A tour of the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies is highly recommended to guests who want to get to know our city. It is a beautiful campus, rich in history, with 18th Century aqueducts telling a story of slavery days and plantation life, and archaeological digs unearthing relics of 15th Century Arawak inhabitants.   

Today, a different history is being written. The Norman Manley Law School, which is on the Mona Campus, recently retained its World Human Rights Moot Court, with victory over the famed and highly respected Yale University of the United States in the final held in Pretoria, South Africa. In 2010 too, Norman Manley, led by top oralist Merrick Watson, a former Kingston College cricketer, beat the world by taking the title over Sydney University of Australia.
 
Now, the Jamaica-based law school stayed on top of the competition, organized by the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, and the United Nations Office of Human Rights, and which saw three selected law schools from each of the United Nations regions in the semifinal round of the competition.
 
“I am ecstatic that Norman Manley has once again brought home the World Human Rights title,” said principal of the law school, Professor Stephen Vasciannie.
 
The Norman Manley Law School team comprised Jermaine Case and Love Odih, with Leslie Mendez as the reserve speaker. The team’s coach was well-known human rights advocate and lawyer, Nancy Anderson, who teaches at the law school.
 
The Norman Manley Law School is named after the famed politician and lawyer, the late Hon. Norman Washington Manley Q.C., National Hero. One of the leading statesmen of his time, he was Chief Minister of Jamaica from January 1955 to July 1959, and was Premier of Jamaica from July 1959 to April 1962. He was one of the architects of the Jamaican Independence Constitution. He died on September 2, 1969.

The Norman Manley Law School opened its doors to its first students in September 1973. 

Are you heading to the Greenfield Stadium in Trelawny for Jamaica Jazz and Blues? Whether you are landing at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston or at the Donald Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, a tour of Kingston before or after this 3-day music festival will just round off your vacation. Book you seat on the Knutsford Express and your stay in Kingston at Neita's Nest bed and breakfast. You will be glad you did.

December guests of Neita’s Nest bed and breakfast in Kingston brought special joy in our home and left with joy in their hearts after a wonderful exchange of Christmas tree ornaments.

Our own offering included the sweetest handmade Jamaican angels all dressed up in our National Costume of Indian Bandana plaid and white cotton lace. ‘Out of Many, One People’ we are! And we must thank and congratulate our neighbour Yvette whose endless creativity churns out new designs each year. Craft Cottage also sourced delightful rasta angels and bejeweled shells, much to the delight of our guests. 

This tradition of exchange began only this past December and has resulted in an eclectic array of ornaments from around the world, each with its own story. Here is one. Greg’s late dad worked at Tom Smith Ltd., a London factory which made Christmas tree ornaments back in the 1970’s. He found some while clearing his dad’s attic recently and gave us a couple of the sweetest and most delicate, vintage items you could imagine.

With her own hands, Martine from Limoges made a red felt elf shoe, a perfect fit for any elf who might have tip-toed under our tree. With those same hands, this daughter of a French Chocolatier also gifted us with a box of the most delicious, surprise-filled, premium dark chocolates your palates could imagine! Had Christian not told us that they were of her own making, we would have missed out on the most important part of the savouring. Cela était bon! 

Then, there were a pair of Croatian dolls in their national costume, and hand-painted hearts marked Zagreb to remind us of Kolja and Petra who visited with us from the coastal town of Split in that same country.

Vinod and Sheila from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia brought practical pieces with intricate batik print and hand-carved wood to last long after the holidays are over.

From the Kennedy Centre, Jean brought us a lovely metallic memento which invites you to tour D.C. with her. And there were bells and balls from the Janzen family in Abbotsford near Vancouver. From Samantha, our Jamaican friend in Fort Lauderdale, a playful pirate reminding us of a history shared by all countries with Caribbean shores.

And so it was. History was made at Neita’s Nest over this past Christmas season. Here we are building lasting memories based on a tradition started over two centuries ago when some wise men found their way to a humble place in Bethlehem. Forgive the analogy, but I am at once excited and humbled by the fact that persons, from all over this globe, make a mecca of Jamaica and find their way to Neita’s Nest bed and breakfast.
!Increible!

We just did a walk through 2011 at Neita's Nest. Come walk with us and let's make plans for 2012. Happy New Year!

