The title is a bit of a joke, I am actually really enjoying the majority of the work meetings!
We have met at different churches with different Reverends and Ministers and Deaconesses. We have visited a couple of schools and a rehab facility for men with substance abuse issues that I am likely to work at for a couple of days or a week or two, not sure yet.
Because of the switch from Guyana to Trinidad, and because of Trinidadian culture, wherein, face to face meetings for 5 minutes are valued higher than a 4 page resume, there was very little time to put a complete porgram of 6 months together, and it would also have been culturally inappropriate to just slide us in where people said they wanted workers and we had qualifications, because there was not a meeting face to face.
So our orientation month (ends November 1st) is a lot of meeting people who are involved in small and big ways with the work we may be doing in the remainder of our visit here.
We went to the beach the Saturday after we got here, our ride came on (this is a quote and not neccessairly a reflection of my own opinion, and not necessarily not) "Trini time" which means to say that our 11am beach trip happened at 3 pm, and we swam as the sun set!
We ate at the beach, it was called "Shark and Bake" I have no idea if it was really shark but it was a type of fish I had never tried before, and I was told that it could very well be hammer head sharks. Whatever it was it was delicious, it was like salty pickerel taste meets cod texture with a sweet batter.
i also tried Tamarin ball, its supposedly a "treat", "desert" snack! If the Camera would have been on my face when i tasted that...... ohmy goodness it was the most disgusting thing ever! it topped onion! (for those of you who do not know, I can't stand onion)
Then we had corn soup, it was okay, and at the same stop, our Trinidadian friends had pigs feet! One of the young Reverends is going to take us surfing one weekend in November or December, and when I offered to contribute financially (I'm learning thats a no no) she said I could contribute by trying pigs feet and horse! i dont know if I'll end up doing either! But I really really really wanna try surfing!
Sunday we went to church, we met the Reverend who will be responsible for our chaplancy. (fornightly counselling and venting sessions, as well as sessions to work through some of the cultural questions and so forth). We will be taking a class he is teaching at St. Andrews Theological College on Saturdays in Practical Theology.
I am really excited for the course, cause I love school! and because it will be interesting to see what 'Practical Theology' means!
Sunday night we went out with some friends of the CANACOM organizers, they are here for orientaion month and then leave us :( to go home to Jamaica.
We went out for different types of local good, spicy shrimp, butter chicken, I ordered stuffed eggplant and it was fantastic, and no one else like it :( ;) so I had to eat it all! :)
At 12:01 we were sitting in the car while Adrianne, the driver and a Trindad Youth, and Nicqi, Reverand Ashwood of Canacom, were inside, they tried to exit but were stopped, and called me inside. It was offically my Birthday in Trinidad, and on a cake, for lack of candles was a cigarette, and they sung my happy birthday in the gas station!(The lit cigarette and straw paper obivously why they weren't allowed to leave) It was a truly unique birthday surprise!
Monday I had a really hard day being away, I recievedlovely emails from Jacey, my parents and siblings, and my Grandma! all of which, warmed my heart and made me miss home. This is the only birthday "I've missed" (I think that story is Hannah's and if you don't remember it Hannah, which you won't it goes somethign like when Rebecca moved you wondered how she'd get older if she missed her birthdays, ask Jessica, shes got the memory for those things)
Anyways~! My Dad called adn we talked for almost an hour, I skyped with my mom for an hour! IF you're not on Skype yet! DO IT! and then I will miss you less cause we can video call :)
and I called Jacey right before bed on Skype, IT was lovely to talk to home!
Yesterday was amazing sight seeing, we visited the temple at the sea. An Endenture labourer from India, brought to the Carribean, was a devoted Hindu and wanted a temple, he built a temple in the city, but it was illegal under the Colonial Rule to build temples on their land, so after being released from prison, stone by stone, he built at temple at sea. We then also went to another large and beautiful hindu temple.
After which we visited a Substance abuse rehabilitation facility and then went to a youth gathering at a Yacht club on the Carribean Sea.
It was a great night and I cut up pimentos, and ate a piece of one raw, and helped cook a little!
Today we visited the Church of Scotland, and the top Presbyterian girls school in Trinidad.
The principal there's cousin is the representative for the United Nations in Palestine right now and she may put us in touch :)
Tonight we are having our first meeting about our living arrangements, and what is and is not working thus far, among talks of philosophy's surronding cross culturaly volunteerism and so forth.
And Tomorrow! WE fly to TOBAGO
Hope you're all well
What an interesting read| I really enjoy it.
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