The kids here are incredibly respectful. They followed everything they said with either "Yes ma'am" or "yes please." Even during the assembly they stood straight and were attentive. The assembly was amazing too. They sang lovely songs and said prayers and said thank you to all the parents, teachers, and visitors. After the assembly we headed to the classrooms. None of the rooms were air conditioned but they had opened shutters that made the rooms significantly cooler. No matter what was going on around them, the kids paid attention to whatever we said or whatever we told them to do. I don't know if it was because they hadn't warmed up to us yet, but none of them were eager to answer questions like many kids in America do. Overall, the kids we taught were amazing and I can't wait to get to know them and to teach them how to code.
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Day three of our Barbados May Program adventure- we have yet to set foot in our designated primary school classrooms due to an election upset in the country on the day of our arrival. Over the weekend, we had the chance to talk to several locals, including a local captain of a boat tour group as well as the property manager of the villa we are staying in for the duration of our trip. The message was resoundingly clear that change was in dire need. Corruption abounded in the current government, enough so that all 30 seats in the House of Assembly voted unanimously for the Barbados Labor Party (BLP) candidate. Truth be told, the results don’t affect me in any way, directly or indirectly. As someone who happens to be in the country where a major shift in power is occurring though, it strikes a chord in me. After all, it seems like only yesterday that a major shift occurred on our stateside shores as well. Setting all party lines aside, I felt that a cultural shift had begun to occur in our country. I wonder how different and/or similar it could be for this country as well.
The problem with my assessment is simply that I haven’t had a chance to talk to a larger group of people – a mere two natives does not give one a full sense of what the country is all about, culturally or otherwise. I have heard from said individuals that money has been spent unwisely and unjustly for unnecessary things, things of no use for the average citizen. The benefit of our CSG program is that we are not staying in a luxury hotel, isolated in a bubble and out of range of the local inhabitants of this island. We are in fact staying in a villa within a residential neighborhood, with its own local grocery market, with neighboring houses in varying states of repair and disrepair- which, from observation, is not far off from every other corner of the island. There is beauty to be seen everywhere- in the same vein, there is also poverty and need alongside evidence of extravagance. There is sadly a sense of lack here- lack in completion (empty, started builds to structures), lack in resources for the locals. What I find interesting is that every person I’ve encountered thus far has been genuinely nice. I’m very excited to start tomorrow in the classroom – getting to see and know a whole other side of this island – from the kid’s perspective. Hello everybody, today we took a tour around the island and decided to take a break from the beach. We started the day with going to Animal Flower Cave. The cave was different from the one we went to on Friday. I personally liked this cave more because it was more open and I could see the ocean. Then we drove to the Cherry Hill and we could get an amazing view of the island. Although I've only been here only three days, I've already noticed so many cultural differences between the United States and Barbados. For instance, the United States has more police and the laws seem more strict regarding traffic and roads. I haven't seen a single police since I've been here. There aren't many stops signs and there are tons of roundabouts. The roundabouts are nice because it helps make traffic flow and continuous. Also, I have not experienced any road rage among the locals when driving. People are so kind to each other, letting people in, allowing animals to cross, making room for each other on the narrow roads. Another difference is how kind and welcoming the people are. All the people I have met here are so nice and sweet. They are always waving at us, smiling, saying thank you and please. I'm so excited to meet the kids tomorrow and start teaching!
These first few days in Barbados have been absolutely incredible. As excited as I am to teach tomorrow, I have enjoyed these past days just exploring the island. One of the things that I have noticed and loved is the amount of color everywhere we go. Everything here is just full of life and joy. The colorful houses are a reflection of the bright and cheery people that live in them. Everywhere we go we have been greeted with such kindness from all of the locals we have met. For example, today as we were driving around the island we were constantly waving at the people we passed who were sitting on their front porches and just enjoying each others company. This is such a difference from America and it really strikes me as something that we should try to reflect more consistently in our own culture. So far I have loved every second of our trip, and I am excited for the many more exciting experiences that are going to come our way this upcoming week.
Hi everyone! Today we decided to take a day off from the beach and instead learn more about the Barbadian culture. Today was a day of touring around Barbados and we started off by going to Animal Flower Cave. This cave has been around since the 1750's which I thought was very interesting and the cave was beautiful! After we looked around at the cave, we went to Cherry Hill where there was the most beautiful view. Cherry Hill had very interesting jewelry, artwork made out of wood, and many musical instruments that people play here. One of the cultural differences I noticed is that everyone in Barbados is very welcoming and they want the tourists to feel like they are apart of their community. When we went on our bus tour of Barbados today, every person we saw was smiling and waving or saying "Hi Girls!" through our car window. Overall, Barbados is treating us well! We are having fantastic memories and learning so much about another culture. We also can all agree that we've all learned how much sunscreen we need to put on before laying out in the sun!! We're having so much fun, but we miss you all and we will see everyone on Saturday!
