Why are so many Jamaicans still dying on our roads?

I strongly believe that the carnage on our roads is also a factor of the chaotic and undisciplined nature of many Jamaicans. Many simply just do not care until it is too late.

Petchary's Blog

We love roads. We are continuously building new ones. More concrete, oil consumption, noise, greenhouse gas emissions, and pollution are definitely the way to go, it appears.

The mindset seems to be: Let’s try to get from A to B faster! It’s so important to get from, say, Kingston to Mandeville in an hour rather than an hour and fifteen minutes. Let’s go! This is development!

We are looking forward to the Montego Bay Bypass (which will be ploughing through a wetlands area), the Port Antonio Bypass (why on earth do we need one – it’s a small town?) and the widening of Lady Musgrave Road in uptown Kingston into a four-lane urban highway (just what the community and residents do not need, but their wishes are largely overlooked). Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced a major package of road-building in his long Budget Speech on Thursday (March 17).

A pedestrian…

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“They’ve left us to eat stones now:” The latest Vice News film on the impacts of bauxite mining in Jamaica

Petchary's Blog

Last month, the U.S.-based Vice News posted a second video on the community response to bauxite mining in Jamaica. The Jamaica Environment Trust is reminding us to watch it; the YouTube link is here. The 20-minute report is a follow-up to their 2021 feature, which you can find here. As of May 2, the video has more than 200,000 views and over 1,000 comments.

Yes, we are talking about the community; people. The film also interviews the Maroon Chief of Accompany, Chief Currie – to some Jamaicans a controversial figure, and refers to the Maroons’ claims of sovereignty, as an indigenous people. Whatever you think about the Maroons, Chief Currie and the Cockpit Country residents are not the only Jamaicans affected by bauxite mining. There are many other examples – for example, those living near to the Rio Cobre, which has been polluted by another bauxite…

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Introducing: Eat With Us Catering

Hey guys! For this blog post I will be introducing a new business venture on behalf of a friend. It’s a new catering business called “Eat With Us Catering”. Read on below for more information:

 

 

Tired of seeing the same humdrum food for exorbitant prices? No worries, those concerns have fueled the creation of this catering service. We provide food that will induce nostalgia and euphoria in the minds and stomachs of our customers.

Passion about food and making people happy through food has become the impetus to provide quality food at reasonable prices. Currently we cater for birthday parties, baby showers, repast, corporate events and receptions.

Our services can be accessed by sending a direct message to eatwithus_ja on Instagram and Eat With Us Ja on Facebook or email at eatwithusja@gmail.com.

Our operating number is 876-427-4330.

About Us

Eat With Us Catering is a catering company established in August 2019. We provide contemporary and traditional dishes from Jamaica tapping into our ‘Out of Many’ cultural influences. We come to you and cater to your epicurean appetite. Through our service we hope to concoct dream meals for our clients, so Come Eat With Us!

 

 

Give them a call if you’re ever in need of a catering service. Until the next post, bye for now.

-Tamera

I went to Denbigh 2019!

This past August I went to the Denbigh Agricultural show for the first time. I had always wanted to go as a child but I never got the opportunity. Thinking about it….I never really went much of anywhere growing up….which is sad but I have made a vow to change that. The agricultural show, formally known as the Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show, is an annual event held in May Pen, Clarendon.

Me Posing at the Hi-Pro Booth

According to the Jamaica Agricultural Society (the entity responsible for staging the event), The Denbigh Show :

• is the oldest, largest and most dynamic Agricultural Show in the English Speaking Caribbean
• one of Jamaica’s most iconic events
• held for the first time in 1952
• attracts over 80,000 patrons to the event annually

So, Denbigh is a pretty a big deal in Jamaica, I still don’t know how it took me 23 years to reach but hey, better late than never. This year’s show was the 67th staging of the event and I managed to drag my mom along. We took many pictures, therefore the remainder of this blog post will be filled with them. I hope you guys enjoy this post!

