Welcome to Gaia! :: GAIA 1ST CARIBBEAN AND WEST INDIES GUILD (190 users) | Gaia Guilds

You know you are from the West Indies/Caribbean when:

The couches of your living room are covered in plastic

You have a male in your family whose name ends in 'ton' or 'son'.

You must have a hot cup of tea or cocoa in the morning.

You can distinguish between 'cocoa-tea' and 'bush-tea.'

You can't go a week without a rice dish.

You use your lips to point.

You say 'boy' at the beginning of a sentence and 'man' at the end of it.

You nod your head upwards to greet someone

you say 'up de road' when giving directions and 'jus up de road' can mean miles.

You know what 'ferrol', 'scotts emulsion', 'sanatogen', 'buckley's' and
'cod liver oil' are and taste like because your grandmother made you take them.

You suck your teeth for 3 seconds or more when you're disappointed or vex (yes, you say vex instead of angry.

(Lol!) and you can actually spell the sound (stupse!) .

You have family members in the U.S., Canada and England

Every time you travel back to the Caribbean someone gives you something to 'bring down' or 'bring up' for them.

Everybody is expecting something when you travel back to the Caribbean and when you return.

You know what tabanca is and you have experienced it from either side


You always find yourself standing next to plenty of luggage and boxes (some wrapped in blue plastic) at the airport.

You come back from the US with three big duffle bags (full) and claim you only spent $300.

You know a 'visa' is not just a credit card.

You are related to or know someone that has been deported.

You probably don't consider yourself African/American.

You think that many American children are 'badly brought up' (raised) and think it's foolish not to spank a child when they misbehave.

You have used Bagon to kill bugs.

You know at least one person with a gold tooth.

You know what 'obeah' is.

You refer to all salt crackers as 'Crix'.

You know what mountain chicken is.

Your cupboard has at least 2 of these: canned corned beef, pepper sauce, curry, jerk seasoning, vanilla essence, red beans, baked beans, coconut milk, rice, adobo seasoning or dried bush to make tea.

You know what soft candle is or have been rubbed down with it.

You had to take mauby or seraseed (that's probably spelled wrong) to clean you out.

There's either Guinness Stout or Heineken in one of your relatives refrigerator.

You know that 'Sparrow' isn't just a bird.

You hear 'pssssssst' and know that someone is trying to get your attention.

You try to bargain your way out of everything and anywhere even in department stores.

You understand that the 'udder day' could mean, yesterday, last week or even last year.

You say 'frunaral' instead of 'funeral'.

You can't say 'three' or 'thing' ... you say 'tree' and 'ting'.

You have at least 3 porcelain figurines in your living room or know someone who does.

You think the US is made up of only three cities: Miami , New York & Boston.

You keep an enamel potty under your bed or at least know someone who does.

You've used an old t-shirt, towel, or anything as a mop, and your feet to mop with it.

Most of your pots and pans are inside the oven.

Once the temperature gets below a certain level, you lose all concept of color coordination. When it comes to things like snow boots, winter coats, scarves, and hats, often doing things like wearing two different color hats at the same time.

You slap the table, your leg, or whatever is close to you when you're laughing hard.

You use 'Woy!' as an expression, most times during laughter.

You're able to dance without any music.

You call soda 'soft drink' and you know it just isn't right unless you're drinking it from a glass bottle.

You know what Nido and Klim are and you have eaten it right out of the can.

When you ask for pepper you don't mean ground black pepper.

You know somebody who sent their children back to the Caribbean to their grandmother or aunt.

You use camphor for more than just mothballs.

You know what sweet sop and sour sop is.

You use or are familiar with the term 'old year's night' and you know that 'boxing day' has nothing to do with the sport.

At Christmas, you have to have 'black cake'.

You might be late for a wedding or may not even even show up at all, …but damn it, you are early for the reception!

And of course you bring home a plate wrapped in aluminum foil.

Your grandmother's wardrobe (or any grand female relative) most of the time consists of a head tie and a house dress.

If someone says that the party starts at 8pm, then you know not to show up until 11PM!

You call avocado 'pear' or 'zaboca' and you eat it with some form of bread.

You know that using 'blue' makes white clothes whiter.

You have bought cheese, butter or peanut butter by the ounce.

All vaccinations are called injections.

You know what a 'grip' is and why it has to be no more than 70lbs.

You know that you can actually buy breeze.

You call SUVs 'jeep'.

You know someone named Myrtle.

Almost everyone in your family has a nick name.

You might not know the name of streets but you can give good directions by land marks and with your hands.

You hear the word 'cricket' and the insect is not what comes to mind.

Your grandmother tells you to put something on your head before you go to sleep.

You have ingested Vicks somehow or some way in your life time.

You dream about fish it means someone is pregnant.

You know that soup without dumplings is not complete.

You chew and suck out all the marrow from the chicken bone and then use it to pick out your teeth afterwards.

You wash and rinse plastic utensils and cups that can be used again.

No matter how old you are, you still call your parents Mommy and Daddy.

You know grown women who don't feel clean unless they have baby powder showing on their chest and neck.

After eating at a restaurant, you bring the remaining food home with you.

Many of your relatives have a cutlass in the house, especially by the bed.

You know that a lime is not necessarily a fruit.

You call any 'older' woman 'Tantie' and any 'older' man 'Uncle', regardless of whether or not they are related to you or even know you.

You own at least one calypso, reggae, soca, compa, or zouk album

You're overtly proud to be of Caribbean descent!