I came to Switzerland after growing up in the microcosm of the war zone that was Lebanon. My adoptive country was the ideal place to cultivate my two great passions, foreign languages and travelling, thanks to my work as a freelance conference interpreter for the United Nations. I was then able to constantly push the boundaries of my life and actively seek “Difference” with a capital D and meet “Others” through their language and culture. 2017 was the year when I finally gave in to a strong urge to reinvent my life: for four years in a row, I split my time between Geneva, where my adult life is solidly entrenched, and the lovely island of Barbados, where life among the local folks gradually allowed me to rediscover my true self.

The ties I created with Barbados over my various visits enabled me to know and love the island as no tourist would. In 2018, I founded Ocean Inspiration Ltd so that my friends in Barbados and I could organize themed stays that would go far beyond a picture-perfect vacation spent on sunny beaches under the coconut trees (obviously reason enough to go there). My very first project, “English in the Caribbean for Interpreters”, was a genuine success and confirmed that I was really onto something, so I kept going on until the Covid-19 pandemic forced me to put my projects on hold and cut back on trips between Geneva and Barbados.

The true purpose of travelling, as I see it, is to seek people that are different from ourselves. In addition, it helps us become less prejudiced and makes the world a more tolerant place.

What I want to do today is introduce you to what I love the most in Barbados so that your journey turns into a genuine human and cultural discovery.

The years I’ve spent canvassing the whole world, my multilinguism and my roots in different cultures will make me all the more attuned to your expectations and wishes, with the help of partners on the island.

Throughout her career, Dr Stacy Denny has unfailingly worked toward bringing cultures closer together beyond the language barrier.

Dr Denny’s superior qualifications in Applied Linguistics and Education make her an outstanding ESL (English as a Second Language) Academic Coordinator at the University of the West Indies in Barbados (UWI), Cave Hill Campus. She graduated from Cambridge University with a Master’s Degree in Applied Linguistics, and is also a Doctor of Education (Education – TEFL, University of Exeter, U.K). She has researched the teaching field extensively and analysed teachers’ attitudes towards dialects, excellence in teaching, linguistics policies, and ESL learning and teaching. Those findings have been instrumental in the creation of special programmes designed for non-native English-speakers wishing to improve their English, methodologies for teaching English to foreigners, teacher-training curricula for ESL teachers, etc.

Dr Denny believes that a language-learning programme can only motivate students and yield real results when taught as part of a pleasant stay. In addition to language classes, her teaching curriculum includes activities that allow students to interact with her fellow Bajans* and take pleasure in improving their English via exchanges and discoveries.

The last thing this passionate and enthusiastic academic wants to see is a silent classroom where students concentrate on their textbooks and never look up. She views interaction, spontaneity, variety, creativity and hands-on experience as key ingredients for success.

A true Bajan*, she loves her island with all her heart and makes a point of treating her students as special guests.

*Note: Bajan (pr. bay-djun): noun or adjective, derived from “Barbadian”.