My Mother Posing at the Hi-Pro Booth

The highlight of my day was when I visited the Isratech Jamaica Limited booth, a company that specializes in providing sustainable solutions for industries such as agriculture, water and energy. I have a background in studying aspects of sustainability, so their company really appealed to me.

I truly believed they captured the essence of the show’s theme which was “Aligning Farming Decisions with Climatic Conditions”. Their display of products and services offered by the company made me more aware that agriculture can benefit from technology. At their booth I saw a mechanism which was dubbed “Fertigation Equipment”, a system that irrigated and fertilized plants simultaneously with the use of technology.

Additionally, I saw the use of Eco plugs that can facilitate transplanting. The materials used to be make the plugs were biodegradable and would be of no harm to environment. So, if you wanted to start a back yard farming project, you could check them out.

I was very fascinated by all of this, you can see the pictures below:

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I also saw displays of jams and jellies made in Jamaica from locally sourced fruits. My mother purchased the Otaheite Jam and I can report that it is delicious.

 

I visited the Coconut Industry Board’s booth and I found out that there are many varieties of coconuts! All my life I thought coconuts were just coconuts lol, knowledge is power my friends.

 

The natural hair blogger in me (Follow my hair page @tamis_fro on Instagram) was also very present! I had to find the natural hair products! I went to the Jahmek Beauty Systems Booth and viewed their “Wow” product line. The staff at the booth were really friendly! I bought their “Comb Free” product and used it to detangle my hair. I really liked it as it provided tons of slip and did not rip out my type 4 strands.

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I also got the opportunity to view some farm animals and I got my close up with a goat too!

As it is an agricultural show, there were many visual arrangements made up of fruits, vegetables and ground provisions.

 

Don’t forget the plants! I honestly regret not buying a couple.

I then ran into a very large chicken……..

He was a cool guy, we even took a picture together…..(pardon that other guy)

Me and the Big Chicken

 

Overall, I had fun at Denbigh and I will be definitely visiting the show again. How about you guys? Have you ever been to Denbigh? If not, would you consider going?

Thanks for reading.

Until the next post!

-Tamera

Steps on Getting A Driver’s License in Jamaica (2019)

Hey guys I’m back with another post! If you remember my first post My Struggles With Learning How to Drive in Jamaica I complained bitterly about my experience with learning to drive and the fear of my impending test. So based on the topic of this post, it’s safe to assume that I got my Driver’s License!! I am so glad I got it on the first try, so happy to the point that I’m going to write a blog post. I hope that by doing this I can provide some clarity to the process and help another person who may be in a similar situation such as I was.

This is going to be a pretty comprehensive blog post. 

According to Tax Administration Jamaica, A driver’s licence is a permit which allows you to operate a motor vehicle legally. Under Jamaica’s Road Traffic Laws, you must be licensed to operate a motor vehicle on the road ways. For a Learner Driver you must apply and pay for a Provisional Driver’s License, which can be obtained at your local Tax Office. The Provisional Driver’s License allows an unlicensed individual to operate a motor vehicle on the public roads while under the supervision of a driver with a license. You should be at least 17 years of age. At the Tax Office you will need to present:

• Your Tax Registration Number (TRN)
• 2 Passport Sized Pictures that have been notarized
• $1800* application fee

*Accurate at the time of writing and is subject to increase 

You will also be asked to complete a short application form, which is used to prove literacy, as you are expected to be literate before you take on the nation’s roads. Which I am going to assume you are since you’re reading this article. This process is pretty seamless and should take no more than 30 minutes but depending on the time of the month you visit the Tax Office you may encounter longer waiting times.

There are also classes of Driver’s Licenses that you should be aware of. They are the Private License and the General License.

Private Driver’s License

A person holding a private licence is allowed to drive only a motor car, however, it can be of standard or automatic transmission. The choice is based on the preference of the driver. You can also drive SUV’s like a Rav4. You will need to read the Road Code book; its referred to as the red book and is easily accessible.

