I LEF’ MUH HEART ‘PON DE ROCK
As I ascended the stairs of the American Airlines flight at Grantley Adams airport headed for Miami, a bit of nostalgia came over me. I vaguely remembered departing from this airport September 14, 1972, headed to New York. The flight to New York was my first airplane ride but, at 21 years of age, it was also my first trip away from Barbados. I faintly remembered that, back then, there was no Taliban, ISIS, or threats of terrorism aboard aircraft. It was quite commonplace for family members and friends to come to the airport and actually use an observation deck where they could wave goodbye as the family headed to the plane.
Today, as I was leaving, my cousin and her friend came to see me off. I was moved and a bit choked up by the gesture. Of course, my cousin dropped me off at outside check in, where we hugged, and said goodbye. But as I ascended the stairs to the plane, I was one of the last passengers to board. I took the opportunity to stop at the top of the stairs before entering the aircraft, turned around and imagined once again that all my family and friends were down below waving goodbye. I just stood there and savored the moment. I took a deep breath and then waved as hard as I could, even though there was no one outside waving back.
For a moment before boarding, my thoughts drifted back and I reflected over the past two weeks. First, my cousin, Diana, was the most gracious and kindest hostess. I spent just over two weeks and she never missed preparing a meal, washing and hanging my clothes to dry, taking me on early morning swims at the beach, or merely spending time talking. Visiting with Diana made my trip to Barbados most enjoyable. I could not thank her enough.
There were some other wonderful experiences too. I had an opportunity to visit one of my favorite primary school teachers, Jack. He is recovering from a stroke and is making good progress. Later that same evening, I met some of my old classmates and fellow seniors from West St. Joseph (Grantley Adams Memorial) (WESTGAM). It was great to see the past members meeting with all the formality of parliamentary procedures and following Robert’s Rules of Order for the meeting. But more importantly, it was great to experience their deep concern for the current state of the island and their commitment to making a difference. I discovered that, besides being passionate about trying to help solve some of the issues plaguing the island, they were also actively working to do their part. WESTGAM has a program to feed the homeless every weekend with the aid of the Kiwanis.
But there were some delicate moments, too. As I took every chance to listen to the stories of the people I met, I learned that there is little confidence in the leadership of the island. The general consensus from so many people in the streets, on the bus, and the talk radio, is that the government has failed them from the top all the way down. I listened to many stories of corruption and officials at many levels either accepting or demanding bribes for favors or performance. I sensed a general resignation from many of the poorest and most vulnerable of the people. I saw the struggle as so many folks line the streets and hang at the corners trying to sell a few fruits and vegetables to barely pay the light bills. In one example, I understood that a native was told that his land was useless. He was paid next to nothing and then the land was sub-divided and sold for what totaled in the millions. As the story goes, I was told the previous owner eventually died from sorrow. And then there is the lack of water in St. Joseph since around Christmas, and all the while the people are still required to pay ongoing water bills for no service to avoid paying a large reconnect bill if and when water is restored to that area of the island!
In spite of these delicate stories, Barbados is still a beautiful place. While I was there, I traveled to River Bay, a place of fond childhood memories. As a youngster, we visited there for many excursions; I believe it has been more than 50 years since I last visited. And then I made my first visit to Cove Bay and saw Pico Tenerife up close. On many occasions, I saw Pico Tenerife from Bathsheba, but did not know of the name or that it could be seen up close. I also thoroughly enjoyed swimming and snorkeling with my cousin in the early mornings to catch a glimpse of the beautiful fish. I enjoyed the occasional cornmeal, green banana, or breadfruit cou-cou and I got to pick fresh paw-paws for breakfast. Those experiences were truly magical.
I finally waved my last goodbye from the top of the stairs to my imaginary family and friends and strapped in for the flight back to the US. It is an absolutely gorgeous day for flying. The sky is a beautiful blue, just a few puffy clouds below, enough to make the scenery interesting but not block out the view of the Caribbean islands as we fly over. As the clouds float past, my thoughts also drifted back once more to Barbados and the experiences I had while visiting the island. I miss my home. Today, I lef’ muh heart ‘pon de rock – Barbados.
Stan Brooks