I am so excited I can barely contain myself; I am going home! The pandemic has been so unkind in many ways, and has altered our lives far beyond what one could have ever imagined. This time away, eighteen months, is the longest in quite some time that I have been away from Jamaica. While the pandemic is not entirely behind us, I need to see home. I miss the Jamaican sun kisses and its air of familiarity. While I am so grateful for the shores of the beautiful eastern seaboard that has provided recourse in Jamaica’s absence, there is no place like home. This is particularly special when Jamaica is your home.
Jamaica is home to everyone that crosses its borders, it’s our greeting to tourists and natives alike, “Welcome home.” While I am expecting these words to reach me upon each entry, I fight the tears as the words will meet me when I need them the most. Home provides us with a different type of feeling — warmth, comfort and permission to let go. Home is where the heart is and have you heard? Jamaica is “the heartbeat of the world.” (Visit Jamaica 2020 campaign slogan) I must admit, I wasn’t the biggest fan the first time I heard the saying. Even today, I still haven’t fully grasped how this small island, population 2.9 mil, in the middle of the Caribbean sea could so boldly claim the heartbeat of the world; population 7.6 billion. But if you’re lucky, that’s the security and confidence that home provides us, the courage to be bold and to do so proudly. It’s a feeling. For you, the feeling of relaxation and restoration; for me, it provides an opportunity to be embraced and be seen, be loved. That’s my Jamaica, my home.
My preferences are of course biased, but to give some perspective, I’ve visited quite a number of other countries and haven’t met a place that feels as good as Jamaica. There is the saying Sweet, sweet, Jamaica because it’s true. Jamaica is sweet like ripen summer fruits, hot sex, good wine and decadent dessert all in one. The one thing that makes my time in Jamaica unenjoyable are the mosquitoes. They too are special and well known. They’re the useless spineless pests that sucks the life out of your stay. A Jamaica without crime and mosquitoes; ahh I would never leave.
The excitement on the journey home stretches far beyond packing bikinis, cover-ups and toiletries. Loved ones eagerly anticipate your arrival with the preparation of accommodations and one’s favorite culinary dishes. No visit would be remiss without the foreigner’s cries about the sun’s heat. Then there are the requests to fulfill; a cousin’s favorite makeup compact or the time I traveled with a toaster oven as a carryon and thought nothing of it. Not forgetting the juicer I packed just in time for my dad’s Father’s day gift while on baecation. All normal. One thing about Jamaicans, we love Jamaica, but most of us, if not all, want the conveniences of life in North America. This stay however, I promise to pack the basics; insect repellant being at the top of the list and my laptop. The order is to work from home.
Jamaica, soon come!