General Driver’s License

A person holding a general licence is allowed to drive trucks, public passenger vehicles (PPV), and commercial vehicles. However, a person cannot drive a PPV unless it is stipulated on the licence. Additionally, the driver must be at least 21 years old.
When paying for the Driving Exam a General Licence application must be signed by a medical doctor, while this is not required for a Private Licence. You will need to read both the Road Code book (red book) and the Mechanics book ( called the green book, I did’t use it so I am not entirely sure of what it looks like).

Driving Lessons

After you have done all the above it is now time to procure the services of a Driving Instructor. If your relatives are willing to teach you then great. If you don’t have relatives available to teach you, then you will need an instructor. Costs varies from instructor to instructor and you also have to think about if you would like to go with an established driving school or to go with a private individual. One thing you should expect from the get go is that Standard Lessons will be more expensive than Automatic Lessons.

Most instructors will charge a flat rate per lesson and a package rate for up to 10 lessons. There is no set number on the amount lessons required, therefore it is up to you to make the best of your lessons. If you have the convenience to practice with a private car at home then do so and do it frequently. If not, do not fear, I didn’t get much practice outside of paid lessons and I made it. However, you may have to pay for more lessons, supplement with YouTube videos and by definitely reading the prescribed books.

Driving Test

After you have completed the requisite lessons your competence will be tested at an examination board. You will have to return to the Tax Office and obtain and an additional application form for the class of license you will be tested on or you can print them online from TAJ’s website (wish I knew that). Now :

• You will have fill out the form and get it notarized.
• You will need 3 more notarized passport pictures and
• The test fee, I paid $3,240.00 for a Private Test. It’s the same cost for a General Test.

To be honest at no point did anyone ask if me I was Private Automatic or Private Standard. My license doesn’t differentiate either.

I did a Private Automatic test so from this point forward I will only be able to share what I did on my test day.

1. Written Test-  I did 25 Multiple choice questions examining my knowledge of the road code. It was very easy and will be for you too provided you studied the questions and answers at the back of the books. At the end of the test you will also be asked to read a sentence to prove that you can read.
2. Yard Test- This included a parallel parking test and a reverse test.
3. Road Test- This was done on the road and is used to test your comprehensive knowledge of the road. You will be tested on your awareness, use of appropriate signals, use of mirrors, using minor roads to turn back, acknowledgement of speed limits, possible use of a round a bout or dual carriage way. Ask that your instructor take you on test route frequently during your lessons so that you can be familiarized with it. Don’t be shy, you’re paying for it.

If you are a successful applicant….

You will be given a date to pick up your Driver’s License at your local Tax Office – do not rush to go there on that date, it will not be ready. Go a month after the date given. At that point you will pay the prescribed fee for a Private Driver’s License. I paid $5400* . For a General License, the fee is $7,200*.

*Accurate at time of writing. Subject to change.

If you are an unsuccessful applicant….

You will receive a new appointment slip indicating the areas of failure and a return date. You will return on the new date with a new examination fee receipt (yes you have to pay again). You will not redo the sections you passed, only the sections you failed. So if you passed the written, passed the reverse and failed the parallel when you return you will pick up from the parallel.

I’ve provided links to Tax Administration Website for additional Information:

https://www.jamaicatax.gov.jm/motor-vehicle-driver-s-licence1

https://www.jamaicatax.gov.jm/rates-and-fees

https://www.jamaicatax.gov.jm/documents/10181/106857/Motor+Vehicle++Driver%27s+Licence+Fees+brochure+20022018.pdf/21fbad76-8504-0e98-bd4e-54bf63d5cd22

 

I hope that this article was helpful. Until next time!

73 Vogue Inspired Questions Answered- Tamera On Life

Hey guys, I got tagged in this a while back by fellow blogger Adventures From Elle but I’ve been experiencing some technical difficulties. Hopefully this hasn’t gone out of style, so without further ado, here are my responses to the 73 Vogue Inspired Questions.

1. What are you most excited about these days? Growing in my career and my personal life.

2. What’s your favorite holiday? The Emanci-pendence period, there’s just something about national pride on display that gets my heart smiling.

