Goodbye NYC, welcome Jamaica! Diaspora philanthropist retires and returns home

After nearly four decades away from Jamaica and a 20-year career with New York City Transit, Jamaican philanthropist Martin Greaves has done what many members of the diaspora spend years talking about. He packed his bags and headed home to Jamaica.

Just two weeks after retiring from the MTA Subway Division in New York, Greaves was back in Mandeville — not for a vacation, but to live.

“I have returned back home to live,” Greaves declared, explaining that while the move appeared sudden, it had actually been two years in the making.

“For the past two years, I’ve been preparing to move on. There were times when I came for a month, so I think I started to get acclimatized back to the whole Jamaican society.”

For Greaves, who left Jamaica in 1986, returning has meant rediscovering a country that is familiar but dramatically changed.

“The Jamaica that I left in 1986 is not the Jamaica today,” he said. He points to technology as one of the most obvious improvements. Gone are the days, he noted, when paying a utility bill meant joining a seemingly endless line.

“Today, Jamaica, they go online like any developed nation and pay bills.”

Still, Greaves is under no illusion that paradise comes without problems.

“There’s lots of improvement and there’s lots more that need to be improved, especially with the healthcare system,” he said.

Greaves’ decision to return is rooted in something deeper than retirement. Over the years, his extensive charitable work strengthened his connection to Jamaica, particularly Manchester. But there was also a deeply personal reason — his mother.

“One of the other reasons was because of my mom. I wanted to come back home to help to take care of her,” Greaves explained. “Unfortunately, she passed away. But that never changed my plans of coming back home. So it was like a love for Jamaica.”

Then there are the friendships.

“I have a lot of friends here who grew up together,” he said. “Friendship here with your friends you grew up with — it’s a different kind of vibe.”

That “vibe” is already evident at his Mandeville home, where weekends can mean friends, music, food and dominoes stretching into the early morning. Greaves laughs that entertaining “runs in my blood,” but beneath the laughter is perhaps the biggest reason he has returned.

“You just have this sense of relaxation,” he said. “And you feel kind of stress-free when you’re in Jamaica.”

Greaves readily acknowledges that living in Jamaica is different from vacationing there. After only a few weeks, he joked that it still feels like a regular Jamaican holiday. The real adjustment, he believes, will come later.

“Retirement to me is new,” he explained. “So it’s two new things you’re dealing with — retirement and moving back home at the same time.”

That has forced him to confront another question — what does a man accustomed to working, promoting events and helping communities do with all this newfound time?

“Now I’m trying to gear myself mentally. What am I going to do to occupy myself?”

His vision is beginning to take shape: morning walks, gardening, cooking, entertaining friends and becoming more involved in Jamaica’s cultural and sporting life. Retirement also means freedom. Instead of watching major Jamaican events from New York because work prevented him from travelling, Greaves can now simply get in his car and go.

“When the Reggae Boyz are playing,” he said, “I can go now. So those things I know I’ll be doing a lot.”

The Challenges of Coming Home

Greaves is equally candid about the inconveniences.

In New York, something ordered online could arrive at his door within days. Jamaica doesn’t always offer that same convenience.

“If I go on Amazon and ask for something, I can get it in two or three days,” he said. “I think for a lot of people, it’s easy access when it comes to certain things. And there are things you might want where you can’t get it overnight.”

There are also practical realities such as water reliability, electricity costs and security.

Greaves plans to go fully solar and believes returning residents should consider water harvesting and storage rather than depending entirely on the public supply. His advice to Jamaicans overseas contemplating a return is straightforward — do your homework.

“Don’t try and make any new friends who you’re not sure about. Stick to the old friends,” he cautioned. When purchasing property, he advises using reputable professionals, researching the neighbourhood and taking home security seriously.

“Just don’t buy a place because you hear beachfront or gated community,” he warned. “You have to really check out the place.”

Could Politics Be Next?

Perhaps the biggest surprise in Greaves’ retirement plans is the possibility of entering representational politics.

“I am toying with the idea of running for councillor in my particular area where I live,” he revealed.

His interest appears rooted in the same community service that has defined much of his diaspora life. Greaves believes his extensive network in the United States could help him mobilize resources for local schools and other community needs.

“If there’s some need that there’s not enough money, or school children need books or something, I think I could appeal to my community and get help,” he explained. “Because I’ve done it all the while. The help is always tremendous.”

For now, however, Greaves is enjoying something he spent decades dreaming about — waking up every morning in Jamaica knowing he doesn’t have a return flight to New York. And his message to other Jamaicans abroad contemplating the same journey is delivered with a smile.

“Hurry up. Work. Get your pension. Get your Social Security. And come back to Jamaica.”

For Martin Greaves, Jamaica is no longer the place he goes to vacation. It is home again.