Caribbean Living Lifestyle Blog - Caribbean Culture

Interesting Caribbean Facts

nospam@example.com (Terri Henry - Contributor) — Tue, 18 May 2010 08:33:00 -0500

The Caribbean is unlike any other place in the world. It is home to
some of the most beautiful islands and waters you will find anywhere.
You will see white sandy beaches and crystal blue waters filled with
some amazing marine life. The cultures that you will encounter are among
the most carefree and relaxing in the world. There is truly no thing
like visiting this area. There are many interesting things that you
probably didn't know about these territories.

Let's take a look at
some of the interesting facts about this region:

1. One of the
most amazing Caribbean facts is that most of the residents are
descendants of African slaves. They were brought there to work and once
slavery ended, they remained in the paradise like conditions. There is
not a central culture to all of the different islands. Much of the
culture descended from the European countries that founded the islands.
For example, the islands of: Haiti, Martinique, and Guadeloupe have a
very rich French heritage. Many of them speak French or with that accent
and observe many of that nations customs.

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A Day in my Life in the Dominican Republic

nospam@example.com (Joanne Daubney - Contributor) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:21:13 -0600

It didn’t require much thought. I hate winter. I hate cold. I hate big, heavy coats and scarves and gloves and hats. I was young. And the economy was not-so-nice to just out of college English majors with no experience in anything except menial office labor.

I spent the four months directly out of the university in Florida. There’s only so much a young person not from Florida can do in Florida. In October of that year, I boarded a plane with the intention of staying out of the states for a year. Two at the most.

What was I thinking? This culture is contagious.

Here I was, an American girl with a good, solid degree ready to conquer the world. I would travel. I would love freely and muchly. I would fly. I would make money. I would be successful. And perfect. Don’t forget that I’d be perfect. Perfect and rich. And happy. Oh, and I wanted a BMW.

Flash forward five years. I’m still here. Still here in this paradise called the Dominican Republic. The land of no winter called me, seduced me, beckoned me to stay. Convinced me to give up that dream of rich success that meant 9-5 workdays, late night meetings, stress and headache.

This morning I went to the market. I wandered around, baby strapped in her snuggly carrier, looking for fresh fruit. “Ay que linda esa princesa!”Are they talking about me or the baby? Does it matter? Stacks of vegetables, piles of fruit lined the streets. It’s late January and I’m in shorts and a tee-shirt walking around an outdoor market buying fresh, locally grown food. I brought home at least 15 pounds of produce for less than 10 dollars. And to think my friends at home pay top dollar for this.
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Working in the Caribbean

nospam@example.com (Guest Contributor) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 05:11:00 -0500

The average daily commute is long enough to travel 2.5 times around the world in a lifetime. That is a lot of hours, when you could be doing something interesting! Instead of sitting in a traffic jam, or standing in a packed commuter train feeling stressed that you are going to be late for work, you may wish to consider a change of lifestyle and have something a little more exciting?

Relocating to the Caribbean could take you away from commuting and cold weather and allow you to work from home in a land where the sun shines almost every day of the year. But what would you do for income? Here are a few basic ideas just to whet your appetite:

Running an Online Business

It is always nice if you can come up with a new idea and start a small online business; however it takes many hours and a lot of hard work, to build a business to the point where it can support you - even if your new Caribbean lifestyle does not require you to earn the income that you previously needed for living in the "real world".

The alternative is to consider buying one of the many small online businesses for sale, that have already gone through their initial growing pains and are returning a steady profits. Search terms such as “sites for sale” or " online business for sale" will quickly give you and idea of the large number of businesses available.

Being a Freelance Writer

Writing a book, articles, technical manuals, or even your own blog can earn you a steady income. If you are a creative writer, writing a blog based on the additional traffic it brings to the website can be lucrative. Articles can also provide a living, with the average 1,500 word article paying anywhere from US$200 and upwards. Books of course are a much longer term venture, and cannot be counted upon to support you, unless you have already established yourself with a publisher as an author.

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Life in the Slow Lane

nospam@example.com (Guest Contributor) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:11:49 -0600

At only 37 square miles big....you wouldn't have thought there would be any commuting issues and that wherever you wanted to go wouldn't take long ? However St Maarten's narrow roads are crammed with traffic in long crawling queues every rush hour, with the occasional raising of Simpson's Bay Bridge to allow yachts to enter or leave the lagoon, only making things worse.

