This Jamaican Woman is the Chef for one of Dubai’s Royal Families

Jamaicans are everywhere! That’s what I intended to prove when I brought you tales of various Jamaicans jaminating in Japan & other foreign lands. Revisit article here.

Today, I’ll continue the series by bringing you an update from my Jamaican sistren jaminating Dubai.

Meet Yakeyma.

She discovered Dubai while watching videos on YouTube in 2010.

“I didn’t know a place like that exist. It was those videos that made me fall in love with the lifestyle and the amazing architecture.”

Yakeyma admits to writing it on her bucket list as a place she’d like to visit, then putting the list away and going back to her day.

Then, one night as she was busy multi-tasking (this involved lying in her dorm room at Heart College of Hospitality Services and doing assignments while scrolling through Facebook), she received a messenger notification and saw a message from a chef she used to work with at Sandals Royal in Ocho Rios. His message was simple, to the point, a total of nine words:

“Hey, how do you feel about working in Dubai?”

That’s when Yakeyma jumped from her bed (she slept on the top bunk), dropped her laptop (it survived) & ran downstairs to tell her friends that she was moving to Dubai.

“I didn’t even answer the chef. I ran out of my room to tell everyone.”

***

“Telling everyone was a mistake.”

Yakeyma realized this three months later when she was still in Jamaica.

“Everyone gave me the side-eye & looked at me as if I told a lie. One of my relatives even went as far as to tell me I should get back to earth because I was delusional.”

But, eventually, though it was a long process, all her paperwork cleared, and she moved to Dubai in September 2013.

But, was it as magnificent and fascinating as she imagined? That’s what I asked next.

***

Yakeyma was not annoyed by the constant ‘call to prayer’, she was okay with the unpredictable weather, and the Sunday to Thursday work week didn’t faze her either. The people were tolerable. The place, as she envisioned, admirable. And the food, though incomparable to her good ole curry goat and rice and peas, wasn’t all that insufferable.

“All that was fine. The camel’s brain, the lamb’s brain, the shark meat — I ate it without complaint. Even boasted of having an international palate. What annoyed me, what threw me off, was the fact that I was frequently mistaken for being a prostitute.”

Yakeyma admits that there is instant stereotype if you’re black in Dubai. She explains that a large number of African women are perceived as prostitutes and recounted an incident that happened while she was sitting at a bar.

A black man came up to me and he was like:

— Madam, you have to leave. This is not allowed here.

— I said, What? Drinking a beer?

— He said, No — soliciting the customers.

— I was like, What the hell?!!

At that point, Yakeyma asked to speak to the manager. He apologized profusely and offered drinks on the house when her emirates ID revealed her to be Jamaican.

“Believe me, it would not have gone well if my ID showed Nigerian, Kenyan or anywhere in Africa. They would definitely label me as a prostitute then.”

When asked if there were other instances when she was made to feel uncomfortable, Yakeyma tells of a time when she was laughed at and teased because of the way she wore her natural hair.

People laugh because they claim I look like a boy. There was even a time I caught a woman looking at me long and hard & I was ready to go off on her. But, when I asked:

— What are you looking at?!

— She merely said, Nice hair, may I touch it?

Yakeyma laughs at that incident. But, she didn’t laugh about the time when a Lebanese man asked her if she washed her skin.

“I bathe every day! That’s what I told him. But then he shook his head. That was not what he meant. He wanted to know if there was a way to wash my skin to make it lighter. I had to tell him that what he was looking at was called beautiful Melanin.”

***

Overall, Yakema admits that she loves living in Dubai.

“There are a large number of expats, so I encounter people from different nationalities on a daily basis. As for the locals, apart from a few dickheads, most of them are very nice. They treat you differently when they learn you’re Jamaican. That’s when they open up and want to talk to you about music or Bolt.”

Regrets? Three years ago, Yakeyma had none; at that time, she said:

“I have learned a lot and I have grown a lot. I also like the fact that I can walk any hour of the night without anyone bothering me & the best thing about this is I earn my money and live tax free.”

UPDATE: Currently, Yakeyma admits to fighting anxiety and depression and she attributes most of her problems to Covid 19.

“I don’t even know how I managed staying sane while going through quarantine. I survived a month in my apartment by myself only through the grace of God and prayer. What made it harder was the fact that the only two solid friends I had in this country moved away. Life was very lonely for a while. I’m back at work now though so that is awesome.”

“I am seeing people and I am happy about that. I am also happy about what I am going to tell you next. My hard work throughout the years has paid off and I have taken a huge step career-wise. I am now a private chef for one of the six ruling families of the United Arab Emirates.”

“This is one of the best moves I have made since I started in this industry and I am super grateful that I am still earning in these difficult times.”

When asked how the UAE is handling the pandemic, she says,

“I must commend the government because they are doing an excellent job. Hearing that other countries are refusing to test people baffles me. I’ve been tested for Covid twice already and I can confidently say no one in the UAE is being turned away from hospitals or Covid 19 screening centers.”

Does this mean she will stay in the UAE? Is Dubai her adopted home? Yakeyma says, no.

“I am proud of the strides I’ve made, and I am grateful for the career I’ve had, but I truly think I have done my time. I am not happy here anymore and Dubai is no longer the place for me.”

“I’ll keep you posted on where life takes me — after Covid 19.”

***

This week, I’m continuing my BONUS series of Jamaicans jaminating Japan with Artist, Jenelle Cohen

Even before commencing formal studies in art, Cohen has always loved the discipline and made use of every opportunity to acquire knowledge and experience in the field. The source of her art is the environment in which she lives, her subject is largely nature-oriented, and she mainly focuses on portrait and still life painting.

In 2011, she received the Newcomer Prize in the annual Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Visual Arts Competition & Exhibition for her two pieces entitled: ‘Shells’ and ‘Untitled’. In 2012, she was awarded a certificate of participation for the pieces ‘Where Do I Live’ and ‘Precision of Expression’. And, in 2017, she attained a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education from the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

As she grows artistically, she attempts to showcase her artwork in several arenas and her pieces can be found in galleries across Kingston. Follow her on social media @jennivisuals @jenellecohen