REFUGEES IN A NEW COUNTRY

A major catastrophe has almost completely devastated the infrastructure of my country, Jamaica.   My family and I are some of the fortunate survivors.   The emergency government has decided that we will be best served if we are evacuated to other countries willing to take refugees.  However, we have absolutely no input into the final destination or in any other evacuation details. We were told that our host country’s culture is completely different from our own, and that we might have to stay there permanently. We are further told that, in addition to one change of clothes, we can only take 3 small items with us.

I decide to take the following 3 items that I hold dear and that represents my family culture:

BIBLE:  The first item that I would choose is my Bible.  My family culture revolves around our faith in God and by extension His Word which is contained in the Bible.  My faith as a Christian can be grounded in the Bible and its life lessons.   My close family members are also Christians and they would agree with the value I have placed on the presence of the Bible in our relocation to a new culture.

MP3 PLAYER WITH A COMPILATION OF JAMAICAN FOLK SONGS:   I am Jamaican by birth, and my country’s rich musical history is something I cherish.  In a new culture, the music that I may be exposed to might not be reflective of my accustomed cultural background.    By carrying the songs of my culture, I would forever keep alive the rhythm of my nation.

PHOTO ALBUM:  I am a taker and collector of photos, although I end up in very few L   Photographs are important to me as they capture moments in time.  They document the good times and the sad times, the friendships and the family links.  They capture events, places and memories.  If I have to refresh my mind of the memories, the use of the photographs would work.

If I upon arrival I was asked to give up 2 items, they would be the CD compilation and the photo album.  I would not give up the Bible as this is of utmost importance to me.

From this exercise, I have confirmed that my identity as a Christian is more important than my identity with my country (Jamaica – folk song compilation) or my links with my family (photo album memories).