I’m homesick. It’s my second time living abroad and more than two years since I’ve set foot on my island home. Over the past few months, I’ve had to wrestle with the overwhelming urge to hop onto a plane and the reality that I need to ban my belly and “suck salt through a wooden spoon” until all my ducks are lined in a row. It hasn’t been easy but the support of family and friends has kept me going. These five are at the top of my list of things I miss most about Jamaica.
5. Good food
I have no regrets about removing meat and poultry from my diet six years ago, but finding food for my specialized diet has become a major challenge. Buying vegetables and fish is no problem if I’m willing to cook every day. I’m thankful to my family for the constant supply of seasonings but even the meals I cook myself are lacking that special Jamaican flair. And let me not even start on restaurants. When I find ones that serve food I can actually eat, the absence of flavour leaves a lot to be desired.
4. Blaring music
I miss turning up the volume to the music when I need to pep up my mood. Whether its reggae, dancehall, gospel, classical, and even some broadway tunes, every now and then I need the decibels to be turned way up. When I’m a low mood, I need every note and melody of my favourite songs to surround my body and take me to the land of make believe. It’s just not the same with an earphone.
3. Real people
Life can get miserable real quick when you’re from a country where people are very warm and social in their interactions to one where people are cold and mechanical. I miss the belly busting laughter that erupts when someone cracks a joke in a taxi full of complete strangers. I miss the animated interviews of ordinary people on the evening news. I miss genuine smiles and brutal honesty. I miss realness.
2. Being invisible
There is nothing fun or exciting about having your face stand out in a crowd when all you want to do is get from home to work and back. But as any black person living in Asia will tell you, standing out is a big part of living in this part of the world. I miss blending into the crowd at Sam Sharpe Square, or wading through Half Way Tree without people stopping to look at me or pointing me out to their friends. I just want to go to the supermarket, or clothes shopping or ride the train without people giving me weird looks.
1. Family
Of course, the hardest part is being away from family. Whether it’s a family dinner or an impromptu visit, it’s the time spent sharing stories of our childhood, talking about our challenges and our triumphs, and the genuine concern for each other’s well-being. When you’re part of a family that stays in touch and keeps abreast of each other’s lives, it’s difficult to be apart for so long. There comes a point when video chats are not enough. You want to hold their hands, hug them, squeeze them and tell them in person just how much you love them.