RickBlaine
6/20/2016 07:56 EST
(I wrote & posted on Facebook - Jamaicans From Around The Globe)
First, I want to express my gratitude to all Jamaicans for welcoming me to their island & home. I have never encountered such a heartfelt openness anywhere else in the world!
I'll agree it is HARD in Jamaica!! There's few job opportunities here and what jobs there are don't pay a lot. Things can be expensive in respect to what the average Jamaican earns. Many Jamaicans feel there are better opportunities and pay elsewhere and especially the U.S. This might be true IF you can qualify for a VISA, have a good education and/or training in an area that will get you a good job! And it's getting harder everyday to get that U.S. VISA!!
What I have learned and observed is that Jamaicans are a very hard-working people. They work hard and overcome obstacles every day but at the end of that day they are happy... VERY HAPPY!!
While the vendors and window washers at the traffic lights might be a tad annoying... THEY ARE WORKING, TRYING to earn a few dollars. Unlike the states where you have panhandlers begging for money (I've learned that most of these panhandlers really aren't homeless and make $20,000 - $30,000 USD a year just by collecting spare change... TAX FREE!!). YOU DON'T see that in Jamaica (or at least I haven't seen it).
Yes, there's crime here... there's crime everywhere!!! Chicago has approximately the same population as Jamaica, and so far this year there have been almost 500 murders in Chicago!! That doesn't account for Boston, Detroit, New York, Washington D.C., LA, Dallas, etc.
Americans are caught up in chasing material things... a better home or neighborhood, a better car, bigger TV, the latest iPhone or Galaxy. They fence themselves off from their neighbors and mostly have a "ME" attitude. The only sign they worship is the Dollar Sign ("$$$"). Americans are spoiled little children and generally act like that. Most are very unhappy and guess where their ideal vacation is... JAMAICA!!
The house we have now (here in Mobay) has no hot water and my fiancee washes clothes by hand (we do go to the laundry mat sometimes and are buying a washing machine when we move into our new place). and don't even mention a clothes dryer... clothes dry outside in the fresh air and sunlight!! This is common in Jamaica... ask your American friends how many of them could live without hot water or if they would be willing to wash their clothes by hand. Most would think you're crazy!!!
There's an old saying... "The grass is greener on the other side." but when you get over there you find out it's all weeds!! and it was better where you were. Jamaica is like that!!! The grass really is greener here and only when you get to the states do you learn what you gave up!!!
I sit on our balcony at night, looking at the moon and stars, listening to the sounds of the night... feeling relaxed and at peace knowing I'm in paradise.
I love my adopted home & country and hopefully soon will be an official resident. I plan on living the rest of my life in this island paradise and can't imagine myself anywhere else.
What makes Jamaica a beautiful place... isn't the food or the weather or the politicians! It's the PEOPLE... JAMAICANS!!
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Gardis
6/20/2016 08:14 EST
Rick, I think a couple of points are misleading in your post. First of all, you do not need to defend your decision to live in Jamaica, or anywhere else. If you love it, that's enough to justify living there, regardless of the sacrifices you are making. You seem realistic. It is not a valid comparison to compare Chicago's murder rate to a country in the Caribbean. The population of the USA is well over 320 million at this point, that of Jamaica just over 3 million. My state of Connecticut is the size of Jamaica, population wise. If we had over 1200 murders in a year in this state, there would be a national state of emergency with national guard troops on every corner. It's not the same thing. You cannot compare a developing country with one of the most developed nations on earth. Not fair to Jamaica.
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RickBlaine
6/20/2016 08:47 EST
Gardis... You may be correct and value your input however Detroit & Chicago are far more different than Connecticut. I know as I was born and raised in Detroit and lived in Chicago for 15 years. Watch the news about Chicago, it'll alarm anyone. I'm even afraid to go in some old neighborhoods in Detroit when I go back there.
From your posts I gather you haven't lived here ( Jamaica) since about 2007.
We can agree to disagree... Respect.
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stylistni
6/20/2016 09:21 EST
Although I haven't made the move yet, we share the same sentiments. As Chronixx said "if you don't know hard life then you don't know life yet." It's beyond the "luxuries" many Americans are accustomed to. I know what I feel when I'm in Jamaica. I'm a personal stylist to people who want to feel more confident yet I feel the most confident and free when I am in Jamaica with my thrifted or way off brand clothing chilling on the veranda taking in nature or simply holding a meds. Jamaicans are full of vibes. For those who want to leave, I understand, but I remind my friends there that they live in paradise. Don't be fooled by the hype of Americans and their distorted views. Stay closer to nature and you stay closer to The Most High.
Thanks for posting this.
Blessed
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stylistni
6/20/2016 09:31 EST
Again, Gardis misses the entire message of the points raised. Smh. Your views from behind your juicy steak, gated community, and pc conversations with "the Pope" (hopefully you caught that underlying message) are very dismantling. You sit back and pick Jamaica apart trying to get other people to dismiss the beauty of the island and its people. While ur very real details about it being "hard" to live in Jamaica can help an unknowing person understand SOME of the things they can expect, (just like the idea that living in Jamaica is complete paradise with no worries and great food) it is simply not the full picture. If you are wanting to help "save" people, at least allow them to take in the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, and everything in between. Your daunting tales are misleading. Change your mind, change your life.
Smh. What is wrong with you? The original poster was simply saying that, YES, there is a high crime rate in Jamaica, but there are other high crime rates around the world.
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Suzy2016
6/26/2016 17:40 EST
Well said RickBlaine. The part of New York I grow up in people got killed many times in a week my point of saying that is crime will be everywhere you go in this world. I have learned to appreciate so much more from living here. Many people told me don't move to Jamaica or do it when I'm retired. This has been one of the best things I did for myself in my 20s.
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CourtneyM
7/13/2016 11:46 EST
Hey there this is a great posts, I am 25 with a 23 month old, I have always had links to Jamaica with my family over there and my grandparents, I am looking to come and stay in Jamaica for 6 weeks to get used to this life, when I have visited over the years I am so happy there, some people have nothing but are so happy, I live in the uk and I'm tired of being in a cycle of work, pay bills to sit down and be miserable and do nothing, I'm looking to have happiness
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