This blog took a while for me to think about...The hardest thing was for me to take myself out of the situation and look at gender relations from a macro perspective. At work i wouldn't say that gender played that huge of a actor in our specific roles and responsibilities and for the most part there was an equal share of roles and responsibilities for both gender.
One thing that i did notice though is there is a huge TBLG community in Barbados. It is in fact so big that the first question a guy asks when he meets a girl is if she is straight or not. From my observation this community is really well accepted and well recognized in the country. It was a change from Toronto in the sense that the community is so well accepted and respected that, from my observation, there isn't really a need for a visible activist group amongst the community.
For the most part men in Barbados are very forward in their approach. I found myself being forced to be more docile then Ive ever been just to avoid being approached. Some friends came down for a week to visit and when we spoke about the gender role difference in Barbados we wondered if the attitude of the guys down here might have been a result of living in a tourism driven country. It was a long stretch but it made so much sense to us. Think about it like this: For a guy who is always used to meeting women who are only around for 10 days at a time, they would have to move quickly to establish any sort of relationship. Long shot, I'm sure, but that's the feeling i got while i was there. Its really interesting the way tourism affects the culture of a country and changes the social fabric of its people.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Going Green!
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Just because you may not see a row or blue bins or compost bags any given Tuesday morning on a neighbourhood side street in Barbados it doesn't mean recycling isnt happening. Believe it or not, that issomething that took me a while to figure out! Barbados is one of the many Caribbean Islands that does not actively practice blue bin recycling and in fact it took me quite some time to readjust to not recycling. However their are many ways that the tons of used plastic bottles are recycled in an informal sector. On any given day you could bus down to Bridgetown and see a man or woman with a shopping cart or a huge garbage bag picking up the used bottles and cans. This is because each bottle is worth about 5-10cents depending on its size. As the bottles are collected they are returned to a booth outside of a grocery store in exchange for a food coupon worth the value of the bottles.
I know in Toronto we have a similar service for beer bottles, milk jugs and filtered water jugs but its not as actively endorsed and accepted. Whereas in Barbados some people do this as a way of life.
Aside from the bottles Barbados generally seems to be well ahead of many countries in using solar power and having efficient public transportation. Solar powered homes is not a rare sight in Barbados. As you walk down any neighborhood you can look up on the roof tops to see a shiny panel working hard at harvesting solar energy. For the most part the panels heat the water tanks and provide electricity for the home owners. The panel cost around 1500US, but it is worth the investment, as the government assists those who invest in using solar energy and it saves the home owners some money in the end.
So even though the 3Rs are not yet a household activity, the country generally is still filled with green initiatives!
Just because you may not see a row or blue bins or compost bags any given Tuesday morning on a neighbourhood side street in Barbados it doesn't mean recycling isnt happening. Believe it or not, that is
I know in Toronto we have a similar service for beer bottles, milk jugs and filtered water jugs but its not as actively endorsed and accepted. Whereas in Barbados some people do this as a way of life.
Aside from the bottles Barbados generally seems to be well ahead of many countries in using solar power and having efficient public transportation. Solar powered homes is not a rare sight in Barbados. As you walk down any neighborhood you can look up on the roof tops to see a shiny panel working hard at harvesting solar energy. For the most part the panels heat the water tanks and provide electricity for the home owners. The panel cost around 1500US, but it is worth the investment, as the government assists those who invest in using solar energy and it saves the home owners some money in the end.
So even though the 3Rs are not yet a household activity, the country generally is still filled with green initiatives!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Culture Shock
Culture shock. The phrase itself sounds so harsh, so negative. When i think of the experience I had here I would more equate it with an awakening as supposed to a shock.
At first glance one would be quick to characterize all Caribbean countries as being the same, you might be familiar with the old "seen one, you've seen them all" expression. I must say in this case it could not be further from the truth. Please keep in mind that this is based on my experience in Toronto and Barbados, this is not inclusive of the entire population or Toronto or Canada and is certainly not a reflection on the entire population of Barbados. The organization I am working with is based on social and cultural development and so many of the families and people, associated with Pinelands, that I come in close contact with share similar warm familial characteristics.
