Now that you’ve completed the theoretical course on public transport in Barbados, are you ready for a practical test? Take this short multiple-choice quiz and find out what’s really going on each scene. Here’s a helpful hint: this is a country where helping one another is a core value.
1- Mrs. A. is carrying a very cumbersome box containing a chocolate cake for 20 people and is about to board a yellow bus. The bus is packed. Should she...
a- Wait for the next bus?
b- Get on the bus regardless? (Chocolate mousse will do just fine for her guests.)
c- Hand the box over to Mrs. B. who is sitting with two children on her lap?
2- You board the same bus painted in psychedelic colors and share a seat with Mrs. C. while she reads a story to a little girl who is perched on the tip of her knee.
a- You tell Mrs. C. “How sweet of you to read a story to your little girl in such cramped quarters.”
b- You ask her how old her adorable little girl is.
c- You’re so busy trying not to fall off your half-seat that you’d rather keep quiet.
3- Mr. D. is sitting in the first row with a sleeping toddler on his lap. He picks up a tiny sock, puts it on the child’s foot, waits for the next passenger to board, drops the sleeping toddler on his lap and gets off the bus.
a- You are horrified and call the police. This must be a child abduction ring!
b- You scream at the man who just got off the bus: “How can you just abandon your son to a stranger???”
c- You decide it’s safer to keep quiet in case these people are part of a criminal ring.
Questions 1, 2 and 3: c. is the correct answer
Explanation :
1- Mrs. A entrusts Mrs. B. with the boxed cake because the fact that Mrs. B. can manage 2 children on her lap must mean she’s got extra room.
2- Don’t say a word to Mrs. C. as she wouldn’t have a clue what to say. Mrs. B just perched the little girl with the book on her lap so she could carry Mrs. A.’s cake.
3- Don’t call the police. Mr. D. simply agreed for Mrs. B.’s son to sit on his lap so Mrs B. could look after Mrs. A.’s cake and make sure it didn’t get squished into chocolate mousse.
4- You’ve just boarded a packed mini-bus. Mr. E. is travelling with a huge bag of empty bottles and he kindly pulls his son closer to him to make room for you. Two more people get on at the next stop. You want to practise what you have just learnt and offer to take the little boy on your lap. Should you do it?
a- You should, because...
b- You shouldn’t, because...
Answer b.: You shouldn’t. The little boy has never sat on a white woman’s lap before and starts to cry. He climbs back on his father’s lap and the bag of empty bottles lands on yours. Now you can’t see a thing.
5- A large blue bus has just stopped and Passenger X. hands his backpack out the window to Y., a young guy standing on the curb. What’s going on here?
a- You are witnessing a cleverly planned robbery.
b- They’re just silly teenagers acting out.
c- No idea. You’re not given all the facts.
Answer c.: Mr. X. had kindly offered to take Mr. Y.’s backpack on his knees, even though they were strangers. The bus was so crammed that Mr. Y. could never have wriggled his way out of the bus while carrying his backpack, so Mr. X. handed it over to him through the window.
6- You’re standing inside a bus with a heavy bag of groceries cutting into your shoulder. A seated gentleman offers to take it on his lap and you have no choice but to accept. Suddenly, you get pushed all the way to the back of the bus and can no longer see your bag. What happens when you get off the bus?
a- The man hands you back your groceries.
b- The man is gone and so is your bag. You need to call the police.
c- The man is gone and the bag is on the lap of the woman who was sitting next to him.
Answer: a. or c. Don’t you worry! This is all part of Bajan* bus etiquette.
No matter how nerve-racking bus journeys may sometimes get, I often alight with a smile. The way Bajans look out for each other never ceases to amaze me…
*Note: Bajan (pr. bey-djun): noun or adjective, derived from ‘Barbadian’
Translated by Edna Setton
July 7, 2020