We’ve started something new at Neita’s Nest; something that we hope to become a tradition. It has all the virtues/values/elements of Christmas…sharing …caring…giving…joy…friendship…simplicity…

Our December guests have been invited to exchange gifts with their host. Not just any gift. The requirements are actually quite rigid. The gift must be small. The gift must be unbreakable. It must have been made in their own country. It must be an ornament for the Christmas Tree.

Yes, rigid, but not too difficult. Or so I thought, until I started looking around for the gifts I would give to my guests this season. It was an OMG moment for me. I was clearly locked in the 70’s when Jamaicans were very nationalistic, took pride in labels saying “Made in Jamaica” and when “Tun yu han’ mek fashion” meant creativity to the max.

Sadly, the only thing we have left to import is snow.

I asked around, called around, went around to a couple of shops, even went to a Christmas Fair and ended up being interviewed on radio. I used to opportunity to make a special appeal for this rare item. No calls as yet.

My last stop was The Craft Cottage, hoping it would have been open on this Sunday in December. Not only was it open, it had just the thing I was looking for. A small, unbreakable, Jamaican-made, Christmas Tree ornament. But I have these at home, I remarked to myself. These are the very ornaments I bought from ny neighbour some 5 years ago and which I have been hanging for the past few years. I rushed out of the store and went to my very own neighbourhood and rang Yvette’s gate bell. I was able to add to my collection of angels, santas, donkeys and gingerbreadmen, and was all ready for the exchange.

My first December guests to get the heads up on the exchange of gifts checked in tonight. Our chat over dinner included some of their Christmas traditions back home with their book club, and this new tradition of which they were glad to be a part. Tomorrow after breakfast we will do the exchange, and I will have more than Canadian-made ornaments from these two couples.

I will have memories of a couple whose trip to Jamaica was the culmination of a six-month celebration of 50 joyous years of marriage. I will have memories of a family who lived in Jamaica 35 years ago and whose visit to Kingston today was to take a walk back in time, a sort of stepping into a wardrobe to the 1970’s of which they have fond memories. I will treasure memories of a family whose grace before dinner was the words to our National Anthem, “Eternal Father Bless Our Land, Guide Us With Thy Mighty Hand…” and I will, with pleasure, remember their son and spouse who were also reliving clear and fond memories of previous visits to Jamaica, like their welcome drink today, the sorrel was spiced with ginger and mellowed with cinnamon.

Come! Be a part of our tradition. Bring your ornament and we will cheerfully exchange it for one of ours. Yours to take home will be a little something to help your mind reflect on a time when you gave yourself the gift of a couple days in Kingston at Neita’s Nest Bed and Breakfast, and all it has to offer.

May the new year be blessed
With good tidings
'Til the next time I see you again
If we must say goodbye
Let the spirit go with you
'Til the season comes 'round again.

Christmas Around The world.

Christmas is a-coming and the pudding’s steaming hot…

Yes, Neita’s Nest is in Christmas mode and the family tradition of preparing one of the tastiest Christmas puddings around, continues.

From earliest memories of Mummy allowing me to cream, fold and mix the ingredients in the yabba with a wooden spoon in exchange for that spice-y, rum-y, wine-y, fruit-y tasting at the end, to wrapping them carefully for mailing to family and friends abroad, to receiving the unwritten recipe from Mama over 40 years ago; the end result, now practiced to perfection, is yours for the tasting.

Call me at 469-3005 to order for yours for home, office, gifts and occasions. They are delivered to your home or office (otherwise, outside of Kingston & St. Andrew by special arrangement). Order now and receive in time for your special celebrations.

And, until your pudding is delivered, enjoy the warm-up to the Season. Things can get hectic, if you allow it. So, take it in stride and remember the Reason for the Season.

Contrary to images held by foreigners and prospective visitors to our island of year round sunny days and balmy nights, Jamaica offers much more variety. Our sweltering summer days give way to October rains which cools November in preparation for that chilly Christmas breeze. It is that time now, and as we bring out the blankets at Neita’s Nest Bed and Breakfast, I have vivid memories Novembers heralding the promise of Christmas being “Just around the corner!” It was more than a comment. It was at once a tantalizer and a threat used tactfully by our parents to elicit the best cooperation and behaviours of their four little ones as Christmas drew near.