When i think of 'Culture Shock" i think about the things that immediately popped out in my head as being different from Toronto. Ill give you a few examples of some of the culturally different aspects of my trip that were different for me. Take the children for example. You wont meet many children in Toronto who immediately greet you with a 'Good morning' or 'Good evening' every time they see you but a greeting like that is customary and is expected of the children here in Barbados. Not only are they courteous and respectful but they are also incredibly well put together (outfits cuter than mine lol). The young girls have their hair braided in a new style every few days and are always sharply attired lol. Its amazing to see the effects that a proactive community centre could have on a group of people. The support given to these children is beyond impressive and it seems as though the whole community truly does raise these children. Ive noticed that the children aren't afraid of 'strangers' the way they seem to be in north America. My first kindergarten lesson, right after say no to drugs, was don't talk to strangers but here everyone looks out for kids so much that strangers arnt seen as a threat. The difference is we come from a more individualistic culture while life here is more community based. Its interesting when you travel you realize for the first time that we are indeed all so different and the things we often take the most for granted are usually the things that make our lives the richest.
At first glance one would be quick to characterize all Caribbean countries as being the same, you might be familiar with the old "seen one, you've seen them all" expression. I must say in this case it could not be further from the truth. Please keep in mind that this is based on my experience in Toronto and Barbados, this is not inclusive of the entire population or Toronto or Canada and is certainly not a reflection on the entire population of Barbados. The organization I am working with is based on social and cultural development and so many of the families and people, associated with Pinelands, that I come in close contact with share similar warm familial characteristics.
When i think of 'Culture Shock" i think about the things that immediately popped out in my head as being different from Toronto. Ill give you a few examples of some of the culturally different aspects of my trip that were different for me. Take the children for example. You wont meet many children in Toronto who immediately greet you with a 'Good morning' or 'Good evening' every time they see you but a greeting like that is customary and is expected of the children here in Barbados. Not only are they courteous and respectful but they are also incredibly well put together (outfits cuter than mine lol). The young girls have their hair braided in a new style every few days and are always sharply attired lol. Its amazing to see the effects that a proactive community centre could have on a group of people. The support given to these children is beyond impressive and it seems as though the whole community truly does raise these children. Ive noticed that the children aren't afraid of 'strangers' the way they seem to be in north America. My first kindergarten lesson, right after say no to drugs, was don't talk to strangers but here everyone looks out for kids so much that strangers arnt seen as a threat. The difference is we come from a more individualistic culture while life here is more community based. Its interesting when you travel you realize for the first time that we are indeed all so different and the things we often take the most for granted are usually the things that make our lives the richest.
Uncoding the Bajan Language
After about a month here i finally started to get used to understanding some of the Barbadian slang. That coupled with speed makes for a whole heck a lot of smiles and nods. Thank goodness everyone I worked with spoke really slowly to me, and explained any words I didn't understand.
I was researching it origin and i learned that much of the Bajan dialect was developed years ago by West African slaves. It was used as a means of mocking the 'Massa' and communicating with each other without having being understood by him. You will fine a lot of the language is created by fusing words together to make them shorter and adding in slang.
Below is a little sample! I'm practically bajan. haha enjoy!
Ga long -Go
Fuzz out-Tired/confused
Air gap- Gas
Band House-Mass Camp (a place where costumes are made and held during Kadooment)
Kadooment-A huge celebration
Gap- Street
The Gap- The party district. Actually named St. Lawrence Gap
brek air-Fart
Brek- broke as in have no money or hurt yourself
Drobbie:poop
Gein:Going
Pous: Cat
Cheese-on-bread: An expression eg. What the cheeseonbread is going on here?
Soinso: A generic swear word eg. What the soinso are you doing?
Evasince: For a long time
Mek sport: Joke around
horstulish: rude/get on bed
Pips: A person who always swears
ZR (zed R): a type of public van named after the first two letters of the licence plate
Clear skinned: Light skinned black person
Rolly-Polly: A Barbadian candy
Stuff Pantie Crew: little girls who nabbed some gum from the bar lol
Har ears or You have ears?: Said to a young child who is not listening to instructions
Picking Fairs: Prostituting
likle trilden: Young children
Mother Tucker: A cultural character. A woman in a flower dress with fake big boobs and a fake stuffed big bum.
Lessons: Tutorial classes held after school
I was researching it origin and i learned that much of the Bajan dialect was developed years ago by West African slaves. It was used as a means of mocking the 'Massa' and communicating with each other without having being understood by him. You will fine a lot of the language is created by fusing words together to make them shorter and adding in slang.
Below is a little sample! I'm practically bajan. haha enjoy!
Ga long -Go
Fuzz out-Tired/confused
Air gap- Gas
Band House-Mass Camp (a place where costumes are made and held during Kadooment)
Kadooment-A huge celebration
Gap- Street
The Gap- The party district. Actually named St. Lawrence Gap
brek air-Fart
Brek- broke as in have no money or hurt yourself
Drobbie:poop
Gein:Going
Pous: Cat
Cheese-on-bread: An expression eg. What the cheeseonbread is going on here?
