What You Wanted to Know About Trinidad

I realize the last few posts have been a bit heavy, courtesy I guess of the reality of working with HIV. I'll try to keep it lighter here, have a little fun letting you know little bits of life in Trinidad.

It's too hot. Believe it or not, I actually miss the snow. All week, it's been hot and oppressively humid, on the cusp of rain but the rain never fell. Actually, there's a water shortage now because it's the dry season and we get so little rain. (I always wondered how much of a difference there would be, but it's stark--in the rainy season, it rained at least five minutes in every day; during the dry season, if we get one day of rain every three weeks, we're blessed.) I don't so much worry about it, because I live in a very well-off area, but a family that invites me for lunch after church Sundays will be without water for the weekend, at camp we had to take bucket showers to conserve water, and the clinic water comes and goes.

Sahina is my favorite Trini food. Everyone is surprised it's not doubles (channa, or curry chickpeas, with pepper sauce or sweet sauce in a thin fried bread), but if you're me, can you really surpass fried leafy green vegetables? Roti is also popular. In the mornings, sada roti is popular, which is kind of like a thick pita. Buss up shut is lunch time, a much thinner fried bread. I've gotten it twice in the last two weeks with channa and curry potatoes at Mom's Diner (run by a family I know from church) on High Street. "Mom" said she'd teach me to make curry and roti as well, so I can make it for all my friends in my spare time in the States. I made saltfish successfully for the first time today--perhaps you remember the fiasco that was the saltfish at Thanksgiving? Well, this time I was sure to rinse it, soak it, and boil it and it worked! I was proud :) I think it's grapefruit season here, and I think I could do a grapefruit diet for a couple of weeks, that's how good they are. I bought six on Thursday, and they make me happy. Today, on my way home from the hospital, I bought a semicircle of coconut bake and a cassava pone (kind of a tart thing...hard to describe), okra, cabbage, bananas, and a plantain for about $6US. Amazing, isn't it? Things that I am surprised to find I like: oysters (well, I think I like them!), okra, cabbage, cassava root, pepper sauce (slight!).

If I look out the window of my apartment, I can see fragments of the sunset, and it fills my kitchen/dining area with a lovely orange or watermelon-colored light if I time it right. In the evenings in the first quarter of the moon, I can also see the moon-sliver setting. On Wednesdays when I get up early, my bedroom is filled with a soft, muted light from the sunrise.

My perfect moment today occurred on my walk. I stood halfway down a hill, with the sun setting to my right behind a stand of silhouetted palms and a tower of clouds. Just to my left, the nearly full moon was rising large over a classic scene. Coconut palms heavy with fruit. Trini houses of vibrant colors, including violet, sea foam green, cream, and orange and teal. A slight breeze blew my hair behind me. In front of me, the road, with its potholes and softening pavement.

My favorite time of day here and everywhere is twilight with its silences. I can see the Atlantic from the back of the clinic, and every day it makes me smile. Sometimes, I can see the refinery in the distance, and the lines of oil rigs out if it's a busy week. The country here is filled with old sugar cane fields and wide open spaces. The people come in all colors and sizes, and they laugh easily. KFC serves fish during Lent. Driving and walking both take a mix of aggression, insanity, and careful precision. Everyone greets everyone else with a "Good Morning" or "Good Evening." Taxi drivers like finding ways to help the foreigner find a La Romaine car so I can get home. Stands sell pirated movies for very low prices, but you have to be sure of the quality. This morning, as I walked to the hospital to visit my patients, I couldn't help but feel the city itself was in motion.