Cooking SaltfishThis is not a recipe by any means but a childhood memory of me cooking saltfish for the first time. As a child growing up in Clarendon during the seventies, if you happen to be the eldest child in the household it was your responsibility to learn fundamental domestic duties. Cooking, washing, ironing, sewing, things like that.
Growing Up Like A Jamaican - What to do when you don't have electricityWhen I tell people that my maternal grandparent’s home was not wired for electricity until 1997 their jaws often drop open. They want to know what did we do for light and didn’t we get bored without TV? Well, during the day we used daylight and at night we used lanterns.
Ms. Dulcie Sey: "Wey Happun To Nu Yauk!"Hallo hall hoff mi wonderful an fateful fans, ow iz hall hoff uno doin? Well a ope uno iz doin well. Miss Dulcie juss get back from ar trip to de big ole Happle an bwoy no hask if he nevva haff wan hole heap a wum.Lorks haff mercy, me nevva cuss an carry on so much inna alla a fi mi bawn life.
Do Dreams Really Come Through : Memoirs Of An Illegal Alien Part 48The handcuffs were tight and as I moved they felt like they would cut through my skin. I wiggled to get comfortable. I knew I should now have gone down to the immigration office. It felt like a set up but the thought of getting a USA passport was too good to pass up. I had gotten a fake birth certificate and applied for a passport.
A Wey Kine A Radio ShowOw iz hal hof uno doing dese days? Lawd tings is getting treacherous hall ova de wul. Evrytime mi read a blinkin newspaper iz halways bedlam an mayhem. Well, dese days Ms. Dulcie is very bizy, mi a promote me book dem, mi radio show, an mi talk show. Me ere sey dem heven mek wan dolly wey look like Ms. Dulcimer….eh, eh….Yu eva see mi dyin trial?
Granny and I realize it’s a Mad, Mad World out there!Once people arrive at certain ages they tend to be mellow and calm. Perhaps it is because they have experienced so many events in their lives, that the years have given them a reference in order to decipher the melodramas from the mini-dramas. My Granny was one of those people who did not let petty people or their actions bother her. She felt as long as God was on her side, they all could eat dust and die.
Growing Up Like A Jamaican - The BookJune is a special month for me not only because of my birthday but also because of the "birthday" of my book, "How To Raise Your Child Like A Jamaican." In honor of "How To Raise Your Child Like A Jamaican's" 2-year anniversary and because I just released the second edition, which includes an excerpt by Gen. Colin Powell (ret.) and comments by Michelle Bernard of the Independent Women's Forum - they're both Jamericans - for this month's blog I am including an excerpt.
Sammy lose him cool ( Part 2)Much to my ease and comfort I had just dispelled intestinal gas when out of no where my ‘wishy washy’ looking grandson would suddenly appear. “Granpa! Granpa! There’s a lady at the gate asking for you,” said he excitedly as he stood before me in close proximity.
Getting to Know You...Again : Memoirs Of An Illegal Alien Part 47We were going to meet for dinner at a restaurant at the Aventura Mall. There was a Bennigans near one of the main entrances of the mall. Rosa would wait outside for me. As I pulled up to the mall I was excited. I was going to redeem myself. I had the ring with me and by the end of the night she would be excited about the engagement. I even brought a rose from a street vendor on the way there.
Feeling Like A Lizard : Memoirs Of An Illegal Alien Part 46 I hated the idea that my sister and Rosa were conspiring however I wanted a green card more. If I wanted to get back at Rosa I could however I did not blame her. I blamed Sue. I knew she put her up to the whole thing. It is the typical thing a Jamaican woman would do. She was “boosting up” Rosa to put me through this. I wondered why I was trying to protect Sue when she had done nothing but sabotaging my love life and our future. She needs to realize that if I get a green card she would eventually get one.
