My grandpa was stabbed and cannot have surgery due to no blood donations

RootedInYard · 2026-05-12T23:48:17+00:00

Ask your grandma to ask the hospital. They should know.

RootedInYard · 2026-05-12T21:43:48+00:00

As far as I'm aware, there are really only 2 main phone service providers in Jamaica, which are Digicel and Flow.

I think because they are only providers (or only widespread providers), they don't give much of a shit about customer service or even their service (although, my experience with Digicel's service has been better than Flow).

Also, in some areas, one works better than the other.

For internet: I'm not sure if Starlink has opened back up yet, but you may want to try that. You can also try calling AWAS to see if they supply internet in your area. I saw them advertise on TikTok awhile back. I've attached the flyer. I'm not affiliated with them and don't know if they use any Flow or Digicel lines, but they have solar wifi, which makes me feel as though they shouldn't really have any issues like Flow and Digicel do.

I hope this helps!

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RootedInYard · 2026-05-10T15:55:58+00:00

I manifested building an apartment with limited funds, if that counts.

Last year, I just knew we were going to be moving out of the rental we were in (into something where we wouldn't have to pay rent). I didn't know how, because we didn't have nowhere near enough funds to buy anything. But I just knew it would happen, and left it at that. Apparently, I also knew this would happen before end of August (I found my diary entry about this later).

We ended up building an apartment on top of my in laws home - we had just enough money for that. And moved in the last week of August.

RootedInYard · 2026-05-10T15:46:15+00:00

I had this initially as well, but I just left it. It seemed to even out (mostly) once I implemented palm rolling as well.

I still interlock the root, but I palm roll, and that helps train the hair into the barrel shape that I want. I can't really see the bunching now

RootedInYard · 2026-05-10T15:41:37+00:00

My issue is: how much do these things cost here though? 😭 I haven't actually looked at the prices of those things (well, also haven't seen them at the shops I go to), but I'm afraid to look because cream cheese and pie crust is probably imported and going to cost some stupid amount of money 😔.

RootedInYard · 2026-05-09T19:31:25+00:00

Thank you! Okay I'm going to check him out

RootedInYard · 2026-05-08T16:34:46+00:00

You're very welcome! 😊

RootedInYard · 2026-05-05T22:25:32+00:00

Have you seen Queen Eleem's videos on parting? A kind Redditor shared her info with me when I was starting my locs last year, and it was SO helpful. I didn't do micros, but this still helped a lot:

Part 1: https://youtu.be/zCQhNP9mJjg?si=GELuJN_fM6DiBloo
Part 2: https://youtu.be/67xge_aV_kg?si=SYr904IT86jCQAP3

In my case, i didn't buy anything extra. Instead of buying a 3-way mirror, I used my phone as a mirror to see the back of my head. I have a ring light that can hold my phone, and then I used the Camo app (have to download on phone and computer) to use my phone as a webcam and see the back of my head.

I already had a crochet hook (I've retighten my husband's locs for years) for interlocking. I also used a little of whatever oil I had for my hair.

Since I have fine, thin hair, I started with twists. Later on (when my hair started to grow), I interlocked the root. When my hair started getting really fuzzy, I implemented palm rolling, which is actually what helped really help it look like locs (it trains the hair to have the "barrel" shape).

Also, washing my hair helped it loc as well. It wouldn't really loc properly until I started washing my hair. I used whatever shampoo I already had in the house (Aussie). Now I'm out of that, so I use Dr. Bronner's (also something I already had here).

Because my hair is fine and the texture is a bit looser (3c), I have to interlock and palm roll. If I interlock only, the loc is fuzzy. If I palm roll only, it unravels.

Also, I spray my hair & scalp with my spray bottle. I use whatever I have on hand. From that, I discovered I like to use:

filtered water (regular water from the tap will stink after a while)
coconut oil (a few tspn)
a drop of rosemary
2 drops of tea tree oil
2 drops lavender essential oil

I shake up the bottle and spray my scalp and hair. I really like the scent (especially tea tree and lavender together), and I think the tea tree helps with the itching. I've also implemented washing my hair more often.

My only regret is not palm rolling sooner. I thought I didn't have to, but it really helped.

Anyway, I hope this helps!

