Category: Caribbean

Submitted by Umma Fatema on the 2017 winter session program in Panama sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures…

I have been in Panama for a week now. I can confidently say that this past week has been the best time of my life. I have learned much about the Panamanian culture and improved my Spanish tremendously. This past weekend, we went to Taboga Island which is located in the Pacific Ocean and has historical significance to the Panamanians. After the construction of the Panama Canal, the United States wanted to maintain control of the canal and wanted to take Taboga Island. That resulted in a clash between Panama and the United States which led to many protests and eventually the canal was given to Panama. Taboga Island was a great place to visit this weekend because not only is it the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, it is also relevant to the history and literature of the Panama Canal that we are learning about in class. I also learned how to make patacones from a Taboga resident which is an authentic Panamanian food made from plantains. I would recommend Taboga Island for anyone interested in learning about the rich Panamanian Culture and the beautiful lanscape that can only be experienced in Taboga.

Submitted by Taylor Straub on the 2017 winter session program in Barbados sponsored by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies…

St. John’s Parish Church is the second oldest church in Barbados and one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. The outside of the church has continuously been restored to keep its original architectural appearance. It gave me the feeling that I was part of a historic time of Barbados. The trees surrounding the building also made me feel like I was in more of a colder climate rather than the tropical island of Barbados. Overall,  the exterior of the church gave me a mysterious and nostalgic vibe and I could not wait to see what the interior of the parish had to offer.

Once I opened the door and saw the inside of the church, my jaw dropped. The paintings were intricately filled with detail and encompassed every window in the building. The pews were made with old wood and seemed as if they had been used for people for many generations. I don’t consider myself to be a very religious person, but this church gave me a sensation to want to sit down and pray for everything that is currently occurring in my life as well as future endeavors. I felt a sense of peacefulness and wanted to stop time so that positive feeling would stay with me forever. I was given a new perspective of religion. I hope to continue to see the importance and passion people have for their path of faith.

Submitted by Kirsten Gerhardt a on the 2017 winter session program in Costa Rica and Panama sponsored by the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology…

We arrived in Panama after a long and tiring flight that got delayed 3 hours. By the time we got to Panama City, it was around 12:30 in the morning. Since it was so dark, and I couldn’t see any of my surrounding, I still didn’t feel like I was in a different country. It felt like I could have been in Florida or something along those lines. After I crashed on my hotel bed with the A/C cranked up, it was the morning and I could finally get my bearings for where I was. The first thing I saw was a palm tree and a giant boat approaching the Panama Canal. (Yes, we had a great view from our room). I’m still getting used to never having a game plan. Everything we do is basically a secret until 30 minutes ahead of time. I’m glad I have a very laid back personality or else I would be way too stressed out. This is actually my kind of program because I don’t have to make any decisions on what to do or where to eat! I HATE making decisions! So I am so happy to have everything planned out for us, it’s very refreshing. I’m just along for the ride.

Submitted By Jacqueline Warner on the 2017 winter session program in Barbados sponsored by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies…

Today was all about learning about the culture in Barbados, which is more complex than I had ever imagined.  We had a meeting with Ian Walcott Skinner who is a cultural advocate who works on the island. He gave us a brief synopsis of the history and the culture of the island. I’m going to literally copy and paste the following from my notes so I have everything important that we learned: Skinner’s definition of culture, “culture is the implicit and explicit behavior of the people that happens in a particular space or spaces over a period of time”. To understand culture you have to look at the background and history of a place. Before 1500 there were natives who came from what is now South America called the arrilacks and the caribs. We get the name Caribbean as a combination of arrilack and carib. Barbados was named after the Portuguese who discovered it and called it Os Barbados, meaning bearded man, because of the bearded fig trees all over the island. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive on the island and eventually the British came to colonize the island and use it as a place to grow valuable sugarcane. On August 1st 1838, the slaves were emancipated and this date is now celebrated as “crop over festival”. After the emancipation, however, former slaves and their descendants were forced to live on the rocky coast and work on former plantations for little money as part of a system similar to share-cropping in the United Sates. This did not end until after Barbados gained its freedom in 1966. The crop over festival that I mentioned earlier was created as a celebration of the slaves after all of the crops were harvested and their hard work was done, the masters allowed them a few days to drink and celebrate. This celebration continues today and includes their independence day as it occurs at the end of July and beginning of August. Bajans struggled to find their own kind of culture and celebrations after their freedom from the UK because most of their culture was either British or African. Today, crop over remains as one of the first cultural events that they had after their freedom and Bajans continue to form their own culture.

One important part of the culture today is the landscape of the island and how homes are built. The grand plantations and large churches, as well as many modern and newer buildings like hotels, were made of limestone and coral bricks that were available on the island. The smaller homes that most slaves lived in were called Chattel homes. Slaves made these out of wood and they are able to be distinguished today by their windows that fold up and down. These homes were built specifically to withstand hurricanes, but also to be taken apart and carried from plantation to plantation. If the work was not good at one plantation, a slave might pick up their house and move somewhere better. These homes can still be found on the island, and many people still live in them although they have been cemented to the ground and they have been improved upon. One cool thing about these houses is that they do not need AC because of the design of the windows, air moves in and out easily.

