Madeline Jane Photography

I’m a little behind on posting but it’s been a pretty great two weeks.  I spent a few nights in Oakland, where I used to live, visiting some of my favorite restaurants and wandering the streets at night with my camera.  My parents celebrated their 28^th wedding anniversary, I went to my college graduation and my entire family ran the Pittsburgh half marathon yesterday.  The weather has been absolutely beautiful keeping me distracted and away from my computer, just the way I like it.  Here are some of my favorites from the past 2 weeks!

Nothing too exciting happened in Western Pennsylvania this week.  The days full of rain kept me inside but it’s finally starting to warm up and I am so thankful for the sunshine!

I’ve been home for a week already and the biggest thing I’ve noticed, other than the cold weather and leafless trees, is the abundance of water.  Early last week in rained for two days straight stirring up the rivers and bringing the early spring plants to life.  When I see the rain I can’t help but think of Harmons and how crucial rainfall is to them.  When the people of Harmons see rain they rejoice as it trickles down gutters, over tarps and through pipes into holding tanks that provide water for washing clothes, cooking and bathing.  All too often we see rain as an annoyance but I certainly don’t anymore.

I didn’t stay home for long and joined my Dad on a 5-day trip to Baltimore.  We took a side trip and covered 40 miles on our bikes along the abandoned turnpike and the banks of the Potomac River.

It was an emotional rollercoaster for me this week in Harmons.  I learned quickly that saying goodbye to my Jamaican friends is so different and much harder than saying goodbye to someone at home.  In Harmons there’s no internet with Facebook or e-mail, international calls and txts are expensive and mail might get there it in a few weeks if you’re lucky.  By the middle of the week I decided that I was no longer going to say goodbye.  Instead, I said see you soon because I know I’ll be back someday.

As I write this I’m sitting on the floor of the Charlotte airport in awe of the American lifestyle and how unhappy and closed off everyone around me seems.  The businessmen to my right are complaining about computers crashing in the middle of a meeting and the group of teenagers traveling together on my left are all listening to their iPods.  Not one person has said hello to me or cracked a smile.  For a huge airport full of people there is little communicating going on and everyone is in a rush.  I’m realizing how much I’m going to miss the beautiful smiles and positive attitudes of the Jamaicans whose lives are exponentially harder than every person waiting to board this plane with me.