A Russian woman moved to Jamaica and tells about life on the “island of infinite freedom”

Every year, millions of people want to drop everything in search of adventures, enchanted by countless eccentric and extraordinary corners of our planet. Jamaica, called the “island of infinite freedom”, is one of those attractive places, with snow-white sands and an azure blue sea so mesmerizing that it leaves anyone with a huge desire to dive into it, to the sound of the songs of Bob Marley. Russian Victoria became so in love with this paradise on Earth that her trip gradually turned into a move for the country. Today, she is married to a Jamaican, works as a guide and has an Instagram account where she shares fun facts about local life that are hard to find in travel brochures.

we, from awesome.clubwe couldn’t let Victoria’s story go unnoticed and we’ve gathered the most striking aspects of Jamaica, which will show the country from another angle.

I recently read an article in a local magazine addressing Jamaica as a matriarchal country. Here, matriarchy involves respect for women, and both men and women have equal rights. A policewoman patrolling the neighborhood is no exception, just as a driver is not “an obstacle”, but a simple part of the traffic. Divorced parents have the same rights over their children and both can apply for alimony. When the spouses come home from work, the husband never lets his wife cook, do the laundry and clean by herself, snuggling on the couch and reading a magazine or watching football. Men here realize that women are also entitled to rest after a hard day’s work.

Of course, the only difficulties that Jamaicans continue to face, despite having equal rights, are pregnancy and childbirth. But that is why they are respected and well cared for by the male population. the jamaicans believe that giving birth means achieving an achievement, and I agree with their point of view.

Jamaicans who fall short of beauty standards are not usually judged by society. A woman behaving in an agitated manner will not be criticized either, as the influence of hormones on her health is entirely understandable. On the other hand, what is really unforgivable is to betray and insult men. Furthermore, women do not need to “earn respect” as they are automatically respected.

In Jamaica, they hold more than 50% of leadership positions, but they still feel oppressed. In addition, around 45% of the heads of families are women, who even earn a higher salary than their partners.

Jamaicans are very fond of children and are proud to have children. They tend to put their children’s photos as their social media profile pictures, and probably 99% of the inhabitants can’t imagine their lives without children.

In general, Jamaica is a great place for girls and women. Most men dream of a daughter because it is believed that girls love their fathers more, and the boys, their mothers. Every girl is raised as a princess and a future queen, who, by the way, is looking for a life companion worthy of being a king. In a family with few resources and many children, parents do their best to get their daughters a good education, leaving the boys to fend for themselves.

The first peculiarity that caught my attention was a large number of men walking with children, creating the feeling that the male population spends all their time taking care of the little ones, doing nothing else. Every day, you can find hundreds of men walking their young children early in the morning, taking them to classes or picking them up from school.

My husband saw no difference between Jamaicans and Europeans and even claimed that I, a Russian, could easily pass for a Jamaican. However, after a detailed analysis, we found several differentiators that obviously do not apply to all women, but are inherent to many:

European women are usually committed to losing weight, while Jamaican women do not obsessively care about their weight. For many Jamaicans, career and children come first, while marriage can wait. Many Europeans tend to strive to earn more than their partner, while Jamaicans do not care about their income level. Couples where the woman is paid more than the man are often seen. Many Europeans are keen to date women without children, but Jamaicans can marry women with five children from different fathers. and, after the marriage, still have the sixth child with her.

Considering the observation listed above, Jamaicans can have children from multiple women, not maintaining any kind of relationship with their ex-wife after their divorce, but supporting all their children financially and being physically present in their lives. Jamaicans don’t tend to order their wife around, because she herself decides what to do and how to do it. Jamaicans don’t ask their partner for advice and, in fact, many don’t really care about his opinion because they know better how to manage their life.

Of course, a lot depends on education, which in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, can be very different from a village. According to my own observations, in the country women are confident and independent, and men are relaxed and obedient, letting life run its course and doing what they must, because that’s the way to live.

Jamaica is one of the few countries where you can drink water directly from the tap and even from rivers, if no one is washing your clothes nearby. It’s no wonder American cruise ships often refuel here, in Ocho Rios. Some Jamaicans do not consider rice a complete dish. The side dishes are divided into rice, pasta and other foods, a group consisting of boiled green bananas, plantains, vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, manioc), breadfruit and pumpkins. These foods basically represent everything that can be cooked and eaten as a complete dish, unlike rice or pasta. At Jamaican weddings, envelopes with money, always signed, are collected by a specially trained person. Interestingly, when the bride and groom are kissing, the guests are beating their glasses with forks. Almost every family has a machete at home. It is a useful object for cutting a coconut or a tree, peeling a cane, weeding and plowing the land.

Jamaica is a place that makes me smile and feel like a happy person, because living badly with life here is almost impossible. More importantly, it seems these people don’t know what stress is, because life is too good to be wasted on nonsense.

After reading Victoria’s story, we had a strong desire to escape to the coast of the Caribbean Sea. What cultural aspects of other countries that seem exotic to you also won your heart?