Bits and Pieces

My friend Barbara wanted to hear a few bits and pieces about Saint Lucia. I've carried a pen and paper around with me for the last few days and put this list together. It was fun. If anyone from the island is listening and wants to add to the list, I'd love to hear from you!

Crime

• This island does not have a Meth problem
• Heroin, cocaine and marijuana are drugs of choice here.
• I feel safer here than I do in Los Angeles
• “Fishing” is a form of burglary; they fish through the bars of open windows for things left in plain sight.
• There is a prison on the island.

Education

• Corporal punishment is still present in schools.
• Every classroom I’ve seen is loud and hot. Some students complain they can’t hear.
• Teacher education can be as little as our equivalent of high school.
• In 1995 27% of St. Lucians were illiterate; the problem persists today.
• All children on the island wear uniforms to school.

Lifestyle

• Villages provide public wash facilities. Many villagers do not have running water to take a shower, use the toilet, wash dishes and clothes.
• Big families of 15 or 18 children are common.
• They accept vegetarianism.
• Carnival is a national holiday.
• There is an annual clean up day. Two days after the clean-up, the island is littered with bottles, cans and trash. It will be cleaned again next year.
• Don’t expect free refills, hot water, public trash receptacles, or recycling.
• Barack Obama is a symbol and hero. Some Saint Lucians express surprise that “so many white people” would vote for him.
• The words please and thank you are rarely heard.
• Saint Lucian’s throw leftovers to homeless dogs and cats; it is not custom to spay or neuter pets.
• They drive on the opposite side of the road.
• Kweyol is mostly spoken in the villages and not the towns and cities. I’ve heard some say it’s the language of the poor.

Entertainment

• Besides Reggae, Saint Lucian’s listen to Country Western Music.
• They value a good party.
• Saint Lucian Rum is distilled on the island and sometimes called wine

Language

• We “hang out”; they “lime”
• We say “how are you?”; they say “are you alright?”
• We say, “for real?”; they say “for true?”
• They say “goodnight”; we say “good evening”

Business and Economics

• Large Shells are blown like horns through the village signaling fish for sale
• They only have two cell phone carriers.
• Recently a second internet carrier was introduced on the island.
• WiFi is difficult to find.
• Business is very formal.
• Letter writing is the norm.
• Women wear suits and closed toed high heels to work.
• Men wear suits and ties to the office.
• Most hotels and all the cruise ships are inclusive – food, drink, entertainment, etc. limiting the amount of money tourists spend outside their hotel/ship.
• There is a healthy construction industry as a result of increased tourism.
• The banana industry is on the decline due to natural disasters.
• Almost no one was sorry to see the demise of sugar plantations in the 1960s.
• Tourism is mainly in the northern part of the island.
• Manufacturing is on the southern part of the island.
• The cost of living is very high.
• People on the western side of the island make soap from the sulphur springs
• Many villages rely on fishing and agriculture to support their families.
• They use cars with loud speakers and shout their messages through the streets to advertise.

Healthcare

• People admitted into the public hospitals must bring their own sheet.
• Although not perfect, and unlike the U.S., they have a national healthcare plan.
• Saint Lucians enjoy a large amount of sugar.
• 25% of the population has diabetes.

Religion

• At one time Rastafarians were viewed as a threat; today they are viewed as peaceful
• Business meetings are often started with a prayer.
• Religion is present in the schools.
• The Catholic Church still has control of some schools, although they lost most control in the 1970s.
• Everything is closed on Sundays.

Government

• The island received full independence from England in 1979.
• Sir John Compton was the first Prime Minister; he was referred to as “Daddy Compton” the Father of Saint Lucia; some loved him, others did not.
• I’ve never seen anyone stopped for a traffic violation.