Eugene Payne

Mrs.Hartholt

ENG3U

Jan 15 2017

If I was in Jamaica:

My ancestors came from africa and then migrated to Jamaica. There my grandmother had a large house with much farm land tended to by her father. She was meant to tend to the farm land with her father and siblings but instead she chose to emigrated to Canada in 1937. Once in Canada my mother study in medical school to become a secretary and married my grandfather in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and there they had my Mother. If my Grandparents never emigrated to Canada my personal orientation, outlook on the world, and resources would be much different then they are now.

For starters the music that I regularly listen to would change drastically. Because of the trending music in Jamaica being reggae my taste in music would change; growing up in Toronto Ontario with a rap artist for a Father and my mother taking a liking to r&b those two genres of music became my favorite. My form of speech would also change as a result of not emigrating to Canada. Because of the language difference in Jamaica I would be speaking in patois the national language of jamaica; This would be different from regular Canadian english. Certain words or phrases said in english would be changed and my accent would change. Also if I did not emigrate to Canada my sense style when it comes to sing ,dancing ,and clothing. For example in Canada a growing trend for menswear is to wear tight fitting pants and for women Jeggings or tights; in Jamaica the usual trend is to wear baggy, loose fitting pants and for women skirts or sun dresses(Markland).

As well as having many personality changes my outlook on the rest of the world and other people would change. Because of discrimination regarding homosexual couples in Jamaica men who have been seen in feminine clothes have been mobbed and killed  according to 2012 data. Because of this if I were to stay in Jamaica I might have been uncomfortable or even afraid to be around or talk to homosexuals. Also the alcohol laws are different in Jamaica. In Canada the minimum drink age is eighteen but in Jamaica there is no age limit to drink only an age limit to purchase liquor. If Was living in Jamaica maybe my curiosity to have Alcohol would be greater and I may be more active in achieving it. As well as alcohol the laws on marijuana are different. Although marijuana has been outlawed from Jamaica since 1913 the religion of Rastafarianism is also what could have influenced me to be a regular smoker(TNI). Currently marijuana can be legally consumed by adults eighteen and up, the limit of marijuana a person can have for personal consumption is two ounces.

As Well as my personality and outlook, the way that resources are provided in Canada are different in Jamaica; some of these resources are handled similarly in Jamaica. Education for instance is set up into 4 categories primary school, secondary school, post-secondary, and tertiary. primary school is similar to elementary school and is compulsory, secondary school is the same in Jamaica, post-secondary school is similar to coop or apprenticeship courses and tertiary is the same as college. Overall school would not be a large change. Another example of the provision of resources in Jamaica is healthcare. In Jamaica there are about three dozen hospitals in the country public and private service establishments. The standard of the health care centers in Jamaica are also somewhat lower than Canada’s. If I were to stay in Jamaica I may not have access to health care in an emergency. As well as bad health care I also risk unemployment if I were to not emigrate to Canada. The unemployment rate in Jamaica January 2015 was 34.5%; that's 967,159.9 people out of 2,803,362 without a job. If I were living in Jamaica I could be part of that statistic and be living in poverty.

And so, Because of the change of country my personal choice, outlook on certain laws and beliefs and access to resources would be altered. Somethings would stay the same like education and clothing ,but things like music and health care would change. Although some of the differences have a negative impact on my life, my grandparents had a large house and large farm land so I would still maybe have a good life in Jamaica.

 

Works Cited

Drug Law Reform in Jamaica. 2015, www.tni.org/en/collection/drug-law-reform-in-jamaica. Accessed 15 Jan. 2017.

The Gleaner. 30 Apr. 2015, jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20150430/unemployment-rate-75-cent. Accessed 15 Jan. 2017.

Human Rights First. 2012, www.humanrightsfirst.org/sites/default/files/Jamaica-LGBT-Fact-Sheet.pdf. Accessed 15 Jan. 2017.

Inter Nations. www.internations.org/jamaica-expats/guide/living-in-jamaica-15737/healthcare-in-jamaica-3. Accessed 15 Jan. 2017.

Lewis, Kathy Ann. Interview. 10 Jan. 2017.

Markland, Cislyn Mercedes. Interview. 15 Jan. 2017.

1 CAD to JMD. 2017, www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on#safe=active&q=1%20CAD%20to%20JMD. Accessed 15 Jan. 2017.

Teen’s Drinking Alcohol on Vacation. 23 July 2013, www.vacationkids.com/Vacations-with-kids/bid/305772/dTeens-Drinking-Alcohol-On-Vacation. Accessed 15 Jan. 2017.