So not too long ago, one of the foreigners from the states that I was traveling with in a group, pointed out that she can't get how Surinamese always drink and serve their coffee (and in extension tea) piping hot, while we also live in a very hot country. She also pointed out that in the states it's never as hot to almost cold-ish.

And honestly we (the Surinamese in the group) didn't have a real response other than that's how it's always done. One person, and I supported that statement, pointed out that it's a Dutch thing and we do it too. Our coffee (serving) and tea culture was and still is influenced by Dutch trends so we do the same. Later another person (Surinamese) supported that statement as well.

I later mentioned this story to a family member and before getting to the the Dutch thing she immediately said the same thing. It's a Dutch thing we took over.

Personally I like my tea and coffee and such a bit on the hotter side as well. The same with food, but I guess that's a bit international.

So it got me wondering if it's the same where you guys live.

Does it suck? Is it good?

Greetings!

I recently got invited to serve in the Peace Corps within the Eastern Caribbean region: Saint Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines. We stay in one country for 3 months, and then I am transferred to my assigned island. Frankly, I am hoping for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as that is where my mother was born and grew up for 17 years, as well as my great-greats 5-6 generations over. I have never been, and I would love to know from those from the countries I listed (especially Vincentians) what you love, what you recommend visiting/eating, and things any newcomer should know/expect.

My father was born in Trinidad and Tobago. I lived there for four years (between ages 0 and 4) and went to primary school in TT until I came back to the USA. I traveled back and forth between TT and the USA throughout the years afterward and went to summer school in TT when I was 6 and 8 years old. I also had a TT passport as a child. I love my Caribbean roots, but frankly, I have always felt somewhat isolated. My Trini cousins and family have NEVER made me feel unwanted or othered, but I am often singled out for my accent. I have also noticed a growing distancing of first-gen Caribbean Americans from African/Black Americans and those native to the Islands.

Some social media-centered African/Black Americans will say those with immigrant parents cannot call themselves 'Americans' or aren't entitled to be part of Black American culture, while some native Islanders will claim I am not truly Caribbean because I was born and spent most of my life in the states. I am well aware of not letting an outsider dictate what I feel within. However, it is difficult when there is no acceptance on either side of the spectrum, and I truly am proud of where my family is from and that I got to live in their native land for my formative years.

Needless to say, while I feel strong in my identity, where I am (truly) from, and who I am...I don't want to step on any toes when I eventually travel to this region. I never dictate or police Caribbean culture, but I also do not want to say anything crazy or offensive.

My grandfather, great-uncles and aunts, my sister, and nephews live in Saint Vincent. I have never met them, and I am just nervous all around to see them, to see the place my mother called home...I am so excited and scared, so any tips, words of encouragement, or anything would be helpful. I truly appreciate it. And for those who celebrate: Happy Eating Day!

Also, for Vincentians, I looked this up, but if anyone has additional knowledge, that would be great. I am interested in getting citizenship while I am there. However, my mother has been a US Citizen since the 90s, and I do not know if that means she renounced her ST-VIN citizenship to do so. I know there is citizenship by descent, but does that apply if my mother is now a US citizen? My question is quite confusing, but I would just like to know if it's possible for me because I'd very much like to attain citizenship. Thanks!

My father is British Guyanese, and his brother, my uncle, told me that Britain looted Guyana of its gold and that it now belongs to the British royal family, and that this might have been kicked off by Walter Raleigh's expedition to Guyana.

My understanding is that Raleigh was only in Guyana because he thought that's where the mythical city of El Dorado lay, and that the gold they actually expropriated from the region was in Essequibo, and thus is Venezuelan gold.

Does this ring true? What's the real story?

I know for sure it's in Grenada. But I can't recall if I heard the phrase in TT or not. I know a lot of Grenadian phrases often end up in Trinidad (for obvious reasons 🤣) I think I might have heard it once or twice. I'm asking because I'm researching an interesting history on that phrase and when I put it out in public I don't want to miss mentioning Trinidad and their significance in the phrase.