However unusual a traffic jam might be in the Caribbean, there are some unusual facts about St Maarten too. This interesting island is split into two, with each part belonging to a different nation. St Maarten (17 sq miles) on the South belongs to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and forms part of the Netherlands Antilles, a group of islands including Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire. Whist St Martin on the North is a department of France and so is a part of Europe and the European Community. It is the smallest land mass in the world that is shared by two nations.

You can drive around the whole island in approximately one hour, so long as it's not during rush hour and enjoy plenty of sights along the way; including watching jumbo jets land at the island's large and newly refurbished international airport. The perimeter fence of the airport is right next to one of the 37 public beaches, and sunbathers can get blown over in the sandblast created by the delivery of more tourists from colder climes.

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Caribbean Christmas - Celebrations from the Region

nospam@example.com (Guest Contributor) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 06:00:00 -0600

It’s Christmas time once again and in the Caribbean we have some very distinct ways of celebrating the season. Here are a few from around the region.

In Dominica, one of my favorite Christmas time traditions is “bursting bamboo.” I feel as though I'm in the middle of a world war, as I hear the loud bomb-like noise coming from the area. Traditionally bamboo bursting commences a celebratory activity. A hole is made on one of the ends of a piece of bamboo, and when you add some kerosene, light a match and put it through the hole in the bamboo you've got yourself a deafening noise! So around the villages at this time of year you might very well hear that loud noise. While this is fun to do with the right know-how, it can be very dangerous. So please proceed with caution if you want to try your own bamboo bursting.

In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, if you find yourself humming the tune “Twelve days of Christmas”, you’ll soon realize that you need to subtract three days from the song. From December 16th to 24th, nine mornings before Christmas, locals participate in the annual Nine Mornings Festival, which spans nine days of festivities from 4 a.m. to dawn. Christmas ‘Vincy’ style is a unique celebration and this particular festival ensures that Vincentians have a distinctive story to tell.

Locals wake in the early morning and take part in a multitude of activities including church services, fetes (parties), beach limes, street concerts or go to the capital of Kingstown to take in competitions that include singing and fun competitions such as speech making, beer drinking and banana eating, crying, laughing, ‘ring play’ games and story telling. Imagine dancing, caroling, and taking in the sound of steel pan bands and other music bands in the wee hours of the morning. In the rural areas, the final morning of the festivity usually ends with a steel band “jump-up”. In recent years, people have taken to the ‘lighting up’ of towns, villages, commercial buildings, churches and private homes.

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Strange Overtones at the Midnight Hour - By Laurie Stevens

nospam@example.com (Guest Contributor) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 06:00:00 -0600

Living in a country setting – to a city denizen at least – can remain a distant wish over many years of summing up the pros and cons of whichever lifestyle you feel the most comfortable with. Having all the services, conveniences, streetlights and ease of urban commute remains a deep-rooted warmth that many would not give up, even for the rustic purity of fresh air, more space and fewer vehicles clogging the highways. Some of us though have thrown caution to the big winds, made the move to the remote environs and as they say in ‘street cred’ “Bring it on, ‘mon’- bring it on!”

Our setting in the mid-upper Layou Valley of Dominica is virtually neighbourless with views that centre upon many tree-line levels, a backcloth of verdant cliffs and a picturesque winding road that provides us with a quick access to whatever social intercourse one needs without sacrificing one iota of privacy.

Though remote, we have always felt safe in this area and ‘tuned in’ with the locals. How strange then, that late in the evening - as I was battling with a Windward Islands version of ‘Montezuma’s Revenge’, the dogs struck up their loudest chorus and my better half shouted as if she was on the downhill descent from a roller coaster. “Someone’s climbing up the telegraph pole with a torch! Do something!!” In my state the only reply I could give to my wondrous one was that “I am doing something at a great rate and fixed to the spot. Improvise, will you?!”

When I eventually emerged from the bathroom it was greeted with a mildly sarcastic comment of “Well, here’s my hero now!” The dogs were not impressed with me either, but seemed to have downsized their excitement somewhat. Outside was blacker than liquorice, even the stars were in remission and whatever was upsetting the peace had disappeared. So I just stared at what was scantily possible to discern, thinking out loud as to what sort of a ‘torches and a telegraph pole’ mystery was about to unfold.
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An American Girl in the Caribbean – Catching the Bus!

nospam@example.com (Tabrechai Washington - Contributor) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:00:00 -0500

Catching the bus from Loubiere to Roseau is the total opposite than my daily commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan. The only labeled bus stops that are in Dominica are in town, not like what I am used to back in the States. Usually you can just ask someone where the bus stop is or you can use your judgement to realize that if you see a group of people standing around a collection of mini-vans, that’s your queue.

