Ariapita Avenue and Oktoberfest

Last night I got a real taste of Trini nightlife. First Jenna and Nakeshia (friends from the office) took me to Shakers on Ariapita Avenue, where Jenna was meeting some folks she knows from Rotary. I had a Tequila Sunrise, Coke, chicken strips, and fried cheese, while the overhead speakers pumped out Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, and GNR. That part was obviously a lot like back home. But we were under a mango tree, and the air was thick with humidity and Caribbean accents. A good rain earlier in the day had cooled down the temp a bit; I'd guess in the 80s.

Jenna, Hope and Nakesia limin' under a mango tree.

We enjoyed each other's company outside Shakers for maybe two hours or more before deciding to check out Oktoberfest just down the avenue -- or up the avenue? The geography still confuses me. On the walk to Oktoberfest, plenty of Trinis were hanging out with open containers. Reminded me of Bourbon Street in NOLA a little. Street vendors were selling cow heel soup and doubles, neither of which I tried. My adventurous spirit doesn't extend to food, as I've mentioned before, I think.

 

Street vendors on Ariapita Avenue.

When we arrived at Oktoberfest, the police made us wait in line for a few minutes before we could enter the dance floor/stage area. Filled to capacity. While we stood in the mud (from the earlier rain), a German entertainer in traditional dress tried to teach the crowd a German dance. The results were quite funny. Soon enough we were allowed entrance, and I got a look at Trinis in German costume. Quite a sight. The crowd attempted yodeling, which didn't work out so well. But shouts of "Wunderbar!" translated well enough, inspiring cheers and drinking all around. I tried a Carib beer, a local brew, just for kicks. I'm not a beer fan, but this wasn't bad. Still, after two careful sips, I passed my cup to Nakeshia, who graciously finished it for me.

Germans and Trinis unite in their appreciation for beer.

After the German portion of the show, Bunji Garlin took the stage. He's an entertainer from Trinidad and Tobago who's been nominated for a Soul Train Award. I enjoyed his stuff, though it's very different from what I usually like. You can't help but dance to it. I felt honored to hear him live. And I felt a wonderful energy as he interacted with all the Trinis who were singing along and dancing. We were on the dance floor maybe an hour and a half, and my feet were aching when they shut down for the night. Gotta take it easy as I'm still getting over ailments. Fortunately my feet are in decent shape this morning, so I didn't overdo. Right now I'm awaiting a ride to the POS airport for a noon flight to Tobago. I'll post more as I visit the sister island.

Bunji Garlin, a much-loved Trini performer.

Marqueripe Bay

My first visit to a Trinidad beach was lovely. It was so beautiful. Comparing it to Destin would be an apples to oranges thing though, so I can't say which is prettier. They're just different. The water was clear, but from a distance looked greenish brown. The sand was full of pebbles, some as big as soft balls. The water wasn't shockingly cool, just pleasant. I went with the kids from St. Dominic's. The boys, in true male style, showed off, splashin' around. On the bus ride over, the girls belted out every word to Trouble by Taylor Swift, and on the way back the boys sang some Bruno Mars. Nice to know America is exporting its finest music. (Ha) Enjoy the photos (taken Oct. 20, 2013).

My first earthquake -- not even kidding

This article tells about the 6.1-magnitude quake I experienced last night. It was my first, and more confusing than scary. I was in the downstairs area of the office building using the internet, on the phone via Skype with my mom, when the building started shaking. I was confused because it wasn't storming, and I associate a shaking house with big thunderboomers. But I realized, no, it wasn't storming. And then the floor moved. I was like, "is that a freakin' EARTHQUAKE?" To mom on the phone, I said something like, "I think we're having an earthquake. Let me call you back." I hung up, and by this point the shaking had stopped. I went upstairs to the convent, where the nuns confirmed that it was indeed an earthquake, a bad one by Trini standards. They asked if it was my first, was I OK. I said yes and yes. I didn't really have time to get scared since my brain wasn't really wrapping around it as it happened. I'm sure if an aftershock had occurred, I'd have been plenty scared. After the one experience, I was like, "Oh my goodness! What if the building structure has been compromised? What if the convent falls into the office? What if they water lines are busted? What if, what if, what if????" Anyway, I calmed myself back down, called to reassure mom, then called my grandparents to say, "Hey, y'all ain't gon' believe what just happened!" They were surprised and worried. Maybe I shouldn't have told them. But I just thought it was cool, in a morbid way, so I wanted to share. It was unique, more than cool, I suppose would be a better way to describe it. Just one more "first" for this trip.

Karaoke, shopping, zoo visit, mid-term evaluation ...

I've been too busy to write much, mostly with internship and seminar obligations. But I have made some time for fun and new friends. A few weeks ago I attended Sr. Debbie's 50th birthday party in South, in the city of San Fernando. I sang karaoke, and Sr. Bernard said she saw me come alive. "That's the real you," she observed.

