As the new year rolled around (Happy New Year everyone!) I reflected a bit and realized – I’ve been in Australia for almost one year!
How did this come and go so quickly?? I not too sure myself.
BUT, I do know it had a lot to do with these people below that I met when I first arrived.
Here, I give a shout-out to the Caribbean people in my Sydney life that made/make my time here that much better:
Jemima Herman 🇭🇹
Starting off with this heavy hitter, this Haitian-American woman is mainly why I’m still in Australia to this day and why I will be here for the next few months. Her family hired me as a nanny, but gave me a home, a family, food (:D) and also love, support and positivity for the whole year instead. She’s been my sound board, my limin pardna (on the one or two occasions we go out together lol), my words of encouragement and just a bright smile to anyone’s day. Both her and her husband also blessed me with another brother (even if he hates for me to call him that), and for that I am eternally grateful.
Jay and her family moved from the USA to Sydney about 6 months before I did, as they all looked for a new life adventure. I admire their bravery, to uproot their entire lives and start a fresh, but like 3 peas in a pod they did it and they did it well.
I truly do not know how I was so lucky to find her and her family, but boy oh boy I’m really glad I did 🙂
Fariet Fasmwa 🇸🇷
Fariet aka DJ Fasmwa is a Surinamese (someone from Suriname) that moved here when he was 8 years old with his family. He has stories for days of his childhood memories greeting West Indies cricket players on their arrival with steel pan drums and the Caribbean limes they would have at his parents home – ALL IN AUSTRALIA. It stuck in his blood because now him and his partner are responsible for helping to keep the Caribbean pulse alive as they host a warf of events (from day events to night parties to riddim weekends) and play the REAL SOCA and Dancehall.
We met through the ‘Soca in Australia’ Facebook group, which he was admin for. As soon as I moved to Sydney, I scouted for Caribbean events and I showed up at his. He played an Antiguan song cause he saw my flag (of course I had it on me) – after that, it was a done deal. He was the FIRST person to invite me over for dinner, and it was because he knew I was new to the country. It’s from him and his events I’ve found a crew of individuals who love soca in this far away country.
We’ve supported each other in our respective ventures and I know we will continue to do so in the future. He helped make me feel welcome from the beginning, and for that I’m extremely grateful.
Dorian Hardy-Desources 🇲🇶
This Frenchy (hehe) quickly became one of my closest people here in Sydney. Originally from Martinique, he moved to mainland France, then Canada, then Australia – becoming fluent in English and one or two other languages throughout the process.
Dorian and I met at a Caribbean party where he asked about my flag to which I proudly boasted “IT’S FROM ANTIGUA & BARBUDA”. Then, he kindly educated me on some stuff from the French Caribbean – music, food, dance techniques – all in da middle of da people dem fete. I was and continue to be completely blown away by how similar our island cultures are, even though we speak different languages.
Dorian is ALWAYS down for a lime and has become my limin pardna for both Caribbean and non-Caribbean events. If we not liming, we sitting and chatting about any and everything as we go from jokes to deep talk in 0 – 5 seconds flat.
Friends from long time (not really, it’s only been a year), I look forward to seeing what this Caribbean man accomplishes with his life!
Anna Brown 🇹🇹
Anna ah da one person ma wonda if more crazy dan me* (T*:”Anna’s the one person whom I wonder if she’s more crazy than myself”).
She moved to Australia from Trinidad only two weeks after I did. But hear na! My girl intended to move to Melbourne when she arrived but had a brief layover in Sydney. She changed her mind last minute and never got on the Melbourne flight! She walked out the Sydney airport and made a life for herself here instead.
Di gyal neva looked back!
We met online through a post I made about a reggae event. I asked if anyone wanted to come and she said yes! When we both realized each other was from the Caribbean we HAD to make it work! So we linked up and have been friends ever since.
A brave and independent soul, Anna is good vybz and is out to enjoy life and what it has to offer. It’s people like her that bring me comfort in knowing I’m not the only crazy one out there!
And hear na, turns out she’d been to Antigua a few times and even worked at my sister’s company!
Alex Downes 🇧🇧
Alex Downes is a Bajan (someone from Barbados) that rocked up over here to do his masters. He flew ALL THE WAY from the Caribbean, to come ova here come go open book. Ya eva hear such a ting?
Alex and I have a mutual friend from Antigua that put us in contact. Ever since the first call, I did my best to drag him to any and every Caribbean event there was.
He would be swamped with school work half the time, so it wasn’t always successful (I cuss him see!). BUT, when he came out, he showed out and displayed how dem Bajans does wuk up dey waist. A good, kind person and a hard worker, it was always refreshing hanging with him because we could talk as we like in our accents and the other would actually understand!
I’m proud to say that Alex completed his degree with distinctions and moved back to the Caribbean (so I cya vex he had his head in his books). But, I fully respected his courage to decide to study on the WHOLE other side of the world, because, Why not? Caribbean people oui (*in Dominican accent).
Romaine Tota 🇰🇳
A Kittian (someone from St Kitts) that’s lived in a few Caribbean islands and the USA, Romaine and I met through social media. I saw a photo where he was wearing a hat dat said St Kitts and Nevis. So I quickly messaged him to be like “Hey, who you? And whey ya from?”
Of course we became friends and he’s been my ‘explore and do something really random’ person. He’s also super into drawing and photography so I’d tag along on some of his photography adventures and sometimes even end up in front of the camera.
From the beginning, he was a full supporter of Global Gyal and to this day helps me out with some of the things. I told him it was my goal to launch the vlog and every time we met up he’d be like “You launch the vlog yet? What ya waiting on?”
He’s lived in places like Madagascar, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, Japan and Mexico all for work! Meeting another adventurous Caribbean person only solidified the adventure in me.
Future pilot (I want a free ticket once a year please) in the sky, I know he will be doing big tings!
Follow his photography page on IG to see what he photographs and DRAWS. SUPER TALENTED!
Dawn 🇧🇧
Dawn is a Bajan that has been in Australia for over 30 years. A family friend of mine put me in contact with her and I reached out once I was settled. Ever since, we make sure to keep in contact and meet up every once in a while. A lovely woman who’s very thoughtful and reflective, she listens and shares from her heart.
She 100% understands the need for a 20 something year old to go gallivanting around the world and encourages it. Yet, she still looks out for you from a distance.
Dawn moved over here for love and is still here how many years later. With a husband and two kids, she’s living the life she wants on this side of the world, making it work even though the Caribbean and BIM still call her name now and then.
And lemme tell yall how the world so small. Yall see the same Bajan Alex from above? His family also gave him a contact for a Bajan that lived in Sydney. After some back and forth, we pieced it together that it’s the same person! And that person was DAWN!
What a ting eh. What a ting…..
Each of these person’s stories and personalities spoke to me in some way, shape or form. The stars aligned for us to cross paths and I’m eternally grateful they did.
You’ve each got me in your life from now on and “me nah cum out” (T*: “I’m not leaving”)
Thank you for helping to make my Australian experience what it has and continues to be 🙏🏽.
Yours Truly,
Global Gyal
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