It has affected us all!

We Jamaicans are scattered throughout the world. Two things remain true about us though.

 Firstly, no matter how far away from home we migrate to, most of of hang on for dear life to our Jamaican roots. 

Secondly, many of us either received a devastating blow from the most vicious hurricane to crash into the Caribbean, destroying much of the south west section of our beautiful island home, or have friends/family who were.

 That was hurricane Melissa which struck on October 28 2025. (https://joan-myviews.blogspot.com/2025/11/i-weep-for-black-rivervictims.html?m=1)

In our family, those who received the worst blow were my 91 year old cousin Nellie a retired teacher, and her 92 year old husband.

Third from right, 91 year old Nellie, beside her is 92 year old husband EV, and beside him my cousin Dor, who keeps the family fire burning on the island👍.


When our African ancestors were freed from slavery in 1834, most had no education.

For you see, the devout Christians who had enslaved them for centuries after kidnapping and bringing them across the Atlantic, had deliberately kept them in ignorance.

Fortunately, there was a handful of Christians who did not subscribe to the religious dogma, that Africans were not human.

Among them was a religious sect called Moravian.

Recognizing that the newly freed slaves needed to be educated, in 1861 they established a teacher training College for women, named Bethlehem, in Malvern, the rural district in which I was born.

Although my great grandmother had no formal training, she had become a teacher.
However her daughter, my grandma, who got the opportunity for higher education,  attended Bethlehem teacher training College as did many other female members of my father's family.

 In fact, I recall with some embarrassment how when I was horrified that my daughter wanted to become a teacher after I had spent so much money sending her to college, she reminded me that the family has a tradition of teaching and it had nothing to do with money!🫢🫣.

As usual, she was right.

I even traveled to nearby Cuba some years later, to meet many cousins who were born there, as a grand aunt had migrated to that neighboring island to teach English.

So yes, Nellie proudly carried on the family tradition for decades before retiring to Brighton near the St. Elizabeth /Westmorland border. This district is some 35 miles from Black River, the epicenter of that miserable hurricane.

At age 91, she and her 92 year old husband

spent many terrifying hours in the night of October 28, trying to stay safe and dry, as the hurricane peeled the roof of their home piece by piece.

Fortunately they were eventually rescued by kind neighbors. 

This is what is left of their home today.😭.

It took Dor (who lives in the city and fortunately was unaffected by the monster), weeks to locate them, and even now, three weeks later, the area still has no electricity or Internet and only spotty cel service. 

I guess many will say they escaped with their lives so they should be grateful.

But how do you really rise and rebuild again after 90?

Many Jamaicans are in similar situation, but when you have your youth, it's a natural advantage, psychically and psychologically.

A section of Bethlehem Moravian College.