1. Who Am I? Nelano East ENC 1102

2. Bob Marley and the miraculous herb that he strongly advocated for. Smoking ganja is a cleansing act, akin to meditation.

3. The “Lion of Judah” is a very important symbol to Rastafarians.

4. In this rural village, people gather outside just to sit, talk, and socialize.

5. It is not uncommon for parties, large and small, to spontaneously occur outside. I celebrated my 12 th birthday in Jamaica. The party consisted of large speakers outside my house and people from near and far showing up just to get food and dance.

6. This book by Lorrimer Burford tells of a young Jamaican struggling to keep the tradition of storytelling alive in an effort to preserve his “culture.”

8. The other miracle herb, my mother, as well as many older Jamaicans, swear by Cerasee as the cure all ailment. Think of a bitter medicine, and then think of it worse and boiling hot. My grandfather had plenty fresh and dried out (dried out is perfect for tea) at all times.

9. Usain “Lightning” Bolt, the official fastest man in the world hails from Trelawny, Jamaica. In an interview, Usain claimed his average breakfast was “Ackee and saltfish with dumplings, cooked banana, yellow yam, and potato” all staples in the Jamaican diet, with Ackee and saltfish being the official national Jamaican dish.

10. An interesting attempt to add rules and formalize patois as a written language.

11. I’ve heard of Jamaicans being placed into ESL along with Spanish speakers because of counselors’ and teachers’ inability to understand their thick accent.

14. I came to America in late 2001, around Christmas. I remember hearing this song so many times on the radio for years as I grew up. I didn’t know much about the song or the person, but I knew I loved it. I loved what it stood for. I loved the message. I loved this song. I knew how I wanted to end this essay not too long after the last phone call with my mother. I came to America when patriotism and nationalism was at an all time high even though I didn’t know it, and I think that has made a huge difference in Who I Am.