Age no deterrent!

 Would you undertake a major construction project if you were lucky enough to live to your ninties?

I am 80 and would never dream of taking on the task of dealing with contractors and workmen as it would probably send me to an early grave!.

Not the Wallaces though!👍

Mrs. Nellie Wallace is a 95 year old retired educator and her husband Everald, a farmer.

Miss Nellie

They beleive that no challenge is too great or impossible nor is age as a deterent when the circumstances call for action. 

Mr. Everald 

Mrs Wallace is a graduate of Moneague Teachers College who spent more than 70 years in the teaching profession.

 Most of that time was teaching at Fyffes Pen Primary in Brompton, St. Elizabeth and later at Clapham Primary and Infant School in Brighton St. Elizabeth. (she did a few short stints at other schools over the years too).

When Hurricane Melissa struck, Teacher Wallace and Mr. Everald who should have been relaxing while enjoying their long years on earth, literally experienced hell on earth.

For the four bedroom home on the hills of Brighton where they had happily and quietly spent most of their lives, was totally destroyed within hours.

The remnants of their home.

Teacher Wallace told me the hurricane hit around 9am and the entire roof left in no time. So she and her husband spent the next 4 to 5 hours standing in a corner in one of the rooms. Her husband stood in front of her to try and shield her as much as he could, but they both got thoroughly soaked.

It was terrifying.

By the time it was all over (about 5pm) they realized they were homeless for the first time in their long lives. 

She said it was God who sent some men from the community, including former students, armed with machetes to see how they were.

As she has difficulty walking, the men put their hands together to make a chair so she could sit, then they carried her to a neighbor, friend and church sister, Mrs Judith Warren who graciously welcomed them.

That's where they have been living for the past 9 months.

But the Wallace's are proud, independent minded people and decided that they had to build a new home as they couldn't impose on a good neighbor forever.

While most of their family scoffed at the idea because of their age, as Mr. Wallace had level land in the flatter section of Brighton, they decided were going to build a new house, come hell or high water. 

And that's what they are doing with the assistance of Mr. Warren jr who is Mrs Wallace's godson. He is helping to supervise the project for them.

 The new home being built is smaller than the one they lost but it will be much sturdier.

Relatives and friends are now so sold on the project that they are also helping them as much as they can, to realize the dream of a new safe, sturdy home. 

You know what is the only tragedy in this story of good neighborliness, resilience, community, spirit, independence and courage?

The tardiness of the Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) to assist. 

 You really only get a true impression of the usefulness of an organization by how it treats its professional associates.

Teacher Wallace paid dues and was a faithful member of that organization for almost seven decades.

After the hurricane, the JTA  announced that it had a fund to assist its members who had been affected by Melissa. So she filled in a pile of paperwork and applied.  A relative in Kingston has even followed up by telephone several times.

Would you beleive that nine months later, not even a cent has come from the JTA to assist this dedicated educator!

That is really shameful as the JTA is so strident when it wants something but  clearly falls short when it comes to helping educators who have done so much for the country. 

That is totally unacceptable.

On another note, Jamaica could easily win a prize for having the most potholes in the world. 
The road to Brighton demonstrates perfectly what happens when potholes are ignored far too long.  Inevitably they become monstrous gullies😡.

Thor's gift.

 His name is Shawn Richardson and he has become the second greatest gift our late, murdered son Thor has given us.

The first of was of course his son Shadrach who was only six weeks old when Thor was so suddenly and tragically taken from us.

Shawn with his racing Bimmer!

Shawn had been his best friend for around fifteen years and eventually became a kind of surrogate son of mine.

I have probably known him from he was around 10 years old and when Thor was murdered, we both leaned on each other for comfort.

He has always loved tinkering with cars,  so later pursued his passion and has for years operated his own garage.

I have therefore always relied on  him as a dependable asset, whenever I am buying, selling or needed repairs for my own vehicles. This has from time to time even had him coming to rescue me when the vehicle broke down on the road. He would often lend me something when necessary, to drive while mine was being repaired.

When my brother Bernie bought a vacation home in Jamaica and over the years imported cars to leave there for when it visits, Shawn has been the person to keep them in good running order between his visits.

