Hi kids, it's Ziggy! IN THIS ISSUE - Caribbean Tourism Organization

L ! !
Issue 16 April 2009
A Tourrism Buullleetin ffoor CCaribbbeeaan C Chhiil d dren E m m a i ll :: zz ii gg g y @@ c a r i b t o uu r i ss mm . c oo m
IN THIS ISSUE
• EEnvviirroonnmmenttal
CCoorrnneerr:: Clliimaate
Chhaanngee
•• CCoouunnttrryy PPrrofille:
BBeliizee
• CCaarreeer Moovees:
CCabbin Crreeww Membeerr
•• FFun Tiime!!
• Meeeett Jooyy aand
NNiiccolaai
Hi
kids, it’s
Ziggy!
I’m here to tell you
about my wonderful
visits exploring the
Caribbean. You may not
know it yet, but the region you
call home is one of most exciting places
in the world to travel around. There are
over 33 countries and thousands of
islands just waiting to be explored! Adventure
and fun are just waiting to happen in every
Caribbean destination!
Did you know that intra- Caribbean
travel (i.e. where Caribbean persons
travel from one Caribbean country to
another for holiday, sports, business,
special events etc.) is very important
to our tourism business and that in the
Caribbean 1.4 million of our total number
of visitors come from our very
own Caribbean. These visitors
are called regional travelers, and
you can be one too.
So maybe you are wondering just
how you’re going to get around
the Caribbean? Well here’s how:
Hop on an
aircraft! Air
travel is the most
common…LIAT,
Caribbean Airlines, Air Jamaica, Air Caraibes.
Why not take a helicopter ride where you can
view from the air the natural wonders of a
Caribbean country?
Sail away in a boat! Many
Caribbean countries offer boat
rides and ferry services to nearby
islands…For more luxurious
travel, why not take a cruise
around the Caribbean!
Jump in the car!
For countries that are
connected by land, like the
Dominican Republic and
Haiti or Guyana and
Suriname, visiting
another country is
as easy as taking a
drive across the
border. If your home is
an island, why not take a road-trip around your
own home country & discover unknown places?
You can be a domestic tourist!!
In this issue let’s join Joy (from
Guadeloupe) and Nicolai (from Nevis) on
their Caribbean adventures!
Take care,
Ziggy

FUN damentals in ��ur Caribbean!
There is SO much more to the Caribbean than
just sun, sea and sand! For instance:
Have you ever……
Climbed the Dominican Alps, home to
Pico Duarte, the highest peak in the
Caribbean?
Pico Duarte (10,127 feet or 3,087
metres high)
Visited the Curaçao
Ostrich Farm where you
can touch the birds,
feed them or even eat
ostrich meat or have an
ostrich omlette?
2 Making Waves A Tourism Bulletin for Caribbean Children
Visited an
Amerindian
village in
Suriname?
Rode a tram
car through
the lush
tropical forests
in Dominica?
Eaten big,
juicy
lobsters in
St. Lucia?
Dived
underwater in
Grenada to
see its
underwater
sculpture
garden?

Architecture
Caribbean
across the
A seemingly big word, architecture refers to
tthhee ddeessiiggnn aanndd ccoonnssttrruuccttiioonn ooff bbuuiillddiinnggss, and in
the Caribbean we have a wide variety of styles
and designs for our buildings that reflect our
multi-cultural heritage. Tourists who come to
our countries like to visit and learn about our
churches, plantation houses, forts and other historic
buildings that we sometimes take for granted.
Can you tell what buildings these are and where
they are located?
5
2
Answers:
1. Willemstad, capital of Curacao (Dutch Caribbean)
2. The Red House (parliament building) in Port of Spain, Trinidad
3. A Mosque in Bushlot, Guyana
4. El Morro Fort in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
5. A chattel house in Barbados
Making Waves A Tourism Bulletin for Caribbean Children 3
4
1
3

