Knowledge You Can’t Find In A Textbook

by Sharolyn Wynter (United States of America)

I didn't expect to find Jamaica

“You’re going to miss TWO WEEKS of school to attend your great-grandmother’s funeral???…Did you even know her?” I remember the conversation like it was yesterday. I had just informed my chemistry teacher that I would be missing class due to the passing of my great-grandmother. He was dumbfounded by the idea that this warranted me missing two weeks of school and made no effort to hide his contempt. As I fumbled to explain myself, I couldn’t hold back the flood of tears from streaming down my eyes. In that moment, I couldn’t find the words to explain that my family was from a very remote town in Jamaica and the impracticality of planning a funeral from abroad. More importantly, my mother had been raised by my great-grandmother since the age of four so she played an integral role in my mother’s life. Our return home to pay proper homage to the matriarch of our family was essential. The entire family was returning home, and I was excited to see the land that I heard so many enchanting stories about throughout my childhood. The ride up the mountainside and into the country was an adventurous one filled with winding unpaved roads that looked like you were going to fall off into an abyss at the slightest misstep. Once we finally arrived, one of the first things that I noticed was the the fresh mountain air. It was married with the smell of burning wood which was foreign yet mesmerizing. As I stood in awe at my great-grandmother’s house, I couldn’t believe that this tin-roofed house that my family called home for so many years was being supported by a few wooden stilts. My excitement and amazement was short-lived as dusk began to fall and the reality of life in the country quickly settled in. There was no electricity, no plumbing, and no air conditioning. I had been raised in Detroit my whole life so I was like a fish out of water. When I found out that the hen that was walking around the kitchen earlier was the roast chicken being served for dinner, I opted to eat animal crackers instead. I went to bed that night hungry, miserable and uncomfortable. I was hot, being attacked by mosquitos, and holding my bladder for dear life to avoid making the trek in the dark to the outhouse. My bath the next morning consisted of cleansing myself in a large tin bucket using water collected from the reservoir that sat in front of the house. The cold water was a refreshing relief from the scorching heat and for a split second I forgot that I was standing in a tin bucket. My daydream was quickly interrupted as I was reminded to hurry up as others were waiting. The rest of the trip was filled with a whirlwind of emotions and experiences that I will never forget. I met a ton of family, retraced the mile long journey that my mom walked to school each day, fetched water from a well, learned how to hand wash clothes, rode a donkey for the first time and ate some of the best food I’ve ever had in my life. By the time we left the country I had developed an appreciation for life in the country and a deep respect for the self-sufficiency and resourcefulness that was required to live there. When I returned back to the US, I confidently handed my chemistry teacher the ten page write-up of my trip that he requested. I stared at him begrudgingly as he read the title of my paper...“In just two weeks, I learned more outside of the classroom than I’ve learned all year inside the classroom”. Probably not the best way to charm your teacher, but it was an honest reflection about my experience and the profound impact that the trip had on me. My trip to Jamaica was life-changing. I didn’t expect to have such a transformative experience however it sparked an insatiable desire to explore the world, open my mind and seek the type of knowledge that you can’t find in a textbook.