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Beach to Prairie is about blending and celebrating two cultures. The American prairie of North Dakota is my new home and I love it but my upbringing was a bit different than what my son will experience here. I hope I can impart my Caribbean culture to my son. This blog documents my attempts to do that. It’s my hope that if you are in a similar situation this blog can help you. It’s an entertaining, light hearted snapshot of my life here in North Dakota. If you ever wondered what living in North Dakota is like, this blog is an attempt to answer that question. Along the way I’ll share my love of the arts, fashion, food and the good life. But this isn’t meant to be a one sided conversation. I want to learn about you too. I very much love to share information but I also love hearing other peoples stories. You can look at Beach to Prairie as an attempt to start a conversation with you that I very much hope will benefit us all.
North Dakota, the 39th State in the union, is now my home and it’s a beautiful place to live. We live in the country allowing me to appreciate the view of the natural world around me. North Dakota (ND) is 70,762 mi² and populated by approximately 739,482 people. North Dakota is a large agricultural state and one of the least populated states in the US. It took me a while to get used to the quiet but I now enjoy being able to hear my own thoughts. North Dakota experiences winter with temperatures often well below zero so getting used to the weather also took time but I’m acclimatizing well. Summer weather is not unlike that in Barbados however where we’d worry about hurricanes in Barbados from June to October; in North Dakota the concern is Tornadoes with a seasonal peak in June. I have found North Dakotans warm friendly people who tend to be incredibly polite. North Dakota is a great place for all but may appeal most to the outdoor enthusiast, artist, sport lovers and historian visitors.
Barbados is the Caribbean Island I called home. It was wonderful place to grow up and I will always take pride in my “Bajan” (a person from Barbados) roots. About 166.4 square miles. Barbados is a part of the Lesser Antilles and sits just outside of the usual hurricane path. It was a British Colony until 1966 when we gained independence. Home to approximately 287,535 people the island maintains a stable democratic government, good education system and a wealthy economy in the region. Its friendly people, beautiful beaches and a relaxed atmosphere has made Barbados a popular tourist destination.
Tidbits: Barbados is a Tropical Island with an average of 30 degrees celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) People from Barbados are known as Bajans. English is the official language of Barbados but Bajan is the accent of the people that bares (in my opinion) an Irish similarity.