My first memorable experience of Jamaican life is of asking myself: I am I Jamaican or English? I was born in England of Jamaican parents. Life was mixed. My cousin lived a traditional Jamican life whereas I was just mixed up.
Jamaican traditional dinner is around the table on a Sunday, Dutch pot chicken spices simmered with onion and tomatoes along with yam, fried dumplings, callalou, rice and peas.
For a perid in my life I grew to dislike rice and peas. Today it just depends on who has cooked it!
My second experience is that of the west Indies playing cricket in the summer against England, and relatives, particularly my elders playing dominoes.
The slapping down of the dominoes is really loud, which always used to make me jump, thinking my eardrums would burst. "Their poor hands" I'd think. "Why would anyone do that?"
The shouting of "Ah wah ya a doman play the s card" (1 to you and me) was really scary.
The arguing was so intense at times which made me think that I did not understand how grown people can act in this way over a game of dominoes.
I realise now that this was all done in jest.
I promised myself that I would never go down this road and never play the game... 30 years later I find myself at the CCMA (Cobridge Community Mutlicultural Centre) where the culture of dominoes is still very much alive with Jamaicans of all ages and particularly with the men. The slapping down still goes on.
Today the ladies will join in and play but our way is very much more refined, and now I am comfortable both as English and Jamaican.
Dad and relatives must be thinkin ah wah go on - or what's that all about?