Much of the food on the island is also related to culture. Fish is a large market on the island, especially for tourists, and many people eat that and chicken, lamb or goat. These are all things that can be grown on the island, as well as many fruits found on the island. This comes from slave times because slaves often ate what they could and what they found around the island. Slaves also were given the worst parts of the animals, especially pigs, such as tongues, stomachs and ears. In Barbadian culture today, these parts of the animal are considered delicacies. One other very popular dish that I am very fond of myself, is macaroni pie. This comes from housekeepers making easy dishes for their masters or owners and then adding more cheese and spices to eat it themselves. Everywhere on the island, the macaroni pie is a little bit different according to family recipe, the way the chef likes to eat it or just how they like to make it.

After class, I hung by the pool before we went to the local fish fry on the south coast called Oistens. We took two taxis down and were led into a busy market of shops all selling dinners out of chattel homes. After a long wait, we were seated, and then there was a forty minute wait for food, and a thirty minute wait for the check. I had swordfish, sweet potatoes, and macaroni pie as well as three salads (macaroni, coleslaw, and garden) that all plates come with. Our waitress was very sweet and we gave her a big American tip (that’s what we Americans are known for after all) and then we went to dance. There was a live DJ on a stage where many people were dancing. There were men who would go on stage and dance and a few tourists who joined them. We all watched the crowd as it got larger and larger before we left at ten til eleven.

Submitted by Ana Ramirez-Irineo on the 2017 winter session program in Barbados sponsored by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies…

As a first generation college student and minority, I never expected I would be studying abroad, especially on a beautiful island. The service-learning study abroad program that I have decided to participate in has proved to be valuable and well worth it within the first week.

Barbados is a gorgeous island, but its people have demonstrated that it is they who complete the island. Barbadians, also locally called Bajans, have impressed me with their friendliness and welcoming attitude towards others and each other. As I walk through Holetown, you can hear and see the community emanating through the warm-hearted greetings Bajans give out across the street or from within their vehicles. The bus drivers and private transportation services even have a two-beep greeting system when they see each other on the street. Everyone just seems to know each other and enjoy long conversations with others while on the street or in the grocery store. Their amiable behavior is a stark contrast to the United States’ general behavior with each other and others. In the United States, many seem to be wary of others while on the street so that they confuse a stranger’s friendly hello with danger, but in Barbados you cannot help,but say hello and engage in conversation with the locals.

On our first week in Barbados, we had two activities scheduled by our professor, Dr. Gaines-Hanks, that enhanced our understanding of Bajan culture. The first event was a cultural excursion on a historical tour of the island. Joann was our tour guide and from my understanding, she has been the guide for Dr. Gaines-Hanks since the beginning. Barbados is divided into 11 parishes and each parish has its own parish church. On the tour, not only was I able to witness Barbados’ beauty, I was able to enter the gorgeous parish church of St. John and walk through time at Sunbury, a plantation house. Sunbury illustrated almost exactly what life on a sugar cane estate would be like in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. It was neat to see artifacts from that time period and casually walk through the house as if I was present during those times. The historical tour reminded me of the reason why I am here. This study abroad program is not about sunbathing by the pool or relaxing by the beach, it is about volunteering and learning from the culture as well as skills that will benefit me as a human services worker. The service-learning study abroad program is all about reciprocity and both parties benefiting from this program. I did not come to Barbados as a tourist, but as a willing, participating member of its society for a short amount of time. Who knows? Maybe I will come back and embrace Barbados as my new home.

The second activity was a guest lecturer on the culture of Barbados. Ian Walcott-Skinner was a fountain of valuable information. His lecture was interactive and he encouraged students to ask questions. Unfortunately, I am quite shy in class most of the time and it takes me a while to acclimate so when he called on me to ask if I had a comment, I regrettably said no. The guest lecturer activity has made me realize that I am all too quiet during class and this affects my participation and ultimately my learning experience. However, I have made it my goal to participate more and prepare questions or comments before class or any activity so I can add to the discussion. This goal could also benefit me when I return to UD because I will have built up the confidence to ask questions and make worthwhile discussion during lectures.

The service-learning study abroad program to Barbados has confirmed its significance and as I reflect on this first week, I hope many other students who are first generation and or minorities take the opportunity to study abroad seriously and commit. It is an experience like no other and I wholeheartedly hope more students can embark on this journey that before they may not have considered due to costs or the thought of not being accepted. I am forever grateful to be on this service-learning program and will continue to look back on this adventure for years to come. I cannot wait to begin my placement at the HIV/AIDS Commission this Tuesday. I cannot wait to start the service part of this service-learning study abroad program.

