Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Living a Piece of History

Monday marked election day in Trinidad. The day of the decision, where everyone by the end of they day would have their fingers dipped pink, a sure sign they voted. Based on proportions of advertising and listening to my friends talk, I thought the outcome would be clear--the incumbent PNM and Patrick Manning would remain in power. Though I enjoyed watching the country prepare, I wasn't sorry to say goodbye to the trucks passing by the hospital at the tail end of visiting hours, blaring "We voting PNM" at the top of their lungs, to the point where you can't hear the person in the bed next to you. Or the UNC truck parked outside my apartment last week, shouting "Who we voting? Carolyn. Who we supporting Kamla" to the point where the glasses in the cabinet were rattling.

Monday night, I was alternating between reading and writing when Vidya called me--did I want to go to Couva, to UNC headquarters? Though I was tired, I wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to see something unique and to possibly see history being made. We arrived, and finagled our way upstairs (though we weren't technically supposed to be there; once we were there, we were fine though...being foreign helped me, and Vidya has lots of connections), where results were coming in and every time the People's Partnership (UNC, COP, and a few others) won a seat, a green check mark was placed on the board to much cheering and shouting. I don't think the energy in the room could have been better. The partnership was doing surprisingly (to me) well, and kept gaining ground. When we got the swing seat of Tobago West, the room just erupted; people screaming and cheering and smiling, blowing into plastic horns and jumping up and down. The energy was contagious. I couldn't help being excited too. About an hour or two into the night, they announced that Manning had conceded; Kamla would be the next prime minister and the Partnership had won. It was a moment of history. Kamla was the "Change Candidate," like Obama, and the first woman prime minister--and she ended up winning by a landslide, the Partnership taking something like 29 or 31 of the country's seats. (Or maybe UNC alone took that many seats...can't remember.) It was a privilege, to be in the US to elect the first black President, and then to witness the announcement of the first woman prime minister in Trinidad. I wish I could explain the excitement in the room, all these people upstairs, many many many more downstairs, celebrating victory. The rest of the night passed with candidates and victors passing through to a cavalcade of cheers; Kamla's name was like a magic word--each time it was uttered, the joy became even more powerful, the screams louder. We of course missed Kamla--she didn't actually come upstairs, unfortunately. But as we left, just standing amid 100,000+ people gathered to celebrate, watching fireworks explode and the 3/4 moon rise, wow, just to be a part of that was incredible. Worth getting home at 3am for, absolutely. (I will say though, that the young woman waiting for a taxi with me one night was right on--election day is like Carnival...free food and drink, people coming in at 2am, an all-night party. Leaving though, despite the incredible traffic, reminded me why I love this country--cars going and coming would pause and talk on the street, passers by were helping cars back up without hitting anything, people called out excitedly to strangers...)

A week and a half ago, I traveled to the Performing Arts Center in Port of Spain (which cost more money than many citizens wanted to spend, has a hotel in it, and looks very much like the Sydney Opera House, though it illuminates very nicely at night) to see a steel pan show--Genesis in Steel, featuring the National Steel Symphony Orchestra. Steel Symphony Orchestra? You bet, and it sounds more orchestral than you would believe. I am almost always fascinated by steel pan music as a whole; I can't quite fathom how it makes the sounds it does, which are lighter and more elegant than you'd expect. Given that, the Genesis performance simply blew me away. Though the program did include Calypso (and Latin and Broadway), the entire first act was classical--Bach, Candide, Tchaikovsky, all that. (And Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, which gave me chills.) And wow. Just wow. I don't think I could describe it if I tried, but it just knocked my socks off. You could hear the strings and the brass within the steel pan. It was unlike anything I'd seen. I am only sorry I became aware of them just now, as I am getting ready to leave the country.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Trinidad At Election Time

About a month ago, the security in the clinic came down to where Sister Lewis and I were talking about the daily nursing report and preparing to leave--"Did you hear? Manning dissolved Parliament!" For those that don't know, as I didn't, the Trini Prime Minister can serve up to five years at a time, but he also has the power to choose when the election will occur--usually by dissolving Parliament (if that occurs, then an election date will be set in the very near future). In this case, Trini Prime Minister Patrick Manning dissolved Parliament just before they could give him a no-confidence vote (my sense is that is something like an impeachment, but I could be wrong there). And so we have elections May 24. I am excited for many reasons--even though I hate politics. I am curious to see how this thing plays out, what techniques candidates use--and I am learning how the political system in Trinidad is set up.

