It all began at 4am Monday morning after the blaring alarm that woke me up from a bad night’s rest. Despite fighting the sleep, I knew I had to be up for this day as it wasn’t just a regular school day to me. It was my first day of high school in a new city and all I could think on while leaning against the wall dressed in my uniform (khaki and tie) was the fact that “today is the day I’m going to school in a city I’ve only visited once when I was a kid. Anxiety, fear and curiosity all together conquered the normal feeling of excitement I should have had on this day.
. Occasionally, my mother would reiterate that this city is completely different from my hometown; but how much different is it and in what way? Having not been to summer …show more content…
I wonder what they could all be thinking. Was it because I am late, or could they tell that I’m from out of town. With so many ambiguous reactions, the best thing I did was to enter the room and grab the nearest empty seat; which was the seat directly at the door. The general instructions given by my Home room teacher, Miss Brown, was to meet and greet our “new neighbors”. The guy beside me at the front has already turned and started talking to people on his other side. Only thing I had was the dull blue wall next to me. My insecurity forced me to sit with the idea that no one was interested in talking to me, and then out of nowhere, came a slight tap on my left shoulder, followed by “Hey I am Dominic”. I recognized his proper English right away. Recognizing his English and knowing that I can speak proper English too, it was time to put my English to the test that developed from my mother’s repeated encouragements to speak it whenever I learn a new word. After my first few words, his suspected something out of the ordinary and asked if I’m not from here. I followed up and said “No, I’m from Linstead”. I believed that it was the way I spoke and how I pronounced my …show more content…
Without giving me the chance to reply, he began emphasizing on how people in the country with no running water go the river with buckets, that there are no real roads just dirt tracks, and we don’t have electricity just candles and kerosene lamp. Furthermore, the is shock of it all came when he said most people, if not everyone walks to wherever they need to go. Just as how Royster mentioned in When they first Voice You Hear is Not Your Own, how could one speak on such topic of my community and home town of which he knew nothing about or never experienced (5), that’s exactly how I felt at that moment. What he said was the general stereotype of what living in the country is like. Yes, we might not be accustomed to the city life, the luxury cars, upscale houses or even the fancy appliances, but we definitely have running water, roads and light. When he shouted out to the class that I am from the country, just like him, they had a lot to unveil. It was just fascinating and ridiculous to see them having so much to say about “country”. I can guarantee that most, if not all of them, have never experienced a day there. Being annoyed and dismayed by their so much similar opinions, I felt the need to just get up talk about the stereotypes and the common misconception associated with the word “country” in Jamaica. I did so from where I sat, speaking the best and the most proper English I could. To Dominic’s
. Occasionally, my mother would reiterate that this city is completely different from my hometown; but how much different is it and in what way? Having not been to summer …show more content…
I wonder what they could all be thinking. Was it because I am late, or could they tell that I’m from out of town. With so many ambiguous reactions, the best thing I did was to enter the room and grab the nearest empty seat; which was the seat directly at the door. The general instructions given by my Home room teacher, Miss Brown, was to meet and greet our “new neighbors”. The guy beside me at the front has already turned and started talking to people on his other side. Only thing I had was the dull blue wall next to me. My insecurity forced me to sit with the idea that no one was interested in talking to me, and then out of nowhere, came a slight tap on my left shoulder, followed by “Hey I am Dominic”. I recognized his proper English right away. Recognizing his English and knowing that I can speak proper English too, it was time to put my English to the test that developed from my mother’s repeated encouragements to speak it whenever I learn a new word. After my first few words, his suspected something out of the ordinary and asked if I’m not from here. I followed up and said “No, I’m from Linstead”. I believed that it was the way I spoke and how I pronounced my …show more content…
Without giving me the chance to reply, he began emphasizing on how people in the country with no running water go the river with buckets, that there are no real roads just dirt tracks, and we don’t have electricity just candles and kerosene lamp. Furthermore, the is shock of it all came when he said most people, if not everyone walks to wherever they need to go. Just as how Royster mentioned in When they first Voice You Hear is Not Your Own, how could one speak on such topic of my community and home town of which he knew nothing about or never experienced (5), that’s exactly how I felt at that moment. What he said was the general stereotype of what living in the country is like. Yes, we might not be accustomed to the city life, the luxury cars, upscale houses or even the fancy appliances, but we definitely have running water, roads and light. When he shouted out to the class that I am from the country, just like him, they had a lot to unveil. It was just fascinating and ridiculous to see them having so much to say about “country”. I can guarantee that most, if not all of them, have never experienced a day there. Being annoyed and dismayed by their so much similar opinions, I felt the need to just get up talk about the stereotypes and the common misconception associated with the word “country” in Jamaica. I did so from where I sat, speaking the best and the most proper English I could. To Dominic’s