What I like about these buses is that they are frequent, unlike the ghost trains in NYC. Waiting underground is not fun in an empty station where you are only accompanied by the echo of your voice or the company of small critters such as mice. In Roseau there wasn’t any underground, it was busy and active and, as far as I could see, no mice.

It had been raining off an on for a few hours and, even though I had my umbrella, my pants were too long and I was wearing sandals so I was pretty soaked. I hopped on the bus to find my place on the already loaded bus of passengers who were also trying to escape the rain after a hard days work. I started to wonder why everyone was staring at me, then I remembered; I did not say ‘good afternoon’. I had been told to always say greetings when getting on and off the bus but it takes some getting used to. In NYC the subway commuters are notorious for plugging in iPods, reading books and becoming recluse. In an effort to not be considered rude, every time the driver stopped and a new passenger got in the van, I would belt out ‘good afternoon’ as to appeal to the masses and convince them that I was polite!
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Coming in from the Cold – The Return of the Diaspora

nospam@example.com (Terri Henry - Contributor) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:00:00 -0500

In 1958 my Dominican born Grandmother boarded a ship and left for England. After the sea-sickening 7 day journey she was met by my Grandfather who had left a few months earlier. Ever since the Empire Windrush landed on the British shores with a group of Jamaicans in 1948 this scenario of people from the Caribbean leaving for a new life in England was played out many times over the next few decades. My Grandparents, like many others who left home, were certain that they would only be staying away for a couple of years. However it was only when they retired 38 years later that they returned home to live.

In recent years, the Caribbean has been welcoming home its long lost populace as retirees are deciding return and live out their golden years in their country of birth. Yet they are not the only ones returning. The first and second generation diaspora are also flocking to the Caribbean to make their lives here even though it is a very different environment than they grew up in.
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Carifesta – The Caribbean Festival of the Creative Arts

nospam@example.com (Terri Henry - Contributor) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:00:00 -0500

Two weeks ago Dominica hosted its first Literary Festival and book fair. The weekend event bought local and regional writers together with publishers and book sellers to showcase and celebrate the best of local talent and to encourage further participation and awareness in the literary arts.

A small delegation from this talent pool, along with other creative artists such as painters and actors are now in Guyana to participate in Carifesta; a 9 day event which unites the cultural talents of the Caribbean. Carifesta has been in existence since the 1970’s and continues to get bigger every year. This year the event runs from 22nd – 31st August and looks set to be a jam packed event.
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Eating, Meeting and Greeting at the Saturday Market

nospam@example.com (Terri Henry - Contributor) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0500

At the weekend I’m tempted to turn off the alarm and sleep in late but Saturday morning is an occasion to rise early, take out shopping bags and head to the market. And the earlier the better, as all the best of Dominica’s fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers are beautifully displayed over an array of tables and it’s the early birds that get the cream of the crop.

Even if I arrive to town somewhat sleepy, the Roseau market is a vibrant occasion that soon awakes all the senses. The hot sun beats down on the occasion and the market is alive with early morning bustle. Vendors call out to attract customers to their best offers and the sugarcane seller is busy pushing hard sticks of cane through the machine to yield bottles and cups of the sweet brown liquid that sell immediately. Coconuts are piled up on the back of pick-ups and are expertly cut open to awaiting consumers. Plantains and sweetcorn are roasting on coals and fill the air with a delicious fragrance. Along with the array of seasonal fruits an entire breakfast can be consumed walking from stall to stall.
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A Captivating Rhythm – The Pulse of the Steel Pan

nospam@example.com (Terri Henry - Contributor) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Last week I sat in the botanical gardens enjoying the cool breeze and shade from the hot afternoon sun. I was relaxed and peaceful and amidst the bird songs, another beautiful sound wafted through the air to my receptive ears - the music of a steel pan band practice. The lilting music which is so quintessentially Caribbean, instantly bought a smile to my face.

The Steel Pan is a testament to innovation in the Caribbean. Although there are a few versions of its history, the consensus report that the steel pan emerged in Trinidad in the late 1930’s as a response to the banning of African drums by the ruling British government at the time. The drums were originally made from used oil drums but are now professionally made from new steel and tuned into instruments that have a range of varying tones to create a full family of 13 pans.

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