The Jamaica Idea

When I think of Jamaica, the first image that comes to my mind is that of an overflowing garbage can. Then, the image expands to include a shabby street with a broken pavement, and unkempt houses with unkempt lawns. Occasionally, a few rats scurry around in the garbage can. Suddenly a flock of pigeons come flying out of nowhere. And the squirrels look really scary and don’t budge. That, is my charming little mental image of my favorite place-where-I-live, called Jamaica.

Many people have a similar stereotypical view of Jamaica, although perhaps not as vivid as mine. I came to Jamaica about three years ago, and I moved from a more … affluent place than Jamaica. Perhaps that is the reason why I have such a horrible mental image of Jamaica – a bad first impression due to a sudden change in surroundings. I have since grown accustomed to Jamaica, and can earnestly say that it’s not a bad place at all. In fact, if I was given the option of living anywhere in New York, I would choose to live in Jamaica.

Jamaica is one of the most ethnically diverse places in Queens. It is possible to verify this fact simply by walking around for a few minutes. There are people of various colours and ethnicities; people that speak different languages; people that wear different clothes; people that smell different. People play all types of music (except for classical of course), loudly and especially during the night. The upside to this diversity is that there is a lot of food - there are restaurants literally everywhere and cuisines from all over the world to sample.

Jamaica is not only diverse in terms of people; it is also diverse in terms of where people live. The same street can have a house with a beautiful lawn and garden next to a smelly and crappy apartment. Although most people are middle-class-ish, many rich people live here also.

The diversity, and essence of Jamaica is best captured by the image at the bottom. It shows a basketball court next to a tennis court. Since basketball is generally considered to be the sport of the “poor” and tennis is generally considered to be the sport of the “rich”, it is only fitting that in a place as diverse as Jamaica, such stereotypes are melted away.

Would anyone go out to take a picture when they have the power of google?