Dear Christine,
I AM NOT A BARBADIAN. I reside in the Caribbean. I recently visited your country and was amazed at the level of friendliness on the island.
My partner and I had only visited your island on one previous occasion but our stay was too short for us to do any fun things. We are currently here for three weeks and were looking forward to fitting in with the crowd, so to speak.
Anyway, our St Lucian accent gave us away while we were visiting a store in The City. A young woman struck up a conversation with us and was very helpful in telling us where to go for what we wanted. When we thought that she had given us all the assistance we needed, she proceeded to ask us if we knew how to get back to our hotel. We told her yes, but that we wanted to spend some more time shopping around in other stores and were interested in seeing one of the island’s malls.
To our utter amazement, she abandoned what she was doing (her own shopping) and took us to other stores for us to make our purchases. She then drove us to the mall which, she said, would have exactly what we wanted. Sure enough, it did.
That still was not all. After showing us where we could have lunch (while she ran some errands), she returned and gave us a ride back to our hotel.
Christine, I have read your column online, but I never thought I would be writing you while holidaying in your country, to share this level of kindness and unselfish gesture.
The saying that Bajans are friendly is more than just cheap talk. I have proven this to be true. I want to take my hat off to Kcee for her kindness and to all Barbadians who continue to share their respect for, love and kind towards those who visit their country.
– M AND C
Dear M AND C, I am describing your letter in one word – refreshing. Yes, it is always refreshing to read some positive reports, especially when it relates to “good experiences” visitors to our island share with others.
If you are still on the island I want to wish you a continued great stay. If you’re reading this reply online, I hope you’ll soon be back to experience more great hospitality.
– CHRISTINE
