Sisterhood. A Kaleidoscope Of My Jamaican Childhood
A sister is a gift to the heart, A friend to the spirit, A golden thread to the meaning of life. (Isadora James :1890-1975) Early one April morning in 2010, Velma picked me up from my home in Garveymeade. Her daughter Sheryl was with her. We were on a journey. For me it was a […]
E.D. A Kaleidoscope Of My Jamaican Childhood
In 1997, I was appointed Executive Director of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) – the communications and public relations arm of the government of the day. The JIS is a full-house, multi-media organization charged with the mission to gather and disseminate information on government’s policies and programmes, analyse responses and provide critical public feedback. It […]
Why Are Nubian and Bantu Knots Called Chiney Bumps in Jamaica? We Ask Cultural Expert Joan Andrea “Bumpyhead Gal” Hutchinson
To people who grew up in Jamaica, the hairstyles generally known as Nubian knots or Bantu knots are known as Chiney Bumps. Many Jamaicans have never even heard of Nubian or Bantu knots. There is a fascinating reason why the styles are called by a different name in Jamaica, but let’s begin with a general […]
15 Things Jamaicans Find Odd When they Moved to the USA
Oftentimes when Jamaicans visit the USA and return home, they have a long list of things they found odd while on their trip. The list is even longer, when they move there permanently and have to adjust to the American way of life. Here are 15 things Jamaicans found odd when they move to the […]
Michael: A Kaleidoscope Of My Jamaican Childhood
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal Love leaves a memory no none can steal Momentous events happen in your life when you least expect them. It was a hot sunny afternoon and my two-door blue volkswagon did not have air-conditioning. My two children and I were on our way home from Kingston […]
8 Annoying Customer Service Experiences Jamaicans Have To Deal With Daily
Customer service in Jamaica spans a large spectrum and can be experienced at either extremes. There is bad, horrible, mediocre, good and sometimes great customer service. Great customer service you will find in institutions and businesses that train their employees and insist that they represent the company as best as possible at all times. We […]
Making Development Happen: A Kaleidoscope Of My Jamaican Childhood
Two interviews? Really! Did I need this job so badly? I had promised Pippa Fray, then President of the Jamaica Library Association, that I would go, but this was a bit much. However, having given my word to the unusually cute Financial Controller, Jeremy Brown (he did not look like anything I had seen in […]
Reading Maketh the Full Man: A Kaleidoscope Of My Jamaican Childhood
In 1960, I became an employee of one of Jamaica’s most critical public institutions, dedicated to changing the face and lives of Jamaica and Jamaicans through the power of books and reading; the Jamaica Library Service (JLS),established in 1948 in colonial Jamaica, I joined as a Bookmobile Library Assistant for the Schools Library Service (SLS). […]
30 Women Names Jamaicans No Longer Give Their Children
As generations change and modernize, there are some female names that we can safely say have completed their cycle. To our grandmothers, great grandmothers, grandaunts these names were the best among the lot when they were being named or when naming their children. As Jamaican mothers got into the 90s year, they started giving their […]
5 Things We Loved and Hated About Our Neighbors in Jamaica
If you have lived outside of Jamaica, you may have realized the difference in having neighbors there versus back home. There is always a story about a neighbor, some we like, some we don’t. Here are 5 things we loved and hated about our neighbors in Jamaica. 1. Security You do not need a security […]