1. I understand that there is more than one type of rum.
2. I know all of the words to songs in the Brooklyn Dollar Vans.
3. I have jumped up on the Parkway in pum pum shorts.
4. I know the difference between Bee.nie and Bu.ju.
5. I can tell all of the accents apart.
6. I call my elders “Auntie” and “Uncle”.
7. I have been the recipient of a “back hand slap”.
8. I know the artist that has sold out the Garden the fastest.
9. I have been to Club Call.al.oo.
10. I grew up listening to the Mi.ghty Spar.row, Lo.rd Kitche.ner and Byr.on Le.e and the Drag.onna.ires.
14 comments
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May 6, 2008 at 2:24 am
Dee
Nothin’ like Labor Day on de pakway! I want to play mas soooo bad. Oh, and I heard my neighbor talking and instantly knew he was Bajan. And I scoffed when someone asked me if I was Jamaican recently. We eh all sound alike! Other west indian ways: you have flim in your camera, not film. You ask for tree dollars. You might have gotten that slap for chupsing at your mother. LOL. Thing I hate most about dollar cabs? “Shortcuts” that left you far far away from where you needed to be in order to avoid cops, haha.
May 6, 2008 at 5:40 am
Timah
Was the only Yankee in my group of friends. When I learned my paternal great granny was from Guyana, I did #3 that year with the rest of my friends happily sporting a flag LOL. Oh and the 4th month is Ah-preeel not Ay-pril.
May 6, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Nineteen69
WHY AM I CRACKING UP AT BOTH OF YOU???? This made my morning. >>
“You might have gotten that slap for chupsing at your mother.”
May 6, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Amadeo
You might have to take the backhand slap off…my family used those heavily. I’m not sure what category that goes under.
May 6, 2008 at 2:20 pm
BK
ROTFLMAO @ Dee.. she said for chupsing @ your mother.. lawd..or you cut ya eyes at ya mother…LMAO LOL She said flim LOL I’m dying because my auntie ask me if I have flim or one of them new technology LOL
but not just jump up on di parkway in pum pum shorts.. but you know you powda somebody or somebody did powda you!!! or you went to a mas camp for juve or ride di band all the way back from di parkway!
u also know you caribbean because you know the difference between the slang for each island.. bana, scunt, muddascunt, bumbarasclat and know how to use them for who they are relative too LOL
May 6, 2008 at 3:09 pm
alwaysfunkyfresh
I’m not Caribbean by blood but I’m an honorary inductee just from living in Flatbush……….and I’ve definitely chased more than my fair share of pum pum wearers on The Pakway….
May 6, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Nineteen69
Fresh….I bet you have. LOL. And yeah, living in Flatbush earns you an honorary caribbean BADGE.
May 6, 2008 at 3:43 pm
jameil
UHH… wow. i know none of that stuff. the south isn’t exactly caribbean-heavy. i think i’m most impressed that you can tell all of the accents apart. i love accents but they all sound the same to me.
May 6, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Roycee
Buh eh eh
May 6, 2008 at 8:59 pm
shanio
LOL… I’m Caribbean (well half), and I grew up in Cali, so I missed out on a lot of this. I’m familiar with some of it because half of my mom’s family is in Queens/Brooklyn/Bronx (other half being in England or Florida, of course)
But I definitely can relate to 4, 5, and 7!
May 7, 2008 at 4:40 pm
ms.lee
When you hear ‘all yuh’, you know what flag is wavin’! LOL. I love an accent!
Chups is hilarious! And I know you know from a cut-ass and who go get licks, which is different from somebody that got lick down per se!
One more thing……what you know bout milo and klim?
I love it!
May 10, 2008 at 1:40 am
tiredofbeingbroke
LMAO @ Dee you had me on the floor. Three weeks ago at an aunt’s funeral one of my other aunt’s asked ‘ when you goin develop de flim and send me pickha? I had to explain it is digital. She is in her late 60’s and just gave a cheups…’ as long as me get me pickcha! LOL
Ms. Lee what about ovaltine…and nothing but some good old bush tea.
LMAO @ BK. Muddascunt is my older sister’s word of the day everyday. Somebody always need to haul dem muddascunt and don’t talk to her.
I get the ‘are you Jamaican?’ all the time.
May 15, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Cyn
I love it. I have a million aunties and uncles and I just saw the Mighty Sparrow live a few months ago, my church choir sung with him.
May 19, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Shelliza
I’m so glad I found this post. Had no idea you were from the Caribbean. Where, though? I was born and raised in Guyana.