Soinso: A generic swear word eg. What the soinso are you doing?
Evasince: For a long time
Mek sport: Joke around
horstulish: rude/get on bed
Pips: A person who always swears
ZR (zed R): a type of public van named after the first two letters of the licence plate
Clear skinned: Light skinned black person
Rolly-Polly: A Barbadian candy
Stuff Pantie Crew: little girls who nabbed some gum from the bar lol
Har ears or You have ears?: Said to a young child who is not listening to instructions
Picking Fairs: Prostituting
likle trilden: Young children
Mother Tucker: A cultural character. A woman in a flower dress with fake big boobs and a fake stuffed big bum.
Lessons: Tutorial classes held after school
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
un'locking' Judgement
'Racism Does not exist' If this is a statement you've ever found yourself saying my biased advice is either open your eyes OR invite us all into the Utopian world in which you live, because racism is more than in existence its rampant in our world and, unfortunately though, ignorance is a hell of a thing.
last night i had one of the most painstakingly confusing discussions with my landlord. It began with me taking my hair out in my room...
Just got my hair done and was feeling quite excited that I finally got a bajan hairstyle, but it was a tad bit too tight and my throbbing scalp refused to accept my attempt at hairstyle conformity. So neglectfully i sat myself down in front the mirror and my nearly 5 hour old up-doo became a 2 hour racism-Christianity-and-the-roots-of-oppression-down-doo.
The conversation began when my landlord walked towards my room and stopped at my door to ask "do you wash that thing?",referring to my hair, then asked "when are you planning on taking that out?". I looked at her waiting for a laugh or some sign to show the obvious humor in her question only to meet a face that truly begged the answer to a question. I must admit, with us both living on a Caribbean island (with such a prminant amount of woman and men with dreadlocks) i, ignoratly, thought their would be a more intimate understanding of the myths behind the hairstyle. I wasn't offended though and simply explained to her that i just came back from the salon and I wash my hair as frequent as need be. It turns out she hadn't realized that i had dreads, in fact she assumed my hair was false and was simply braids that I intended on removing. So, i kindly enlightened her by letting her know that my hair is permanently locked and intertwined in slender spirals of my natural hair (lol). She wasn't impressed, and when i asked her if she had a problem with dreadlocks her response was classic, "I'm a child of God". ---Its a shame I couldn't freeze that moment, step out of my body, and turn around to see the 'Peoples Eyebrow' (momentarily perfected) on my face. The conversation continued with comments that seemed to have no degree of thought and consideration behind them at all, "all rasta men are drug men", "I don't hate dreadlocks, I just don't like looking dirty", "I am not racist, I have some negro friends", "Yours looks ok now but maybe in a couple of years it will get nasty looking too" and my favorite"Your mother has dreadlocks? Well..(looks around and taps her fingers on my desk) I thought she was a Christian".
STOP. PAUSE. REFLECT. OK so lets pretend you are in this situation as me. Do you
a) Get angry
b) Get ignorant right back in her a**
c) Remember you are on an internship representing your country and consider having an intelligent dialogue with her on the roots to her views while sharing why yours differs
I choose B. Kidding, kidding Larissa lol. I picked C and though it was a tough conversation to stay calm in, I managed to do so and it really got me into some deep thinking around this issue and its overlapping topics.
I'm still really mulling over this experience so i dont have anything all that enlightening to share right now but I'd really like to hear what you all think about this issue and I'd like to add that because of this issue along with other issues I have had to move from that residence.
Comment comment comment..
last night i had one of the most painstakingly confusing discussions with my landlord. It began with me taking my hair out in my room...
Just got my hair done and was feeling quite excited that I finally got a bajan hairstyle, but it was a tad bit too tight and my throbbing scalp refused to accept my attempt at hairstyle conformity. So neglectfully i sat myself down in front the mirror and my nearly 5 hour old up-doo became a 2 hour racism-Christianity-and-the-roots-of-oppression-down-doo.
