5 Things About Christmas in Nassau, Bahamas

Christmas, everywhere it is celebrated, is generally the same. People go crazy, traffic is insane, the malls are hell, and everyone wants-wants-wants! Even with all of these similarities, there are difference from place to place. Some are subtle, and others are blatant. On that note, I’d like to share a few little tidbits about Christmas in the Bahamas, namely Nassau (the capital).

1. The Christmas “dinner” is really LUNCH. People are sitting down eating some time between 12 and 3pm.
2. The items on the menu include the traditional American ham, turkey, and stuffing, but also has native favourites like macaroni (baked with cheese, butter, and cream), peas ‘n’ rice, potato salad, and mutton (goat).
3. Shopping is hell since we only have two malls. One of them is the graveyard of has-been stores. The other is over-run with people – with money and without. People enjoying milling around and rushing around the mall, whether they plan to make purchases or not.
4. Christmas trees are ordered and shipped here. I think most of them come from Nova Scotia, Canada. We do not grow our own trees, so no family goes to the Christmas tree farm to pick and cut down its own tree. We just watch that stuff on television.
5. Christmas time is synonymous with Junkanoo. Junkanoo is a huge festival held in the streets. It’s a competition, really. Lots of groups spend the entire year in what we call “Junkanoo shacks” pasting costumes (decorating the cardboard and foam pieces with crepe paper, beads, and feathers), choosing music, and choreographing dances. They do this to put on a world class show on Bay Street (main street downtown, Nassau). No pictures you find in Google images or video you can find on YouTube will give you a feeling anywhere near being on Bay Street, experiencing it. FEELING the RUSH. But you can try. Search away! :)

Introducing Lovely Lici

I missed the Meme event! I wish I could have posted right along with everyone else, but life has been CRAZY. My mother has been in the hospital for almost two weeks, and I ended up spending the weekend there with her. I should have taken my computer with me, but I didn’t. *sighs* Sooo… I’m gonna answer the questions here and now. I figure it’s a good way to introduce myself as one of the bloggers here at Flavor Internationale.

1. As a blogger, what do you draw inspirations from for your posts?

Every day life, really. I don’t really think about it much. A lot of times, I experience things, and one of my first thoughts is, “I HAVE to (remember to) blog about this!” I keep things very real. Very honest. Nothing I write on my blog is dreamed up or imagined or embellished. Well, that’s UNLESS that’s what the post is about. :) There are also lots of times that I read other people’s blogs and get ideas. Comments also give me lots of material to work with. Reading other blogs and comments really gets my brain goin’.

2. If you could swap blogs with another blogger for a post, who would you switch with and why?

Hmmm… I think I’d swap with Ruthie over at Just Rambling. She’s awesome, fun, and funny. She always has feel-good and giggle type posts.

3. If your blog had a theme song, what would it be? Why?

Tough onnnnne! Hmmm… *thinks really hard* I think I’d have to go with Firework by Katy Perry. LOVE that song.

4. What is your writing process for a post?

JUST DO IT! I write the post. Then I go back and make whatever links I need to make. I add pictures (if necessary) as I write. When I’m all done, I enter a title. THEN, I choose a category, and a few tags. DONE!

5. Your blog requires a cute, new, mascot – what would it be?

A bowl of conch salad won’t do? Hmmm… A conch shell with two cowbells in front of it, all sitting on a goatskin drum. The spirit of Junkanoo. :)

6. Do you feel you express your “true self” on your blog?

Most definitely. I pull no punches. Punches are meant to be PUSHED! ;)

7. What is your biggest online pet-peeve?

Hmmm… Links that take me to somewhere stupid like Wikipedia when I think it’ll take me somewhere meaningful.

8. If you could live in a fictional universe, where would you live? Why?

Harrrrrd. *thinks super duper hard* Wonderland? Maybe.

9. You’re having a bad day, you’re upset, you’re angry, or you’re sad – what is your go-to comfort?

Tea and cuddles with my GF.

10. What is your favorite inspirational quote?

I don’t have a particular favourite inspirational quote, actually. There are different ones that I quite like, but none really stand out in my mind. I remember things my family has told me best. At some point, my dad said something to me like, “If it’s want you want, my will can’t stop you.” When I think of it, it reminds me that no one has a will (against me and what I want) that is great enough to stand up to my will.

11. If they were to make a movie based on your life, who would play you, your leading lady/man, your best friend, and your rival?

I never have an answer to this question. I’m terrible with names of actors and actresses. Terrible. I can’t even think of any who are the right age. *shrugs*

12. Do you think the world is going to end in 2012?

LOL. No. I’m not speculating at all. Whenever it ends, it ends. I don’t care when that is. I don’t understand why anyone cares. We have no control over it. Same as death. We should just focus on living our best lives while we’re here.

13. If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?

Hmmm… Maybe I’d change how hungry I am all the time. LOL. I am the biggest snacker you will ever see. I eat 2-3 snacks between breakfast and lunch.

14. What is your favorite season and why?

I reeeeeally love autumn. It’s sooo beautiful. I love the colours, I love the weather, I love the autumn clothing… It’s great. Wanna know what really sucks though? I live in The Bahamas. We don’t get autumn. Just varying degrees of summer. Fun. -_-

15. You’ve been bitten by a vampire. Would you fight it with all your undead being or would you embrace it for all it is worth?

I’m lazy when it comes to battles that look like that can’t/won’t be won. I’d just go with it.

16. Have you personally met any of your blogger friends?

Not yet. I wanna meet pretty much all of them though. I have a LOT of cool blogger friends.

17. What does your favorite pair of underwear look like?

Gray bikini-style with sparkles. They’re my fancy pants. I wear them when I’m going somewhere formal-ish. *giggles*

18. Have you ever drank something right from the container in the refrigerator knowing other people will have to drink out of the same container later?

No. That is GROSS.

19. What is your favorite word and explain why?

I like a lot of words. It’s hard to think of ANY of them now. I am REALLY bad at thinking of things in categories like that when asked. I recognize them when seen or heard, but ask me my top 5 actresses, or my favourite song by Bob Marley or something… IDK! (Honestly, I DO know my fave song by Bob. It’s “Is This Love,” hands down.) One of my favourite words is “abyssmal.” It only took me about 5 minutes to think of it.

20. 2011 is soon coming to a close, is there anything you’d like to do different on your blog in the year 2012?

Not much, really. I guess I could make it look more fun and fanciful with pictures. I just hate using pictures from the internet. That’s so lame. Hopefully, I’ll get a camera soon, so I can start taking my own pictures again. Then, I’ll have a folder of just random pictures that I can use to prettify my blog posts. Good plan, right?

 

Participants:

Betwixt And Between
Insignificant At Best
Kay At The Keyboard
WordsFallFromMyEyes
Courage To Change
Jackie Paulson~Writer
I Shall Be A Toad
Finding The Humor
Over A Cup Of Coffee
Morpho Designs
Broken Sparkles
Curiosity Killed The KAT
Walking The Labyrinth
Life Of Carbon
ConchSaladesque
Blue Jellybeans
Disjointed Rhymings
TheRealSharon’s Blog
How Can I Complain?
Morning Erection