Sweet TnT/Carnival 2018
One of the many things I planned as soon as I
found out that I’d been approved for my sabbatical during the 2017-2018
academic year was ask my partner, Ryan, if we could go to Carnival in
Trinidad. The timing of Carnival is
during the beginning of my spring semester at The City College of New York and
not a good time to take off, so this was my chance! And not only get there but
for ten days! #sabbaticallife
As soon as we landed, I could feel the oil
back in my dry skin, dry from the cold winter weather back in New York. The pace of life is much more relaxed in
Trinidad and you can breathe that in as soon as you get there. People are
friendly and family warmly welcomed us.
Trinidad is one of the most diverse countries
I’ve ever been to and the food reflects that greatly. I was exposed to a mix of Indian, Chinese and
the delicious taste of the Caribbean. I
can’t tell you how yummy the food is… And Ryan is a big fan of the fresh
oysters. He has a guy named Romey. The
way they eat them there is by putting them into a shot glass and then filling
it with whatever combination of oyster sauce you’d like. Romey not only has the freshest oysters but
also the best selection of sauces.
The market is one of my favorite things to do
when we go there. You can’t help but be hypnotized by the smells and colors of
the market. We get up early and go with
his Aunt and Uncle. Walking around
smelling all the fresh fruits and vegetables is just a delight.
Some of the other spectacular things we did
was visit the beautiful beaches in Tobago, Maracas Beach in Trinidad, walk
through a nature preserve and visit a hummingbird sanctuary, have a river lime,
steel pan and of course visit tons of family.
This was one of my favorite things to do: even visiting the cemetery,
where we visited his grandmother, great grandmother, and great, great
grandfather. Getting bits and pieces of how people traveled was extremely
fascinating to me.
Carnival was an experience. I went to many fetes’ and participated in
jouvert and what an experience it was! As
we watched the performances I was so impressed by the diversity and inclusion
of so many different countries and cultures from many of the islands in the
Caribbean and beyond. I did learn that I
turn into a pumpkin around midnight, however – just like Cinderella! And
marching in a band as part of jouvert celebration was an experience! Wearing my
costume and covered in paint dancing at 4am – marching around the city was
amazing and so celebratory!
By far the one thing I hope to retain was the
essence of enjoyment and a slower pace of life. People there manage to get everything done
but don’t seem as rushed and celebrate every moment. I am so grateful for the experience.
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