living in ja part time has its trying times..no doubt...living out of the tourist hub, imo, is the real living in ja...negril is a place where most vacation...i have long long time friends who have lived in negril for a long time and do not frequent the forums...that said, i live a simple life where i do not see a tourist or non jamaican for weeks on end...being a white woman in a small ja community is not easy...not saying i am not treated well, but it does take a long time to be let in...shopping etc. is a strange thing in ja...i tend to fill the shopping cart a the grocery store, which to much ja folk is not affordable and think why she need so much...i have learned to curb this practice some but the old ways still hang with me...now this vehicle bullsh*t is a real pain...every year you have to get a fitness which is not cheap...2500ja for the paper from the tax office...then the pay under if you know what i mean is not cheap...that always seems to be an all day process. then insurance, cause my car is older requires valuation each year...another day wasted...i hate all these time required musts...the stores are a nightmare at times as i do not want that person assisting me constantly, their job apparently...makes me feel like running out of the store , cause if just want to shop myself...the good, bad and ugly of having a home in ja is not easy...something no one should enter in without doing mega research...it is easy to sit in the tourist trap and sing how wonderfull ja is, but some do not know that living there is not a basket of flowers...i live there in winter as my health cannot manage the north...because the question is always why you always go to the same place...honestly it is cost effective for me...a direct flight is almost always available if i need to get back...so when you consider ja as a semi retirement place there is much to consider...a little more in a bit...so lets see what the rest of you ja residents think?
Thank you Bozz, that is some food for thought, for sure.
Everything you say rings true louder than a bell in a churchyard..
I often spend time out in the Cockpit country where we're building a likkle,likkle place(no run water-no electric)..and yeah, being the only white person (and woman to booth) can be more than trying at times..Like I was explaining to JJ-I often feel like Alice in Wonderland and I just fell in the rabbits hole...Its a beautiful world but downright maddening at times-makes no sense-and the cast of characters !!!!!! Some days I say why the hell am I even here dealing with this nonsense and of course other times I feel like one very fortunate person who's been truly blessed to go on this journey...
I do not live there full time but spend the max. amount time there off/on..And YES, its a different game living there full time (not just 3months,etc-part time) and esp. if you don't have a heap of cash and if must make a living there-now that's one hell-of-hill to climb up and much respect /admiration to those who do it...
Funny, I was just speaking with a buddy who is from Mauritius. He married his brother's wife after the brother died. Tried to bring her here. I asked him if he was still working on it and he said no. There is no way she could handle the isolation, coming from a community where she knows everyone. I asked if he would retire there or spend long term time and he no. Costs him too much, cause all his family and friends want the money from the rich Canadian.
Happens everywhere....