The last time I wrote a post this honest, it landed me at New York Fashion Week so maybe this time I’ll end up at Paris Fashion Week. Ever so often I like to slowly remove the walls and let you into my personal, professional and mental space to speak on a topical or personal issue.
Today, it’s all about being a Young Jamaican in a Pandemic.
I am a 34 year old woman which is still considered “young enough” in Jamaica which means I still have time to try a few things professional and in my personal life without any judgement. If you are not aware, Jamaica is a 3rd world country in the Caribbean which means we have limited resources and access to opportunities that many first world countries would consider a norm, so things are strained. With all that being said, we still make do with what we have and we are the happiest and most laid back, kind and friendly people you would ever meet. This is not to say that we are all struggling and living in huts on the beach, things are just hard. Add a pandemic in the midst of this hardship and you get even more hardship and chaos.
What It truly Means being a Young Jamaican in a Pandemic
In my case, when the pandemic hit, my job offered us all 50% pay cuts that were non-negotiable just because we were working from home and don’t require our full pay. Yes, I said it, we didn’t require the full pay even though we were doing the full workload. To add insult to injury, I would now have to navigate a way around my bills which means things that were not deemed essential had to be completely cut. The thing is, those non-essential things were a major contributor towards my mental health, the healthy part of it, so that was now strained.
As the years went on and we are now in 2021, the dollar started to slide where it was $152 US dollar to 1 Jamaican Dollar and as a result, everything went up! Electricity, Water, Gas and of course food! I have shopped at the same Supermarket for years and I must admit it’s one of the nicer ones in a nicer area and just last week the prices were increased by at least 30%!! Again, we have to choose the items that are essential and only purchase those and everything else got left behind. Please note, the average Jamaican makes $1,049,103 per year which is the equivalent of $7,000 US dollars and though the cost of living has gone up, salaries remain the same.
Kids in Jamaica have not matriculated back into physical school since 2019 which means they are all home and stressed which means a parent has to be home with them or they have to be sent to a special “Zoom” class so they can be monitored while their parents work just so they can keep their heads above water. While we are on the subject of parents, people are getting laid off left, right and centre and people who were making a lion’s share of a salary are now at home and without a job and are not able to cope so suicide is on the rise as are several mental health conditions that were usually swept under the rug are at an all time rise.
If I was to say things are well and things are ‘Irie” I would be lying! I find since 2019 I was in a deep denial where I was able to suppress all my emotions and struggles and they have somehow come out all at once in 2021 where I feel constantly stressed to say the least. There is a stress to constantly do my best work and to always bring my A-game. I recently discovered I had anxiety after hyperventilating in the office on numerous occasions and I constantly question my overall self worth and wonder If any of this is even worth it and why should I even try. This might sound quite bleak, but if you are not struggling financially, you are struggling mentally or both!
Things here in Jamaica have been rough as we go into another week of no movement days where we are at home with no movement to work or allowed to go anywhere unless we are going to a vaccination site. We are all home and hopeless, tired, confused , physically and mentally drained and is just praying this will all end soon.
This is what life has been like for a Young Jamaican living in a Pandemic.
Comment below how things have been for you and how and if you have been dealing with this new normal.
#What It truly Means being a Young Jamaican in a Pandemic
#What It truly Means being a Young Jamaican in a Pandemic
#What It truly Means being a Young Jamaican in a Pandemic
#What It truly Means being a Young Jamaican in a Pandemic
#What It truly Means being a Young Jamaican in a Pandemic
