“Forina!”
Yes, that is the call and newly minted name for locals after returning from their first trip abroad. It’s playful teasing that is welcomed by some, but more annoying to others — like my mother, who would go as far as providing incorrect arrival and departure dates to avoid this attention. Sidebar: I actually just had an aha moment, I too practice this same baseless deceit and I just placed its origin! I would say this attention and visibility is more welcomed the first time. The first time is exciting and even if you spent that time abroad locked inside the four walls of a New York City or London apartment, on the strip malls of Atlanta or shopping plazas of South Florida, you’ve arrived. You’ve established some standing, despite the privilege of traveling abroad being popular. Until that first trip abroad, many know the outside world only from secondary and third accounts; TV, social media and word of mouth. The trip is now our opportunity to match the stories we’ve heard and the pictures seen and saved to our own experience, and to add a personal touch to all the stories told before.
Our life experiences hold the power to help us evolve and provide an opportunity to see the ordinary in a new light. Traveling abroad is one life experience that has the capacity to create life-shifting moments to those open and positioned to embark on change. The distinctiveness of Jamaican patois is usually the first light to be reflected back on us. We alter our dialect in order to be understood by non-Jamaicans. This “code switch” tends to carry over upon returning even after a short trip — a week — and one returns with “a twang,” as we call it. We’ve learned how to mimic the accents of our new surroundings and the “twang” represents a mixture of the foreign accent and the Jamaican patois. I know what you’re thinking — why change who you are to be accepted? Well, we’re actually not changing. This code switch is not regarded as diluting one’s true self, it just makes our lives easier. It’s unpleasant having to continually repeat oneself when speaking in the presence of other cultures. Thus, we adapt to survive. Where it gets a little tricky is when the code switches and it doesn’t switch back — now that’s a “forina.”
When North Americans and westerners go on vacation, most times their vacation is visibly marked by their suntan and/or tan lines. Our “twang” is the tan line equivalent. That’s how the community knows that one has reached the pinnacle, that is, the achievement of leaving the island. There is also the opposite to a tan line, a visibly lighter complexion. Not being exposed to the harsh Jamaican sun after some time, many are welcomed home as a “browning.” (Light-skinned Blacks)
A “twang” is worn with pride, for distinction and at times elusiveness. However, it is not without cause as traveling abroad is no small feat. Rich or poor, but especially a poor Jamaican’s journey traveling abroad stretches far beyond a passport, visa and plane ticket. These barriers are designed to keep us on the island and whenever one is positioned to meet and beat what has been withheld from many, take liberty and do whatever it is your heart desires. And isn’t that what traveling abroad is meant to do — inspire and be a catalyst to change? Well, a “forina” is a new do.