« The Brand | Main | I'll give you my heart »

February 11, 2006

No worries

No worries, no worries mon. It's a phrase you hear a lot in Jamaica. When I was there in 2003 and the Ritz-Carlton misplaced Deidra's bag for a few hours, that was the only response the bellmen had. (They did find it eventually, so see, we had no reason to worry.) But it's a hard adjustment, your first few hours there, as you get used to island time, island culture.

Island Time is tough for an American. We're so used to having everything move at the speed of technology - we get what we want when we want it. Pizzas, television shows, movies - they're all ready when we pick up the phone or go online or turn on our iPods.

But in Jamaica you have to wait. A lot. This will my third trip to the island, so I'm fairly used to Island Time by now. I usually take my watch off as soon as we land, because what's the point? You'll eat/go on that boat ride/get your drink eventually. No worries!

My bed is currently littered with about four bathing suits, numerous pairs of flip flops and one sweater - for the return flight. I keep thinking that I need to pack something else, but apart from my bridesmaid dress and a bikini, what do I need? It's not like I'll ever need to put on a pair of pants or anything. The only closed-toed shoes I'll have are my running sneakers and I'll probably just wear them on the plane. (I'm a smart packer.) Luckily, this leaves plenty of room in my suitcase for rum.

In exactly one week Sarah will be married and I'll probably have a slight sunburn. (SPF 15 is no match for the sun near the EQUATOR.) And then I'll come back to spend the next five days in Sarah's house with three dogs, a cat and my shaky sanity. But by then I'll have my own bottle of Appleton's and I can just smile, raise my glass and tell my own personal Montego, "No worries, mon."

Posted by hannah at 02:31 PM