Teacher, Teacher

February 20, 2013 by Casha242

Back in the day in primary school teachers were up at the top next to parents. Their word was pretty much gospel even if you couldn’t stand them. When a teacher entered the room you had to immediately get up from your chair and greet them. I remember my friends and I dragging out “Good mornin’ Ms. a Kinney, good morning friends” It was a slow death if you had to listen to it but it made me wonder if kids today still do that — stand when a teacher enters the room.

As of late I have also been working on a project with the National Teachers Hall of Fame in an effort to raise awareness about them and hopefully get more people honor the teachers that may have made a difference in their lives. You can donate to the hall and include the name of a teacher you would like to honor, purchase a block to put on the wall of fame or make web connections. My classmates and I want teachers and students alike to share their photos, letters and stories of the teachers they want to honor.

My classmates (l-r) Ayat and Kelsey along with myself in the National Teacher’s Hall of Fame

With the tragic deaths at Sandy Hook Elementary, we all can see that there are teachers that go above and beyond their duty to educate children. They have given their lives protecting them so surely one dollar to an organization dedicated to honoring the memory of those lost and those still here should be a small task.

If you have pictures, letters or stories that you want to share of how your teacher has impacted your life, send emails to: hallfameg@gmail.com

Twitter: @TeachersHall
Facebook: nationalteachers.fame

One of my favorite teachers was my 3rd grade teacher Ms. J. Mckinney. She was not the best singer, lol, but she was pretty great and speedy writer on the chalkboard. It was in her class that I first started writing, even though it was basically me copying word for word the Mary-Kate and Ashley Adventures.

Life’s A Beach!

February 18, 2013 by Casha242

When you live on an surrounded by water people think that you must obviously spend much of your time on the beach basking in the sun darkening my already chocolate tan. Well sorry to disappoint but it’s rarely ever this way. I’m a college student, I gata work or spend time looking for a job so on those beautifully warm days when the sea is so mesmerizing, I’m on my feet an entire shift in a cold kitchen or trying to get behind a desk with a computer and put some files into a cabinet drawer. And on the days I do get off, I want to sleep or maybe catch a movie. Continue reading →

Fisherman’s Kid

February 15, 2013 by Casha242

Recently in a class we read a story about a son whose father was a bricklayer while he was more of the office type, suit wearing. As I recall, the father built with his hands the buildings he could not get into but he worked so that his son could get into them. And although they were separated by this class structure, there was still that mutual respect, the father toward his son for doing what he loved and the son toward his father in admiration for his hard work.

During the class discussion, it got me thinking about my own life and how similar it is for myself and other young Bahamians whose parents may or may not have finished all of high school much less college, but we as offspring are college bound and aren’t taking up the traditional jobs.

My dad Neuron Greene. Self-employeed fisherman 20+ years.

Shark bite scars. He got bit in 1998 (I believe).

Historically, Abaco is known for boat building and many of the men were and still are fisherman. My dad has been a self-employed fisherman for 20+ years and I remember him telling me stories of going out on his little dinghy boat going sculling and making his few dollars as kid and even just enjoying the ocean. I suppose that’s where I get my love of the sea from. Sadly, I can barely swim). Every morning at the crack of dawn my dad is usually up standing on the car porch in the yard looking out towards the sea checking the day’s weather. I would sometimes get up and stand next to him and pretend I was checking too, but I couldn’t tell you nothing beyond it was cold. He would be out for most of the day and would walk home a few blocks from the beach he “parked his boat” at. This was most of his days. Nowadays, he sometimes has marine biology groups and other tourist types come and take them out to do deep-sea dives and coral studies, although it isn’t a major part of his work routine.

I sometimes wondered if he used to wish I was a boy so that I could follow in his line of work and become a fisherman too. I spend my days writing articles, blogs and giving interviews for more stories as I try to build my journalism writing experience and gain experience as public relations major. It’s a far cry from learning how to plot ocean maps and plot GPS points for crawfish traps during crawfish season.

Although these seem like two different worlds, we do share one thing in common: we’re doing what we enjoy. That is something I hope to continue to do, being as I’m still just a college student there’ll probably be times where I have to decide whether it’s more important to do what I love or make money and pay the bills.

I can’t take a conch out of the shell and my dad probably knows little about writing a press release. But when I go home for holidays and breaks I can still share some of my articles and stories and I know he supports whatever it is I want to do.

I think my dad, like other parents, work hard to give their kids the opportunities they didn’t have to make their lives easier. Whether it be behind an office desk or on the open seas, what’s most important to remember is that hard work pays off and doing what you love makes the work worthwhile.

Daddy & me 🙂

Gambling Ramblings

February 13, 2013 by Casha242

On January 28 the Bahamas had a referendum vote on matters concerning gambling. Click here to learn more about that and what I thought about the whole thing, granted I was not home to actually vote. But here’s a clip of my dad, Neuron, and grandmother aka “Ms. Evie” and what they had to say on it in December before the actual vote took place.

Here’s a pic of my dad and his new car that he won thanks to playing the lottery.

Dad and his 2013 Kia Sportage. He won it 6 days before Christmas.

Clearing the Air

February 6, 2013 by Casha242

First thing’s first: before delving into the tales of sweet island life, let’s start with the generic basics. There are some people that don’t know diddly squat about The Bahamas and think we’re apart of the United States or Jamaica.

1. Our location:We’re near the U.S. but we are not like the U.S. Virgin Islands or one of them. Nassau is the capital located on the tiny island of New Providence. I spent most of my childhood years in Abaco, further north.

2. Our language: English is primary language although you’re more likely to hear Bahamian dialect that I like to call Bahamianese. I’ll be making regular posts to teach you guys new words so when I use them in my writing you’re not totally befuddled or when you spilligatin’ with your friends you can toss a few words into the mix.

3. Infrastructure/Homes: In light of the Ms. Nellie Day incident I feel compelled to say that we do not live in shacks or huts on the beach! As in all countries there are upper, middle and lower class citizens, there will be homes of different quality and material. Most of our homes are concrete homes, although there are some still made out of wood. And we don’t all live on/near the beach. Beach front property is expensive!!

Homes are made of cement to withstand hurricanes.

4. Our Livelihood: Tourism is the number one industry in The Bahamas followed by banking, cement and salt. Directly or indirectly most jobs are impacted by tourism. My dad, for instance, is a self-employed fisherman and does not work in a hotel or anything like that. However if tourists aren’t coming to visit, less people are buying his product, thus the trickle down effect.

5. Our People: We are some proud people. Island life is mostly very laid back so don’t expect people to be rushing around or speed walking like they do in NYC. Generally, we are pleasant and nothing gets us more excited than debates about the Valley Boys versus the Saxon Superstars.

Baha Life

Category Archives: Life Story