July 2009
16 posts
{Adam}
Charlotte and I had the privilege of attending a pretty intense meeting the other day. And since I know everyone is itching to hear about it, I am going to outline the day here. Last Thursday, Charlotte and I get a phone call from our supervisor, David Williams, inviting us to the (re)swearing in of the Mayor, Adrian Cabralis. This was a formal affair, so after a frantic, sweaty, trip...
serias?
{Sheena}
Here is the second installment of the basic guide to Trini culture: local lingo! Though we’re all speaking English, we’re not all speaking English…here, a little guide to what some common phrases/words mean:
Lime. Adjective, to chill. Noun, a kickback. I’m going to a lime in South. or You limin’ tonight?
“Oh shocks” = basically another way to...
"Whooooa...we're half way there!"
{Steph}
Today officially marks the 15-day coutdown till we return to the States! Woop woop! With such a short period of time left in Trinidad, I’ve began thinking about all the things that have made this a one-of-a-kind experience for me.
The group. My groupmates are all personable characters in their own rights: full of personality, jokes, and just pure greatness. Though we’re...
{Adam}
This past weekend, I was lucky enough to have my parents come visit me. In between taking them to the local hotspots, my workplace, and Tobago, some discussions began about the different things that I am hoping to accomplish here.
One conversation in particular has stuck with me for the remainder of the weekend and has forced me to do some serious thinking about my work here. At dinner, my...
{Charlotte}
Last week, we finished making our slides based on the report we wrote. The PPT contains about 50 slides, which is far longer than we expected, but we indeed have much to say about the project. As our work going on, I realized that there are more issues within the market than I expected. At the beginning, I only observed the sanitation, security, illegal vendor, and size issues of the...
A Local Now?
{Sarah}
Yesterday was the first day I ran into a local that I knew on the street. He was really sweet and walked out of his way with me all the way from the maxi stop to drop me off at a taxi (he actually said he was doing this to show me he was a good guy haha). But it also made me realize that after 6 weeks here I really feel like I am part of the community. This morning I took a taxi from the...
{Adam}
Charlotte layed it out pretty well. We are finishing our report, and gearing up to present it to the Arima Corporation Council. The report has ballooned since we first started, and if its length is any indication (the first single spaced document I’ve ever written over 10 pages), we have done some serious work. Our suggestions for market improvements seem simple enough, and we hope...
{Charlotte}
Last week, Adam and I started to write our report after we had finished all the interviews and surveys. We edited our project proposal according to the comments of our OTGC and wrote our report based on the project proposal. Our report includes the project goal, sub-goals, background information, the results of the surveys, discussions, and conclusion. After giving out the outline of...
{Lisa}
In the Port-of-Spain, glistening skyscrapers and brilliant feats of architecture are rising out of the sparkling sea, pulled out by the able hands of a government obsessed with development. The people of this country demand cars and Internet access and everything else the first world has gorged itself upon. This country is intent on having all the trappings of the first world, and there is...
fast food nation
{Sheena}
Now that we know a little more about Trinidad, I thought it’d be fitting to give a little rundown of Trini culture and life from an American perspective. This post: food, and in particular, fast food. Some of the other group members have already talked about roti and doubles so I won’t go too much into that except to say that they are delicious, cheap, and undoubtedly terrible for you....
The Fourth of July in Trinidad
{Sarah}
When the Fourth of July came around, rather than celebrating with fireworks or parades, Sheena and I got up at 6 am to go into work and interview illegal vendors. We we in charge of approximately 10 people and all 12 of us went to different illegal vending hotspots in the city to interview and compile information about the vendors. We ended up finding about 75 illegal vendors, though...
{Lisa}
I had always thought that the worst you could do when confronted with a request for help from another was nothing. But, over the past four weeks, I’ve learned there is indeed a far worse response—it is perhaps precisely the response I have been giving—the sprinkling of false hope.
Whenever I am asked what I am doing in Trinidad or what the purpose of these interviews my colleague and I have...
{Lisa}
Taking public transportation is the easiest and quickest way to get to know the heart of Trinidad. On the maxi taxis—small, cheap 10-passenger vans—you’ll see why Trinis pride themselves on being a true melting pot; the passengers on the maxi can range from the very young—children getting off from school, still in their uniforms—to the very old and there is always a mix of...
{Adam}
Surpassing the halfway mark of our trip, it seems like a perfect time to reflect on what it means to be in Trinidad (in all honesty, it’s not just the timing inspiring me to write about this…add in the fact that Charlotte pretty much summed up our entire work week in her post, and I’d say I really don’t have a choice). After being here for 5 weeks, I feel like I’m finally starting to get...
{Charlotte}
I have been here for about 4 weeks and have gradually got used to the accent and culture here. During the first week I could hardly understand the local people’s English, but now the situation is much better. I have tasted the delicious roti, bake and shark, double and coconut water. I have watched local sexy and passionate dance. However, as Sheena said, people here have a racism...
just deal with it?
{Sheena}
Almost every day that I’m out in public, I get called out for being Chinese. Sometimes, it’s in an almost observational way, like “Oh, look, a Chinese person,” but other times it’s just a tiny bit harsher than that. Two of the more memorable occasions:
Case #1: Tunapuna Market Sarah and I are walking around the market trying to familiarize ourselves with...