The conversation began when my landlord walked towards my room and stopped at my door to ask "do you wash that thing?",referring to my hair, then asked "when are you planning on taking that out?". I looked at her waiting for a laugh or some sign to show the obvious humor in her question only to meet a face that truly begged the answer to a question. I must admit, with us both living on a Caribbean island (with such a prminant amount of woman and men with dreadlocks) i, ignoratly, thought their would be a more intimate understanding of the myths behind the hairstyle. I wasn't offended though and simply explained to her that i just came back from the salon and I wash my hair as frequent as need be. It turns out she hadn't realized that i had dreads, in fact she assumed my hair was false and was simply braids that I intended on removing. So, i kindly enlightened her by letting her know that my hair is permanently locked and intertwined in slender spirals of my natural hair (lol). She wasn't impressed, and when i asked her if she had a problem with dreadlocks her response was classic, "I'm a child of God". ---Its a shame I couldn't freeze that moment, step out of my body, and turn around to see the 'Peoples Eyebrow' (momentarily perfected) on my face. The conversation continued with comments that seemed to have no degree of thought and consideration behind them at all, "all rasta men are drug men", "I don't hate dreadlocks, I just don't like looking dirty", "I am not racist, I have some negro friends", "Yours looks ok now but maybe in a couple of years it will get nasty looking too" and my favorite"Your mother has dreadlocks? Well..(looks around and taps her fingers on my desk) I thought she was a Christian".
STOP. PAUSE. REFLECT. OK so lets pretend you are in this situation as me. Do you
a) Get angry
b) Get ignorant right back in her a**
c) Remember you are on an internship representing your country and consider having an intelligent dialogue with her on the roots to her views while sharing why yours differs
I choose B. Kidding, kidding Larissa lol. I picked C and though it was a tough conversation to stay calm in, I managed to do so and it really got me into some deep thinking around this issue and its overlapping topics.
I'm still really mulling over this experience so i dont have anything all that enlightening to share right now but I'd really like to hear what you all think about this issue and I'd like to add that because of this issue along with other issues I have had to move from that residence.
Comment comment comment..
Friday, June 13, 2008
Where is the cane?
Working for Pinelands has really taught me so much in such a short period of time. Its almost as if im hesitant to continue to learn more, as the more im exposed to the inequalities and unfairness of the world the more i find myself resenting living in it. I was talking to Curtis, the Cultural Manager at Pinelands, the other day about the history of the Barbadian economy specifically the emergence of the Crop Over festival and the importance of the development of the tourist industry. (Crop Over is a festival to celebrate the end of a long and hard cane season.)
Everywhere you look in the Barbadian country side you can see cane fields for miles and miles. Why is it then that the local people find it so difficult to find a piece of raw cane to enjoy? When i first started to read up on Barbados I was looking forward to having a piece of cane at my side as a staple side dish, little did I know cane comes more easily accessible in Canada than it does in this cane producing country. I enquired with Curtis because i couldnt stand not understanding where the cane gone. What i had learned is that because it is cane season all of the fields have been cleared mainly for export to the EU. It turns out the EU has a arrangement with Barbados which entitles the Bajan government to meet a quota to export enough cane sugar to the EU, and if the quota is met and their is not enough cane left for Barbadians, they then have to import lesser quality sugar from other sources.
After talking to Curtis and other Bajans about my cane cravings i began to realize how deeply rooted the situation really was and it had me thinking about 'developed' vs 'underdeveloped' and privileged vs. oppressed . To me it didn't seem right that this stipulation caused such a backwards effect on the Bajan community. It was interesting, though that after i spoke to many people about this issue i began to realize that though some were informed none were really upset about it. It had me wondering why the heck i was so bothered by the situation and it donned on me! For the first time i was in a position to see and feel the effects of our desire to have it all on a country that we're taking it 'all' from. It was an interesting perspective of our and my privilege and position in the global community.
Everywhere you look in the Barbadian country side you can see cane fields for miles and miles. Why is it then that the local people find it so difficult to find a piece of raw cane to enjoy? When i first started to read up on Barbados I was looking forward to having a piece of cane at my side as a staple side dish, little did I know cane comes more easily accessible in Canada than it does in this cane producing country. I enquired with Curtis because i couldnt stand not understanding where the cane gone. What i had learned is that because it is cane season all of the fields have been cleared mainly for export to the EU. It turns out the EU has a arrangement with Barbados which entitles the Bajan government to meet a quota to export enough cane sugar to the EU, and if the quota is met and their is not enough cane left for Barbadians, they then have to import lesser quality sugar from other sources.
After talking to Curtis and other Bajans about my cane cravings i began to realize how deeply rooted the situation really was and it had me thinking about 'developed' vs 'underdeveloped' and privileged vs. oppressed . To me it didn't seem right that this stipulation caused such a backwards effect on the Bajan community. It was interesting, though that after i spoke to many people about this issue i began to realize that though some were informed none were really upset about it. It had me wondering why the heck i was so bothered by the situation and it donned on me! For the first time i was in a position to see and feel the effects of our desire to have it all on a country that we're taking it 'all' from. It was an interesting perspective of our and my privilege and position in the global community.
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