Editors’ Note: This is the fifth in a series of features Niles West immigrants in celebration of International Weeks.
On May 29, 2009, senior Yanique Gray left Jamaica and boarded a flight to America. So many thoughts raced through her mind: “Will I fit in? What’s it like in America?” Only with the company of her younger sister, Dominique, she landed in Chicago.
Yanique and her sister came here to be with their father. When she was only five years old, her father left for America, but her family decided that it was important to build a relationship for him.
“But I also hear from many people that the education [here] is really good. Although Jamaica’s [education] system is great, with America, you can go further,” Yanique said.
Yanique was born in St. Catherine, Jamaica, and she was raised in an area named Portmore, a popular area known for its housing. One distinct note Yanique made was that Portmore is much different than the capital of Jamaica, Kingston. Portmore is not as busy or noisy, but it’s just a calm area.
“I lived with my mom, uncle, aunt, and five cousins. I have a big family, but in Jamaica it’s custom for people to live with your whole family like that,” Yanique said.
In her free time, Yanique loved doing laundry. It’s an odd thing to think of; who likes doing laundry? When Yanique did her laundry, there weren’t any washers or dryers, so she’d use a sink and wash her clothes, and when she was done, she’d hang them on her rooftop. It was amazing for her to look onto the city at the top of her house. She could see everything: the buildings and the rivers, and she always felt at peace when looking over the city.
Another thing Yanique used to do was go to beaches or the nearby river to swim or play with her sister. She recalled one summer and smiled at the memory.
“Every summer, we would plan a big trip,” she said. “And one year we went to Cane River Falls. When we first got there, we had to walk down 150 steps down to the river, and all around it were trees and mountain tops all around it. What I found most beautiful was the waterfall that flowed out of the mountain. You know, everyone always tells me ‘your country is beautiful.’ But I never really understood it until we were at Cane River Falls. That was when I knew that Jamaica was beautiful.”
Although Yanique misses Jamaica a lot, she loves being in Chicago. She enjoys touring around the city and looking at the big buildings downtown. When she first came here, she took a river tour and fell in love with the skyscrapers. Another perk of Chicago is eating the deep dish pizza from different restaurants.
One difference she noticed about being in America is the way kids react to adults.
“In Jamaica, there’s more respect when adults speaks to kids. But sometimes here, I don’t see that there’s the same level of respect,” Yanique said.
