Message from a Relative

Dear Readers of Dr. Kong’s Blog:

My cousin, (Dr. Kong), delights in writing on his blog about his humble beginnings, his rags to riches story and returning to his roots in the bush. True enough, we were fortunate to grow up (in different households) in a delightful country community known as Woodlands District, St. Elizabeth. However, my recollection of my childhood does not line up with those of Dr. Kong. It is frustrating to read about how his mode of transportation was a donkey; how he ate corn meal dumplings and badoo on a coco leaf that was boiled in a kerosene can by farm workers; how he swam in and got drinking water from the same pond where the cows also drank from; and how he used a pit toilet.

My own recollection is that we had electricity, running water from our tank and helpers who even brought us a hot lunch to school. The most frustrating part of his BLOG is that, unfortunately, when he tells his story, people who know that we are related, grew up together believe that his life story is also my story. It is not. I resent that he has tied me and our families through his depictions of a life of poverty.

My home had a bathroom with a flush toilet, a sink and bathtub with hot water. We had a kitchen with a refrigerator, gas stove, sink and an area for food preparation and storage. We even had radio and television. Our minister (Rev. Haden Todd) and headmaster (Mr. Clifford Chang) owned cars as well as our relatives in Springfield and Santa Cruse. We often went to Kingston, Mandeville, Montego Bay, and Black River for funerals, weddings, just to visit family and to shop. Our cricket and domino teams traveled by truck to several places to compete and several local musicians delighted us with their songs. We frequently went to Bluefields Beach to swim. My parents made a good living from raising cows, pigs and chickens as well as various farming related interests including pimento (cloves).

We learned a lot of English poems, history and geography. Our Minister at the Moravian Church and our excellent teachers at the time, taught us discipline, passed on good values as well as a good idea about our place in the world. While I do not know what life has been like since I left Woodlands forty years ago, I cannot relate to the depiction of our life as deprived country bunkins. Many doctors, lawyers, accountants, ministers, teachers and leaders like Dr. Kong came out of this remarkable community. That is the other side of our story.

Sincerely
Elron McFarlane (Brooklyn, NY)