Daniel Huante @danyeranye-blog - Tumblr Blog

@lauraaaloves A little dark but you know how we do! #87Fam #uwbarbados13 #lastnightinBarbados

#87fam #lastnightinbarbados #uwbarbados13

"A life lived in fear is a life half-lived."

Spanish Proverb

Day 25 (7-18-2013) - End of Summer School

Ack, I can't believe today is technically our last work day! We finished off the last of our presentations and the last of all other course work. After lecture, we all headed to the beach for another chance of group bonding before we head back to the states. Finished the day off with dinner at Ralina's. We had some of Liz's rotis again which were delicious! I'm excited, sad, and nervous for this study abroad program to end. I'm excited to see my friends and family back home. Sad because I won't be seeing everyone in my group on a daily basis, and nervous because I've become quite accustomed to the way of life here. I guess paradise can only last so long right? Cheers to the next few days I have with my group! I have had some of the best memories with you guys here in Barbados. Nothing can compare to what I have experienced here with this group! #uwbarbados13

Today was a lazy yet fun day! Started off by looking at some of my classmate's presentations. All of we're great and sparked up some good talk about identity. After class, I took a 5 hour nap o_o yeah it was long and really lazy day, but the night life was great as we went out to dinner at harbor lights and watched a great show! Four more days left in Barbados :/

Day 23 (7-16-2013) - Mission and Cooking!

Today I gave my final presentation. Although I'm happy that I have completed my presentation, I am sad because it means I am that much closer to leaving this beautiful culture. Upon finishing the presentations, we were told to write up a mission statement, sort of like a goal or new way to live by. My mission is simply this:

"To integrate myself in a new direction of thinking and life. Accept new ideologies and values and develop ways in how to reciprocate new feelings and/or ideas. Lastly, act on my experience and pay it forward."

Through this mission, I'll be able to hold myself more accountable for the situations I experience!

Finally we ended our day by cooking up some flying fish and corn meal with Judy! It definitely hit the spot too. My focus now is to make sure I enjoy myself in this last week of Barbados!

Day 22 (7-15-2013) - It's Coming to an End!

Boy oh boy does time fly. I can't believe there is only one week left before we all head back to our homes back in the states! Today we started our day off by getting a mini lecture on Bajan architecture from business woman Liz Cupples. Here in Barbados, it is not easy to make your own business, especially if you are a woman. Nevertheless, she made it and is doing well. I commend her and loved the houses she showed up after the lecture. She clearly stated that her mission is to provide the people of the islands decent homes at an affordable price. No one deserves to live in a shack or the streets due to the inability to pay. After we toured the houses, we finished our day off by continuing our work on the presentations. Mine is tomorrow so hopefully I nail it! See you in a week America!

"Let go of what you've lost. Because then your arms will be wide open to receive what you have gained."

Day 18. Time is certainly flying by while being here on Barbados. Sadly time is going too fast for my liking. Today a group of us decided to take a look around Pelican Craft Centre. I was a little surprised by how empty the tourist spot was since there was a fair amount of shops aimed for tourists. It was a bright and colorful place too so that had me a little confused. After exploring the area though, we decided to hit Bridgetown for a little shopping spree. We all ended up finding gifts for friends and family back home. I don't think I'll be ready to leave in 12 days :/

"What you put in, is what you get out."

Javier

Today we had our first real look into Barbados's national sport: cricket. Cricket is what is considered a gentleman's sport and dates as far back as the 1600's. The cool thing about cricket is that it is just as important as some other things in Barbados's history, but it goes beyond that. It is important because it is one of the very few things that have brought unity to the entire Caribbean. Who would have thought something as simple as a sport could make such an impact? Just goes to show that what you put in, is what you get out. But why stop there?

"Aggression meets Aggression"

Said a Barbados local as I overheard his conversation with another person. Last night we had a firsthand experience in how the locals of the island prepare for (what could have been) a natural disaster. This time it was Tropical Storm Chantal. In a tropical storm, areas are affected by a torrential downpour, sometimes thunder and lightening, and winds of up to 45 mph. I liked what this man said because tropical storms are aggressive, but you have to meet that challenge by preparing yourself accordingly. If one does not meet the storm with the proper preparation, that person might not be ready when the storm hits. Luckily, the area of University of West Indies was affected too bad by the storm.

"Music is a representation of oneself"

Not gonna lie, today was a lazy day for me. As I was walking around the residence hall, I met a UWI student. We talked for a little bit and talked about music. He was really into calypso music and was telling me of the artists that play during Crop Over. He also told me that people, especially the older generation, will judge you based on your music preferences. It's crazy how even something as small as your taste in music can influence how others will interact with you. Our differences in culture never cease to fascinate me.

Barbados doesn't fail to keep me busy or to keep me from having a good time! Started the day off with an early quiz section. Soon after, I took a much needed nap and woke up to interview my partner that Shari so gladly set up for me! I love how the conversations I have been having have been so engaging and empowering. The people on this island really know their stuff and have similar ideologies as I do! We then decided to hit the beach and do some group bonding. I'm loving every moment I have here on Barbados :) #uwbarbados13

Today was a pretty cool day. Had another guest lecturer and she was fantastic. I think that I can safely say that the professors in Barbados are amazing and very engaging in their lectures. It was pretty funny to learn some Bajan dialect and try to talk to the locals. Not gonna lie though, my accent was pretty bad! After class, we got the chance to tour an international newspaper facility called The Nation. Although newspapers are not exactly my cup of tea, I think I can say that they sure do have their work cut out for them. The tour gave me a greater appreciation for journalists, editors, and art designers that all work in printing.

This will never get old #uwbarbados13

#uwbarbados13

Today was a pretty laid back day. Took the crazy bus ride up north to hit Holetown! It wasn't anything I expected. When we made our way to the main shopping site, there were so many stores that they seemed pretty pointless to me haha of course they were there due to the the massive tourism industry that Barbados has there. What I really loved the most out of Holetown was the oldest church on the island: Saint James Parish Church. It was a gorgeous building with so much history to it. I think that the architecture and history that Barbados has to offer is what I love so much about the island.

Day 7 (7-1-2013) - More History!

The history of Barbados is vast. Although I have already been to multiple museums now here in Barbados, this piqued my interest as its meaning is different than most of the history of Barbados that I have learnt thus far. This Scrimshaw (not a photo I took, had to get one online :() basically shows an image detailing the victory over the Saints in 1782 led by Admiral Rodney. It was a British victory over the French during the American Independence War.

Day 4 (6-26-2013) - Learning about the Locals

"I want to start small, and then go big" - Deepa Mahabir

Today I got the opportunity to have a one on one conversation with a University of West Indies student. Her name was Deepa Mahabir and I had a great conversation learning more about not just Barbados but the Caribbean as well. The thing I really enjoyed about my conversation though was the fact that she had a similar goal in mind: to impact people's lives in a positive way, and she was about to start no matter how small. Just goes to show that wherever you go, there are people all over the world who want to make a difference as well!

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