It's Travel Tuesday...Jamaica Mon

A place I have dreamt of visiting since I saw the movie 'Cocktail'. I want to lay on the beach, drink champagne and watch the sunset while listening to steel drums.

Probably one of the most notable things about Jamaica is the music. Thumping, infectious and passionate sounds are the trademarks of Reggae, Jamaica's most internationally recognised music. Although this is Jamaica’s music, its origins are in the villages of Africa where people mourned the passing of an ancestor, heralded the birth of a son or celebrated the end of a harvest with song and dance.



Jamaica's traditional music is heavy with the substance of their collective experiences, struggles for personal freedom and independent nationhood. Music has been a tool for rebellion and for communication, nature and the Divine. It also provides a lyrical voice for their social and political commentary. The fusion of African and European heritage has produced several forms of music that still thrive in many modern communities.

Also, I would love to sit and listen to them talk. Their language is one of simplicity and joy. It is a colourful lingo spoken by a people with a gift for vivid imagery, ridicule and irony, down-to-earth humour and bawdy cuss-words. A creative intermingling of words which that their roots in the English of the colonisers and the African tongues of the majority.

A lot of it is quite easy to adapt to. Jamaicans tend to drop the "r" at the end of words, so that dollar becomes "dolla", and water becomes "wata". Double "t's" within words sometimes become double "k's", changing little to "likkle", and bottle to "bokkle". They often add or subtract "h" at will so that when you "harrive" at your "otel", "heverybody" will tell you "ello".

Where would you love to travel to?
*********************************************************

Please don't forget that I am hosting a giveaway for Christine Marie Ford (http://www.christinemarieford.etsy.com/) A fabulous artist who specializes in Jewelry, Fiber Art, Quilting and Inspiration! Christine is giving away this lovely Mini Suede Journal valued at $22.00

How to enter:

1. Follow my blog ~ 1 entry
2. Comment on today's blog post ~ 1 entry (be sure to leave contact link)
3. Mention this giveaway on your Facebook Fan Page ~ 1 entry (be sure to leave your facebook page link in the comments section so that I may fan you)
4. Twitter about this giveaway ~ 1 entry (be sure to leave your twitter link in the comments section so that I may follow you)
5. Purchase from my shop, Ethereal Beginnings ~ 1 entry
6. Purchase from Christine's shop ~ 5 entries (please copy your transaction into the comments section for valid entry)
7. All of the above ~ 10 entries

So...if you do ALL 7 of the above you will have a total of 20 entries to win Christine's Mini Suede Journal/Sketchbook.

Thanks for blogging.

Cheers and Blessings,