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RE: Reflecting on my recent visit to Jamaica

in Reflections2 years ago

I will focus on the positive: your beautiful family. It's not just physical. They glow. Those parents beam with pride and good will.

You can't go home again. That's what they say. It's true. I am sorry for Jamaica, but as someone who is addicted to history, I see the problems of the island as a legacy of exploitation. That doesn't let people off the hook who are behaving badly, but we cannot divorce the present from the past that spawned it.

I think you parents have discovered the fountain of youth🌷

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Oh, my parents would blush to hear that.😊

the problems of the island as a legacy of exploitation

You are right! On so many different levels, so many avenues. It's a dire case.

Even the reefs. I do not scuba dive, but I've been told that there's nothing to see there. Everything has been over-exploited.
Jamaica is one of the countries where foreigners can buy and own a property outright. It's a good hub for the frequency and connection of flights. It has good private hospitals and dental care (albeit super pricy).
The roads are deplorable, and fatalities on the roads - I haven't even mentioned that. It's a lawless society, and you will observe that in driving more than anything else. During just the 3 months, the number of people from my neighbourhood who died in motor vehicle accidents was appalling.
When you live there, you become immune to many things, but I also find that strangely, one can become addicted to a certain kind of sadness. When I speak to people from there, it's like a long list of death announcements. People live in fear.
For me, I just wanted to wake up and see the colourful butterflies, the hummingbirds with the long beeps, and the birds singing in a distinct rhythm as if they were delivering messages and I wanted to understand. That made me smile.
I saw little appreciation for nature and simple things.
Another thing is that there's a limited number of public beaches that people have access to. Jamaica went the route of large inclusive hotels, that prohibit access to the beach.
I wish I had the answer to help implement change.