My Spanish Journal: My Jamaican shirt

Ryon Jones, Staff Reporter

BARCELONA, Spain:

Hola mi amigos!

I had to fight hard to keep my shirt on Tuesday, as a young lady was determined to take it. OK; let me explain before anyone gets the wrong idea.

I have a Jamaican shirt that has the word 'Jamaica' written across it. Not a shirt I would normally take with me on an overseas trip, not that there have been too many overseas trips, that is. But anyways, despite the black in the shirt being slightly faded, I decided to take it and wear it on the opening day of competition, so all in attendance could see and recognise that Jamaica was in the building and we are not only represented on the track.

My shirt seemed to have had a positive effect on the athletes, as a few of them looked in my direction prior to their races, with the shirt having grabbed their attention. I, in turn, gave them the thumbs up or a quick word of encouragement.

Upon the completion of their events, they appeared to automatically float over to where I stood in the mixed zone; and I have been on the receiving end of numerous high fives.

No wonder nine of 11 Jamaicans progressed on the opening day of the 14th IAAF World Junior Championships being held in Barcelona, Spain.

It was on one of those trips to the mixed zone where I saw this lady who kept repeating, "I love Jamaica" in her Spanish accent and yanking at my shirt.

'I love jamaica'

I asked her 'what was the problem', in my Jamaican accent. Not understanding what I was saying, she replied: "I love Jamaica."

I managed a smile and advised her that I could not take my shirt off and just give it to her as I had nothing else to put on. Not that I don't have a body worthy of being uncovered, but I am not sure how it would go down with my colleagues when I returned to the media room.

One of our athletes came by the zone just then and I was about to interview her when the lady started snapping photos of the athlete, while repeating "I love Jamaica."

I blended some Spanish with a little English, well, plenty English, as all I managed to say in Spanish was Jamaica, as I enquired of her if she has ever visited the island she seemed so fond of.

To my pleasant surprise, she understood my question and from her responses, I was able to decipher that she hasn't and, in fact, was from our closest neighbours, Cuba. Then she went back to demanding my shirt.

She then got distracted and I was able to slip away. I saw her when I went to lunch yesterday and I pondered what her reaction was going to be, but when she saw me she only murmured "Jamaica" and managed a slight smile, but did not take a second look in my direction.

Good thing I had not got my hopes up, thinking it was my irresistible personality that she was drawn to. As it turned out, it was all about my Jamaican shirt.