Aka Ladjia, Kokoyè, and Wonpen. It’s a Martial Art similar to Capoeira that originated in Martinique 🇲🇶. From what I read online it says it’s practiced in other Caribbean countries as well. So I’m curious if you have ever even heard about it, is it practiced at all in your country, and if so how widely available and popular is it?

Found this article i found it very interesting. An uni in Barbados developed a method and technology. Pretty cool, and nice to see initiatives from the region to tackle this issue come from within as we are the ones dealing with the situation.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czr71vpz4ypo

Hello, American here. I'm creating a christmas around the world music playlist to learn more about the world and it's cultures. So I'm a little bit familler with West Indies Christmas music. Both my parents are from there. But they don't know every christmas song from every island.

So my questions are what christmas songs are cultural significance to your country/local culture, you feel is underrated or you just really like? These can be anything from old to new or American songs with some carribean flavor to an Carribean orignal. Just so long you willing to play it in front the your family.

My husband and I are planning a vacation to the Caribbean. I used to be very adventurous and hike a lot. I am disabled now so we use our 4x4 Jeep to get to the places I can't hike to anymore. We would like to explore our hobby on an island while on vacation. It's not easy to find out about 4x4 trails on the islands online because they all have companies that take people out. Can anyone help with recommendations for the best island for off-roading?

When I was younger my mom and dad split, and thanks to this I never got to learn creole and got scolded by my dad for it. I've always been able to understand it but I was always so shy of speaking it and messing up that I just never tried, especially when around people like my great auntie almost having a heart attack when the only thing I can say is mwen pa pale kreyol. Idk why but my mom has always kind of shunned the idea of me taking in the language or interacting with members of her family that still go back to Haiti often. It's not like she wants to "Americanize" me like many of my Caribbean friends have said, but she just hides it. Thanks to the recent events going on in the country I've surprisingly become way more patriotic to be Haitian. Right now I've set goals for the next 5 years, Learn how to read and write creole, get into a D2-D1 school for soccer or tryout for a USL team, and if somehow by the grace of God play for the national team at some level. I'm just wondering if anyone has any similar stories to this.

Most recently I approched my mom and just began speaking basic creole to her and her eyes lit up, usually it was met with side eyes but now she smiles when I speak it.

It's not the most "beginner friendly" for those learning but we take in anybody and everybody and would gladly help you. I'm Grenadian and I use it to keep the little patois I know and possibly get better. We have quite a few Grenadians and Trinidadians. Also Dominicans, a Lucian, plenty Guadeloupe, plenty Martiniquans, and of course Haitians. Even a couple Venezuelans. Basically the entire Windward islands.

It's a WhatsApp group ✌️.

EDIT: wow I didn't expect it to blow up so fast. I had to take down the link to better filter hackers and spammers. If you're interested just message me

What jokes make you laugh everytime you hear them?

Hi, does someone know more about the case of Ti Blica? I know he died in "mysterious circustances" but they don't say anything more...

Esque quelqu'un sait ce qui est arriver a Ti Blica? Ils disent "circonstances mysterieuses" mais rien de plus...

The question is in the titles, I work with geology of Guadeloupe and would like to know what Carribean people think.

Thank you so much

I HAVE SIDE CULTURAL QUESTIONS FOR WEST INDIANS: Do you listen to chutney soca? Is it really dying? Why don't people like it? Do a lot of people still speak Hindustani?

OVERALL QUESTION: Do you feel like the culture of bodily expression comes from Indian influences or is it uniquely Caribbean?

I am sorry this post is so long, you dont have to read the whole thing. This is my final step of a Looong internet research rabbit hole that started after I saw a picture of an old Indian painting of a bunch of ladies with their chests out, chilling. (I'm adding the context of how I ended up here at the bottom.)

OK SO THIS IS WHERE I AM NOW IN THE RABIT HOLE:
I started listening to chutney soca music and I absolutely love it. Its part of my daily walking playlist now and some of these songs are so funny too. "bone is for dog, meat is for man". IM DEAD. It makes me want to be friends with the artists. I'm thinking "these people know how to have a good time". Also, some of the album covers are SENDING ME like this is really somebody's auntie or uncle turning up.

