God bless Cananda

Well ah reach back safe and sound, and happy to be back too, even though ah was treated at, and to de very best Canadian Hospital and Hospitality.

In retrospect, ah owe ah depth ah gratitude to dat country.

Back in 1969 ah was granted ah CIDA scholarship to study Land Surveying in Alberta, Canada. An all expenses paid program that covered tuition, books, clothes, accommodation, medicals, cash to spend.{{more}}

At de end ah de course in 1971, ah got ah Diploma in Surveying, and foh de last forty years, my Canadian training has been my “life saving skill.”

By strange coincidence, exactly forty years after leaving Canada, ah was back this year foh de real “Life Saving Skills” to be administered, medical treatment foh pass-straight cancer.

Dis time Canada literally “saved me life.” Man anytime ah hear patriotic songs like “God Bless America” or “God Bless our Homeland” ah does add on the words “ God Bless Canada too.” Ah great country dat!

One ah my mission home as ah pass-straight cancer survivor, is to share my personal experience with other people, especially de men-folk.

As de saying goes “I have bin dey” and ah want to mek me-self accessible to both victims and potential victims of pass-straight cancer in need ah moral and spiritual support. People become distraught when dey are diagnosed with any illness, many become withdrawn and shy or even ashamed.

But dey’s no reason to be ashamed of sickness; de longer we live de more we become ah potential victim of some sort ah disease. But in de meantime, ah would repeat what ah said before: “Men, go and do ah blood test and let de doctor do de simple examination, ah finger up yuh Rectum actually dat’s “up yuh Anus”.

Remember, de Pass-straight can play games wid yuh, it might give yuh ah slight tickle today, and foh weeks nothing, den another tickle and so on. Ah not playing doctor, but feel free to approach me foh moral support; but be discrete, don’t try reaching me at ungodly hours in de night.

STRUCK BY DE STRIKE

My trip home was not widout Airport drama, de LIAT Pilot’s “Sick-out” or Strike.

Ah spent ah day and ah night in T’n’T. Nuff respect to de LIAT staff members who were kind and over-standing, dey gave us lunch vouchers and when de night flight was cancelled, dey put us up and fed us at ah reasonably comfortable Guest House. Even de LIAT workers in T’n’T commented dat was only Vincentians who were pee-nah-lies in de strike, de other Caribbean nationals switched to alternative air carriers, Caribbean Airways et al.

Ah Painful experience, when yuh overs dat we, Vincentians “Own ah major share in LIAT,” like how we “Own de Guv-ah-mint!” Pry-Minister Gone-soft must re-all-lies dat firstly, is ah big miss-take foh Poor-per-eyes Guv-ah-mints like us to even try to run things like Airlines and Bus Transport; and secondly, to allow LIAT ah monopoly, especially foh us in SVG.

De news dat St Lucia and Dominica thinking of buying shares in LIAT will not change de plight of de Vincy passengers, not wid LIAT’s continued monopoly. Nothing, not even ah new Union Agreement will prevent LIAT Pilots from holding to ransom, Vincentian passengers in particular. Competition is de answer, another carrier, Caribbean Airlines maybe.

MORE-ZIZZ LAW

Ah don’t believe in Capital punishment, but yuh see like how de Police shoot and kill Ells’ alleged ass-as-in-hate, God-win More-zizz, ah will accept dat one as “More-zizz Law” which is “eye foh eye” and “teeth foh teeth.”

Incidentally “Zizz” means ‘ah short sleep’. Since ah return, my girl Lie-Za giving me ah whole set ah info bout Ells’ death, but yuh done know how it goes wid madam Lie-Za, ninety percent discount on anything she says.

First thing she say is some-buddy set up Ells; dah fellar ain’t break-out ah jail, he went out on ah miss-shun; give dat one ah discount.

She say Ells offered to show de police way de fellar hiding, but got no response; ah bigger discount! Den she say Ells was upset wid de party and he said openly, he done wid dem, he buying ah one way ticket foh he and his family back to New York in January 2012.

Zero discount on dat one, especially de one-way ticket foh himself!

Den she say dat Ells wife got victim-eyes as ah nurse because he, Ells say he done wid de Party. Zero discount on dat one too!

And den she say dey should ah never name de man God-win dat is dis-respect, God win always, ah think she got ah crush on Dr Godwin Friday, Lie-Za getting at yuh, Doc.

And wid ah name like More-zizz yuh in trouble, was More-zizz who rig up all dem Laws bout eating pork and woman inferior and death pen-all-tee. So God-win More-zizz, after he ass-as-in-hate Ells was dealt wid his own More-Zizz Law!

Ah find it eye-run-ache dat Ells sought safety and protect-shun wid his gun, de very weapon dat ended his life.

Still ah sad way to go.

Lie-Za fretting she soul-case dry, because Julie knows how to pre-dick de right moon and de exact day foh Tri Tri.

Ah want Roast breadfruit and Tri Tri cake foh Christmas.

And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.