Jamaica – So much to be thankful for

Jamaica is unquestionably one of the most beautiful islands in the world.

She is surrounded by sun- kissed beaches with white sand that stretches for miles, picturesque rivers and cascading natural water falls.

Jamaica is blessed with Flora and Fauna, some being indigenous to the island. She is undoubtedly a paradise here on earth.

Our island is surrounded by the beautiful Blue Mountains which is our highest peak. Jamaica has fourteen parishes that are divided into three counties-Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey.It is mostly sunny, humid in the summer and it cools down in late September with mostly rain in October. The ending of November is blessed with even cooler temperatures, sometimes reminiscent of ‘fall’ in other countries of the world. She is also prone to hurricanes and earthquakes. The last major earthquake was in 1907. Jamaica is a photographer’s dream- with its natural images, depicting varying moods aplenty.

The national dish is ackee and saltfish (codfish), though I honestly believe that it should be changed to rice and peas and chicken, a known staple in Jamaica, especially cooked on Sundays. 

Most traditional Jamaicans will have what they had on Sunday for dinner on Monday. Tuesdays are usually a mixture of starch- yam, banana and dumplings (flour mixed with salt and water, formed into a round bun and then put to boil) with whatever meat or vegetables one chooses.

Wednesdays, especially as a child growing up, was stew peas day, (peas, pigtail, salt beef and beef, cooked as a stew) with white rice.

Thursdays was normally chicken and rice. The chicken was usually stewed, fried and or curried.

Friday was more relaxed, it was an anything goes kind of day.

Saturday was the day soup is cooked. There are varieties-whether chicken soup, peas (red or gungo) soup, chicken foot, beef; you name the meat and it is cooked in soup. We also eat a lot of what we grow, such as yams, callaloo, lettuce, pumpkins, pak choi; the list is endless. We are blessed even more with fruits. Most children spend their summers feasting on different types of mangoes, cherries, plums and guineps.

Jamaica, home to Bob Marley is rich in music. We have some of the best musicians in the world. Jamaica is also home to Reggae, Dancehall and Ska. We do everything with music here in Jamaica. It is very important to us.

On any given day, at any given hour, there is some party, session, stage show or street dance. Street dances are huge in Jamaica. So too is dancing. When it comes to authentic rhythms and moves, Jamaica is also cutting waves for such a small dot on the map.  We have infiltrated and influenced a lot of cultures in the world.

Jamaicans also love Calypso music. This is showcased in our annual Carnival where people march in the streets and ‘whine’ their way to the final Bacchanal in an enclosed area.

Jamaica is also home to some of the greatest athletes that have every graced the earth. Shelly-Ann Frazer-Pryce and Usain Bolt, the fastest man and woman in the world on the track, are products of this sun-kissed paradise.

Our personalities are vibrant and colourful. The mixture of Jamaican Creole with the English language creates an eclectic collage that is music to the ears. An island that is so dynamic, that it could easily be considered the hub for some of the best humans that God could have produced.

The word Jamaica is inevitably synonymous with greatness.

Kenisha Duff