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Garey Grenyion Prof. Presnell English 1103 November 4, 2013

Jamaican Culture V.S. American Culture

Growing up as a kid I always wondered what life would be like living in Jamaica. I wondered if things if things were different than in America. Like if the two lifestyles intertwine at all. I want to find out why my parents family decided to leave Jamaica. Mostly because my mom and dad both met each other for the first time in New York. Born in New York, and raised by two wonderful Jamaican parents; a mother who is from Kingston, Jamaica, and my father who is from Steer Town Jamaica near Montego Bay. I am a blessed child, because I get the best of both worlds with my parents. My mom was born on the more wealthy side, and my dad in the more ghetto and hardcore parts of Jamaica. Now as being the child I get that chance to really explore my curiosity and see what is really out there for me to find through my eyes. Being Jamaican you tend to have a huge family. Everyone just really seems to enjoy themselves. I talked with my grandma, Pamela Dewar Grenyion, and she told me some of her experiences in Jamaica and that Jamaicans adore children. My grandma is the best, granted i have two of them and love them both dearly; I am much closer with my fathers mother because she was always there. Women in Jamaica often raise children alone or in extended

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families. In addition, whatever the arrangement is that the relatives and neighbors are expected to help with childcare in Jamaican communities. Its mainly Jamaicas cultural values. My mother would tell me stories of how when she was younger she always had a babysitter. Most of them were her own family member but she always had someone around. The difference between Jamaica and America is that most people offered to babysit others kids without pay. Everyone just loved each others company. A typical Jamaican family is something I can relate to after observing my family. Most of my information is coming from a Jamaican website published on Oct 1, 2002 by Margaret Bailey. Her website is about Jamaican Culture and their lifestyles. She breaks it down into such detail that even while reading the web page I felt like it was really with my own family. I just wanted to talk to them after. She really got into great detail, like how she talks about how Jamaican parents are strict by nature. From early childhood they urge their children to excel academically and athletically, they also encourage them to be discerning in regards to the company they keep. Although Jamaican parents are very stern, there is also another side to them. They are usually fun loving and very involved in all phases of their children's lives. When I read this in my head I thought she was spot on. My parents are like this all the time. Even though my father can be tough he only does it because he loves us. Like when it comes to doing chores and completing a job he really pushes us. He doesn't want anything less than 110%. What's funny is everyone wonders why he never wasnt a cop or a drill sergeant. But in all h e just wants to be able to give us what his father could never do. I am proud of him he has done a great job. However it wasnt easy and when it came to mama we all had to be on our best behavior because if she is unhappy nobody is happy.

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Unlike some cultures where parents tend to sever the connection with their children, once they have turned legal age. Jamaican families remain a constant guiding force in their children's lives well beyond adulthood. You are never too old to be scolded or be given advice. As far as they are concerned you are always their child and they take that responsibility seriously. That is one thing my mom will never let me forget always calling me her baby and stuff. So I have definitely noticed that while being in college. Every other day I am being contacted by different family members even my little cousins. It makes the transition of being away from home so much easier. Im not even going to lie but writing this paper even made me cry a little. But I really miss my family getting to hear my family yell with their thick Jamaican accents really makes it feel like home. One thing I did hate Is really true is that Jamaican parents dont really like the whole hang out thing on school weeks period. Even though you have two parents everyone gets involved. When born into a Jamaican family, the whole family becomes involved in your upbringing. It is not just mother and father. It is grandparents, aunts and uncles. However American families tend to be way different than the traditional Jamaican families. A typical family in America has definitely changed from years ago. I have been reading a magazine online written by Terri Carroll '88. She wrote about an American family today that consist of two women and their child. While a gay couple with an adopted child may not fit the mold of what Americans traditionally consider a typical family, it turns out what is starting to become a new trend. In other countries this is not aloud but in America it is. However that is not the only things setting families in America different from ones in Jamaica. It is also technology what sets them different. Kids now in America seem spoiled and inconsiderate. Talking back to parents

