With my shiny relatively new passport, I decided that after spending a summer in Mexico, I wanted to spend the winter holidays with my family in Jamaica. It would be my first time meeting my cousins, aunts, and uncles. I was extremely excited. There was still the nervousness of boarding the plane alone, searching for luggage, and hoping that there will be someone to greet me upon arrival. But I did it. I boarded the plane, found my luggage, and my grandmother was there waiting for me as soon as I passed through the gates.
I expected to spend the majority of my time at the family house, but I was afforded the opportunity to explore the island, from one end to the other. I went to beaches from Kingston to Montego Bay! We drove into the bush, visited the family cemetery, and ate all the foods I cherished and remembered from my childhood.
The temperature was amazingly warm. It was my first hot winter and I loved every minute of it. When there was a storm, the rain was cool and felt wonderful on my skin after baking in the sun all day. And when I say storm, I mean it! Loud cracking thunder and enough rain to flood the yard. Honestly, everyday there felt like magic. I was amazed by everything.
I wish I had photos of the parties because if I could say one thing about the nightlife in Jamaica, I would definitely say it’s LIVE! My cousins and I spent 2 hours getting ready. Clothes, jewellery, perfumes, shoes! They tried to get me to wear makeup too, I settled with some dramatic mascara, and we were off. There’s not such thing as too much. Never too sexy. Never too proud. My confidence had never been so high as it was on a night out in Jamaica. I wish I had more photos of my time there but I was honestly and truly living in the moment.
I was grateful to connect with my family and culture I’ve always been paranoid about losing since I’ve been raised in the US. A lot of the trip had me thinking about what it means to be a second generation American; how much of my life is influenced by island culture and how much is truly American.
I settled with the idea that despite the xenophobia the US presents, the blend of culture is what makes the US.
Muffin and Tea 