We knew then that sitting on Santa’s lap at York Pharmacy was just around the corner. We knew that the annual Christmas Eve stroll down King Street with our shillings for shopping was just a step away, and that the most exciting part, that of opening the beautifully wrapped gifts on Christmas morning, was any moment now. Those corners, those steps, those moments were however a long time in coming for a little girl. Year after long year!

Time didn’t fly as fast then as it does now. This allowed our parents ample time to change behaviours. During the year, for cooperation Mummy had a way of pursing her lips and dimming her eyes to give that silent look which spoke volumes. Other times it would be the promise to “Just wait until your daddy comes home!” We more feared her silent treatment and threat than the actual return, because Daddy’s punishments paled.

When Christmas was around the corner however, the threat was just that. Change your behaviour or no Christmas. Easy alignment! But how did that come about?

Being the enquiring, literal child that I was, I needed proof. So one afternoon, having had my 4 o’clock bath, and all crinolinned, coiffed and ribbonned, I set off with my Nanny for our usual evening walk. We walked and talked as we moseyed down Dayton Avenue. I stopped and looked all around, and back we went up the Avenue. As we reached our gate and Nanny was about to turn in, I told her, “No. I want to walk some more.” So, off we went, up Dayton Avenue this time. Half way up she was ready to turn back. I said “No. I want to go on.” So off we went, she reluctantly, I with a mission, all the way to the top of Dayton Avenue.

I stopped. I glanced. I looked up. I looked down. I looked around. Insistently, I held her hand and let her take me across the avenue to the other side. Again, I looked all around. Peeping through the fences of the homes on all corners of the avenue I saw nothing in those gardens that would put my anxious heart at ease.

It was then that my eyes caught site of a pile of brown bramble. Thinking back, it must have been the dried shrubbery left there after the pruning and clipping of someone’s garden. Slowly, I walked up to the pile, and peered. There, threaded and tangled in the brown woody pile was a tattered ribbon of red cloth that told a tale; the brightest red you could imagine, and the only bit of colour in this heap of seeming rubbish.

My heart was full of joy. I was gladdened with the tidings. Nanny could now take me home. Mummy and Daddy were right. Christmas was just around the corner.

In fact, Christmas was on my corner!

National Geographic, in its book Food Journeys of a Lifetime, has placed Jamaica’s National Dish, Ackee and Saltfish (salt-cured cod) as Number 2 in the Top 10 dishes in the world.

At Neita’s Nest we have always included it as a staple. Any 4-day stay at this Kingston bed and breakfast is sure to include this signature dish. And before the crop on our tree is over, we stock up on the best tinned ackee on the shelves, the one labeled Linstead Market Jamaica, in order to keep this promise.

Randy, our recent B&B guest, when asked by his Jamaican friend of the breakfast fare at Neita’s Nest, could not remember the name but confidently stated “I had Scrambled Eggs with Yellow Yam”! Bobby, our mutual friend, with his quizzical chuckle and even more confidence came to my defense. “There is no way that Michelle would serve you eggs and yam!”

The ackee is aptly described by National Geographic as a nutritious fruit with a buttery-nutty flavour and resembling scrambled eggs when boiled”. Despite ackee’s unhappy origins as slave food in Jamaica around the mid-18th to 19th centuries, Jamaica claimed it as our national fruit when we became an independent nation nearly 50 years ago. The boiled ackees are sautéed with the prepared saltfish, onions and tomatoes, with every good cook claiming one additional ingredient or other to making their version special.

Here, we proudly serve our National Dish with any one or combination of starches from a list of favourites; boiled green bananas or yams, roasted or fried breadfruit, fried or boiled dumplings, bammies, hot buttered toast or fried green plantains. Depending on the season, you may also find some avocadoes or ripe plantains on the side.

The truth is, the sides don’t matter, as long as the ackee takes centre stage.

Mama is 99 today!
Today our family celebrates love and longevity with Mama, Rose Gwendolyn Campbell, as she likes to refer to herself when she stands on point. Known also as Rose McGhie, widow for the past 18 years of Sydney, she has held her own for all this time and for the near 60 years before that while she was married to this strong, stalwart. Rose, Roses, Mama Rose, Rosebud, Mama Losie, Misses McGhie, or Mama, whatever the name that you use; it is said with love on your lips and genuine warmth in your heart.