The
Caribbean
Adventures
of
Where have
you
travelled
in the
Caribbean?
I have been to Barbados to visit
Uncle Julian. In July 2008, I was
in Kingston, Jamaica with my Aunty
Lorna and Jannelle. I went to the
Edna Manley Institute of
Performing and Visual Arts. I liked
it a lot! I have also visited:
• Trinidad for Carnival and every
year I visit my aunt there.
• Martinique to visit my family.
• In 2007, I went to a summer
camp in St. Kitts, with Mummy,
who had taken a group of
children from Guadeloupe.
• In 2006 I went to Saint
Domingue (Santo Domingo in
the Dominican Republic) to
participate in another summer
camp my mother set up.
• In May 2008 we went to the
St. Lucia Jazz Festival and also
visited my Aunty Lorna and
Uncle Franklyn, Lonnel and her
daughter Eva.
Hi, my name is Nicolai
Williams. I’m from the
island of Nevis, in the
Federation of St. Kitts &
Nevis. I am 12 years old.
I travelled to Antigua
during my summer
vacation in 2008 to
attend a Pathfinder
Camporee. I didn’t get
there by plane, but by
boat, on the M.V. Sea
Hustler. I didn’t really
enjoy the trip because
4 Making Waves A Tourism Bulletin for Caribbean Children
Joy Chicate-Moibert,
9 years, Guadeloupe
BByy wwhhaatt aaiirrlliinneess ddiidd yyoouu
ttrraavveell aanndd ddiidd yyoouu eennjjooyy
yyoouurr fflliigghhttss??
To go to the Caribbean Mummy
uses LIAT. You must get up early
to take the flight. To go to Jamaica,
I travelled to Pointe-à-Pitre in St
Martin with my grandfather Pappy
Michel and I continued my travel
alone to Kingston, with a flight
attendant to take care of me. It
was a long, but enjoyable flight.
WWhheerree aanndd hhooww lloonngg ddiidd yyoouu
ssttaayy??
I always stay at my mother’s
friends’ house or with family.
WWhhaatt aarree ssoommee ooff tthhee
aaccttiivviittiieess yyoouu ddiidd iinn ootthheerr
CCaarriibbbbeeaann iissllaannddss??
Summer camp, carnival, visiting
family and friends, shopping,
sailing, camping in Martinique.
WWhhaatt ddiidd yyoouu eennjjooyy mmoosstt??
Meeting other children, speaking
English, playing Mas with my
Mummy and friends.
the seas were quite
rough. When we arrived
in Antigua, we were
driven to a campsite
where we would spend
the week.
Some of the activities
were games such as
tennis ball relay, or
sports such as swimming,
cycling and athletics. We
also had to wash dishes
and clean up the
WWoouulldd yyoouu lliikkee ttoo vviissiitt mmoorree
CCaarriibbbbeeaann ccoouunnttrriieess??
Yes, because Mummy says that I
am a Caribbean girl and should
speak two other languages very
well, English and Spanish and I
should know my region where I live
well. Then I understood and I told
mom that it was a good idea. Next
year my mother is going to try to
organize a trip to Dominica for my
school, Thomas Bouillante in
Guadeloupe. I hope she would be
successful and would find help to
house all 40 children in a small
hotel and we could visit the Carib
Reserves.
Merci!
Muchas Gracias!
Thank You!
Nicolai Williams, 12 years, Nevis
campsite. A highlight of
the week was the “March
of Witness”. The closing
ceremony was
spectacular and ended
with a display of
fireworks.
I look forward to visiting
other Caribbean islands
and learning about their
distinctive cultures and
natural environment.

