Her name is Jamaica and this is her story.

by Bliss Cadogan (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

I didn't expect to find Jamaica

Her boldness, her beauty and her aura were what instantly captivated me. She was different. Different in ways I had never experienced before. Her energy stood 6ft tall, which was shrunk down to fit in an awkwardly small package. The first day I met her, she greeted me with a huge smile, a smile full of warmth and vibrancy. She welcomed me with open arms and hugged me tightly as the sun shined down intensely on us both. I smiled with my eyes closed and surrendered to her embrace. I was just as thrilled to see her as she was to see me. Like the rest of us, she has a story and she wanted to share it with me. She showed me her scars. She told me stories about fighting for her home and her people. She was a warrior. She showed me parts of herself that were vulnerable and sacred. We travelled to those places because she felt safe. Safe for me to visit them. Safe for me to relive them through her lenses. She trusted me and I trusted her. She also told me about what they are trying to do to her home. She said invaders have raided her home and are trying to run her and her people out, but she explained that they will not leave their home without a fight. But she told me that she is tired. Her people are tired. They are tired of being exploited and tired of being lied to. She told me about the medicinal herbs and plants that she provides her people with. She is natural healer with an abundance of cures for every disease. She introduced me to one specifically and explained its benefits and why she and her people use it. She showed me her spiritual ritual before allowing me to partake in the spiritual practice. She trusted me to use it sensibly and with pure intentions. We connected and reasoned over the spiritual ceremony and our connection strengthened even more. Our final day together had arrived and it was a bittersweet exchange. She didn’t want to let me go, which resulted in my missing my flight home. She cried the whole night, her tears were heavy and her cries were hysterical. She put a damper on everything. I was soaked in her tears and wasn’t able to leave as I was drenched in her sorrows. So I stayed with her and waited for her smile to return--- and it did. It returned just as bright as it as when we first met. On our last car journey together, we exchanged words of affirmation and gratitude—I thanked her for having me and being extremely hospitable, I thanked her for sharing her scars and her tears with me and also her smiles and her joys. I explained to her I’d be back soon and that I’d love to spend even more time getting to know her, as she is very layered and has infinite depths to discover about her. Jamaica, I will forever cherish the moments we shared and the memories we created. You taught me a lot about myself and about life, you showed me things that I have never seen before and you led me to people I would have never met, had I never met you. I will forever be indebted to you and because of this, everyone I meet I will share your story as I feel it is a part of my due-diligence to allow the world to see the parts of you that I think are the most beautiful yet most overlooked. I will tell them that your name is Jamaica and that this is your story.