Everyone Loves A Jamasian Girl

Everyone loves a Jamasian girl

Is pretty much the most awesome mix in the world

Jamasian, a fusion of Jamaican and Asian, Chinese you see

Which is pretty sweet, cause you get some spicy roti and patties and curry goat and rice and peas

And then throw in some Chinese, with sticky rice and har gow and char siu bao.

And it’s not just the flavour of food I savour

But the island sounds and soul I grew up hearing

Wearing my dad’s rasta belts and hats

Listening and dancing to beats and skats

Like Peter Tosh and Barrington Levy and Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley.

“One love, one heart, let’s get together and feel all right.”

And we’d feel all right celebrating Chinese New Year without a care

Receiving red envelopes, enveloping money

A sign of good luck for the year to come

But sometimes I feel like my luck has run out

As I doubt who I really am.

I am Chinese

I am Jamaican

I am Chinese Jamaican

I am Chimaican

I am Jamasian

I am Canadian?

I am confused like Confucius

Collecting and contemplating my thoughts

Okay, so I look Chinese except I’m darker and my nose isn’t as flat and I have fuller lips

But I don’t really fit in or understand them

Am I a fasian?

A fake Asian wanting to be in with those who speak Mandarin

But I don’t speak Mandarin or Cantonese or any of these

Not getting any of the cultural jokes because my culture is more Jamaican

Where my parents grew up in Little London and Kingston

And yes, my parents have Jamaican accents

No way!

Way!

You don’t say.

Ya, I just said that.

Look, my dad’s basically a China man who sounds black

It’s really not that whack

And when I tell people my parents are Jamaican, they think that’s so cool

But it’s hard when you’re not sure if you can identify with these roots

Asking who Norman Manley and Marcus Garvey are

Who are far from the ones I grew up hearing, like Sir John A. Macdonald

Bumbaclot

I knew I was missing something in those history classes.

So I’m not black enough for the Jamaicans

And not yellow enough for the Asians

So where do I even fit in?

This Miss Chin wondering if she’s more Canadian than Chinese and Jamaican

And what does being Canadian even mean?

Does it mean hockey?

Cause I played that.

Peacekeeping?

I like peace [peace sign].

How Asian of me

And I could stand up here getting nowhere

Debating what is Canadian.

D’accord, c’est dommage.

D’oh! So Homer Simpson of me

Please excuse me, I’m just trying to figure out my identity

Identifying with Jamaicans so people think I’m amazing

Or with Chinese people so I can make fun of Asians

But really mocking myself because now I’m the token Asian in a lot of groups

Even though I’m clearly not the best representative of that crew

But maybe I’m not just exploiting my cultures, but myself

Selfishly caring what you think of me as I keep talking and telling myself

Everyone loves a Jamasian girl.