Patsy

Travel Guide

Travel BookTrail style from Jamaica to New York City through Patsy’s eyes

Pennyfield, Jamaica

A fictional part of Jamaica akin to a ghetto. Patsy has a job but no prospects and no hope for the future. She, like many other Jamaicans like her, think that going to the USA will mean a new and better life. She applies for a visa and finally manages to get one. She has to leave her mother and five year old daughter behind however. But the draw of America is strong. Years earlier, her best friend Cicely moved out there. Her letters tell of the land of opportunity so Patsy is convinced things will be the same for her. Life for her abandoned daughter however is not so hopeful.

New York City, USA

Patsy arrives in America and reality soon hits. She learns that the picture created by Cicely’s letters is not a true reflection of the city at all. Th ecity is loud, brash, unfriendly, strange and all the while, Patsy feels lost and lonely.

The city seen through Patsy’s eyes is unique. There’s tours of the Caribbean restaurants, the area of Crown Heights where there is a strong Jamaican immigrant community. A cleaning job comes up at the upmarket Brookyln Heights and all the time, Patsy is looking to find her way around both the city and her future.