Ocho Rios and the Supreme Court

Last weekend a group of us were able to go to Ocho Rios which is on the North Coast of Jamaica. It is one of the major stops for cruise ships when they dock in Jamaica, but luckily for us Saturday is generally a slow day (which seems odd to me). So we were able to enjoy Ochy (as Jamaicans call it) in relative peace. Of course that meant that every street vendor wanted us to come to their shop, but at least it wasn't crawling with people.

The North Coast is beautiful (as you can see in the picture above), but it also shows how much Jamaica's economy is currently in the hands of tourists. There is a mall (an azungu mall, for those that know the term) full of clothes that are way too expensive (and too small) for the average Jamaican to afford. They also have are very stereotypical Jamaican shirts. I still had a good time though, seeing the view and hanging out on the beach.

On Sunday we went to a famous attraction in Ochy called Dunn's River Falls (which is also pictured here). It is a beautiful waterfall with cool water that flows into the sea. We climbed up to the top, and as a bonus we were able to pay the local rate, which was about $8 US cheaper than normal. As you all know I am not the most coordinated of people, but I am proud to report that I did not injure myself. It was a ton of fun and even though it is geared toward tourists who want to say they "saw" Jamaica (seriously, they had a guy video taping us who made us say phrases like "No Problem, Mon)it was totally worth it. I recommend it!

It was back to work on Monday, and this proved to be a very interesting day as well. I got to go to court with the lawyer who works at Jamaicans for Justice. It was the opening day of the Supreme Court session (which is their version of the lower court, or district court). They had an "opening ceremony" with singing which was fun. It is also the first time in Jamaican history that the Chief Justice is a woman, which is pretty awesome. Since Jamaica used to be a British Colony all the lawyers wear the black robes and bow as they go to sit down and when they leave the courtroom. Another odd thing is that lawyers from both sides (Defence and Prosecution) sit on what looks like choir benches with a desk next to each other. The neatest part for me was the fact that the judges wear the white wigs (also due to those British ties). They even have a ceremonial wig (which I saw her wear in the beginning) and a working wig when she got down to business.

Unfortunately the legal system is in desperate need of reform here in Jamaica. There are over 200 cases that need to be tried (in a country smaller than many of our states) and some are several years old. It is notoriously hard to get jurors to show up and serve and often witnesses simply "disappear." I was able to attend about a half an hour of a civil case. It was a little depressing because a gentleman was suing for a what seemed to be around Jamaican $10,000 for medical bills. This sounds like a lot, but is really only $150 US or so. It brings home how much poverty there is in the country.

I have also had a busy week of classes with several papers being due. I have to apologize that this post has come a little late in the week, but internet access has been iffy this week for some reason. To make up for it I will leave you by telling you that as I was walking in front of the US Embassy today (it is in my neighborhood) I completely missed a step up and went flying across the sidewalk. It was reminiscent of my wipe out in Tanzania for those of you that have heard that story. I am sure the Jamaicans were wondering what this crazy American was doing.

Hope all is well and I will post again soon!