Explore International: Travel to Jamaica for a carefree vacation

From Miami, you can find yourself basking on ivory-colored beaches, sipping delicious rum or even munching on beef patties in less than an hour’s flight.

Located less than half of a thousand miles from South Florida, Jamaica offers various delights, including an active nightlife, delicious meals and beverages, entertaining sports events and hot, yet bearable weather.

Nicole Warmington-Granston, a political and international relations graduate student, was born and raised in the parish of St. Andrew located in the capital of Jamaica, Kingston—the perfect vacation spot with bustling activity and its close proximity to the beach.

Nightclubs are very active in Kingston for both tourists and locals alike. Clubs such as Fiction, Club Privilege, and The Quad are the places to go, with restaurants of various foods found nearby. Indian, Chinese, Thai and Middle Eastern restaurants are common on the island,  but don’t be confused. There are spots on the roadside that offer Jamaican cuisine, such as pan chicken.
Among the wide array of Jamaican cuisine is the national and traditional dish, ackee (a fruit) and saltfish.

“It’s an excellent dish, especially if you add a little bit of bacon bits. One of the major dishes is also Escovitch fish with bammy,” said Warmington-Granston.

Bammy is also known as cassava cake. Other delicacies include breadfruit, fried dumplings, fried plantains and holiday foods.
“One thing Jamaicans always eat at Easter is bun and cheese. It is shaped like bread, but it is very sweet,” said Warmington-Granston.

Around Christmas time, Christmas cake (fruitcake), Christmas pudding and sorrel, a sweet drink cultivated from the sorrel herb, are very popular.

Fast food restaurants such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King are common there, but Jamaica’s own fast food chain, Island Grill, sells local dishes that include jerk burger, jerk chicken, barbeque chicken and stew peas with rice.

Beef patties and rum are also well-known on the island. Called “Jamaican beef patties” in the United States, Jamaica’s beef patties can be bought by the dozen or half dozen. Appleton Jamaican rum is the most popular among tourists and locals.

“You cannot leave without having Appleton rum to drink,” Warmington-Granston said. “Once you mix it with Pepsi or cranberry juice, you’re set.”

Although the culture in Jamaica differs from American culture, they is still very similar. Electronics, such as cellphones, laptops and computers are the same, although some are more popular than others.

“The most popular thing in Jamaica is cellphones. Everybody wants a Blackberry,” said Warmington-Granston.

With many people owning at least two, cellphones are much more popular than laptops and desktops, which are considerably more expensive in the country.

Warmington-Granston admitted that she felt a bit of a culture shock the first time she moved to Florida. Greeting people, more so strangers, with a “Good morning” gave her the impression that Americans kept more to themselves than Jamaicans. However, a presence of Caribbean identity at the University helped her warm up to South Florida.

As for sports, soccer is by far the most popular sport of Jamaica. Fans follow matches and the World Cup as religiously as basketball fans in Miami follow the Miami Heat. Yet, other sports, such as track and field, are just as significant. These sports are offered as early as primary or prep school. Cricket, basketball and netball are also popular sports.

A surprising weather fact is that Jamaica generally feels cooler than Miami, despite it being closer to the equator than South Florida. Although it is often very sunny in Jamaica, the water surrounding it allows the island to have a cool breeze, so the heat does not seem so evident.

With little change in temperature year-round, the only seasons known here are rainy and dry.

“Just like Florida, we look out for hurricanes when hurricane season comes around,” said Warmington-Granston.

Jamaica may be a stone’s throw away from Miami, but you will undoubtedly uncover a gem that will please your vacationing fancy.