However, this July (2025,) on this latest visit Shawn did not go the extra mile, but an extra hundred miles for us!

For on Friday as we made our way from Duncans to Montego Bay for our regular domino/dinner session, the Land Cruiser started to show signs of overheating. So we turned back and called Shawn. It was quite late and Kingston is over 100 miles away.

But would you believe that he left Kingston after work, drove to Duncans arriving after 10 pm, and while we slept, changed the thermostat on the vehicle, road tested it, slept in one of the visitor's rooms and left early next morning to drive back to Kingston? 

I never even saw him!

When he worked on the car he realized some other parts were old, so he told my brother that he would buy the new parts in Kingston and return on Sunday evening to replace them.

On Monday morning we thought he had not yet come until Bernie went outside and saw the old parts on the ground!

 He later learned that Shawn and an assistant had arrived after midnight, changed the parts, had dinner and watched a movie, then left early morning while 6 of us slept deeply and heard nothing!

This was absolutely amazing. There is no doubt I my mind that Shawn is Thor's special gift to us, that just keeps on giving.♥️

Corruption at KSAMC

 

If the new Mayor of Kingston, Andrew Swaby carries through on half of the promises he has made to residents of Westlake Avenue in Richmond Park, it will not only be a breath of fresh air in that it would indicate that he is serious about maintaining law and order at the municipality, but also  a signal that he is not corrupt like many who have preceded him there!

To jog your memory, residents in that section of the beleaguered community of Richmond Park, protested in late July, against a commercial operation which had started construction of a site there, to establish a car dealership in their community.

As a result of the residents’ action, on the 31^st July 2025, the KSAMC, issued a stop order against the miscreant.

The commercialization of residential areas, foremost in places such as Richmond Park, Eastwood Park and Bedford Park, has been a long-standing problem for home owners in those areas.

 And regardless of who has led the KSAC, (by any other name!) nothing has been done to stop the illegal practice so far.

It is not that home owners  in these areas are bad minded or even anti-capitalist, but the irrefutable fact is that commercial activity in residential areas, causes the property value to depreciate.

It also causes great discomfort for the home owners as it  destroys the roads and leads to increases the incidence of crime. For the roads in residential areas were never built sturdy enough to withstand the ravages of commercial traffic and when businesses set up in an area, it is impossible for even the most vigilant residents or even community monitoring groups, to keep an eye on those coming in an out, hence crime inevitably increases.

I am speaking as one who had to live with that problem for decades despite the numerous complaints to KSAC, demonstrations etc. For as the first operator to destroy our area said when we told him he would have to cease and desist, “money talk”.

And because money talks and corruption has always been rampant at KSAC, not only has that business prospered untouched for many decades, but also, others seeing that they could get away with it, also moved in until we were totally overwhelmed.

At Bedford Park, added to the problem that corruption enabled, (and most likely sections of Eastwood Park and Richmond Park as well), there was also the political element. For lo and behold, one of the main law breakers was a close friend of one of our prime minister’s, who was a frequent visitor to parties at his premises.

So, the destruction of our once quiet residential area, escalated.

I am therefore watching with interest to see if Mayor Andrew Swaby will just be another political blower of hot air, or if the laws will finally be enforced by the KSAMC, so the residents of Westlake Avenue and other residential areas can finally achieve their rights to the peaceful enjoyment of their homes.

Only time will tell if its only bribes that can drive action's at the KSAMC or if under Andrew Swaby, it will be the laws that do.

Kingston isn't Jamaica !

 As a country girl growing up, I often not only heard the term"Kingston is Jamaica" but also saw it in action and was always incensed.  

We had to become accustomed to being left behind, for that is how most of our governments operated. 

In short, we were 'back a bush' so had to be satisfied with 'what lef' or nothing!😡

So, we never even saw street lights or asphalt roads  much less sidewalks, until we went to the great city.

Seeing the immediate reaction by many to the devastation left by Beryl, just reminded me how we country folk used to feel being left out of the picture.

To be clear, I am no longer a Jamaican country person or even a Jamaican resident anymore. But it really hurt when for days I got news from home that hurricane Beryl had only been a little breeze blow which had only done minimum damage.