Bhoujie Breakaway (Bhoujie means sister in law? )

Balkissoon (Best album cover ever)

Bone is for dog, meat is for man

I was wondering "who are these guys" so I started searching the artists up and there's barely any information on them. (Most of them barely got any regular Spotify listeners.) I ended up finding a couple interviews one with Rasika Dindial and Hemlata Dindial who are aparently big chutney soca artists? One of them said that chutney soca is dying and I saw on some opinion chats that a lot of young people don't like it? (thats where my side questions come from)

INTERNET DEEP DIVE CONTEXT: OK, so I after I saw the painting I was like damn I want to hang out in this scene and eat fruit with them; they look like fun. India is so conservative now, why? Aren't these the people that invented the Kama sutra and the tantra/tantric sex stuff that white people in California westernize and then gobble up? So I asked around and did some more googling and apparently in India women wear "blouses" and "petticoats" (European shit) with their sarees and dress more conservatively because of the British colonization (which isn't surprising). Apparently, ancient India supported fluid gender identities and sexual orientations too? So, basically British influences made certain identities and parts of the body shameful. I was thinking about Indian independence and I was thinking damn freedom from the British seems like more than just freedom of self governance, these white people striped their sexual freedom, freedom of identity and freedom of expression too :(. Can it come back? etc.

SO that lead me to think about the Caribbean because of the presence of true outward sexual freedom and bodily expression like in dance hall music, soca, carnival, junkanoo etc. AND because there's a lot of Indian influence in Caribbean music and culture (I mean its called the west indies after all). Overall it seems like this type of freedom isn't as highlighted in culture anywhere else in the world except the Caribbean so I also wanted to mention how special Caribbean dancehall culture is.

https://preview.redd.it/rx015g2the2e1.png?width=2654&format=png&auto=webp&s=969c302886937a773472407a371f77f9cf55aadb

https://preview.redd.it/z8k6kpicie2e1.png?width=1300&format=png&auto=webp&s=8e519e27cb68acc8d1cbd0e4385c0249efaa5c53

I'm half Dominican and half Puerto Rican. I’ve noticed there don’t seem to be as many Puerto Rican matches compared to Dominican ones—unless Puerto Ricans held onto more of the indigenous ancestry that was in the DR?

Clearly, we have a stronger connection to South American Indigenous groups than to any other.

What’s your honest opinions about it?

Just wondering suggestions of places to visit (markets, restaurants) in the city or outside (parks, hiking, beaches)

Traditionally, there's been a huge stigma on oral sex or eating 🐱 in the English-speaking Carribean nations for quite some time. I can't speak for the non-English nations, but I would assume the same.

Is it me or has this gone 360° -- I feel like it has become expected; Sometimes even a requirement in dating these days to perform oral.

Thoughts?

I support it for example, but while Barbados is a secular state, religion can and does pervade aspects of governmental and official life, e.g. government affiliated events being held in church.

In Belize it was, and to some extent still is, common for parents and grandparents to make all sorts of concoctions based on traditional medicine for children with minor ailments.

E.g. If a child had a cough or cold they would boil lime leaves or fever grass, then serve it with honey, ginger, and garlic.

Hello :) I’m thinking of getting a tattoo that symbolizes my heritage. I want to get a tattoo of Atabey (a zemi of Taíno spirituality/mythology). I really like the design and symbolism of Atabey, and that it represents something of one of the peoples and cultures that inhabited the Caribbean before colonization, but I was wondering if it would be offensive? So, please let me know your thoughts and suggestions on my original tattoo idea and feel free to give me other tattoo ideas/suggestions if it’s best I get a different tattoo! I’m Antiguan, so a specific tattoo the symbolizes my country is awesome, but I also want a tattoo that could encompass all of the Caribbean as I’ve been inspired by and feel connected to the Caribbean as a whole.

Thank you!

edit: fixed some wording