The Journey to Up Country.

After a traditional Jamaican breakfast, we will begin our journey at the Claremont Clocktower in St. Ann, travelling together in a relaxed convoy to up country for the day.

Taking in the early-morning misty breeze as nature opens its greenery before us, and slow life wraps its arms around our souls.

As the sun gently shines through the clouds, we will arrive alongside the children and teachers at the All-Age school, now a Primary, that I once attended.

We will spend the morning with the children, listening to their stories, poems, dreams, and hopes for the future.

We will share insights into the creative industries and the opportunities they offer, encouraging the next generation to dream beyond what they can immediately see.

We will play games, laugh in the schoolyard, share school supplies and gifts, and spend time together planning for the future.

Afterwards, we will buy patties, sodas, and natural beverages from the shop at the school gate and spend some time talking with the locals before continuing our journey.

Slowly winding around corners on the country roads, we will travel the same path I took to and from school each morning, laughing, chatting, and sharing stories with my brothers and friends along the way.

We will arrive at my dad’s place, where I grew up between the ages of six and thirteen, for lunch: roasted yellow yams topped with seasonal steamed vegetables.

We will buy sodas from my childhood friend Solomie’s Shop nearby, then sit quietly and take in the beauty of the countryside.

We will visit the farmers’ fields and the nearby cave, picking fruit to eat along the way and gathering selected herbs for a future Dad’s Life Medicine soul-recharging bath.

After lunch, we will head to the local churchyard, where we used to spend Sunday afternoons playing cricket.

And for the brave, you can travel this part of the journey on the community pushcart and experience the ride of your life.

We will play a few games of cricket, enjoy the views from the bell tower, and peep into my former pre-school classroom, where I had my very first enterprising idea, the one where I encouraged my classmates to collaborate and buy a packet of crackers to share.

If the school is open during our visit, we will enjoy playtime with the children and share gifts.

Stopping at the local shops in our community, we will grab some drinks, snacks, sugarcane and jelly coconuts on our way to the local river.

We will pause along the way at the spot where I once jumped from a moving pushcart as it raced down the hill, MacGyver-style, which shocked my brothers and friends at the time, and take in the view.

I was fine, just some scratches on my legs; I thought that the bread van was going to come around the corner at us. I hopped home and was back at the river the next day. All good.

When we arrive at the path leading to the river, we will take our shoes off to walk this part of the journey barefoot, stepping on warm rocks and feeling the earth beneath our feet, centring ourselves in nature.

Nestled under a tree-filled canopy is our local river. We will wet our feet in the water, take a dip, and sit by the riverside as we run-a-boat and cook dinner together.

Pumpkin soup, rice with curried or brown stew chicken back, legs, and wings cooked over the fire, fried fish, fresh raw greens, steamed locally grown vegetables with yams, dumplings and green bananas, followed by a slice of rum cake and seasonal fruits; the meals I ate as a child growing up in St. Ann.

With the soft sounds of reggae music in the background, we will share our stories and life journeys.

We will fill up our recycled soda bottles with water from way up top, where the minerals run clear through the rocks.

Then, slowly, we will begin the walk back to continue our journey.

It will be a soul-filled day.

Best wishes,

Kenisha, I am her.

Jamaican Freedom Fighter, for the people.

Fighting for the creative freedom of the Jamaican peopledem and Pitch Futures, our future creative talent.

I am human. I create from my own visions and ideas, reading culture and the world.™

Powered by Dad’s Life Medicine, the product.

Watch on Pitch TV.

Listen on Pitch Conversations.