30 days in Barbados

You can't help but notice the signs as you walk into the airport from off the plane.

Relax it's Barbados.
 
If there is a place I can call home then truly it is Barbados. Welcome back home sir, those were the words echoed from the customs officer as he handed me my passport and I was on my way to some Bajan therapy.

My first few hours in Barbados were seemingly very interesting and I think those hours were building me up for what I would call... reality. Barbados is an extremely small island on a world scale and within a few hours of reaching the island, I felt like I had run into people I would have probably liked to avoid... at that time.

So what would a person do for 30 days in paradise, besides relax, eat, drink, hang out on the beach, chat with the people and sightsee? I would say sometimes you do nothing, enjoy your surroundings, keep a smile on your face and every now and then say to your fellow man, Yes, please!

Quite awesome!


To actually enjoy Barbados you have to adjust to the slower pace at which people do things, it's cultural. Speed is not the asset in this case, it's the love formulated for something and how you do it that gains you stripes in this part of the world. A well planned day is the key to any success here, you can't rush this life and one of the sayings in Barbados is "I only got one life to live". So why rush through it, right! Most people are up early in the mornings around 5am, their day is started as the sun bursts through the sky and heats up the already warm crust of this magnificent island, that's when life begins. It's the uncertainty of not knowing what the next day will lead to, no guarantees but everyone will take each day one at a time.


When the kiddies' voices are heard I know the day is coming to an end. Hearing those voices alarms me that I only have a very short window before the sun sets and the curtains are drawn. The fear of being bitten by a tiny mosquito plays a constant tune in the back of my mind and the smell of citronella oil is fuming through some people's homes and every now and then there is a sound of two hands slapping which means another mosquito life just ended.


Then it's time to do a few things which some do very well on this island, Liming.



Liming is what people do to socially interact with other people in the community. You can make business deals and find out what is going on in the community at the same time. You don't need money to lime you just need to show up and be part of the many conversations that will occur. really, you don't need to buy out the bar since tomorrow you will be right back at the bar. When hunger hits you find the closest food stall and buy some fresh fish usually grilled or fried to perfection from one of the many roadside chefs or a preferred restaurant of your liking.

Relax it's Barbados.