Sylvia Wynter's Dream

Xavier Thomas |Blog Post 5| Setting is more than a place|

All my life, all I can remember is the constant heat of the sun radiating over my head. the smell of the fresh grass, the sight of the dogs running around on the street playing with one another, the repeated kick of a football agaisnt a wall whenever I was bored. For a while, I was an only child, sticking to myself not really having anyone to play with most of the time. Don’t get me wrong, I adored my mother, I have the fondest memories of her and will never forget the hurdles she went through to make me happy. But one of the best days of my life is when I went o visit my father for the first time in America when it was winter.

it was a complete contrast from my life in jamaica. Instead of the hot sun I experienced the cold winter brushing against my skin. There was barely any fresh grass in sight as it was covered in a sheet of snow at every turn we made. There was not a single dog in sight as the streets were mostly filled with snow, christmas trees and decorations on every house. It was mesmerizing, feeling the cold snow in my hands for the first time, as I watched it melt down to water, there was a sense of euphoria I had never quite experienced before.

Usually, I would have to spend christmas with just me and my mother. It was nice, I always liked spending time with my mother because she always liked spending time with me. Despite that, when I stayed over at my father’s friends house for the first time it felt amazing. they had 2 boys the same age as me as we instantly got along. They also had another family living with them but they were situated downstairs while we were upstairs. the house was filled with laughter, I could not even hear myself think to how many different conversations were happening. Whenever we had meals, instead of it just being my mother and I, there was a full table.

there was a fireplace, christmas decorations, singing and dancing, everything was chaotic, but it felt like I was truly at home in a big happy family. But why is this significant to me? Despite everything I still missed my mother very much and would much rather spend christmas with her. But this was the first time in my life, I never felt like an only child. For the first time in my life, I experienced the earth’s cold embrace and learned how the world could take different forms. To this day, it holds meaning to me, because it truly showed me how socializing is necessary for human development, and how many of our happiest moments in our lives are shared alongside human beings we care about.