 At left, Sr. Debbie is amazed at the candles on her cake. At right, Sr. Bernard listens to another partygoer share a story about Sr. Debbie as a youth.

One of the kids there mistook me for a nun, which was quite disconcerting. When I said I wasn't a sister, she assumed I was in training to become a nun. I will burn the dress I was wearing. No, really. ... Anyway, the birthday fete was an all-day affair, with food and karaoke and dancing and libation. Sr. Bernard can really dance.

Another fun outing was today, actually, when I went shopping with my friend Jenna. She's a psychologist at St. Dominic's and is helping train me. She escorted me to town for a retail therapy session, and we further established rapport by trying on dresses, picking out make-up and earrings, and expanding my cultural competence by finding Trini keepsakes I can take home to remember my time here.

Jenna and Hope both love purple.

I got this great batik cushion cover, which I plan to hang when I get home. At first I thought I'd use it in my living room of my future apartment, as it would go well with my yellow chair. But I don't want Lucy and Leon loving on it too much. So a frame seems safer.

This batik cushion cover features the national flower and national bird.

A few days ago I went to the Emperor Valley Zoo. It was fairly small compared to zoos I've visited in the US. There were a couple of animals there I'd never seen before though, so that was very cool. I plan to hit the botanical gardens soon. One of my favorite features of Trinidad is the bright, beautiful flowers.

A Capybara (foreground) and a South American Tapir

As to the reason I'm here ... I'm enjoying the internship, but I had a rough couple of weeks. The chronic stress of getting adjusted to all the new finally got to me, and I got sick for a bit and couldn't work a full week at one point. Sometimes the only way out is through, and I'm definitely through the worst of it all. I did pretty well on my mid-term evaluation and foresee actually managing to pass and graduate as planned. (Yes, I was doubting this, despite the encouragement from other people).

At any rate, all is well now. I aim to enjoy my remaining two months as much as possible without ruining it by second-guessing my competencies all the time. That's the plan, at least. Wish me luck!

Salon day and Chaguaramas National Park

My new friend Petra was generous enough to spring me from the joint Saturday (Sept. 14, 2013). She took me to West Mall, a swanky establishment where I could only afford to window shop. I found a beautiful original painting of a tropical sunset on a piece of bamboo there that I simply had to have, but it cost more than TT$2,000! Sadly, I decided I could, in fact, live without it. I did splurge at a walk-in salon, however, because even the boys in my house were finding my grey hair a bit off-putting. My last color job was in June, I believe, so it was certainly time for a touch up. I got an all over dark brown that's nearly black -- basically my natural color. The staff wasn't rude, but they were certainly slow. Inefficient, poor customer service. That's something I'm coming to expect in Trinidad. Nobody here gets in a hurry. About anything. Anyway, I was pleased with the results and felt much more like myself on leaving the salon. Petra then took me to Super Pharm, which is similar to CVS, so I could purchase some make-up. I got L'Oreal products: blush, lipstick, eye liner, eye shadow. Purples and pinks. Hallelujah!

                                          Bamboo cathedral at Chauaramas National Park

After the girly portion of the outing, Petra took me to Chaguaramas National Park. We walked around a bit, and Petra told me that screaming sound I heard was monkeys. I never saw any of the animals, but it was cool knowing they were around. The area had been flooded the day before, as a bad storm had come through. So the walkways were messy with leaves and mud. But that didn't detract from the beauty. The bamboo trees were amazing. Petra said people get married and have parties under the bamboo cathedral (pictured). I can see why. It was quite tranquil there, and the shade made the heat and humidity slightly more bearable. We didn't walk around much, as my fitness level leaves a lot to be desired these days. Also, we got there pretty late in the evening and wanted to leave before night fell.

                                                           Hope under the bamboo

Happy birthday to me!

I'm 35. Instead of having an existential crisis about getting older, I decided to just make myself happy today. So I did something I've always wanted to do: I took a yoga class. More than a decade ago I did a yoga DVD at home several days a week and considered myself fairly flexible. Today was humbling. Fortunately the teacher at Akasha Studio in the Maraval neighborhood of Port-of-Spain was a gentle, encouraging soul. She would make minor corrections to my poses now and then, but just as many times she would come by, pat me on the back and say, "perfect" or "good job." It might seem childish, but I certainly responded to the praise. I was struggling to make it through the hourlong class, even had some fleeting thoughts of walking out. But the teacher was quick to show me modified poses when I appeared to be having trouble. I'm grateful for her attitude, because I felt fabulous -- mentally and physically -- when the class was over. A couple of side notes. 1) "Feel the mountain breeze" is code for "the windows are open, hence no a/c to chill the place down. 2) If you want to find the white people in Trinidad, try a yoga class. I don't mean this last one in any negative way. It was just a little strange. I've been among people of different ethnicities for two weeks, so suddenly being around a dozen other folks who look more like me was a jolt. I still felt somewhat out of place, because they were in far better physical condition than I was. But whatever. They were nice enough, didn't bite. I'll probably go back next week. And the week after. In fact, I may be able to do one of the inverted poses by the time I leave Trinidad. OK, well, maybe not. But I do hope to try one eventually. I bowed out of that particular adventure today. I was slightly out of breath and lightheaded already, so standing on my head didn't seem like the best idea.

