It has now been a month that we’ve been in Trinidad and finally we are entering the first post on our blog, “Tales from Trinidad!”
As I type this I am sitting in the dark; we are having one of the regular power outages. They can last anywhere from twenty minutes to four hours. These outages don’t stop the International School of Port of Spain! We carry on in the sauna-like rooms using whatever sunlight we have. In my art room, we have quite a bit of natural light, which is a great attribute, however it quickly becomes an oven, as the windows do not open! Charlie’s elementary computer lab stays cool in the shaded side of the building, his office looks out to the fronds of palms and the branches of tropical trees. Although when 17 kindergarten students show up for technology class it is well… a little chaotic!
We have just completed our second week of school, met all of our students and coworkers become somewhat familiar with our schedules. I came to find a classroom and storage room completely trashed and filled quite literally with garbage. Gina, the 3rd-8th grade art teacher is also new from Canada. She and I spent two full days going through bags and boxes throwing out and organizing everything! My classes are quite small, the majority of my students are Trinis and I am proud to say at the end of my second week I no longer have politely ask them to repeat themselves every time they tell me something. Charlie’s wee little ones come in slightly bigger groups averaging around 15 and they represent every continent—truly international. There are many little things to get used to; some of them remind me of my time in Thailand—like “Trini time” is quite similar to “Thai time” which to me generally translates into: excessive slowness or taking a hell of a lot longer than it should ☺
Going back to the beginning, we arrived in Trinidad in the dark and after an hour or so in the arrivals lines, we were met by Mr. Ralph and Mr. Alex who brought us to our new home. I was confused as we pulled into Stratford Court and saw the rows of bright orange townhouses because when we were hired we were shown pictures of a very different looking place where we were to live. It was a little disappointing that we were not living by the beautiful swimming pool and gardens we had seen, however, as you will see our place is lovely inside and we have plenty of room for visitors! (Click on the slideshow to enlarge the pictures.)
Our very first meal (the next day at lunchtime) consisted of “Bus’ up shut” roti with curried chicken, potatoes, and channa. I was very confused when the food vender inquired what I heard as, “ Do you want your roti bust up or shut?” I assumed she was inquiring whether or not I wanted my chicken wrapped in roti or separate.
However, this was not the question posed at all—Bus’ up shut comes from "busted up shirt", meaning the roti (Indian dough like bread) is shredded and served on the side. Channa is the local name for chickpeas—which are delicious! And Doubles… well I’ll get into the heaven on earth known as doubles at another time. Our meal was fabulous although my picture does not look so appetizing.
The next day we were off to Tobago, Trinidad’s other smaller half.
After an exhausting 15 minute flight we departed the plane and walked to our guesthouse, on the way we spotted lots of loose chickens, goats, and even a cow. Even some of the goats have dreadlocks in the Caribbean! One night while walking to dinner I almost tripped over a renegade crab! The rest of the week was spent swimming, relaxing, reading, applying tons of sunscreen (did I mention it’s hot here??) and enjoying pina coladas, cold Caribs and Stags. When school started I found out one of my AP student’s family actually owns not only the beach (Pigeon Point) we were hanging out on but also the Carib and Stag (the man’s beer) beer companies…although it seems awkward to ask your student to hook you up with free beer.
The second week we were here was new teacher orientation. The first day consisted of waiting in the bank for 5 hours to open an account. Again, an example of “Trini time”. Later that evening we went to a lovely restaurant on the ocean where all the yachties park their boats during hurricane season. After waiting over two hours for our food we had quite a buzz from all the drinks we had to pass the time! As orientation week continued we were taken to Maracas Beach on the north coast of the island and Asa Wright Nature Centre, which is one of the most beautiful (and hot) places on earth—the pictures don’t even do it justice. I am not going to lie, going to the beach and the rainforest really doesn’t feel like work!
Our third week here was the first week of school. I am always very nervous for the first day of school, but when I meet the students I feel better and wonder what all the fuss was about…I think it may have been the other way around with Charlie. ☺ As it turns out pre K is quite lively! With the successful completion of the first week of school, ten of us newbie teachers took a trip to the east coast of Trinidad to Matura beach. This is where the huge Leatherback turtles lay their eggs. It is the end of the season for the turtles so we didn’t see the giants, however, we did rescue 22 baby hatchlings from certain death! Dogs dig up their eggs and eat them but the vultures; locals refer to as cobos circling overhead are the real danger. They were beyond cute, we were able to hold them and then we put them in the sand and watched them enter their new life in the sea. We couldn’t put them directly into the water--they have to feel the beach on the way out because they come to the same place as adults to lay their eggs.
Tomorrow morning we will be up at 7am (yikes--on a Saturday!) to head first to the Horticulture Society to buy tropical plants and flowers, and then to the market for fish, shrimp, fruits and vegetables. And then…off to da Beach!