Ok, admittedly, many of those who referred to it as a little 'breeze blow' had survived Gilbert and it's aftermath which had caused them to be without electricity for weeks on end and had  known many roofless friends and neighbors.

 So they having expected a very bad experience  based on Beryl being  prophesied to be worse and it sure wasn't in their neighborhoods, can be excused. 

But not the media which downplayed the island wide damage or couldn't wait till they had the facts.

 So they carried stories of comfort, based on the situation in most of Kingston.

Yup. In their minds, Kingston is still Jamaica apparently!

It was only about two days after Beryl had totally wrecked sections of Clarendon, Manchester and St. Elizabeth, that the rest of the country and indeed world, started to recognize that there was more to Jamaica than Kingston!

I eventually learned that the devastation in my parish, St. Elizabeth, had really been severe, with a vast number of persons left totally homeless or severely exposed to the elements.

The destruction in these country areas are not only parochial problems though as it is these three parishes that mainly supply a significant amount of not only the fruits, foods and vegetables to the entire country of Jamaica, but poultry and fish as well.

Let's hope when it comes to rehabilitation and helping people to get their lives back on stream, the Kingston is Jamaica philosophy will not prevail. As everyone is a taxpayer (even if it's only GCT)  and should not be treated as lesser beings, simply by virtue of not having been born 'under di clack' 😡.

And this means in terms of having essentials like light and water restored!

We also all need to be vigilant to ensure that the billions to be spent to repair infrastructure is properly accounted for and quality work done, for remember this is just the first hurricane of what is predicted to be an active season.

Is death really the ultimate?

Some years ago I stopped speak to a pair of young men who were soliciting funds on Trafalgar Road in Kingston. 

The younger one had no hands, arms, feet, or legs and he was in a wheelchair being pushed by the other. 

My heart went out to the wheelchair bound gentleman. I tried to imagine how one survives when you find yourself in a situation like that. 

That's really when I started to appreciate the little things we take for granted,  like feet and fingers!

When I inquired how he had received such severe injury, he told me he was in a car accident.

 The car he was in, went over a gully.

I guess that's one reason why when I hear the Road Safety Council always harping only on the death rate from road accidents, I find it so annoying!

For in all their ads that I have heard, they never seem to take serious injuries (which I suspect are far more prevalent than death in car accidents,) into consideration when warning about the need to drive carefully!

Can you believe too that while there is a horde of statistics on road accidents and the death rate, they have no facts or figures on serious injuries! (At least I couldn't find any!)

 It is because I just heard another radio ad advising drivers how to avoid death on the roads, why I am back on this topic. 

For death has always been their mantra over the decades I have been hearing their ads.

Could it be because I am one of the weird people in the world who doesn't think death is worse than serious incapacitating injury, why no ad warning me of possible death could influence me one bit to take my foot off the accelerator? 

Really how many of you would rather be totally incapacitated than dead? (This is my idea of an informal poll on the issue!)

In my book, if the Road Safety Council wants to encourage safer driving, they should be widening the scope of their ads instead of forever harping only about death.

 Or is it that they don't know death is inevitable? 

 Why don't they encourage motorists to think seriously about the possibility of having to spend the rest of their long lives totally dependent on others to do the most basic things?

Worse yet, if one is not born a millionaire, how well or long can you survive without being able to support oneself if one is seriously injured in an accident?

Interestingly, I wrote the above on the 10^th June. When I took up my Sunday Observer, (16/6) I noticed an article entitled “I’ve never been the same, Survivors share long-lasting impacts of road crashes” written by Kelsey Thomas.

Big up Kelsey as I have also often wondered why no working journalist has ever investigated and highlighted the terrible situation in which the injured are left.

For this particular article, Thomas interviewed only two persons, but I think if more drivers and road users in general read it, it would give them an idea of the physical and mental repercussions that remain when one is the injured for life.

I hope someone who coordinates advertising programs for the Road Safety Council reads it and gets the point that while death is final and inevitable for all, a life of suffering isn’t!

It’s time the Road Safety Council starts thinking outside of the box!

