Personal Narrative: My Trip To Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Watching cool waters form the beautiful waves hitting the shoreline of the Jamaican beaches, I experienced a vacation that formed one of my life’s most meaningful encounters. In July of 2016, my family went on a cruise to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. At the port, we bought passes to tour the entire Ocho Rios island on a van owned by Jamaican natives. Our driver introduced us to the richer parts of the area. We began the tour in the richer parts of Ocho Rios. Here, yards were neatly groomed, statues of central values covered the town, and the neighborhood’s inhabitants were rarely seen out. Although the rich and poor neighborhoods were seemingly side-by-side, we were shocked by the apparent difference of lifestyle. In the poor neighborhood, Jamaican inhabitants were

The longer we encountered these individuals, the more we realized that the poor lifestyles of Ocho Rios inhabitants were not viewed as low or inconvenient by their own. In fact, these people were surprisingly positive, generous individuals. Their optimistic attitudes were contagious. Following our driver’s advice, I no longer felt sorry for the poor of Jamaica and began feeling saddened over the mindset of my own people. In a moment of self evaluation, I regretted all the times I’ve shown ungratefulness in my past. Once we were aboard the ship, my family and I shared our gratitude for each other, our blessings, and our life. Without discussing what was witnessed, we understood that are privileged to not have to live in the state of the poor in Jamaica, yet still be able to have the things we have. Remembering this throughout the remainder of my trip, I knew that I had to make a change in my outlook on life and the way I portrayed it. When I returned to my hometown, I began to establish connections to begin making a difference in my