3. Favorite season? Jamaica doesn’t have many distinct seasons, but I like the Christmas breeze.

4. Where does one go on a perfect road trip? I hate long drives….sorry

5. What is the best activity when home on a rainy day?  Sleep and self reflection

6. If you could switch lives with someone for a day who would it be? A well cared for child…If I could go 1 month without paying a bill! My gosh!

7. What is the best thing that happened this year? Wow, several great things happened and I know more are coming but I can definitely say that landing my current job was a great moment for me.

8. What’s your New Year’s resolution? Continuous growth

9. What’s your favorite exercise? I’m very lazy….yes I confess. However, when I am not feeling like a slob a good game of basketball does the trick.

10. Best way to decompress? Sitting in silence or listening to really loud reggae music…there is no middle ground for me.

11. What’s your favorite country to visit? I’ve only visited one other country so I don’t think I have a broad enough view to pick a favorite.

12. Last country you visited? The United States of America

13. Country you wish to visit? Ghana

14. What’s your favorite ice-cream? Strawberry from Devon House

15. What makes you smile the most? Seeing good things happen to people who deserve it.

16. What’s the coolest thing in the world? Nature

17. What is the cutest thing in the world? Kittens, however, I am not a fan of animals.

18. How do you know if you’re in love? When all logic has gone through the door.

19. If you could go to any concert past or present, what would it be? Coldplay Rock in Rio 2016

20. What’s the best gift you’ve ever received? My guitar. I can’t play it to save my life but the fact that I asked for it and I actually got it has made me treasure it so much.

21. Favorite fashion trend of all time? Sundresses

22. What’s your favorite movie of all time? Anything from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

23. What was the movie that made you cry? Titanic….yes,yes…I bawled

24. If you could make a documentary, what would it be about? Transportation systems in Jamaica (I’m an urban planner these things interest me).

25. If you could have one superpower what would it be? Strength

26. What is the skill still unmastered? How to not procrastinate.

27. What is the best thing that happened to you today? I woke up

28. Do you like surprises? No, people like me don’t know how to act and will probably make it awkward for everybody.

29. If you could do a flash mob where would it be? No where

30. Do you like cupcakes? Yes

31. Do you usually bake cupcakes? No

32. What’s your favorite dessert? Cheesecake

33. Is there a desert you don’t like? Anything chocolate flavored. Eat real chocolate please

34. What’s your favorite bakery? Pastry Passions

35. What’s your favorite food? Curry chicken and white rice

36. It’s brunch, what do you eat? Chicken patty and cocoa bread

37. You are stuck on an island, you can pick one food to eat forever without getting tired of it, what would you eat? Jamaican Apple

38. Favorite color? Anything that is bright and vibrant

39. Favorite superhero?  Goku

40. What do you usually order in Starbucks? (or in your favorite café) N/A

41. Who is the last person you texted? A friend

42. What’s your favorite activity to do in your hometown? Nothing…there is nothing to do here.

43. What’s the next book you plan on reading? The Bible

44. What do you love on your pizza? PINEAPPLE

45. Favorite drink? Carrot Punch

46. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Milk Chocolate

47. What’s your favorite band?  Coldplay

48. Favorite solo artist? N/A

49. Favorite lyrics?

“Victory
When you’re winning it’s a sweet story
But when your not then the war is bitter
You’re quick to call me a sinner
Only Jah Jah knows my history
So we haffi give the king glory
Like a tree planted by the river
I a smile with the sun
Cyah keep we down cah we have to overcome”

Victory-Chronixx & Keznamdi

50. If your life was a song what would the title be? Victory

51. If you could master one instrument what would it be? The Guitar

52. If you had a tattoo where would it be? Not a fan

53. To be or not to be? To be

54. Dolphins or koalas? Neither

55. How do you like your coffee? Very milky

56. What’s your favorite curse word? I am actually trying not to curse.

57. What color of dress did you wear to prom? Aqua…I hated that dress.

58. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds.

