Nine Miles of Progress

It’s been an amazing couple of days up in Nine Mile, where the lack of Internet has delayed this latest posting.  Let me assure you, that is one of the few things this little community lacks, so it’s easy to forget all about it while you’re out there.

We headed up to Nine Mile on an impromptu Bob Marley Pilgrimage, starting off at the Bob Marley Museum in the morning to celebrate Bob’s 64th Earthday where we talked with Sizzla, who was there to celebrate as well.  From there we drove over to Tuff Gong Studios, where we got a tour of the grounds and access to one of the recording studios.  From there we headed up country to Nine Mile, with only minor misdirection, which isn’t bad.

Right when we got to Nine Mile we stopped by Bruce’s shop to see if he was around.  Bruce was one of the students that was part of my film crew, the Five Wise Kids, when I was here in June.  He is 16 years old and he has already built his own shop in Nine Mile and earns money for himself to get to school and to provide for his family.  A true Jamaican hustla.  We had a place booked to stay in Ocho Rios and planned to drive back and forth, but Bruce offered to let us stay in his family’s yard for a few days, which we took him up on after one night in Ocho.

This proved to be a great plan.  It allowed us to get to know many of the people in Nine Mile and hang out in town getting interviews and building relationships.  The food is amazing and organic, the people are dynamic and interesting and the spot itself is beautiful, mystical and full of potential.

We focused on talking to people about the needs of the community and their vision for the future, to get a better sense of how we could fit in with the resources and skills that we can provide.

I’ll be back with more very soon, but time is conspiring against me right now.  Check back soon for more details about the trip and photos and video from our adventures!