When I got back to my room, I almost appreciated the cold shower. I swear I have never sweated so much in my life. Anyway, after freshening up I collapsed on the bed for a bit to give my jelly legs time to recover. Axl and Slash entertained me (iPods=sound of home on demand) while I lay there and thought about my brother. I figure everybody gets tired of me mentioning him. Yes, he's been gone 10 years. But I still wish I could see him on my birthday. Surely that's understandable? My reflections this time weren't painful or sad. I just daydreamed a bit about what I'd say to him if he were here, wondered what he'd think of my Caribbean adventure. He'd probably laugh and say it wasn't much of an adventure so far since I'm mostly doing work and reading books. He'd be half right. He was very protective of me, so I don't know if he'd have approved of me going so far from home. I can easily see him pitching a fit and demanding I come home at once. I'll never know. I do think that wherever he is now though, he has a broader perspective and IS proud of me. That's what I like to believe.

Anyway, after I was sufficiently fueled on guitar riffs, I went to work for a few hours. It was a productive day, though I admit to sneaking over to facebook frequently to read the "happy birthdays" from friends and family. Thank God for technology.

Sr. Arlene, my supervisor, took me to TGI Friday's, where I had sesame jack chicken fingers and fried cheese. She'd never had fried cheese, but tried it at my insistence. She declared it "quite nice." Amen, sister. AND I DIDN'T GET SICK! This is cause for celebration, almost moreso than my actual birthday. Caribbean food doesn't remotely agree with me, so I am very limited in what I can eat without ... digestive distress, we'll call it. The staff sang happy birthday to me and presented me with vanilla ice cream, which was tasty too. Now I'm winding down, looking forward to some video chat with friends and family. Tomorrow it's full steam ahead with my work.

Oh, another good thing to report. My new friend Petra, one of the psychologists at SDCH, is taking me to the beach this weekend if her schedule allows. Not sure which one yet, but I'll be sure to post pics if and when.

Water park fun

Last Friday SDCH took the kids to a water park in Port-of-Spain as a last hurrah before school started back this week. I went along with plans to swim but ended up staying in the bleachers with the adults just talking and learning more about Trinidad’s culture. When I first heard water park, I was envisioning something like Shipwreck Island in Panama City Beach, FL. Or maybe Big Kahuna in Destin, FL. Turns out this was a temporary attraction, like a fair. 

Blue Waters Aqua Fun Park

Blue Waters Aqua Fun Park is a moving beast, with inflatable pools and slides, bounce houses, a food court. The food court made me feel at home, as there was fried chicken, pizza, and hamburgers for sale. I had a pepperoni pizza and some fried cheese sticks. Aww, home. Lol. And Pepsi. No Coke. The other options were juices and smoothies, which aren’t my favorite thing. 

                                                                   A taste of home

Watching the kids from SDCH play with such abandon was nice. The scenery beyond the stadium was pretty too. I was told the stadium normally hosts football (soccer), cricket, and netball matches, among other things. A DJ played a lot of SoCa over the loudspeakers, with some American pop thrown in for good measure. The music was energetic and enjoyable, made me want to dance. I greatly appreciated getting out of the compound in general and having a change of scenery. I’m used to hopping in the car on a whim to go wherever I want. Having no car and living and working at the same place is quite strange. I feel a little cooped up sometimes. (Fortunately I’ve talked a co-worker into planning a working lunch out at a restaurant this Friday. Yay!)

I did a good bit of walking Friday, so after the outing my feet were bothering me. Plantar fasciitis flaring up. I was limping for a couple days, but I’m feeling better now in that regard. My tummy, however, is making known it’s discontent with the spices here. I suppose that’s part of travelling abroad, having stomach trouble. I guess I’ll get adjusted with time.

A gal pal of mine and her mother are planning to visit T&T in November, so I’m hoping to get my hours scheduled so that I can take a week off to vacation, really see some sights.

Meanwhile I’m doing homework for my seminar and soaking up my training materials here. I hope to get sessions scheduled with a couple of kids I’ve been assigned. Facebook, email, and Google Hangouts are keeping me connected to friends and family.