59. Cheap shampoo or expensive? Cheap shampoo

60. Blow dry or air dry? Air Dry

61. Heels or flats? Flats

62. Pilates or yoga? N/A

63. Jogging or swimming? Swimming

64. One thing you can’t live without? YouTube

65. What’s one cause that’s dear to your heart? Female Empowerment

66. Who would you want to shoot a love scene with? N/A

67. What’s your favorite sport? Basketball

68. Do you have a morning beauty ritual? Nope, I just wash my face and use some cheap moisturizer.

69. What’s your favorite thing to wear? Dresses

70. What’s the priciest thing you’ve ever splurged on? Expensive hair care products

71. Do you play any musical instruments? Nope

72. What is your favorite book of all time? Wow…I barely read books…Yeah I’m that person.

73. What is something you always travel with? My Adidas bag pack

My Struggles With Learning How to Drive in Jamaica

Hey, what’s up? My name is Tamera, I’m 23 years old, I’m a Jamaican and this is my first ever independent blog post. I created this word press account almost a year ago and I’ve just decided to take the writing plunge.

Introductions aside, lets’s get to the topic at hand: My Struggles With Learning How to Drive in Jamaica

I began driving lessons in the summer of 2017. I decided to learn the automatic transmission as I do not have the strength to take on standard transmission (fight me). At first it went pretty well; I caught on quickly and my instructor made me seem like I was actually made to drive (lol). However, after I did 10 lessons I didn’t feel ready to take the test and I had to go back to school as I was boarding away from home at the time. Unfortunately, while I spent another year at school I did not do any practice at all and the by the time I went back home in the following summer of 2018 I was back at square 1. By this time my first Provisional Driver’s License had expired and I needed to purchase another one. So I did that and went back to taking lessons at random intervals.

Initially, when I started my lessons they were JMD$1100 a lesson and by the time I came back the following year, the cost per lesson had jumped to JMD$1500. So you know as an unemployed university student/graduate I had to reallllly budget those lessons in. I eventually managed to secure a job, but another issue came up; I live far away from work so I didn’t have time to do lessons as frequently.

Now it’s May 2019, my second Provisional Driver’s License is expiring in July. I managed to get a couple more lessons in and my instructor told me to pay for the examination which is right around the corner.

The issue is, I don’t feel ready. Not only do I lack sufficient practice because I don’t have an available car at home, my instructor has sent into me a world wind of confusion.  After almost 2 years (On and OFF) of parking and reversing, he has just noticed that I am not very competent in a critical component of the road test. This discovery he conveniently made after he encouraged me to pay for the test and I now have a booked date waiting on me.

I am a nervous wreck.

Yes, my first blog is a blog of complaint, see with me. I am just so busted because I have invested considerably in getting this hurdle out of the way and now I feel like I have been wasting time. I want to punch myself.

So if you assumed that I’m here writing this blog as a means to seek validation for my feelings and to possibly get some encouragement, you are spot on. How do I pass my Driving Test knowing that there are so may things going against me; the likelihood that I may get a “fight out” (if you’re Jamaican you know wah mi mean), my lack of practice and the fact that I don’t want to spend anymore on lessons if my own instructor does not realize that he hasn’t been giving me comprehensive lessons.

 

Please send help.

-Tamera 

 

Natural Hair DIYs

Week 2 of contribution to Goody On A Budget

Goody on a Budget

Hi guys, this is part two of Tamera’s natural hair journey. This week she’ll be telling you about doing DIYs for natural hair. Read part one here.

Becoming an Expert at DIY’S

An advantage to the DIY natural hair care route is that you have total control about all the ingredients you use, you can add a specific ingredient for certain benefits and its fun. However, in my opinion there are some disadvantages, for instance DIY products emphasize that they must be as natural as possible and usually with naturally derived preservatives. However, this may significantly reduce the shelf life of the products made and if you are not careful about how you store them you may encounter mold growing in your products. Additionally, sourcing some ingredients in Jamaica maybe on the expensive side, for example certain oils and butters can run you some good dollars and finally, many…

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