I generally dislike generalizations. As a rule, I try to avoid categorizing people, places, things, animals, etc because there are often an equal number of exceptions to any generalization you can come up with (except in the case of politicians, of course).


However, I make an exception to this rule when a generalization is supported by deeply-felt personal experience. Since I am the only person I grew up with in the US who is currently living full time in the Bahamas, I have been afforded a different perspective on life than my classmates of old. I have learned some stuff about things non-American.


I've listed some of these observations below and welcome any comments.


* Contrary to wide-spread belief among Americans, the Bahamas is not owned by the US. Nor is it called "Bermuda".


* Also contrary to American belief, the word "conch" is pronounced k-onk, and not k-onch. Please, stop pronouncing it incorrectly. It's annoying.


* In the same vein, the word "cay" is actually pronounced key. No kidding.


* Fact: the most dangerous people on the roads in Nassau (besides the jitney drivers) are the tourists on scooters, who cannot seem to grasp the concept of driving on the left side of the road or adhering to simple rules of the road, such as: don't drive the wrong way down a one-way street. (The fact that Bahamians themselves don't adhere to these rules is beside the point.)


* The speed limit on most roads on Sundays in the Bahamas is 5 1/2 mph. Most Bahamian drivers adhere to this rule strictly.


* There are equal numbers of banks, bars, and churches in the Bahamas, and the congregations of each usually consist of the same people.


* Fact: Bahamians give directions solely based upon the location of a building or landmark that most visitors cannot possibly know. If you ask for directions from Bay Street to the mall, for example, don't be surprised if they begin, "Do you know where Bar 20 corner is?"


* If you ask a Bahamian "How are you doing?, they will often respond with: "Right here." Interestingly enough, they respond the same way to the question, "Where are you standing?"


I hope these observations will help visitors to understand some of the things they might encounter during their stay in the Bahamas. It's been my experience that the more people understand about each other, the better their relationships will be.


Generally speaking, that is.