I am experiencing a reverse cultural shock. By reverse I mean after getting accustomed to the Bajan culture for 7 months returning to Boston has been somewhat painful! It makes me wonder how Bajans manage to assimilate to the US culture, it’s not easy! I have been back in the Boston area for about 6 weeks and there has been three sunny 80° days! It has been dreary, rainy and cold here in Boston in more ways than one.
The reverse shock started when my son picked up his mom and me at the airport. After exchanging hugs I got in the car and immediately said “Boy turn the heat up in this car, it’s freezing and I hope you have the heat on at the house! ” He told me there would be no heat and “Now that I am paying the bills, everybody needs to put on extra sweater!” I can clearly remember the reverse when I used to tell Glenn and his sister the exact same thing when I was paying the bills!
Not only has the weather been shockingly cold for the month of May but the people in Boston are cold as well. It’s no surprise because anyone who spends the winter season in the cold with the lack of sunshine takes a while to shake the hibernation blues off. After the winter cold, the next obstacle to clear was the pollen from the trees and grasses that are also waking up. Unfortunately for me, this has been one of the worse seasons I have had with allergies in some time. Fortunately, grass, flowers, plants and trees bloom throughout the year in Barbados so there is no concentrated grass and tree pollen in the spring like the US. Thankfully, I have no allergy issues in Barbados!
The cold and pollen are no excuse for the lack of friendliness that is displayed to people other than those they have a close relationship. I have spoken to the neighbor across the street on several occasions but I have not said more than a casual hello to the other neighbors on my street.
I still say good morning or good afternoon when I go to stores. A few times I waited to see if the cashier would say anything and the most I ever got was a hello but there were other times that the cashier and I made transactions without a word being spoken. In Barbados such transactions would be considered extremely rude!
Another reverse shock is banking efficiency. In fact, I can do most of my banking online and occasionally may use the drive thru ATM’s. It is so much different from Barbados where you enter a bank with a greeting of good morning to everyone then stand in line for an hour or so.
The final shock was finding a cat named Chance at our house here in Boston! My son decided he needed a cat when he saw a tiny field mouse peaking out of his bedroom closet. Personally, I think a mouse trap would have been a better solution. After all, we were always a dog family (RIP Scooter and Spice.) When Chance and I met, we eyed each other suspiciously, it’s like he already knew that the recliner in the living room, swivel chair in the family room and pappason chair in the sunroom, my favorite chairs, were now his!
Hi Calvin. I sure missed your blog. I am so sorry for the allergy season and cold weather you were experiencing but glad that you missed us Bajans and our hospitality. The new house guest is really cute and you should give him a chance lol you might actually get to like him a lot like Mr. Patrick. On that note i was so sorry to hear about Mr Patrick’s passing. Maybe Sandy and you can visit the RSPCA and adopt a kitten, they are always trying to get the cats and kittens there a furever home. It is something to think about when you return home. Have a great vacation but don’t get to like Boston too much “Baje”.
Hey I’m so sorry u are missing ur New home here in Barbados, as long as u done forget the culture u have adopted on ur arrival to this little rock. We at the church of Christ have so miss u and Sandra, pls hurry n Cum back home to our lovely weather, I’m sure u will enjoy.
Hello Calvin welcome back! I really miss your Blog and I’m glad you are back! I was getting tired of reading the old blogs even though they make me laugh every time I read them. Sorry you are experiencing allergies, doesn’t Sandy know that you should be home? She has you there in Boston suffering for no apparent reason LOL. Love you guys.
Hey Calvin ! Welcome back to reality or not ? Sounds extremely good for you and Sandra out there in Christ Church, Barbados. So have you found part time employment yet ? Certainly Sandra doesn’t want you hanging around the homestead. Until you find something, you can always tend a vegetable or flower garden, harvest papyas from those trees you mentioned in your back yard.
Well Canton took a power hit today circa 9am and the major systems are still not backup although the power is. Enjoy your visit here and take care of Sandra.
Tim
– I guess this means we won’t see you two at the picnic this year.
Good blog Calvin. Re Bajans assimilating… picture 10-year old me, arriving in Boston with my 2 sibs one grey, cold, barren, dirty-looking-brick-buildings, leafless trees, October day…. wondering why in Heaven’s name was I being dragged out of Paradise to live in … well, not quite hell, but…. you get the picture. Don’t know that I’ve quite yet accepted this place called Massachusetts, so I hear ya, Calvin. Another few months and you’ll be back to the land of coconut trees, warm water, breezy days, and friendly people.
Begs the question “Why DO we leave?” Answer: “Grass is always greener where you’re not until you realize it ain’t.”
As a Barbadian I still greet strangers on the street with a “hello” or “good morning”, and I still strike up conversations with people I don’t know. Some people will respond pleasantly, others give a grunt and move on, others ignore you altogether. But I am a creature of habit so I continue to do it. Sometimes, I don’t want to say anything to anyone either when I’m outdoors. So, “chacun a son gout.”