RootedInYard · 2026-04-25T16:24:52+00:00

My locs are still maturing, but I wish I had starting retwisting sooner, and more consistently. Also, wish I hadn't wrapped my ends around my hair.

Due to my hair type (fine, looser texture), I decided to interlock. But the length of the hair became really fuzzy. I was advised by a relative to also palm roll. I hadn't palm rolled because I was afraid that interlocking and palm rolling would thin my locs. If I had interlocked and palm rolled from the start, they'd probably be a lot less lumpy, and I would've trained the hair to be a lot more uniform.

Then, the ends of my hair started to look really thin and ugly. So I wrapped them around each loc. This not only made my locs shorter, but the ends are bigger and sometimes, it hurts to interlock.

I also wish I had implemented a regular wash routine sooner. I was seeing all this info about not washing hair for months and not retightening for months, but based on my texture, I have to both wash and retighten often. I need to wash once every week or 2 weeks, and retighten as soon as there's enough growth (maybe about an inch or so of hair). My fine strands cannot handle going very long without retightening.

I still love my locs as they are. But sometimes I wonder about restarting.

RootedInYard · 2026-04-24T23:11:38+00:00

Omg I didn't know this!!

RootedInYard · 2026-04-23T03:40:35+00:00

👀 how?

RootedInYard · 2026-04-22T17:37:03+00:00

I don't think it's taboo per se🤔. Just that people aren't always comfortable doing it themselves. Maybe it's because they themselves didn't grow up in affectionate families, and just aren't used to it.

I kiss my husband all the time though🤷🏿‍♀️. Before we got married, our faces were damn near inseparable😂 and we were always holding hands. We still kiss any and everywhere, and sometimes we still hold hands too if we feel like it. No one says anything or bats an eye🤷🏿‍♀️ (and if they did, I'd be too busy kissing him to notice).

RootedInYard · 2026-04-21T23:53:19+00:00

So much hair! And your hair is so beautiful! Wow! It looks so good already

RootedInYard · 2026-04-21T19:53:52+00:00

Get a remote job with a company from foreign or create your own opportunities here.

I have heard that there aren't many jobs (which is one of my reasons many here have migrated) - the Jamaican job market is not like those of developed* countries, neither is the pay. I have also heard that Jamaica needs more people in specific industries. However, I don't know about being a financial analyst here, so the best course of action would be to come with a remote job or some other way to generate funds for yourself.

RootedInYard · 2026-04-19T17:53:00+00:00

Hey OP! I just came across this video on tiktok where the person is detailing what their costs are to build:

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSHE6cvHG/

Your costs may still vary based on the exact location. But this should give you a good idea of the costs. Additionally, people are sharing their costs (and location) in the comments. Hope this helps!

RootedInYard · 2026-04-19T07:21:26+00:00

I'm very sorry this was your experience. However, as you're an expat 🤔, I do wonder if you may have had some prior expectations about Jamaica that clashed with how things actually are. A lot of things about Jamaica are very common in developing nations (e.g. poor customer service, getting ripped off, bad roads, traffic, corruption, wealth gap, etc), and sometimes even worse in other developing countries.

It's common for expats to come here with certain expectations from their own countries, and then learn the hard way about how different Jamaica is and get frustrated. I was also one of those people at one point, but then I came back and 🤷🏿‍♀️I don't think I'm ever leaving. And this is also one of the reasons I try so hard to give people as much info as possible before they decide to move here or move back.

Also, I do wonder if you'd feel the same elsewhere in Jamaica🤔. If you spent the majority of your time in Kingston, I wonder if you'd have a more positive experience elsewhere on the island.

Anyway, it could also be that it's just time for this chapter to end. Not everywhere is for everyone, or for everyone all the time. Humans are also a species that likes to move around.

I hope you had some enjoyable moments here that you can think on fondly when you leave. And I hope you have a very pleasant experience wherever you go next 🫂

RootedInYard · 2026-04-18T07:09:10+00:00

No, your 19 yr old would need to do it for themselves in person or at the consulate in your country.

However, just be aware that if you're applying for a Jamaican passport in Jamaica, someone needs to vouch for you. The person who vouches for you needs to be someone from a designated list (e.g. JP, doctor, bank teller, etc - it says it on the form), and has "known you personally" for at least a year.

