Homestay in San Fernando - crazy events!

We’re now back in Trinidad from Tobago, which is kind of sad, because I loved Tobago. But before Tobago was our weekend homestay, which was definitely a memorable experience. I went with Sam to San Fernando, where we stayed with Mr. Mohammed. When we arrived in San Fernando we waited for Mr. Mohammed at the San Fernando Creative Arts Center, which he is the head of. (Most Trinis operate on what we like to call “Trini Time”, which means that people show up and events start anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours later than they are supposed to start. I’m quickly starting to learn patience, although I still operate on American time!) While we were waiting, Mr. Cupid, a member of the National Carnival Commission and one of our lecturers for our Caribbean Culture and Society class, talked to us about various cultural and historical aspects of Trinidad. Mr. Cupid’s talks are sometimes difficult to follow, as he makes these profound connections in his mind that he shares without telling you how he got there. What I have been able to understand is amazing, but he can be difficult to follow. Also, while the national language of Trinidad and Tobago is English, most people speak a Patwa, which is an English creole that is difficult to understand. Anyways, Mr. Cupid told us all about the oil and natural gas industry in Trinidad, which is big near San Fernando. According to Mr. Cupid, World War I was won in Trinidad because the British relied on Trinidadian oil to power all of their war equipment. In World War II German U-boats attacked Trinidad to try and gain control of the oil. Churchill and FDR also met in Trinidad, where they struck a deal in which Great Britain would receive old U.S. war ships and the U.S. received prime pieces of land in Trinidad to build naval bases. The U.S. did not leave Trinidad until about twenty years after the war. Another point that Mr. Cupid made several times was that in Trinidad, there are not really any religious tensions. Almost everyone celebrates Christmas, Diwali, and Eid, whether or not they are Christian, Hindu or Muslim. The Sunni and Shiite also worship together in the same mosques here. This is remarkable if you consider how in most of the rest of the world these different sects cannot get along on anything.

Mr. Mohammed is an old Muslim man, very involved with local politics (he used to be deputy mayor of San Fernando) and local Carnival (he’s one of the mas judges for San Fernando Carnival). Mr. Mohammed is a scary driver to ride with. First of all, in Trinidad people drive on the left side of the road, which is difficult to get used to. Mr. Mohammed honks his horn every time he turns a corner, starts his car, backs up, or just drives down a street to let other drivers (who are not always nearby) know he is coming. Drivers here also barrel through spaces that Americans would not dream of driving though at all, as cars will pass with literally inches to spare. So my hours long tour of San Fernando occurred under these driving conditions. We arrived in San Fernando on Friday afternoon, and got driven all around the city. San Fernando is in southern Trinidad, built on a hillside close to the coast. That night we drove around the city to different mas camps and steel pan yards. Mas (short for masquerade) camps are the places where all the Carnival costumes are made. We went to four different camps, where we looked at the elaborate costumes that people could order. Trinidadians go all out for Carnival, and the costumes were covered in hand done beading and trim. The last mas camp we visited had lots of people working on hats and headdresses. They were attaching feathers and sequins and such to them, and it made me so excited to see/participate in Carnival next month. We also went to listen to several different steel pan groups practice for Carnival. At least one of the bands is consistently in the finals of Panorama, the nationwide steel pan competition during Carnival. The bands were amazing! PLU has a steel pan ensemble, and no offense to them, but these bands were a thousand times better than PLU will ever be. It’s also crazy when you realize how expensive these bands are to maintain. Each steel pan costs around $100,000 TT to tune correctly, and some of the bands have over 100 musicians. But they sound amazing, so it’s totally worth it.

On Saturday morning Sam and I walked on High Street in downtown San Fernando for a while. It has all these shops which look tiny from the street, but then go back a long ways and also end up having multiple floors. I tried doubles for the first time, which are a popular Indian food. The fillings vary, but these ones had fried dough with a lightly curried chickpea mixture inside. They’re pretty good, although I had better ones in Charlotteville, which were a lot sweeter and lighter. We also got lost a few times getting to City Hall where we were supposed to meet Mr. Mohammed, but because he was running late we got to sit and enjoy the few and the old Spanish colonial buildings which house City Hall and the police station. We then drove to the Regional Carnival 2010 kickoff, which was held just east of Tunapuna. When we got there we had no idea what was going on, because Trinis also don’t really like to tell you where you are going, they just tell you to get in the car and then take off. So we arrive at this place where a big stage is set up and there are food vendors set up, and then Mr. Mohammed sent us off with some of his friends. So Sam and I ended up liming on a random street for around two hours, and then watched some mokojumbes (the men on stilts) get ready, and then just sit on their bus, waiting. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a giant parade with all the traditional Carnival characters started coming down the street. There were drum groups on trucks, and bands, and mokojumbes, and the Midnight Robber, and Blue Devils, and it was so loud and exciting and crazy. Then we walked back to the giant stage where all the different groups got announced and performed a short choreographed dance, where the MC was none other than Mr. Mohammed, who is apparently a member of the Regional Carnival Committee. Lots of groups performed, and then were walking around afterwards. Some of the Blue Devils breathe fire, and then walk around scaring people and harassing them until they receive money. When the Blue Devils came around to me I gave the first guy a dollar, but then the devil right behind him came over and wouldn’t leave us alone. The Blue Devils are covered in blue paint and gold glitter, so the paint gets all over everything, including clothes (not fun!). But the ladies sitting in front of me were really nice and tried to get the Blue Devils to leave me alone. Everyone I’ve met here has been really nice and friendly and welcoming, and you can tell they want you to have a really great experience here. After all the groups finished performing different people made speeches, and they played the national anthem on the steel pan, which makes sense because it is the national instrument, but it was really cool to hear the steel pan played again.

On Sunday Mr. Mohammed took us to a Spiritual Baptist church, which was definitely an experience. There was lots of singing and dancing and drums at the service, which lasted over two hours. The majority of the Spiritual Baptists are female, which was interesting, and the archbishop was there, who was also a female. Everyone had on matching/coordinating clothes, which looked amazing but made me feel even more out of place than I already felt. In the middle of the service, Mr. Mohammed got up in front of the congregation (taking me and Sam with him!) and introduced us and made a speech which was kind of a summary of all the various tidbits of wisdom he had been giving us all weekend. It was crazy, because here’s this old Indian, Muslim man, whom everyone knows and respects enough to have him get up and address a completely African, Spiritual Baptist church. In Trinidad the population is pretty evenly split between Africans and East Indians, so it was interesting to see how Mr. Mohammed was able to fit into a different group. After church we got to go to the top of San Fernando hill, which overlooks the entire city, and then we got picked up to head back to Tunapuna.

Also, they don’t have normal milk here, it’s all in a box or powdered and it doesn’t taste the same at all. So I am craving milk so much right now! And I don’t know how I will live without milk for four months!

I will update on my trip to Tobago when I have more time, I haven't had internet in a week and a half, sorry it's so long!