Sunniebgi

As this time of years is full of public/bank holidays, I wanted to remind all our new residents that.. unlike the US (not sure about the UK, but guess it's not like here) Bank Holidays mean things shut down. No shops are open, unless it's the local rum shop or a shop attached to the gas station. Some restaurants close (some don't but it depends on the holiday, I think). But for sure.. no banks, no grocery stores, no "department" stores, No pricesmart, shopsmart etc etc etc..

So.. the first one is this weekend..

Independance Day, Sunday 30 November (the bank holiday on Monday 1Dec)

Both Sunday and Monday are considered public/bank holidays.. so do your shopping on Friday, because everybody and their brother will be in the supermarket on Saturday.

Spend time on the beach, Explore the island, without many people on the roads.. just enjoy the "quiteness" of it all. The same thing will happy at Christmas and New years..

zanne

Ha Sunnie! I am planning in avoiding the supermarket for the rest of the year...I made a major shopping trip last night and once more to Pricesmart and I am done. The memory of trying to shop in December (last year) is still fresh in my mind...total chaos!!!

minisoufka

that's very helpful, Sunnie! Thanks

damianpike

one of my ex-pat freinds says she does ALL her supermarket shopping on sunday morning -"church hour" she calls it . Apparently the supermarkets are empty

Personally, i scuba dive on a sunday

Re: bank holidays -they are an fixed days here ( back in the Uk there is some degree of flexibility on some dates) . This , unfortunately means that some bank holidays , essentially those that fall on a saturday, are lost !

Welcome to the caribbean, enjoy it -just don`t try to undterstand it

Damian

Sunniebgi

Yes.. Sunday mornings are great time to do shopping, except that not only is it Sunday, but This sunday is Nov 30th, which is Independance Day in Barbados, which is a public holiday.. which means.. both Sunday and Monday are days off.. When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the bank (business) off day is Monday, but Sunday is closed as well.

I'm not sure what you mean by Fixed Days.. but if the Holiday falls Mon-Saturday, that is the day off..

minisoufka

'fixed days' are the ones that are on a certain date - so Independence Day is always on the 30th, right? In the UK it's more like 'the last monday in August' rather than a particular date which is a bank holiday day.

We've got our fixed days in POland too - unlike the UK for example - our Mother's Day is always on the 26th May, whatever day of the week it is - not on a certain Sunday in May. (that by the way is not a bank holiday - i'm just giving an example

It's interesting how different countries do that

Sunniebgi

ok.. well I guess we have a mix.. sort of..

Things like Christmas, Easter, Independance, Errol Barrow Day (21Jan) etc.. are specific Days.. Kadooment is always the first Monday in August, regardless of the date, But again.. those are the public holiday days.. if that date falls on a Sunday, the Bank holiday is the Monday.. the best is Christmas.. if it Falls on Sunday, we get.. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off.. as Christmas, Boxing Day and the bank holiday is the Tuesday. Easter has the most all at one time.. Good Friday (bank holiday, and things are shut up like a drum and quiter than ever on that day), EAster Sunday (again everything closed) and Easter Monday.. Day off and bank holiday..

just for the record..

it's raining again at Independance.. this is normal.. I don't recall an independance parade in recent memory without some type of rain..