This year, our voyage has had very few days at sea and many, many days in port. That is awesome because we get to see lots and lots of different countries, but it’s easy to wear yourself out if you don’t pause and take it slow every now and then. In Barbados, we decided to have a pure beach day. We took a stroll through town, talked with friendly locals, and spent the rest of the day swimming, lying around, drinking fruity cocktails, eating in an open-air beachside restaurant, swimming some more, and lying around. It was tough, but we somehow survived and felt refreshed and ready to man the library desk and computer lab when we boarded the ship.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Barbados is its standard of living compared to its Caribbean neighbors…and really, compared to anywhere. WKU’s Dr. Bernie Strenecky, who conceptualized the highly successful $100 Solution program, presented on Barbados during our pre-port briefing. He said the Bajan standard of living is number three in the world, just behind the U.S. and Canada. Not only that, the local population boasts a literacy rate just over 98%. All those readers really impress a traveling librarian.
Shannon, Courtney, Derek, and Debbie getting ready to hit the Boatyard beach.
Oh yeah, one more thing. The Bajan flag is really awesome. It features a broken trident, which signifies their break from Britain to become a sovereign and independent nation in 1966. If that doesn’t scream independence for an island nation, what does?
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