They say that it takes a village to raise a child. Well, our Mama has raised a whole village. Before Dada died, she declared to us that she will not be moving to Kingston to live with the family. “I was born in Brown’s Town, my church is in Brown’s Town, my husband will be buried in Brown’s Town and I will die in Brown’s Town.” Mama has lived in Brown’s Town, St. Ann all these 99 years, and counting.

The ‘village’ of Brown’s Town began as an inland market town and is a major commercial centre for Jamaica’s north coast and the multitude of smaller towns in the interior of the parishes of St. Ann, Trelawny and Manchester. Located just 8 short miles from Discovery Bay where Christopher Columbus first landed in Jamaica, it is now much more than a market town. It is a town of many schools and many more churches. St. Mark’s Anglican Church is Mama’s church and she is celebrated there as their oldest member. Today, her Rector will visit her at home, as he often does, and celebrate the Holy Eucharist, with fellow members of her Mother’s Union joining her.

She raised two children of her own and married them off to wonderful husbands, Hartley Neita and Lloyd Adams, whom she loved as her own sons. When her first daughter died at the tender age of 32 years, amidst their grief, she and Dada took their 4 young grandchildren and raised them with double love, as only grandparents can. And there are many more. In addition to her 7 grands, she has loved and cared for 7 great grand children. But that’s not all. Mama’s and Dada’s love and generosity extended to endless families, such that wherever they are in the world they claim her as their own and they bring up their own families to know her and love her and to walk in her ways.

Longevity and short lives have played equal roles on the stage of our family life. Mama, the last of her 9 Campbell siblings has outlived them all. She has not attributed that to her daily cup of coffee, neither to her daily devotions. After all, she does not claim to be holier than thou. She made no plans for a long life. Anyone knowing Mama knows that many a plan begins or ends with, “…if life is spared…” Her promise however is, “If you want to live as long as I have, live down plenty things and don’t put people’s foolishness on your head”.

A 99th birthday cannot be celebrated in a day. The cards were mailed and received long before today. The birthday calls started coming in at day break. Yet they did not change her routine. After breakfast she was wheeled on to her verandah with her Bible, Book of Common Prayer, Daily Word and Daily Bread, her address and telephone book and her cordless telephone. There she holds court with her God and the world. Daily! As the ‘villagers’ pass by on the road they waive and call out to her by name; whichever name they have chosen. She replies, “Alright Darling”. Today, there will be more visitors than usual, and the weeks and months ahead will continue to be filled with expressions of love in all sorts of wonderful ways.

This may sound like her remembrance. But it is not. Mama is alive and well with all her mental acuity in tact. And when the time comes there will be no remembrance. Mama will have none of that. She has already made that clear. Her Minister has been briefed. She says that too much foolishness is spoken after you are gone. And so I take the chance to speak of Mama now so that I can stand corrected. After all, the last word is Mama’s.

Happy Birthday, Mama. You continue to be blessed and remain a blessing to all of us.

The Neita's Nest .com sign went up 2 years ago and we are celebrating with reflections on how it all began...

I wish I could say that Neita’s Nest was “a dream come true”. But I can’t. I never dreamed of owning a Bed and Breakfast. I never dreamed of managing my own hotel. I never even imagined I would own my own business. 

Always seeing myself as being strong support for someone else’s, in my professional capacity I would internalize the targets of my managers and exceed my own goals to make theirs happen. 

In my volunteerism, I would be enthused about the dream of the organization’s president and would put my entire weight behind her to make it happen. If I saw a committee losing its luster, I would lead from behind to breathe new life into their project, and let them shine. 

And yet, I never saw myself as an entrepreneur; could never imagine a business that I would even want to own. Instead, I would admire friends who have found their calling and who passionately pursue their dreams.

It was the “Mother of Invention” who helped me find my entrepreneurial spirit. A second redundancy experience, and this time just 13 years short of retirement age, made me declare that whatever I do at this stage of my life I must be happy doing it. I envisioned myself sliding gracefully into retirement.