On our third full day in Barbados we took a break from the beach to emerge into the culture of the city and the beautiful landscape all around the Island. We began by going to the Animal flower Cave, located in the northernmost post of the island, which was absolutely beautiful. We also went to the top of cherry hill which gave us a beautiful layout of the whole island. After taking in the cliffs and seascape around us we went to lunch and got some delicious food. Driving around we made several stops which allowed us to see more into the actual Barbadian culture. Yesterday and today we were able to see the market places where people shop. The shopping here is very different from America in the Markets because there is bartering and a lot of the food they buy is fresh fruits and vegetables. Another thing I noticed driving was the sincerity and kindness of the people here. They will always take the time to wave or smile or in general be very polite (surprisingly so on the roadways!). I'm excited to see how this part of their culture will appear in the schools and how it impacts their education system. Also another thing I noticed is that construction and homes are very different down here in general. All the houses are typically very colorful and around 1 floor and very close together. The streets are also super skinny, even the highways, which is very different compared to what you might see in America. All in all I really enjoyed today and was happy to get out of the sun because as many of us have learned, the sun is very hot down here!
Being in Barbados before and after the election has definitely allowed me to experience their culture. When driving, we heard many advertisements for the candidates and saw their campaign posters. Unlike America, the advertisements were all very positive, emphasizing how important it is that progress is made together. The posters were also very simplistic with just the candidate’s name and face. I think this really speaks to the extremely friendly culture of Barbados. The people here are truly some of the nicest I have seen. At the schools, all the children who walked by greeted us with a smile, and same with the adults. When driving down the coast today, we saw many of the locals at their houses and at bus stops, and of course, they all smiled and waved to us. I have also noticed that whenever we need to cross the street, the drivers willingly stop and wave you on. When we need to change lanes driving, the people behind you always let you go or allow you to turn if there’s a lot of traffic. It has been such a joy to experience their culture, and I cannot wait to see more of it while interacting with the school children in the coming days.
In the very short time I have been in Barbados I have noticed some key cultural difference between here and the United States. The first thing I noticed was how friendly everyone is here. As we were on our tour bus today the people on the streets would give us a big smile and a friendly wave just to welcome us. I have also noticed that our tour guides and waitresses go out of there way to give us an extra smile or give us insider tips about their amazing island. Another nice thing the people here do is stop immediately for pedestrians who wish to cross the road. In America it is always very difficult to cross a busy road but in Barbados, without hesitation, the cars will stop for you which is very nice. Also, I got to Barbados right before one of their huge elections and realized how different their political advertisements are from ours. In Barbados the advertisements are only positive. The candidates focus on what they can contribute to their country instead of trying to bash their opponent. Overall, the generosity and kindness of the people here have made this trip incredibly fun. Speaking of fun, today we had a filled day and my favorite part was going to a cave with a swimming pool in it.
As a teacher who is just starting my journey with the OLPC program my focus over the past two days has been to absorb as much information, expertise and overall charisma that has created such a wonderful program. The national holiday on Friday has created an extra day or two for reflection and my anticipation has grown because I have taken on the daunting task of continuing this program in the future. I'm eager to get into the classroom to meet the children, their teachers and watch our CSG girls shine.
I have glimpsed the possibility of this program wrapped up in an inspiring legacy. There are moments when the task to carry on this program with the same spirit and passion seems insurmountable and I feel woefully inadequate. However, the past few days with the students and other teachers I'm beginning to understand that this program's spirit will continually change and grow as the community we work in and the CSG community discover new projects, passions and relationships through the years. Technology education is the purpose and inspiration for what has been and will be accomplished but it is the girls gathered around chatting about their own ideas that is the heart and soul of the program. Although I have big shoes to fill, it is possible because the CSG girls make up the heart of the program. These girls will continue to inspire young Barbadian students and older seasoned teachers like myself. What a gift to be here and see our girls shine. I'm looking forward to this week in the classes and watching our girls be role models and teachers. Over the course of these past few days we’ve made the most of our time and done activities like relaxing at the beach, along with going on a boat ride visiting a variety of locations. Although I was extremely scared to go snorkeling because of my fear of fish, I went in the water for a little bit and I actually saw some really cool fish and plants living in the water. Something that has been really interesting for me here is the culture in particular. I love experiencing a different lifestyle, and am really looking forward to seeing more of Barbados and seeing what living here is actually like. Despite the fact that we have not been able to teach yet, we have created a lesson plan for the first day, and am sure tomorrow night will be filled with planning as well. I am particularly anxious about how well the kids will pay attention and how fast we will be able to get through things. Because of the days we lost I feel like things will be a bit rushed whereas if we had the extra day we were supposed to we could have kept things more relaxed and slower paced. Overall, I am really enjoying myself and I’m excited to see what’s next!
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