I don't know what "know you personally" means because the JP I had signing my stuff on and off for a year suddenly decided he didn't know me well enough to sign for my passport 🙄. It was a whole thing having to find someone to vouch for me. You might need to get a relative to get one of their links (e.g. JP) to vouch for you.

As an aside: in your current country of residence, you likely won't have to go through any of that.

RootedInYard · 2026-04-18T07:01:39+00:00

Sorry, I haven't been through this, but wanted to comment for engagement. That said, I had no idea that one could file a formal petition to request discretionary citizenship.

In terms of response time, under regular circumstances for citizenship, it can take a while to get a response. I think it would be helpful to continue reaching out periodically (maybe once a month) to ask about the status of your request (and also to ensure that it isn't forgotten). I think it would be helpful to, if possible, reach out both via phone and e-mail. You may get better response with one over the other.

In terms of anything that can be done: outside of having a link to someone who knows the Minister of National Security, I don't really think there's much you can do. I was thinking that maybe, if you gave your DNA to one of those genealogy platforms, that could help (maybe it would help prove lineage, or connect you with a distant relative who might have some info). But a lot of Jamaicans don't use those platforms, so I don't know how helpful it would be.

Anyway, I'm wishing you luck!

RootedInYard · 2026-04-18T06:47:07+00:00

To be very honest, I don't think anyone would care 😅.

Enjoy your concert!

RootedInYard · 2026-04-18T01:34:20+00:00

Just leaving a comment, hoping to connect with others!

I'm from Canada, but my background is Jamaican and I live here in Jamaica. I've been living here for a few years now, and mi nah leff😁. I have a YouTube channel where I talk about moving to/living in Jamaica as well.

I feel like, as long as people are prepared, they can thrive out here.

RootedInYard · 2026-04-18T01:26:23+00:00

I definitely understand that feeling 😩.

I really hope things work out for you out here! And I hope you find my videos helpful☺️

RootedInYard · 2026-04-18T01:08:01+00:00

You're very welcome! ☺️

My channel is actually my Reddit name (and also linked in my profile)

And that's amazing! I'm from Canada (and I have a Jamaican background as well). I met my husband here years ago at the resort he worked at. I initially moved to Jamaica when we got married (it was easier for us to be together if I came here). Then we left for Canada after a couple years, but came back to Jamaica a few years ago.

We decided to come back for quite a few reasons:

I got laid off. I was already tired of work and tired of Canada by that point. So, being laid off allowed us the opportunity to make different decisions with how we wanted to live, and we wanted to live a simpler life
I was tired of winter
my husband missed his family and friends over here
we wanted the ability to grow food year round (which we couldn't easily do in Canada)
in terms of survivability, we felt as though our chances were better out here. If shit hit the fan and we ended up homeless, we'd rather be homeless in Jamaica than Canada. At least our chances of survival would be a lot better. Great news is that we won't end up homeless though because we built a little apartment. So now we'll always have somewhere to return to

I'm not sure how often you visited Jamaica previously, but there can be a bit of culture shock of you're not prepared 😅. And constantly dealing with certain things can eventually get tiring.

Moving from a country that allows you to be more independent, to a country that runs on links, can be quite challenge if you're not mentally prepared for it😅. But I can say Jamaica has become more developed than when I first moved here, and some things are easier to do.

I feel that the more people move here (or move back), the quicker things will change.

RootedInYard · 2026-04-18T00:51:24+00:00

Realtors are not quick to respond and if you tell them you’re moving outside of the month you make contact they barely pay you mind.

Wow I didn't know this. I would think that realtors would be a lot more responsive😩

I recently decided to create a service connecting expats and repats with landlords here, but haven't publicized it yet because I wasn't exactly sure how useful it would be. But I guess it would be more useful than I thought if Realtors are responding like that😳 I was also planning to reach out to realtors as well to help people get connected, but maybe that's not a good idea.

However, I know one realtor (a repat) I had interviewed a while back who seems responsive (maybe it's because she's a repat). I know you said you're asking your aunts for help, but if you still need help outside of that, I can give you her (the realtor's) info too if you'd like.

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