For career guidance, there was an opportunity to be seized in a parting gift from that last employer. It was a psychometric test and consultation with psychologist and ideator, Dr. Leachim Semaj of The JobBank. I embraced the opportunity and seized it with full grasp. That process led me to choose ‘Innkeeper’ as my new career. It was a no-brainer. After all, I love to entertain and my home has adequate bedroom and entertainment spaces. After a congratulatory call to my friend, designer Sandra Kennedy, on opening her Hanover home Hartley House for bed and breakfast services, I was sure this was for me too.

Neita’s Nest was conceived.

It was the right fit. The learning and experience from every job I had ever done, every course I had taken, every project I had volunteered on, had come to bear on this new business venture. Whether it was the foreign languages I studied, project management, sales and marketing management, journalism and public relations, or a penchant for the fine arts and interior design, they have all been integral in the start up and operations phases.

When I think back also, our cross country travels with our parents as we adventured around our island, or the opportunities we enjoyed while our Dad, Hartley, was Deputy Director of Tourism, not to mention the many friends and visiting dignitaries whom we helped him entertain at the drop of a hat; name it! They have all been brought to this table. Did I leave out my grandmother, Rose, who never tolerated slow and slouchy? Or my grandfather, Sydney, whose mantra was, “A job worth doing is worth doing well”?

As serendipity would have it, while writing the website text, my friend Alton and I had a chance chat on some historical highlights about our neighbourhood, and my home in particular. It was once the Captain’s Quarters for the British Army, and Bridgemount Heights where we are located, was one of three redoubts established in the area to defend the Stony Hill Barracks, situated a few miles north of Neita’s Nest. 

Three canons, testimony to this little-known piece of history, remain mounted in the gardens of our nearest neighbour. He has kindly offered visits by special arrangement for our guests. 

Neita’s Nest is indeed an Historic Bed and Breakfast.

Jamaica, with her vast and lucrative sugar plantations in the 18th century, was the jewel in the British crown and the envy of Europe. Bridgemount was a part of the Manor Park Estate, and coffee, bananas and sugar were grown here. The British, wary of possible invasion by the French who were seen sailing menacingly in the Eastern Caribbean waters, fortified Kingston at many points. Bridgemount was one such.

That story had me visiting the National Library, the University of the West Indies and the new Jamaica Defense Force Museum for further research. I even made contact with the author of the book The Fortifications of Jamaica, Professor David Buisseret, who kindly sent me a published copy of his presentation at the 2008 Elsa Goveia Memorial Lecture on that topic. The booklet is proudly a part of our library here at Neita’s Nest, and the story, which had been handed down through generations is now told on our website.  

The research experience was as comforting as it was exciting. My father, a published author and renowned communications consultant had passed away only the year before. East Street in downtown Kingston is home to the 177 year old Gleaner Company.

 It is also the home of the Institute of Jamaica and the National Library, repository for the wealth of Jamaica’s history. These institutions were Hartley’s regular jaunts as he researched and wrote his daily column, “This Day in Our Past”, and weekly articles which warmed the hearts of so many Jamaicans at home and abroad. I felt Daddy walking with me as I ventured along East Street and through the halls of these libraries.

Our website has received many a kudo and truly captures the look and feel of Neita’s Nest while complementing the essence and style of our home. In searching for a website designer, the sites developed by Alteroo Consulting Group were appealing because each one reflected the type of business it represented. That was what I wanted to capture for ours. They took my script, and voila, our website was born. I am particularly happy to have Spanish, French and German translations on the Home Page. These were done by dear friends, conference translators and interpreters, Daphne Adams and Annie Rose Kitchin.

With the website up, I set about designing business cards with the expertise of Bunny Levy and Associates. Next was furnishing the first two rooms. My friend, Norman McDonald, designed the furniture in keeping with a determination to be practical. Family and friends were extremely generous with suggestions and feedback on the finer details. Yes! The website came before the guest rooms. 



Neita’s Nest was conceived and believed, before it was achieved. 

The rest is now documented in website blogs and I invite you to read them It has been fun moving up the social media learning curve, attending webinars, blogging, twitting, linking, and just stepping into a whole new realm of communication. 

