I recently came back from my honeymoon on the beautiful island of Jamaica. It was wonderful in every way, and it was such a thrilling adventure to get out of the country and go to an exotic place that I'd never been to.
Although I enjoyed my honeymoon at the all-inclusive resort on the beach, my husband and I could not help but keep in our minds the image that the country left on us the moment we arrived. After pulling away from the small, but surprisingly somewhat nice airport, we instantly saw what we knew was there yet were not expecting to see: poverty.
Now, Jamaica's poverty is not like ours. Although all of the people we saw were clothed, the homes told a different story. Bars are locked on all windows and doors of at least the more well-off homes; then there were the homes that were thrown together with a few slabs of wood and a couple of nails. Some homes were what we would call storage units—long metal containers without doors or windows (except these had at least a front door).
We learned that one American dollar was equivalent to one hundred Jamaican, and the gas prices there worked out to at least $6/gallon. To put it into perspective, one hundred Jamaican dollars is just barely enough to pay for some food to eat, and not quite enough to buy a liter of gas. (Not to mention almost half of the country is unemployed.)
I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I became, as we drove through the beautiful country to the resort, for all of the things I have here. As a new college graduate and a newlywed, I know that if you saw what I had in my bank account, you would consider me very poor. But compared to most in Jamaica, I'm well-off because 1. I do have a job and 2. I would have enough to feed myself, buy gas, and rent an apartment.
Another thing I noticed was the attitudes of the Jamaican people compared to many Americans in regards to service. Every person we met in Jamaica had a bright, beautiful smile and was willing to do anything to make us happy. We don't have that kind of service here. Neither are we as grateful as these people are to have a job (no matter how small a job it is) as well as having a government that has programs to help those who are in extreme need of food and shelter. (Although I forgot to mention that it did give me some comfort to know that the people could find something to eat off of the land as well as have fresh water to drink. That's more than some countries could say.)
If there is one thing I learned from being in a foreign place, it is that I should be grateful for everything, serving to everyone, and more giving. I tell you, there is nothing like visiting a country that is unlike this one. It definitely puts things into perspective.
Written by: Chelsea Stoskopf, is West Michigan Woman's editorial assistant. She graduated from Grand Valley, got married in July, and is excited to be making her home here in West Michigan.