Country Profile: Belize
Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret
Beautiful Belize is a diverse
country of only 301,270 people,
living in 8,867 sq miles. Though
Belize is part of the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM), it is
located in Central America. Its closest neighbors are Mexico,
Guatemala and Honduras. Along the entire east coast of Belize
lies the Caribbean Sea. Belize’s capital, Belmopan, is also known
as the “Garden City” because of its colorful flora and many
flamboyant trees.
Getting to Belize is very easy. Most visitors travel by air, but you can also get
there by road and by boat. In 2008
Belize received 204,219 tourists to
their country and from January to
October 2008, 465,325 cruise
visitors. Some of the fun things
visitors do while in Belize are:
• Visit Altun Ha and other Maya
ruins
• Go tyre tubing in caves
• Snorkle or scuba dive in the
Belize Barrier Reef, the second
largest barrier reef in the world
• Visit the Primate Centre where
you can observe the howler and
spider monkeys
Other than tourism, important
sectors in Belize include agriculture
and forestry. Belize exports sugar,
citrus, bananas and fish products
such as lobster, as well as timber
such as mahogany and chicle (the
wood from which chewing gum is
made).
Belize is the only country in Central
America to have English as its
official language. Spanish and Kriol
are also widely spoken. The Belizean
Creole or Kriol are the mixed
descendents of Europeans and
African slaves who came to Belize.
Today almost 24% of Belize’s
population is Kriol.
The Coat of Arms
- adopted on September 21st, 1981
The National Tree of Belize is the
majestic Mahogany tree, which grows
up to over 100 feet tall. It also appears
rising above the shield on their Coat
of Arms. During the 18th and 19th
centuries, the mahogany industry was
the major industry in Belize. Its National
Motto, “Sub Umbra Florero,” which also
appears on the Coat of Arms, is Latin meaning,
"Under the shade (of the mahogany tree) I flourish.” Supporting the
shield are two woodcutters, the one on the right is holding a paddle,
and the one on the left is holding a beating axe..
Altun Ha (the
photo on the
right) is the most
visited Maya site
in Belize. In
ancient times
Belize was the
center of the
Maya world and
was ruled by
powerful kings
who they
believed to be
living gods. The
nobility, priests
and warriors
lived in palaces, temples and
pyramids, which were painted
in the Maya sacred colours: red,
blue, green and yellow, while
everyone else lived in farming
villages. It is estimated that
The Maya in Belize
about 2 million Maya lived in
what is now Belize. Today there
are 3 distinct Maya groups in
Belize, each speaking their own
dialect of the Maya language
and they account for 11% of the
population.
Making Waves A Tourism Bulletin for Caribbean Children 5

Belize
Colour this Maya Artwork in the traditional Maya colours of red, yellow, blue
and green, then use as a wall decoration!
6 Making Waves A Tourism Bulletin for Caribbean Children

ENVIRONMENTAL CORNER:
CLIMATE CHANGE AND GREENHOUSE GASES
The Earth is wrapped in a blanket of air called the
‘atmosphere’, which is made up of several layers of
gases. The Sun is much hotter than the Earth and
it gives off rays of heat (radiation) that travel
through the atmosphere and reach the Earth. The
rays of the Sun warm the Earth, and heat from
the Earth then travels back into the atmosphere.
The gases in the atmosphere stop some of the heat
from escaping into the space. These gases are
called greenhouse gases because it works the same
way as a greenhouse, trapping heat inside our
planet Earth.
Greenhouse gases are very important and are
mainly:
� Water vapour – produced when water is turned
into a gas. This occurs naturally in the
atmosphere.
� Carbon dioxide - produced naturally when
people and animals breathe. Plants and trees
absorb carbon dioxide to live. Volcanoes also
produce this gas.
� Methane - comes from cattle as they digest their
food. The gas also comes from fields where rice
is grown and from our landfills/garbage dumps.
� Ozone – occurs naturally in the atmosphere
Some greenhouse gases have very harmful effects on
Earth, such as:
� Burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural
gas, which release carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere. Cutting down and burning trees also
produce a lot of carbon dioxide.
� Greenhouse gases called ‘‘cchhlloorroofflluuoorrooccaarrbboonnss’’
(CFCs) which are used in aerosols such as
hairspray cans, fridges and in making foam
plastics. These gases are dangerous because
small amounts can trap large amounts of heat.
Because there are more and more greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere, more heat is trapped which makes
the Earth warmer. This is known as ‘‘gglloobbaall wwaarrmmiinngg’’.
With more heat trapped on Earth, the planet will
become warmer, which means the weather all over
the Earth will change.
Here is how we can help people, plants and animals
survive global warming:
� DDoo plant trees in your gardens, schools
and parks
� DDoo recycle paper, plastic, glass and
metals
� DDoo remember to turn off the lights when
you leave the room
� DDoonn’’tt leave electrical equipment, like TVs
and computers, even your chargers
plugged in or on standby, because they
use up electricity
� DDoonn’’tt ask to be driven short distances.
Walk or ride and get some exercise and
� DDoonn’’tt buy products that have CFCs in them.
Making Waves A Tourism Bulletin for Caribbean Children 7