Through strategic positioning, Neita’s Nest is marketed as comfortable, affordable lifestyle accommodation. From the feedback received, our offering meets and exceeds expectations. Our rates are considerably lower than most so we tend to offer added value rather than specials; a welcome drink for sure, whether it be a hot or cold beverage; scented candles from Starfish Oils perhaps, to complement a late night pot of tea, or a taste of local fruit in season. 

Complimentary mini tours of the city or an invitation to join the family in worship at the historic St. Andrew Parish Church are some of the opportunities that we find bring special delight to our visitors. 

Sometimes, our value-added offering comes in the form of assisting in the planning of your vacation schedule. We recommend places to stay and things to do, customizing your itinerary to match your unique interests as you travel across our beautiful island. Often times, our special treat is to invite you to join us on a visit to a family member or a friend’s place, or to have interesting company join you here for dinner; therein lie opportunities to forge new friendships. Other times, it’s a day on the beach, a trip to the movies, a drive to the country, a visit to Devon House for its infamous ice cream, or a relaxing afternoon on the grounds of the Royal Hope Botanical Gardens to be serenaded by the Jamaica Military Band. These are some of our favourite things. You can read more about them on our Neita’s Nest Recommendations page.

And, by the way, it would be remiss of me not to mention that Devon House, one of our favourite places to visit, is noted in the National Geographic book, Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe as “a masterpiece of Caribbean Victorian architecture, and home to the island’s most celebrated ice cream stand”. That we always knew. What was just announced in that same article is that Devon House is the fourth best place in the world to eat ice cream! I need to check out those other ice cream bars.

You see, I love to travel and would love to have done more. Instead, I focused on making my home comfortable for my family and inviting to my friends. Now, I live my life vicariously through the travels of our visitors. They tell me about their homeland while I share on the city and country I love so much. When it comes to the personal interactions with my guests, this is where I get my kick.

In our short two years of opening our home, we have had the pleasure of hosting guests from twenty-two countries around the world, including 7 Caribbean nations and 11 states in the USA. Conversations over breakfast or dinner run the gamut of the history, politics, sociology, arts and culture of their country and mine, while our library is chock-full of books on similar topics and more. Olive Senior’s Encyclopedia of Jamaican Heritage is the most referenced here. 

Lighter conversations at the table will encompass the meal itself, which is more frequently than not Jamaican, or at least with a Jamaican twist. So, our sausages are jerked, our pancakes drizzled with logwood honey and our French Toast, let’s say it is a contradiction, as it is topped with tropical delights. Our jams and chutneys are from Linstead Market Jamaica. Their tinned ackee is the best on the supermarket shelves, and we always stock up with theirs when our crop is over. You too can stock up at their award-winning shop at the Norman Manley International Airport.

Having been in the financial sector for twenty-six of my working years, perhaps there are persons who feel that I have reinvented myself. Nothing is further from the fact. I was born to serve. 


Entertaining brings me such joy. The smell of fresh linen napkins sets the tone every time. I love staying at hotels and, over the years, have adopted many of their best practices in running my home. At another level, and to be explored in another forum, is the knowing that there is something in sharing a home-cooked meal that is akin to expressing love.

So, how do I love sharing my home in B&B style? Let me count the ways.

I am neither desk-bound nor home-bound in this retirement stage of my life. With Neita’s Nest I keep moving. When I am not physically up and down at the supermarket, the hardware store or the airport, I am busy planning the meals and tours, stewing fruit, making breads and optimizing our space or décor features. 

From a business perspective, the most rewarding experience of running Neita’s Nest is doing strategic planning for my own business and watching the results unfold. 

The most pleasing part is that I get to work from home, a prayer and wish that I threw out to the universe some 10 years ago. 

The most heart-warming and satisfying moments come in the positive feedback from our guests, whether verbally or on our Neita’s Nest Trip Advisor page, and of course from having repeat guests. 

The most beautiful and enjoyable is that I can drink my coffee to the sunrise, raise my glass to the full moon and sit in wonderment, praise and forever thankfulness for an ever-changing view of the beautiful, verdant mountains – all from the verandah at Neita’s Nest. 

This is too beautiful not to share!

You are welcome to be our guest at Neita’s Nest. 

First contributed for Mecca to Jamaica by Author - Sheri Hunter, a 2011 guest of Neita's Nest.