Just Got My Daily Dose Of Dija

See this is why I love doing what I do. I would have never followed Kadija Ayanna on Twitter if I wasn’t into all this Jamaica hype, and would never laugh as much as I secretly do at all her tweets. I don’t tweet her back on every single one of them for fear that she’ll think I’m some kind of tweet-stalker but I’m thoroughly entertained nonetheless.

Kadija is as real and as intelligent as they come, as is evident in such blog posts such as “Living Under Durex”.  Read my interview with her below and see for yourself.

Q: Which part of Jamaica did you grow up in?

A: I grew up in the cool hills of St. Andrew.

Q: What were the best things about growing up there?

A: Some of the best things about growing up outside of the city, would include having a lot of yard space and being away from all of the hustle and bustle and noise of the city. Because of all the space, we had a lot of trees (to climb) and we raised a lot of animals (to eat). I basically was a country bumpkin living in ‘town’.

Q: If a tourist were to visit that part of the island what would you tell them is a must-see or must-do there?

A: I’d tell them to keep driving until they got to Ocho Rios. There is NOTHING to do here, which I must admit, my lazy butt really likes. The views from up here are breathtaking, so that could be something one might want to see. From my house, I can sit on my veranda and overlook all of Kingston, most of Portmore, some of Spanish Town, and even the airport. At night, with all the lights it is extremely beautiful.

Q: Have you ever traveled outside of Jamaica? If yes, where was it and what did you love about it? If no, what’s your dream destination?

A: Oh boy, this could take a while! I used to play tennis competitively, so I’ve traveled quite a bit, mainly around the Caribbean, North, South and Central America, as well as Europe. As a sport psychologist and tennis coach, I’ve also done some other sport related traveling, including a trip to China as a part of the Olympic delegation. That may have been the best trip EVER!

I am terribly afraid of flying, so I hate the traveling process, but I really enjoy meeting new people and learning new cultures. I’m always amazed at how similar people are, despite being from different countries and having different backgrounds.

Q: There are so many Jamaicans I know who say they cannot swim! So I gotta ask….can you?

A: Yes I can. I learned the good old fashion way, being flung into the deep end of a pool by an ‘instructor’ and then being rescued after sinking to the bottom of the pool, proving I had no natural ability. That was when I was forced to LEARN how to swim.

Q: You’re pretty much the funniest person I follow on Twitter. Where does your ridiculous sense of humor come from?

A: Probably my father, he’s REALLY corny and sarcastic. My siblings and I all have the same twisted sense of humor, which I assume was cultivated at our family meals. We ate together almost every morning and evening, and we always had some hilarious conversations, mostly ridiculing each other. Fun times…

Q: What inspired you to start blogging?

A: When I used to travel for my sporting events, I would email my family and friends daily to let them know what was going on. Since most of them would probably never experience those events from such an intimate perspective, I would try to describe my daily activities, adventures and encounters in as much detail as possible, in my now signature humorous style of course.

One of my friends, who was blogging at the time, encouraged me to share my ‘talents’ with the world, and eventually I did. Now all 7 of the people that follow my blog have to read about my regular, highly inappropriate activities and interactions.

Q: Dancehall or reggae?

A: Can’t I have both? To me they’re not mutually exclusive, so it would be hard for me to separate the two. I just love good music with a nice bass line, so give me either one on any given day.

Q: Which part of Jamaican culture do you love the best?

A: This is a tough one, because I may be one of the most patriotic Jamaicans ever. At the risk of sounding unbelievably cliché, I’d probably say the people, because our style and flair is injected in everything. We have a way of expressing ourselves that I have not come across anywhere else in all my travels. The music, the dancing, the style of dress, even the way we walk and talk is entertaining to me, as you can probably tell from my blog…lol.

Q: What do you think is the funniest thing tourists do?

A: I’d go with Rent-a-Dreads. Nothing amuses me more than to see a pasty, white lady with rasta coloured beaded canerows (cornrows), walking hand in hand, with the crustiest looking rasta man. It makes me think about the book “The Lunatic” and I laugh to myself imagining the foolishness he’s telling her and doing to her, such as “In Jamaica, the woman pays for the man’s meals”

*************