Category Archives: Life Story

Stories from my life

3rd World Story

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Despite being less than an hour away by plane from Florida and having millions of tourists grace our shores annually, The Bahamas is still a third world country. I don’t think we like to admit that to ourselves sometimes because our outward appearance is like that of any other person you might see in the U.S. We wear the Ralph Lauren, the Aeropostale and the like and our homes and equipped  with the modern kitchen appliances. But we still depend on the U.S. to import many of our foods and even fruits that we could very well grow here.

The first step is to admitting that we have a problem. We are dependent on the U.S. for so much and that’s kind of sad because if things go to crap because of war or the U.S. messes up their alliances with an oil-supplying country, we’re going to feel that bruise just as much.

No matter how much we try to keep up with the United States’ technologies and the rest of the materialistic junk, it won’t change the fact that we as a country although “independent” since 1973, can’t stand on our own two feet if our lives depended on it and each generation that comes up will be wiser but weaker. They will be hip to all that’s new and shiny but would frown up their noses at real oranges because they aren’t all sweet nor are they all that fake bright color.

Anywho,  I just thought readers should know that yes we are a third world country, a very proud one at that. So don’t go asking us if we have inside toilets and live in straw huts and what not. You won’t get a pleasant response. But in truth, 95% of what is in our food stores comes from “the States”.

That’s for the Birds!

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As a kid growing up on a family island, you tend to get yourself into some interesting adventures wondering through the bushes. Always fascinated with food, I remember eating some weird looking plants and seeds, thankfully I never got sick or poisoned.

Centella asiatica

My friends and I would pretend a certain flower was lipstick and put it on our lips (no color ever came off) and then suck the nectar from it. The way I see it now is that most of modern medicines are plant-based so I had the right idea about getting it straight from the source. I don’t know the name of the “lipstick flower” but I know it when I see and it always brings back a fond memory.

Bahamian Literature…What are you reading?

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I recently came back from a trip to New York and I’m currently on spring break. I hope to use this week to not only study, but to also catch up on some casual reading because I bought some new books but haven’t had the time to read them as yet. Thinking about this and trying to come up with a new blog topic baha-related, made me think about the Bahamian books I’ve read over the years. Honestly, there haven’t been many. Bahamians sometimes seem allergic to reading and thus there is a void in the Bahamian literature arena because we know that Bahamians aren’t doing much reading so it can be a downer for future Bahamian authors who want to be successful writers back home. Continue reading →

Ringplay… Is it extinct?

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If your girlfriend doesn’t know about playing ringplay when she was younger, she’s probably too young for you (lol). Seriously though, I can not remember the last time I saw children playing ringplay.

I’m trying to think of a most appropriate way to describe what a ringplay is… It was what kids, mostly young girls from the neighborhood or in the school yards did before the days of CD players, cellphones and all of that. We stood in a circle and sang traditional ringplay songs. “There’s a brown girl in the ring…sha-la-la-la-la”, “Show me your motion…tra-la-la-la-la”, “Naughty Johnny” and so many others. Sometimes a person would get in the middle of the circle and whine up and then got to pick the next person in the middle. I can even recall playing this in junior high during physical education class.

I wonder if my little sister plays this in school. Kids nowadays grow up too fast and speed through their childhood. I was one of those that couldn’t wait to become an adult too, but, I still enjoyed being a kid. Being able to play hide and seek, catch and freezes, porkin’ and breaktime was actually fun time.

It may seem like it’s a bit vulgar, but it was all in due fun and sometimes even adults would join in. There was also some ringplay songs that required no dancing but were more so a fun game like “Down by the river, down by the sea. Johnny break the bottle and blame it on me. I told ma, ma told pa. Johnny get a lickin’ with a ha ha ha.”

Thinking about these games brings back good memories but I wonder if in a few years, it’ll become a lost aspect of Bahamian culture and something that we talk about and tell our kids like the days of playing hop-scotch and jacks (which I did too, and enjoyed). We have to preserve our culture and not allow it to water down and waste away.

Standing in front of the t.v.

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As a young kid, I remember watching shows with my cousin not from the couch but hours just standing there – in front of the tv. Power Rangers, Barney, The Magic School Bus, Carmen SanDiego… whatever show was on, we stood there like mini zombie, dancing, singing and acting out everything we possibly could. Even commercials…and there were many of them! It seemed like watching tv was watching more commercials than actual show. Continue reading →