My memories of Trinidad are poised with stops through Port of Spain so of course I was excited to visit some old haunts. Of course we had to power up and I did so with a Popeye's sandwich. I'm not sure why Trinidad needs to have every international franchise of fried chicken but I'm not complaining.

By the time we got to Port of Spain, things were in full swing. Stalls of all sizes, sluggish traffic and actually,  respectful vendors. Getting around was actually way more challenging than I expected. I weaved through and asked directions as much as possible but I'll be the first to admit that it was quite overwhelming.

I spent most of that time hunting through cloth stores for potential work fabric, hoping to even cop an African print or two. It was quite interesting that the pricing was very comparable to Grenada. Therefore the main advantage was variety. There was an abundance of Syrians and Indians in business. And of course it's always a pleasure to peruse the Chinese stores. Definitely got some much needed electronic pieces for next nothing.

Once I finished up with St. James, I fueled up on some local, local food. I definitely played myself into thinking that all Trinidad had to offer was Indian food. Seeing a big box of mac n cheese pie with some stew meat was the surprise of my life. But my belly was satisfied.

It so happened that today was World Steel Pan Day, so being in the land of Steelpan dictated that the evening be dedicated to that. Woodford Square was suggested by a friend, so I circled back ready for the evening to begin. Turns out people here are on-time time but they like long-drawn out speeches. So I used that time to explore the neighbouring buildings. Turns out the square is a whole heritage site and home to several historical buildings, including the Red House.

I didn't dare enter. The presence of law enforcement officers was enough, but I marvelled at the stature and foreboding existence. The setting of the sun didn't help at all.

Back at Independence Square, I watched the doubles men going at it. I never knew Trinidadians liked their doubles open. I figured that would be a challenge for another day. Kudos to the Rasta man on the other end taking one for the ital team.

I tried to quench my thirst by gravitating towards one of the many snow-cone men and women around me. But one look at the prep made me long for home. I am truly spoilt and I don't care. I want large cups and thick syrup.

Instead I returned to the square to take in the bands that were chosen to play that night. Trinis are known to love a fete so I was not surprised to see moko jumbies shaking their tailfeathers or free red scarfs being giving out to wave (I love a good souvenir).

Skiffle set us up with covers of many popular modern tunes that I allowed my musical ear to pull out. But it was the "forever young" players of ...... mixing the Mission Impossible theme into their performance that warmed my soul. 

All in all, it was a great day. I ended the night with Haagen Dags in hand staring out at Queen's Savannah with one of life's most existential questions. Why did the Moko-Jumbie cross the road? If you figure it out, please let me know and put me out of my misery.

 The aim today was simple. Peruse the UWI Campus. When I was coming to the end of my teaching stint at my alma mater, I applied to UWI Mona Campus. I was ready to pursue this food science thing. The acceptance was quick but the funds, not so much. Once China came into the picture, it was such a fluid thing, that Mona became a thing of the past.

And although I visited St. Augustine, during my TAMCC days, this was my first solo adventure. I woke very early, Honey Bunches of Oats in my stomach, and heading down from Sir Arthur Lewis dorms. Thanks to google maps, I was able to connect some of the landmarks I barely glimpsed yesterday.

I could truly feel the legacy along the paths and see the history in the walls. I passed familiar signs and halls as I pressed towards to my appointment, which surprisingly I was on time for. The whole meeting was God-breathed, but we'll get into that another time.

 

After that, I headed to the food court. Pita Pit much to my surprise had an outlet in Trinidad and was reminiscent of my time in NZ. But Rituals had my full attention. All I needed was my chiller and my laptop and suddenly I found work to do. 

After writing and reading severalll articles, like the good student I was😜, I conceded to a take away chickpea and quinoa lunch from Subway. As I eased onto the other side of campus, I was so shocked to see the sign, Confucius Learning Institute.

A couple years ago, when I wanted to upgrade my HSK certification, I found out that there was a Confucius Institute on UWI campus. So of course, I rushed into the building and up the stairs just to realise I couldn't find the office. After speaking to a secretary nearby, come to find out, they disappeared after Covid and didn't come back. But she was such a rich resource for books and self- learning of Chinese, which was my current journey.

The joy of that must have really topped me up, because in no time I found myself walking the streets of Tunapuna. After circling most of the street and seeing many closing shops, I circled back to the one with the friendly cashier. She didn't convince me to purchase 3 boxes of Fruta for TT$30 but we totally across that the morbid smell slipping through the door was more than a dead animal.

The rest of the evening was spent in my room, chilling and taking in my tiny student bed. The dorm is really quiet without the usual students around, which I appreciate. It's a similar set up to NZ but a larger bathroom to room ratio, like undergrad. There's also a melting pot of ethnicities so I could imagine the pots they be throwing down. But I won't let my imagination run away from me. I am going to be home pretty soon.

Last year around this time, I booked a flight to Trinidad with my best friend. We hoped it would be a girls trip of sorts, exploring a country together, shopping, cute food and the like. The things they do on the gram. Of course, neither of us were new to Trinidad. We had aunties, uncles, cousins. In fact, I roamed the streets of Arima and Laventille (not so much) as a kid and have distinct memories of buying felt paper, pastries and school books in Port of Spain. I was quite excited to make some memories.