CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 71

“Inna di holidays di business move fast, but
differently from dat, sometimes all days mi
deh ere and nothing. Sometimes mi do all
construction work cuz mi ave ah cousin weh
a di boss. When ‘im get like any likkle work
‘im always like bring mi on it, and dat’s how
sometimes I see my way through,” Phang
explained.

According to Harrison, if a person grows up
in a nurturing environment, he/she is more
likely to become nurturing. On the flip side, if a
person grows up in an aggressive environment,
he/she is more likely to become aggressive.

When work is unavailable in hairdressing
or construction, Phang said she engages in
bartending.

“People learn what they see, and children are
very impressionable ... Whatever is in the
environment, it impacts them,” Harrison said.

Environment and security

Walking on the sidewalk, I realised that some
sections were badly damaged. The wind created
a blanket of dust over everything. Plastic
bottles, juice bags, and other garbage were
inappropriately disposed of in the community.
Goat, dog and cow faeces with swarms of flies
were also seen.

The walk from the University of the West Indies
(UWI), Mona Campus, to the community of
Hermitage, reveals the socio-economic conditions
prevalent in this community. There were no
grand mansions adorned by picket fences,
extravagant swimming pools, well-manicured
lawns and well-kept gardens.
The walk to Moncrieffe and Phang’s house
reveals the challenges of the residents. A large
unfinished church, built on a hill, could be seen
from afar. It was located at the entrance of the
community on the left side of the road. The
church sat opposite a sign made from concrete
that was approximately three feet tall. It read
‘Welcome to Hermitage’.
The sign had holes, and the edges seem to
have been abraded. The paint on its surface
had faded and begun to peel, which made the
letters less visible.
Joy Harrison, a social worker with the Department
of Community Health and Psychiatry at the
UWI, Mona, said the environment in which

an individual is raised can affect his or her
development socially and/or psychologically.

Most houses were built from blocks and steel,
but some from board. Vibrant, warm, and dark
colours were used to paint the outside of the
houses; some were slightly faded while others
were freshly painted. The houses were built in
different shapes and sizes, each with its own
unique personality. Sheets of zinc were used
in some of the yards as perimeter fencing.
A number of the houses had small shops made
of board. The shops appeared to be places of
relaxation for residents. Mostly men were seen
gathered at the shops talking, laughing and
smoking. They were dressed in jeans, some
cut at the knee, mesh ‘merinos’ [tank tops],
T-shirts, sneakers and slippers. Their hair was
in cornrows, plaited or cut low. The stud gold
or silver diamond earring in a few of their ears,
glistened in the sun. And the dark ink from the

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