 

 

 

I love art😍

 I love art galleries so visiting MOMA (museum of Modern art,) in various cities is a must.

is

San Francisco's MOMA is by far the best I have seen though.

And guess what? A Jamaican artist ' big bout ya,.😬

Entrance to Ebony''s exhibit.

His name is Ebony Patterson of Kingston, Jamaica and he was born in 1981.

Her series depict black men in the USA awaiting their fate😡.

Here are some other pieces I love.

Haitian market

The background is real greenery 

                 How did these get in?

If these three made it, my pencil piece below should too😡!

The sculptures were good too

These two are in front of the Art academy.

There was also a production called  "The Visitors,,"which depicted various artists playing and chanting from different places. I found myself chanting along after a while.

Art is so diverse, intriguing and calming.

Yup, I am part of art too 😊

My name is KORLEKi😊

 Yup that's my African name given to me by the Krobo tribe in Ghana.

https://joan-myviews.blogspot.com/2023/06/a-cultural-awakening.html?m=1

That name is specific to me, as it is based on certain aspects of my birth and personality.

On the other hand, Joan is a relic of colonialism and I can't believe I changed my good name, Marshall to a common name like Williams.

I remember being told by someone who was checking the telephone directory many years ago to try and find me, that he had counted 32 Joan Williams!

And that was in Kingston alone.

See what I mean?

I want you to go find me another KORLEKi Adjado anywhere else in the western hemisphere.

Pity it's such a bureaucratic nightmare to change ones name officially.😡

Ps. Big up my designers Judi and Coretta.❤️. Great job by the seamstress in Duncan's too, Charlene. Not only is she a neat dressmaker but a super pleasant person as well..

On our own

Day 2 in Lusaka was the first time Wendy trusted us to wonder around Lusaka on our own😊.

Goods on display at Kabwata Cultural Village

But she made sure she got us a taxi which was assigned to us for the entire day. 

At this section of the cultural Village there is living accommodation for vendors to rest or sleep.

She worries too much❤️

We started our exploring at Kabwata Cultural Village which has a wide assortment 

of arts and crafts.

A craft vendor with her 5 month old son

There are 73 tribes in Zambia and two families from each tribe is allowed to sell here, I understand. 

Just like in Jamaica, you should not accept the first price offered but bargain with the sellers to get the best deals.

With the lion in front of museum

One of the paintings in the museum.

The car freedom fighter Kenneth Kaunda, National Hero, used. A entire room is dedicated to the great man.

A versión of Drafts played with local products.

This monument in front of museum, honors an AIDS activist. It’s made from parts of the beds which some AIDS victims had used.

Lots of school children were at the museum

Next we visited the National Museum which I found impressive and educational, not only in terms of information, or even in describing the evolutionary process, but in general.

Unfortunately in those areas where they had displays recreating Village life, evolution , etc, no pics were allowed. 

I did get a mini lesson on how to create beautiful African designs using wax and stamps made from sponge. And learnt also that you can tell which tribe somene belongs to, by the pattern of their print outfit!

Next the driver took us to an area named Kamwara. It’s a nice residential area with a huge commercial section nearby.

A mosque at Kamwara 

He said that’s were the Indians who are Muslims have their homes and businesses. 

The business district reminded me of our own Princess Street in Kingston, as the roads are filled with people because the sidewalks are used to display the dry goods being sold in the shops.

This is the cathedral of Holy Cross. It is said to have been sometimes used to hide liberation fighters from various sections of Southern Africa.

As we drove in, we heard the most beautiful melody which our driver said was in the Loziy language, one of the seven official native languages.

Posing with the singers

It was three young ladies who work as the nearby court’s office, practicing during their lunch break. 

They really sounded good and we spent quite some time chatting with them.

I am really impressed with how Zambians drive in comparison to us. And guess what keeps them from speeding?

The cheap and effective ‘sleeping policeman!’

They are everywhere on the major roads. 

If we could even use them around schools, we could save lives. But Jamaica has no use for economical, effective solutions!

More pics at the museum 

Other stalls at Kabwata

This area so reminded me of Spanish Town Road in Kingston.