When I was a kid, I used to go to Jamaica every year. It was
something I looked forward to; to feel the warm sand beneath my toes, sometimes
heating up so much that I had to run around not to get burned. The ocean was
kind and aquamarine blue with hundreds of colorful fish all about. With my
family , we would go on glass bottom boat trips with Jack, a local Jamaican man
with a pleasant weathered look to him. We would go on adventures snorkeling in forbidden caves where only the bats lurked.
The coastline was jagged yet smooth from the ocean constantly smashing against
it. White foam would mist up and sting my eyes, but I didn’t care because I was
happy. Looking back, as a kid I never saw
the bad part of Jamaica, only the good. I would hear Bob Marley’s music
and the smell of freshly cooked jerk chicken instead of the poverty and dangers
of people’s greed.
The last time we went to Jamaica I had a glimpse of how it
was not all good memories, because we were robbed in the middle of the night.
Someone came into our room, broke into the safe and stole most of the money.
Thankfully, no one woke up. I swear to god I knew who did it. It was the
sketchy security guard who had connections and one eye that was slightly
off. I think everyone knew, but the
hotel manager argued that “his dad was a police officer so it couldn’t have
been him.” Despite this, I was still happy because I got a colored band that
allowed me to get free fruit smoothies and the delicious rum raison ice cream
at the beachside bar.
Yo Jazz, I like your blog man. I think your blog gives a good example of how people are never as they seem. Not to be to deep or anything but when your family was robbed it is sort of like a loss of innocence... before you saw only the good that was in Jamaica but after you saw Jamaica for what it really was, not just the commercialized stuff they want you to see.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lil, I get the loss of innocence part. At the time I didn't take it seriously but reflecting back it was.
DeleteVery well written Jazpaah! This shows that certain people are genuinely nice but then there are those that are not. Peoples impacts on your life can be positive or negative but the negative impacts are the ones that stand out and remain.
ReplyDeleteGood observation Tyler (notjasper.blogspot.com). Funny thing how some people are mean and some are nice.
DeleteI really liked this blog. Your personification of the sea as "kind" and how you pointed out the contrast between the natural idyll and poverty of Jamaica are really interesting- I've been there and I can totally relate to both of those observations. I think that exists in a lot of those tourist-centric places. Keep writing well, man.
ReplyDeleteThanks Robby. I also find it interesting between the contrast of the beautiful environment and the desperation caused by poverty. I think together the two opposing forces make up the culture of Janaica
DeleteAlso a question: Why do you think these tourist hubs are the way the are? Are the reasons the same, usually?
ReplyDeleteJASPER!!! Awesome post, I never knew that happened. (When Neal Caffrey disappeared to that island he wore the same hats that you do and that's super cool.) This post is a good example of remembering something because of the way it made you feel; the connection between emotion and event. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteALLIE! Thanks for the comment, I like the part about "the connection between emotion and event"
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