nice to see how in-tune and supportive everyone was being by helping out in any way they can.

That night was really cool.  But these days, even the nights are starting to get hot.  I thought that I was starting to adjust to the heat midway through my placement here - thought I was starting to live like a Jamaican.  Now I realize that I just happened to have some good timing.  Even though the weather doesn't fluctuate too much, i.e. no snow, the difference in temperature is definitely noticeable from the winter to the summer.  I look forward to cooler weather again when I get back to Toronto, which is in less than three weeks time.  But I always say that if I complain about the cold, I can't complain about the heat.  So who am I to complain!

The evening before our Blue Mountain hike (see previous post)