C����� M����: Haydie Moses, Cabin Crew Member
1. What is your job all about and which
airline do you work for?
I am employed with Liat (1974) Ltd., and I am
a Cabin Crew Member, formerly known as Air
Hostess, Stewardess, Flight Attendant; but
we are now referred to as Cabin Crew. My job
entails being on board the flight primarily for
safety reasons. Secondly, to offer my
company's passengers the best in customer
service.
2. How long have you been working as a
Cabin Crew Member?
I re-joined the company in 1995.
3. What is a typical day for you at work?
A typical day at work for me can be considered flexible. Every day
is very different. The time at which I may start work can differ, the
destinations that I travel to are not always the same. The crew that
I might work with might be colleagues I have not worked with for
months. A typical day could start at 4 a.m. Here is what I do:
• I check in at our Operations Department, sign in, find out who I
am working with and what aircraft we will be using etc.
• Get to the airport, go through security
• Get on board at least one hour before departure and conduct
my emergency equipment checks. (That would include
ensuring all the necessary equipment is in place; an example
would be, to ensure all life jackets are in their stowed positions
in the unlikely event that we had an emergency landing)
• Check that catering is ready
• Allow passengers to board the flight
• Greet passengers as they embark, check boarding passes and
assist with the seating where and when necessary.
• Do a passenger count, check that aircraft documents have
been signed and that the door is closed
• Do a demonstration of the safety procedures, inform them of
the flight number, destination, flight time, crew's name and
8 Making Waves A Tourism Bulletin for Caribbean Children
welcome them on board.
• In-flight service depending on the
duration of the flight. Most of our flights
are very short. Once it is 45 minutes or
more, then we offer juice, coffee or tea
and on most flights we have a saleble
bar.
• The flight lands on one of our tropical
Caribbean islands, passengers are
greeted goodbye and since our flights
stop in several islands then the process
continues.
4. What do you like most / least about your
job?
The fact that I am able to serve our
Caribbean people. Secondly, I get to meet people from all walks of
life. I am able travel to various islands and experience different
cultures. Least would be that since I am a family oriented
individual, it takes me away from my family, but I have grown to
know that in life you must make some sort of sacrifice in order to
get ahead.
5. What type of training did you have to undergo to become a
Cabin Crew Member?
It is roughly a six week course, where you undergo training in
emergency procedures, first aid, general knowledge and
knowledge of the type of aircraft. You must pass the exams with at
least 85% and do annual re-current training.
6. What advice would you like to give young persons who would
like to become a Cabin Crew Member?
I would advise them to give this some long, hard, serious thought
before getting involved. As a Cabin Crew one must be a “people”
person, ie you must have tolerance and patience and the ability to
operate under stressful conditions.
CARIBBEAN TOURISM ORGANIZATION
One Financial Place, Collymore Rock,
St. Michael, Barbados
Tel: 246-427-5242
Fax: 246-429-3065
www.onecaribbean.org
www.caribbeantravel.com
email:ctobar@caribsurf.com