Childhood DaysI spent some of my childhood years growing up in a small community called Lionel Town in the parish of Clarendon. It was a sugar town, meaning sugar canes grew and were harvested there for the Monymusk Sugar Factory. Lionel town had its own hospital of the same name; it had a court house, a community park known as Pawsey Park, several supermarkets, shops, a post office, police station of course, library, gas station, I even remember a “Bata” shoe store, but most importantly it had decent hard-working, law-abiding citizens.
Growing Up Like A Jamaican - Remembering GrandpaThis month my Grandpa Stafford would’ve turned 95 years old. He was such a strong and wonderful man. I miss him being here physically because that means no more long talks on the veranda or nights under the stars discussing everything under the stars but his ethereal presence is hard to deny.
Ms. Dulcie Sey: God Bless The Rainbow Children!Hola hall a mi wonderful fans out dere in de wul. Ow iz hall hoff uno doin dese dese. Me knoe sey inflaccion a box uno shut gweyin an comin. Ms. Dulcie a pray fi uno hall de same.
Well, me appy fe report sey Hingrid and de Yehuda a clean hup dem hact an poor Missa Fowla feel likkle betta. Hingrid dem was inna Jamaica de odder day , se we hall go dung de North Coast fi a few days. Me dress hup like dryland tourist, wid big ole, broad rim dark glasses a wan caftan wey look like wan tent up hat up park camp. Me kno knoe what me waz tinkin, through de sun so blinkin hot. Me no wan get no sun paisining you know ….
Dog Get A Raw DealIn this place of solitary confinement and except for the occasional ‘ra-ta-ta-ta’ outburst of falling excretion, it is very quite. Here, I am able to think and ponder certain things and review my thoughts to see if there is any thing I’ve over looked.
Granny & I tackle the complexity of InfertilityFrom the time a girl is born in Jamaica, she is groomed to take on the role of wife and mother. Regardless of her academic accomplishments, a young woman is expected to take on the task of being a matriarch of her own family.
Granny & I discuss a Taboo Subject: Obeah in JamaicaObeah is a topic that not too many people openly discuss in the Caribbean. Most people only mention the word when they feel that something isn’t quite right in their lives.When I was growing up in Jamaica, I would often hear the word being thrown around in conversations, but it was always used as a joke or to scare someone who was being a bully.
Is it break-up to make-up? : Memoirs Of An Illegal Alien Part 45Two months had passed since my near proposal. I will never forget that night. Rosa was visibility upset when we left the restaurant. Our relationship changed after that. She was not around as often as she used to be. Her demeanor towards me changed. When she did come around she hung out most of the time with Sue or spoke to my mother on the phone. I needed some time for things to “blow off” before I tried again. Things were about to get worse.
Growing Up Like A Jamaican - Happy AnniversaryBack in ’96 I had an overwhelming need to know as much about my grandparents as possible. I think at that time I was afraid that they would either pass on or forget their history. Although my grandmother didn’t remember a lot about the past my grandfather had a mind like a steel trap. I asked him about how he and grandma met and this is the letter I got in reply.
Ms. Dulcie Sey: “What a Bam-Bam!” Allo me wanderful fans! Ow iz all uno good peple doing hout dere inna de Wul? Well, opefuly uno iz hangin on, elp iz on de way. Oraka Bama win de helection so maybe we will haff wul peace hafta hall. Ms. Dulcie is very bizzy dese days, through me all ova foreign a promote me book cyall, “Dulcieism”. Me go a de Sag Award, me go to de Golden Globes, Me was in Cannes, France and Ms. Dulcie was heven at de Sundance Flim Festival. Hif you heva see me pon de Slope dem, you wuld a fal dung wid hexcitement. Man, when Ms. Dulcimer put hon har gear everybody tap fi look wid shellshock.
A Marriage Proposal Plan: Memoirs Of An Illegal Alien Part 44I was having second thoughts about getting married. I was now regretting having mentioned my proposal plan to Sue. She told my mother who now called frequently to find out when I was going to ask. The pressure was building in my family. Even though I don’t want children, I knew what I wanted. I wanted a better job and a better life. I wanted a chance to travel back to Jamaica and other parts of the world. The only way to achieve that is to get married and get a green card.
