WHAT EXCITES YOU MOST ABOUT JAMAICA?
On the eve of celebrations for Jamaica’s 55th anniversary of Independence, I asked Jamaicans and non-Jamaicans what are the things they love most about the island. Here are the top 10 Jamaican treasures that my Facebook friends from around the world find
1 The warm, friendly, and welcoming people. No surprises here, as for decades, the trademark friendliness and hospitality of the Jamaican people have brought untold joy to both locals and overseas visitors.
2 The dazzling array of hearty food, from traditional dishes of oxtail and curried goat, rundown to patties, coconut cake, roasted breadfruit and coconut drops, sweet potato and cornmeal puddings to the natural fruits like mangoes, sweetsop, naseberries, and June plum.
3 The natural beauty of the island with all its diversity – shimmering sea, rivers that make you want to jump in or go rafting, breathtaking mountains, and magnificent waterfalls.
4 The pulsating culture that includes Jamaica’s gift of reggae music to the world. But, there is also dance, theatre, and the dramatic, and visual arts, as well as the traditional folk forms of music and dance.
5 Jamaica’s all-round dominance in sports, especially in track and field. Usain Bolt is perhaps Jamaica’s most admired personality. Few things excite Jamaicans as much as the harvesting of Olympic gold medals.
6 The dynamic, colourful and expressive sounds of the Jamaican language. New words like ‘tun up’, ‘goodaz’ are manufactured daily to add to the already formidable body of Jamaican vocabulary.
7 The climate is certainly an attractive feature for many. Even though Jamaicans take the year-round sunshine for granted, tourists understand and appreciate the joy of flying into warm Jamaica on a February morning when it’s below zero in Edmonton, Toronto, and Chicago.
8 The legendary resilience of Jamaicans to bounce back from any adversity of crisis. Looking back at history, Jamaica has survived some of the most devastating tidal waves, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and political upheavals, and the nation still stands tall and proud.
9 A wickedly classic Jamaican sense of humour. Jamaicans have the ability to find fun in even the most serious situations, and they can turn a tragedy into a raucous laugh.
10 Entrepreneurship in medicine, science, and engineering. Imagine a country smaller than the state of Connecticut helping to lead the way in global cancer treatment!