Back in Barbados

31st of May, 2010 9.15 am (written offline)

Hello all,
I am writting this on the airport of Barbados. We have left St. Vincent this morning. I felt a bit homesick looking back to the island. I have had a wonderful time there.
Last Saturday I went out dancing in a local club which had a Soca night, where I had a great time (though evaded the grinding men with handy manouvres)and met the only gentleman in the whole bar with whom I danced(also danced with some local ladies who showed me some moves and dance far better then I, but I had a great time anyways. ). I had a good time with him, so we had another drink yesterday and a nice conversation. We discussed the way in which white people (in particular certain types of tourists)claim the 'land'. Sometimes Long Island isn't accessible to Vincentians because some goof rented it off. This kind of antisocial, greedy self-oriented attitude makes me angry. I expressed to him, that I am not one of these people. I feel that I visit a country, I should adapt to the culture, not the other way around. What is wrong with this people? They seem self-oriented. Can't you see the beauty in the nature and the people?
Professor Corinne Hofman told me yesterday that she could see me definately work succesfully in the Carribean, because I easily connected with the locals. Definately something to think about. Before I was given this chance, I really could not picture Carribean archaeology that well, though I loved Saladoïd and Taïno cultures. Despite it being very tough( hard ground, humid&warm)it is really very interesting.
I said my goodbyes to everyone yesterday; our cooks and cleaners (Beverly, Shelley, Sheila, Keisha). We gave them a little something yesterday, and they were so moved that they were literally crying.
I said my goodbyes to Phillip, one of the security guards I had a good connection with, and whom handed me yesterday the snake staff he made for me which is gorgeous. He talked about ‘souvenir’ but this means more to me then a mere trinket. He made this for me from scratch, placed local ‘berries’in it for eyes, and wired some goatskin on it. It is memories. Everytime I will look at it I will think back to St. Vincent en to him. I made him some drawings with poems, stories, legends involving snakes. (his favourite animal). He is of the Garifuna people. (* the settlement we were investigating, is from island Caribs, the ancestors of the Garifuna.)
I’ve learned a lot in this month of fieldwork and done and seen a lot of amazing things. I also loved trying out the local food. ( Cassave bread, Codfish(salted dried fish), Plum Rose& Wax apples, drank &ate Young coconut=a bit jelly like then, Callalou (a spinach like plant, which I had in a soup), breadfruit, and a beandish I forgot the name off, fried rice/chicken etc…). It is easy to forget the few downsides;). (Some locals don’t like white people that much, but for the most part everyone I met was really friendly, open and laidback. Food was sometimes a bit irregular, like sometimes there was no breakfast which due to hypoglycemia I really need. And they don’t have a lot of all bran, but eat a lot of white bread. (I lived on cassave bread for the better part of the month though, which fills you up nicely and stays well for years.)
I have learned how to shovel skim (removing the toplayer of the soil), detect features, section postholes, make drawings, reports, a little bit of osteo archaeology (working with bones, which were from a site nearby). What more can you ask for your first fieldwork experience?
When I am back, I am so putting up some Soca music! (and perhaps teach those Marrocain hangyouths+ adults, that make peace such a rare thing where I live:) Oh I will also miss the nice seabreeze and the sound of silence.
I´ll be back!