Returning to Jamaica after 46 years would have meant a lot of challenges for many residents but, according to Fay Salmon-Lord and her Canadian born husband, now Jamaican national, Robert Lord, the process was easier than anticipated.
“This is our home,” the happy couple asserted, flashing a thumbs up sign, at the end of an interview at their home in Richmond, St Ann.
Fresh out of high school in 1965 in Kingston, Fay, one of 10 children for her parents, was sent to Vancouver, Canada, to further her education, a move she was happy for. “In those days, parents wanted the kids to have a better education and so I was migrated to continue my education in Canada. I was fairly young at the time,” she recalled. “I went to school and did nursing, Operating Room (OR) Technician and worked in emergency. That was my career for years, plus other jobs. After 18 years I did human resource, staffing at the hospital.”
She spoke of her experience outside of Jamaica for the first time. “It was December 19, 1965, it was quite an experience seeing the snow and feeling the cold but you learn to adjust accordingly. But it was rough. A lot of people think going abroad is (easy) but it was an opportunity and I am blessed that I was able to. But I’m telling you Jamaica is paradise (laughs) because you go abroad and you experience the cold and the ice. You can’t say it’s raining and you’re not going to work, you just have to go. It’s just one of those things; when you travel you have to go through all these different struggles.”
One of the things that minorities go experience in North America is racism.
“I have not experienced it (racism). The odd times persons might say ‘don’t touch me, I need a white nurse’ and all that stuff. But as far as racism goes, I’m sure it’s there but I bypass that, so settling down was not a problem for me,” she stated.
So after 46 years in Canada, her children having grown, Fay was not thinking of returning to Jamaica. But her husband, who disclosed that he had Jamaican connections dating back around six generations, had different ideas.
Visiting Jamaica with her for the first time in 1991, he instantly fell in love with the place, in spite of the mosquitoes he encountered. Subsequent visits would further strengthen his desire to spend more time in tropical Jamaica.
“I love the people. I love the culture. I really fell in love with Jamaica,” he admitted.
Then one day, passing Richmond, he saw the sign that read “Coming soon, Richmond development”. He decided to make inquiries and that was the beginning of the process to come to Jamaica. “He was like, why are we living in Canada, why not Jamaica? He was more Jamaican than I was,” Fay laughed.
The process to return to Jamaica was simple enough for the couple.
“God’s been on my side because everything was so smooth, it’s not funny,” Fay pointed out.
Their house was put on the market in Canada and in three days a buyer was found.
But Fay explained: “I went ‘Oh my gosh. I can’t do this! It’s so quick.’ So we talked to the real estate person, we stopped it (the sale) because I had to really think about it. So we took it back off the market and talked it over. We flew back to Jamaica just to make sure. We went to a lawyer to check out the pros and cons, she reassured us that the developer had a good name, it would be ready in two years.”
Firmly set this time, they went back to British Columbia, where she had moved to, after five years in Vancouver, sold their house, packed up and came to Jamaica in 2011.
“Not a hitch; and we didn’t know anybody,” Fay said.
So how has it been, since then?
“Well, Jamaica is awesome; it’s been great,” Fay said. “It’s been good because we got ourselves involved in our community. This is where we live, we make it work. We found a community church, we got involved with the community here; I’m on their social committee, we plan trips, we have outings. You have to be involved and so we have no problem.”
But still, there are some concerns as it relates to living here in Jamaica.
“We need more customer service training in Jamaica. That is lacking in a lot of ways and that is my recommendation. The people who are up front and are dealing with people need to have some training in customer service. If we had that it would be fantastic,” Fay suggested.
Driving on the roads irks Robert. “It’s the strangest driving I’ve ever seen in the world. It’s awful. And the trash that comes out the windows! No law, no road etiquette at all. It’s sad.”
