Hello people 🙂

Here are 10 random facts about Jamaica(ns):

1. Jamaica became Independent on August 6, 1962. Jamaica is an Island in the Caribbean Sea, of 14 Parishes and 3 County’s. We have a language called Patois, which isn’t officially recognized as a language but as an English Creole.
2. We are friendly, you could be standing in the line at the bank or travelling on a public bus; sparking up a conversation with a stranger is an easy task.
3. We are hot-tempered, the conversation in the bank was more than likely started because the parties were waiting for a while and consisted of the slowness of the bank tellers.
4. Taximen (taxi drivers), coaster drivers, even JUTC bus drivers are hilarious, they make you wonder if a criteria to become a public transport driver is being a comedian. Are they trained? I would like to know.
5. Our nicknames are probably the most unoriginal you could find, for example Blacks, Blacka, Tallman, Longman, Shorty, Baldman, Bigs, Bigga, Slimmaz, Likkle miss, Empress for a natural haired woman, Ras for anybody with dread locs and Mr. Chin or Miss Chin for any person that looks Asian.
6. We can go to the Beach all year round, as long as it’s not raining. (And even then 😛 )
7. We are always trying to beat the system, I’m sure you can find a knock-off of anything here as well. (Straight from China!)
8. We are very Patriotic, we represent Jamaica wherever we go; and a lot are boastful with it too.
9. Some of us are still superstitious, it’s passed down from the older folk. Some examples are: “If you miss a belt loop, your partner will leave you.” “If you open an umbrella overhead inside a building, you won’t get married.” “Bush tea is made with an odd number of leaves.” (IE. Tea made with plants like lime tree leaves, soursop tree leaves, etc. By the way I don’t know what will happen if I use an even number… I just don’t.)
10. We are the ‘Biggest Little Rock in the World‘ not literally of course, literally we’re the 5th biggest Island in the Caribbean. So feel free to say Ja, Jamdung or Jamrock.

This is my Jamaica 🙂

(Featured image by Nicholi Stevens.)