It works like this--there are two main political parties in Trinidad, the People's National Movement (PNM) and the United National Congress (UNC, in alliance now with the Congress of the People, or COP). Historically (and in reality, for the most part), the PNM is the black vote, and the UNC is the Indian vote. Trinidad is broken up into constituencies that are slightly larger than a single town, or are half a city like San Fernando. Both the PNM and UNC put a candidate up for Parliament in that constituency, and the people choose. The party that has the majority has control, and the Prime Minister is the party's leader. In the case of the PNM, it's Patrick Manning (though if the PNM wins but he loses his seat, someone else will take over the role of PM), and UNC is Kamla. It should be close. Listening to the PNM, Kamla is unprepared, and is not running a smart campaign. I just can't fathom Manning winning, if his Parliament nearly voted no confidence in him. I asked Mr. Beepath, a PNM supporter, about health care and he gave a bad but politically correct answer. The conversation after the SAS PR committee meeting yesterday reminded me so much of certain discussions I used to have at Marist....

So what's it like to be here during a political time? It's exciting. The undercurrents in the air are exciting. People are constantly talking, signs are posted everywhere, parties trash-talk each other constantly. I witnessed the fringes of a PNM rally last week (causing it to take an hour for me to get a La Romaine taxi to take me home), and walked through the beginning of a UNC rally on my way to church the next day. Hoards of people in the proper colors turned out, and the voices could be heard from quite a circumference. In the early morning, workers were out powerwashing the confetti on the Promenade down the drains. Music is the preferred medium for paid political announcements--and honestly, I find it works much better than the dull bashing of the other candidate or making empty promises of US ads. I heard the PNM song (soca--can you just imagine replacing Patrick Manning...my only concern is what if the answer is yes?) five times in an hour one day, and it ran through my head for the rest of the day. UNC has a few songs too--one talking about change, and another saying how Manning must go. Secretly (though don't tell Mr. Beepath), I am rooting for the UNC. In part because I could be witnessing history. After being in the US and electing the change candidate and first black President Obama, I'd love to be in Trinidad where the change candidate and first woman Prime Minister Kamla is elected.

I apologize for my continued long silence--now internet is even scarce, never mind time. My parents came up shortly after my last post--had a lovely visit, and loved the Tobago beaches (kudos to my dad, for driving the narrow, winding Tobago roads on the wrong side of the road!). Pirate's Bay, just a bit away from Speyside, is one of my most favorite beaches ever, with it's calm aquamarine water and palm trees and overhanging mangoes. In Trinidad, I am loving my work, loving my patients dearly. I had a wonderful time with a few from New Horizons, a place for socially displaced persons to get back on their feet, today--they always make me laugh. Last week, I was a part of a small miracle where a woman who was homeless and in the words of a nurse "liked living on the streets" finally wanted to get help--and everything went right so that she could. I still struggle with the balance between caring enough and caring too much, but I am getting there. We've now lost eight patients that I have worked with (I think actually nine now), but I am learning, and I am grateful. I leave Trinidad July 22. I will miss the people here more than anything. That's how it always is--I miss the people moreso than the place. The only place I miss is DC, so I will be happy to be spending the next four years of my life there. (By the way, if anyone knows anyone wealthy who wants to put me through medical school, I promise I will work anywhere in the world they'd like me to for four years after residency...I just signed my loan paperwork and the amount of money I will be borrowing is terrifying).

Be well, all of you, and God bless and keep you.