written by owen on 2008-Aug-20.

Strangely I managed to reach Downtown just before the race began. Or should I say unfortunately. All you could see is people running from buses trying to get to work or better yet find a television to watch the race. I can't remember the last time a Jamaica was some high on Olympic fever or any fever at all. Nutten else naw gwan.

As I walked by the fast food establishment with a open lobby, a mob of people watching the 20" television mounted on the wall. The murmur in the lobby was deafening. One of the attendants took the remote and pointed it at the television and a woman at the corner shouted "him ago lack it offf!" and a man at the other corner replied "lack off what?".

I continued on, when I noticed an unusually high flag to person ratio. It seemed like the flags were manufactured over night. I don't know where so many flags came from - all of a sudden. People driving and waving flags. It was like election day all over again. Babies with flags, grown ass men with flags, flags on buses, flags on cars - it was like a parade. I could have gotten a couple nice picture but I was without camera - curses.

By 9:15 the entire downtown area was shut down, everything stopped moving as if the meaning of life was about to be broadcasted. The nearest television in walking distance was in danger of being mobbed by onlookers eagerly awaiting the start of the race. My hopes at arriving under the cover of the race were destroyed as silence covered the land and then a uproar of cheers as the race began. GOOOOLDDD!!!!

I could bearly hear the radio being played beside me as I saw people running out of the varity store in front of me. Jumping up and down like Shelly-ann Fraser when she won her race. In fact it seemed as if EVERYBODY had just won the gold medal in a Olympic event - di whole nation tun athlete. A man selling small $50 flags could bearly get the flags out of the plastic fast enough - "mi want di one wid di gold pon di top" said one lady.

As I made my way through kingston, every car either had someone waving a flag or was constantly blowing their horns. It had reached a fever pitch. You could borrow a Nanny from a beggar on the street. By the time I arrived the entire staff compliment was glued to the television jumping up and down like they had just one the lottery. Even the security at the door was gone.

Jamaica to di werld!!!

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