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and doing whatever you want. They seem to have a sense of entitlement in America. However, in Jamaica that wouldnt even cross a kids mind because the parents there dont shy from giving their kids a good butt whipping when they get out of line. In addition, not only are you in trouble with your parents but with your family as well, and word spread very fast to other Jamaican parents since they are all in tight knit group. Now trying to have a family dinner is hard in America. Having to deal with work, kids at school and sports is hard. In addition, the kids get a lot of say in what they want to do in America. But when it gets to the point when you want to hang out with friends to point where you never see your family there is a problem. In addition, there is a high divorce rate in America, which also helps destroy families. In the U.S., we have about 2.4 million marriages a year and 1.2 million divorces a year. Hence, 50 percent of married couples divorce," says Scott M. Stanley of the University of Denver. . People should be able to work things out. Especially for as much as they are paying for therapy. A traditional family in America is all out of whack. There are so many diverse people in different situation there doesnt seem to be tradition families like the ones on the monopoly game boxes. Having grown up in this country I wasnt really able to tell the difference. I was born in 1995 and growing up America was really multicultural. The only thing I was really seeing where gay marriages and adoption of children from different races. America is the land of opportunity. That is one major difference that Jamaica needs in my eyes. People leave there to come to America for better job opportunities that they couldnt get there. From 2003 -2010 nearly 13,126 Jamaicans were deported from the U.S. While after finding that fact I had gathered some information from an article on American Culture. It was

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written by Glenn McMahan. The name of the article is American Culture. With America some people see another chance at life with others they see images of Coca-Cola, hot dogs, burgers, football, baseball, big cars and suburban mansions come to mind. But there is a deeper side to American culture than Hollywood and Disney World. As an American I can say it is not always fun time over here. Yes as a kid growing up is fun but when that real world bs hits you everything changes. For instance, being able to go to all these different places you need to work. People seem to have this idea that stuff in America is free when actually the stuff we are paying for are less in other countries. In Glenn Mchahan article it states how America thrives on individualism. Individualism is a way of life by which a person places his or her own desires, needs, and comforts above the needs of a broader community. I can understand that. Other countries deal with dictators and war hungry people who just want America to burn. But the funny thing is they still sell and buy things from us. The three things that describe American culture individualism, work, and religion. They are among the most important factors that make the culture what it is today. This is what Jamaica wants to become. Actually I think everyone does. With Jamaica you have the sports and Caribbean life style of everything is just laid back, with some people actually working their butts off. But for the most part that is it. Life in Jamaica is great. Thanks to my parents and grandparents I was able to go to Jamaica for a summer and really experience some Jamaican culture. The culture and lifestyle in Jamaica it somewhat differs from America but at the same time America and Jamaica kind of influence each other. By how some of the kids in our time dance and party, also kids wanting to become

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Rastas and smoking weed thinking it is really cool. But the differences between each country can range from food, to sports, education, and most of all family. Growing up I was able to spot some differences but to actually look into it I was able to really find myself as a person and what my heritage is really founded upon. The food in Jamaica is great. If it was up to me I would eat Jamaican food everyday compared to American food. My grandma would always make a spread. One night she would serve curry goat with oxtail, beans, and green bananas. Other nights she would make her fried and jerk chicken, with yams, dumplings, and boiled cabbage. Breakfast was just as good. Different from America where we usually served eggs and bacon or cereal; in Jamaica we have a special breakfast dish. They call it ackee and saltfish and can be served at any time but it is mainly for breakfast. I can go on and on about what food in Jamaica should be served more in America but that wasnt the only thing that set these two countries apart. Sports in Jamaica are great but not as awesome as American sports. Cricket is one of the popular sports in Jamaica. Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on a field at the center of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. Each team takes it in turn to bat, attempting to score runs, while the other team fields. Each turn is known as an innings. Jamaica has produced some of the worlds most famous cricketers, including George Headley, Courtney Walsh, and Michael Holding. Now in America we have basketball and football. Together both of these countries share soccer and track. However I still dont understand how America got the name football even thought that is what many countries call soccer.

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Religion wise I think America and Jamaican share the same values. We both mourn after someones death. But what I didnt know is that some Jamaicans hold nine-day wakes for deceased persons. The wake is a time for respecting and honoring the departed soul. For nine nights, relatives and friends share food and sing hymns, thus saying goodbye to the departed one. I remember when my aunt passed away. I was so heartbroken because when we used to live in New York we would always got to her house for a family gathering and we would all have dinner together, mostly because we had like 5 to 6 hour services. In addition, I was doing a little research and I stumbled upon an internet site that claimed that Jamaica is known to have the most churches per square mile than any other country. That was a cool fact especially after finding out what a religious background I have. Overall finding out all this information on this subject was a wonderful journey. Learning about I lifestyle I live in and one I could have has been an amazing adventure. To think how two countries can be so different but the same values is outstanding. Now when Im around my family and friends family I like to watch and see how we are the same and how we differ. This project really opened my eyes and showed me how life is like a book. You can read the cover and get a quick summary but if you really read and dig deep you will find the buried treasure that will fill your curiosity for a lifetime.

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