A preview of my manuscript "Education Sacrificed" My book will soon be published 13 Chapters: CHAPTER ONE LIFE GROWING UP IN ST. KITTS, WEST INDIES St. Kitts is a tiny island 68 square miles located in the Leeward Islands. Many wars were fought over this rich agricultural paradise. St. Kitts changed hands several times between the French, British and Spanish. St. Kitts is known for its rich fertile soil and volcanic black and white sand beaches. At one point, sugar was the main export. Now tourism is the main focus along with emphasis on some organic agricultural produce. St. Kitts boasts of its Music Festival which is competitive with other festivals throughout the world. The St. Kitts Music Festival is now in its 13th year schedule for June, 2013. Many thousands from all over the worls visit each year and partake in this festive extravaganza. Once there, they take advantage of sight seeing. Brimstone Hill is one of the main attractions that overlooks the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. At present, St. Kitts is an independent country and is represented by a democratic government. St. Kitts derived its original name from the indigenous natives called Awawaks and Caribs. Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1492 and named it St. Christopher after him. However, the name was later changed to St. Kitts. Growing up in St. Kitts was exciting, adventurous, demanding and political. It was exciting in the sense of its cultural mores and folklore. Christmas was a time of festive events called carnival? There were calypso competition, playing mass, song and dance, parties and beauty pageants. Events begin one month before Christmas. From Boxing Day December 26 through New Year’s Eve no one sleeeps! As a young kid, I can recall my father’s friends waking him early about 5:00 am to begin partying on the beach, jamming in the streets, going to the shows and later go dancing all night. The mornings will find people sleeping everywhere you can imagine; on the dance floor, on stage, bathrooms, beach and even in churches. Most of them of course were intoxicated from visiting and socializing with friends and family. “Joey, wake up man, there is no time to sleep, his friends will remark.” Daddy ran a business and could hardly stand on his feet when his friends dropped him home. Dad along with his five buddies survived a drop over a cliff 150 feet in his car. Out of the five passengers, no one was seriously hurt although daddy sustained a broken leg and a concussion. Mommy was a strict disciplinarian who made sure all six children had daily chores to complete before going to school and upon returning from school. My daily routines consisted of rising at 6:00 am and walking a distance of one mile to and from the bakery for the allocation of goods for sale in our store and restaurant. I will purchase rolls of bread, pastries and other goodies. Subsequently, mommy will check to make certain the count was accurate as I would sometimes sneak a personal treat for my labor. I would walk with some butter to place in a few hot rolls just out of the oven to enjoy. Upon arriving home, I would do most of the household chores and outdoor cleaning. Then, I will assist in making breakfast for all eight members of the family. Going to school was a task in itself. I walked about 1.5 miles to get to school daily and could never be late. The consequence was not detention, but five lashes with a thick leather belt from the head master. At 12:00 noon. I returned home for lunch and back to class and then return home once again. I walked a total of 8 miles daily at different intervals as outlined. School was an institution for serious business! Corporal punishment was routine and parents will follow up on any disciplinary action taken by school officials. Sometimes, one will get disciplined upon arriving home from school depending on the nature of the infraction. Respect for teachers was protocol. “Good morning Sir or Madam” was a daily greeting that was changed to “Good afternoon Sir or Madam in the p.m. session. Etiquette, responsibility, and work habits were taught as life skills and reinforced by parents at home. Personal Hygiene was considered a code of ethics and conduct. Fingernails were inspected, hair neatly combed and groomed, teeth and ears looked at with great scrutiny. Shoes and uniform must be clean and neat in order to satisfy the criteria as satisfactory, fair or failure. In all, I was an diligent student, and excelled in athletics. I played soccer, cricket, volley ball and table tennis. We lived close to the beach so I became an excellent swimmer at the age of ten. I made my own face mask and spear gun to spear fish in 15 feet of water without any fear of predators. It was very challenging and exciting! I once was encircled by a barracuda attempting to snatch my fetch of the day which I kept on a line attached to my spear gun. Of course, I speared him and he swam away with my gun and my hard day’s earnings. Going to Warner Park to see local soccer teams rival against each other was enjoyable! My favorite team was Santos named after the prominent Brazilian World Cup Champions of which the great “Pele” was a part of and my personal hero. St. Kitts was demanding in the sense of its economic depravity. If you were a supporter or a member of the ruling Labor party chaired by the Late Robert Bradshaw, you more than likely had a Civil Service job or a job was created for you. Patronage and nepotism were the means to securing a decent standard of living. This scenario is common place throughout the Caribbean and still persists today. Unless one had a business as in the case of my dad, life was very difficult in order to sustain oneself, much more a family. I can remember sometimes taking food and sometimes some groceries for fellow classmates whose parents were poor and needed some assistance in order for their children to receive some form of nourishment for the day. My father was a member of the opposition party called the Peoples Action Movement, PAM. Daddy ran for a seat in the 1967 elections in which he lost. It was then that our problems began as many members of the opposition were arrested and jailed with charges stemming from an alleged conspiracy to overthrow the government and for treason. They were tried and all charges were dismissed. Years later PAM took charge of the government in a well ran campaign. How adventurous it was going to the mountains and seeing the Natural Spring that flows from the ground shooting spurts of water into the atmosphere and falling to form a bog. This natural spring is a result of a neighboring volcano that is now dormant. Well, surely a sight to marvel at! You could place some vegetables such as yams and carrots in the spring and they will be cooked in minutes. You could go to the forest and collect mangoes, papayas, sour sop, and guavas and then quench your thirst with a drink of freshly squeezed cane juice. You could make a sling shot and shoot mountain doves and camp out with an evening temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit. You can wake up to the temperature dropping a mere five degrees allowing the birds and insects to perch on the droplets of water from the mountain dew. The chirping of the birds and the incessant dynamics of the rhythms from insects create a symphony that was tantalizing to the ear. This makes one become acutely aware of Gods gift to mankind called nature. The ecosystem compliments all the inhabitants and provides an environment that balances nature that sustains life. Chuck Norris filmed one of his blockbusters in the foliage of our mountains called “Missing in Action.” When searching for the finest spices, St. Kitts will deliver in its tasty foods. You can imagine going to the market in Basseterre to select fresh produce for feasting. There are freshly caught snapper, grunt, angel fish, shark, trout, grouper and many other species of fish. In addition there is fresh meat for the slaughter in the market such as cattle, sheep, goat, pig and sea turtle, a delicacy. Although the state of the economy is less than borderline comparatively speaking to industrialized countries, many of the people are able sustain themselves and live a decent life. People know how to make “ends meet” as my mom would sometimes say. “Willful waste is woeful want.” “Who feels it knows it knows it and who knows it feels it.” “A penny saved is a penny gained.” Life growing up in St. Kitts set the foundation that made me become a world citizen. I honestly did not become aware of the impact of colonialism and racism until my studies and experiences in the United States enlightened me. Racism in the Caribbean is subtle and concealed in an institutionalized form that reveals itself upon studying the history all the islands. The British, French and Spanish dominated and abused every aspect of our existence form the economy, to religion, social welfare and politics. In all, growing up in St. Kitts laid the foundation that made me who I am today. I will always cherish my heritage and feel very proud to have been a part of its rich history. May God bless St, Kitts/Nevis and our peoples.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:57:21 +0000