This morning I was sitting here thinking that since I can’t go to Jamaica for a while I should start writing about my own city and the adventures one could have here, but then I realized that there would be no adventures because I’m normal in Calgary. There is nothing different about me in my hometown that if I drove into a new neighborhood people would notice and go out of their way to show me around and make sure I’m entertained. Whereas, if I did the same thing in Jamaica I would stick out like a sore thumb and be the focal point. This brought me to thinking that for most of us Jamaica-addicts, we are fixated on what we don’t necessarily get at home – attention.
When I say attention I’m using the word in more ways than one. For some (females) the attention could mean that they get it from Jamaican men and become the type who keep returning to the island for some lovin’. No one can fault them for it because how many times in your home town do you get attention BECAUSE you’re a white female? How many twenty five year old hot boys hit on a forty year old fluffy gyal back home?
For others it just means that because we’re willing to venture out into uncharted territory the attention is naturally drawn to us because of such behavior. I like to get lost in random places and meet the most random people who are all about showing off what’s great about their neighborhood even if there’s nothing great about it at all. Mind you, I’m not ignorant to the fact that being white and female adds to the experience of being doted on and entertained BUT it’s not just that because foreign males get the same attention when they’re willing to be adventurous and learn about the culture.
I can’t lie, I don’t like to “blend in” because that’s so normal and is probably the reason why I feel isolated in my home town. But the fact that I don’t like blending in is an oxymoron when I’m in Jamaica because I DO like to blend in in Jamaica. One of the things that pisses me off the most there is that I can’t walk with any man without it being assumed I’m his woman or his foreign wife. If any of those assuming people knew me at all they’d know I will never be a foreign wife unless I marry someone for business, and I mean business that benefits me, not them LOL. That’s an exaggeration but I’m just telling you how unlikely it is.
Having said all that I think a fixation on being different regardless of where we are isn’t a bad thing at all. I think people become complacent and lost when trying to fit into the status quo. People tend not to change an established behavior unless the incentive to change is compelling, and for me travel and discovery are compelling enough! If my appearance can enhance the way I experience things abroad but not at home, then I will continue to use it to my advantage.
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