Stranded!

“Character matters; leadership descends from character” – Rush Limbaugh

On October 12, I was among the hordes of people stranded at the Stabroek Market Stelling, hoping to get onto a speedboat to get home before nightfall. For me, it was a novel experience in many ways. Usually, my journey home isn’t usually way laid by protests, burning tyres, wailing sirens and burning vehicles. This was the first time I’ve ever travelled on a Demerara River speedboat without a parent – and the second time ever. And this was definitely the first time I’ve travelled in a speedboat at night. The downside of a sequestered childhood! But all of that happened.
My contract bus was stuck in traffic just before Mc Doom when we finally got word it was because people from Agricola were protesting decided we shouldn’t go home. The cellphone has other uses than idle chatting: it can convey life saving info! Darkness had fallen when we were finally able to creep over to the other lane, and head to the Stabroek Market stelling.
When we reached the Stabroek Market, our driver dropped us off, told us to walk in the direction of the stelling. He then pulled a Houdini and disappeared, presumably to take care of his more valuable bus. So there we were, my brother and I and a group of little first and second formers, fending for ourselves, all alone with darkness quickly intensifying.
But being thrust into situations like these, you find out about people by the way they react to crisis. And on that day, I saw my little brother grow up in front of my eyes. He’s in fourth form but he’s still only twelve. He rose to the occasion and made me realise that he’s much more mature than I usually give him credit for.
He stepped up to the challenge, boring ahead trying to make sure we got onto a speedboat. He convinced the policewoman guarding the locked gate to let school children in.
For their part, the police were absolutely wonderful in making sure school kids weren’t bullied. From what I saw at the stelling, the police performed their job admirably.
While my brother took up the job of being the firm, pushy one, I worked on keeping our group together: giving out reassurances, a hand to hold or a shoulder to lean on whichever was needed. So together, we worked as a team, a bunch of kids just trying to get home, trying not to lose anyone in the swarming multitudes of people.
And it made me realise that when people talk about males being the firm disciplinarians and females being the warm nurturing ones, they’re not necessarily stereotyping or putting down any one.
Everything was down to instinct and my reflexive action was to keep our group together and have everyone close: to reassure the kids and make sure they didn’t panic or break down crying. I didn’t do those things because that’s what people expect me to do as a female, I did that because when the time came, that was what I felt comfortable doing.
And I’m sure my brother didn’t behave how he did because society expects males to be – all alpha-male types. He did it because that felt natural to him. And we worked as a team, bringing out both aspects of leadership. And it must have worked, because we got home earlier than most people.
I definitely don’t ever want to be stuck in a situation like that again, but I learnt a lot from it. And as my brother says, he’ll have a story to tell his kids.