Submitted by Victoria Giannini on the 2017 winter session program in Barbados sponsored by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies…

This week has been a hectic one! We arrived in Barbados in the afternoon on Monday, January 2nd and have been going constantly since! One thing, I found particularly interesting was something I learned on the historical tour of the island. We learned about these small homes called Chattel Houses. The word Chattel is Barbadian and it means a small, wooden transportable house. The houses were common for working class people because they could pick up and move their house when they needed to, because the property that the house rested on was not necessarily theirs. Typically these houses sat on cinder blocks or stone, as opposed to being set on the ground in a foundation.

On our tour, I was able to capture a picture of a traditional Chattel House on the island. It truly was beautiful. However, most chattel houses now are no longer unsecured in the ground. This is because it is not common for working class people to move their homes in today’s culture.

I am really in love with these houses! Some of the homes on the island are truly beautiful. I was even able to purchase a small wooden replica of a Chattel House as a souvenir! Some have pastel colors, while others look more like traditional  like this wood one. It is amazing learning about this culture and how things are similar and different from the United States. This experience so far has been so amazing and I am excited to continue on this journey and learn so much more!

Submitted by Casey Grzinic on the 2017 winter session program in Barbados sponsored by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies…

My first week in Barbados has been a whirlwind experience. While I was initially blown away by the sheer beauty of the island itself, what truly took my breath away was the beauty of the Barbadian culture. On our tour of the island, we saw picturesque landscapes and architecture, but what I observed during this tour impacted me more than the scenery. At Saint John Parish, I watched as my tour guide passionately spoke of the beloved Prime Minister, David Thompson, who died in 2010. Barbadians, or Bajans, as they are locally referred, speak of their late prime minister as if he was a life-long friend. He is placed on a pedestal by Bajans due to his efforts in improving life on the island. Because Bajans are a religious people, most are Catholic, the burial of Prime Minister Thompson at Saint John Parish holds great meaning. It was interesting to see that there is truly no difference in how people mourn and remember the leaders of their country because it reminded me that as humans, we are one in the same. It was important to be reminded of this after nearly a week of adjusting to a new culture and environment. It also reminded me that it is okay to recognize differences between cultures, so long as you appreciate the difference and acknowledge that there are just as many similarities.

Submitted by Katie Garber on the 2017 winter session program in the British Virgin Islands sponsored by the College of Health Sciences…

I never knew another country could be so similar yet so different from the United States. For my abroad program, I am studying in the British Virgin Islands for four weeks. In only three days here so far, I am both shocked and impressed with how the locals live. Electricity and water is a luxury in the BVI, and many islanders go without these things that US citizens value extremely. I’ve come in contact with a broad variety of people in my short stay here. The locals are very polite not only to each other, but to the tourists as well. The Islanders always greet each other with a smile and a “hello”, and when passing tourists, they often get offended when not greeted properly. Our professor told us a local once went up to her to tell her she was offended her students didn’t greet her! Traveling abroad and starting to become immersed into another culture has really opened my eyes to things I once took for granted like  WiFi for example. The WiFi here in BVI can be spotty at times, and I find myself upset that I cannot connect with family and friends back home.  However, I am trying to not be so “American” about such things, and hopefully this will not only help me while I am abroad,but also when I return home.

Submitted by Carson Hanna on the 2017 winter session program in Barbados sponsored by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies…

Barbados is a gorgeous country, with much more to offer than I had previously realized. When we first stepped off the plane, it wasn’t the Caribbean breeze that impressed me the most, but the people. Everywhere you go on the island, the people of Barbados, Bajans as they are known here, are incredibly polite. They say hello to you as you pass, or wave from afar, and are always amiable when you need a little help finding your way around the grocery store. On our way to the grocery store, we pass these women who sell crafts and trinkets from Barbados. They always stop us to chat, and let us know what we should definitely see before we leave. This custom took some time to get used to. In America, we’re all in our own worlds, and sometimes forget there are many others out there that could use a friendly smile, or a quick direction to the peanut butter aisle.

The 2017 winter session in Barbados  is a service learning program. I am beyond excited to start working in the primary schools on Monday! We had class on our second day here, discussing what service learning is, and what to expect in the schools. Being Episcopalian, growing up in a religious home, I found it interesting that religion is incorporated into their everyday schedule with prayer at assemblies and before meals. I’m looking forward to seeing how school is run here, meeting the children and answering any questions they may have about America.

Yesterday, we went on a historical bus tour around the island. The British influence is evident all throughout the architecture. Something I found very interesting were little houses called chattel houses. They originated when the sugar plantations needed a place for their slaves to live. If a family decided to move, they could pick up their chattel house and move to another property. We also visited a plantation where we had a delicious lunch, including macaroni pie, a delicious equivalent of macaroni and cheese. What startled me was the tour guide did not discuss much about slavery, even though it is such a large part of their history. I later learned that not many people talk about it on the island since they believe it should just be forgotten.

Tonight we are going to a traditional fish fry, and I’m eager to try the different variety of fish and food they offer!