Hello all.
I have obviously been a little negligent when it comes to entertaining you all with my blog recently. And I am sorry for that. Unfortunately, when the novelty of living in Suriname wore off for me, it became harder and harder for me to think of appropriate things to talk about in this public space. As I got used to the place, I became more and more occupied with making friends and the drudgery of routine. Thus the most interesting topics for me became some interaction I had with some neighbor, or whether I needed to go do laundry in the river today.
It is safe to say I have spared you all some very uninteresting posts. So, when it comes down to it, I was really doing you all a favor. I'm so generous.
Alas, the time has now come to end this blog. For some weeks now, I have been a RETURNED Peace Corps Volunteer. The last few months were a blur, as I struggled to finish my work and to get as much as I could out of social relationships I had formed. I am proud to say, the construction of the pour-flush toilets did, in the end, get completed. We were awfully close there. I had a goodbye meeting with my villagers, in which we opened the toilets for business. Now it's up to them to keep them up!
My village also threw me a little party. It was very nice of them, and the band that I was a groupie of, Tranga Faya, to hold this party for me. I cried the whole way through it, and was a terrible party guest, but that is what happens when the realization hits that you have invested all of your time and energy into something that is about to end abruptly.
And so, to all you faithful readers, it's been swell. I hope you learned something about Suriname, and I hope you saw some awesome pictures.
Until next time,
Alissa
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Carnival. WOW.
Hello All.
I just got back from a week of vacation in Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago are two islands in the caribbean, but they are one country. We stayed on Tobago, which is a tiny island. By the end of the week we had literally driven around the whole island and explored almost every beach. Tobago has about 50,000 people on it, but you wouldn't believe it if you went there. It has a very small-community feel. Trinidad had the bulk of the population, somewhere around 1.5 million, and many Trinidadians (that's the official term) go to Tobago for a relaxing vacation. Most of the country's income is from oil and gas exports, as opposed to most of the other Caribbean Islands, which contributes to the country's increased wealth and less-developed tourism.
But we went there for CARNIVAL! Many countries have events for Carnival, but from what I understand, this one is the real thing. (Is that true??) Anyways, for Trinidadians, preparations for the carnival start around december, when this year's most popular Soca music goes up for evaluation. The artists spend the next two months performing their songs and the whole thing culminates in discovering the winner about two days before the carnival. This music is everywhere.
We flew from Tobago to Trinidad for the event itself. Monday morning, starting at 3 AM, is an event called "J'ouvert." People have usually paid to get into one of the "bands" that has a set route along the streets. A band will have a giant music truck, an open bar truck, a toilet truck, and sometimes even a breakfast truck, and you just walk alongside them. We did not pay to get in, but we just followed one band around all night. And as you walk, you spray paint at each other, throw mud, alcohol, whatever you have. It's one big mess. And a whole lot of fun.
That ended about 8 AM. Then people go home and wash up. (We didn't have a home in Trinidad, so we just stayed dirty.) Starting around 10 AM on monday is the rehearsal parade, which is much like walking around with a band at J'ouvert only without mud. You can also pay to get into one of these. Again, we did not. Some people are already wearing their costumes, most are wearing the skimpiest clothes you have ever seen people wear in your life. This goes until nighttime. At this point, my friends and I had to go home because we had a flight.
But, no rest for the weary! Starting about 7 AM tuesday morning, the bands are out in full costume, and they parade around ALL DAY until nightfall. This is the event you can see on TV fairly often. You should find some videos on youtube. There are smaller versions of this in every city of Trinidad, and there was one on Tobago that we attended. And then there was much drinking and dancing after nightfall. You have to party hard because starting at midnight is Ash Wednesday, and you have to start repenting all the sins you committed at Carnival.
All in all, it was a crazy week, full of parades and Soca music and beaches and snorkeling and seafood. I had a wonderful time and I am starting to think I should take up residency in Trinidad. What a great place!
See you all next time!
I just got back from a week of vacation in Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago are two islands in the caribbean, but they are one country. We stayed on Tobago, which is a tiny island. By the end of the week we had literally driven around the whole island and explored almost every beach. Tobago has about 50,000 people on it, but you wouldn't believe it if you went there. It has a very small-community feel. Trinidad had the bulk of the population, somewhere around 1.5 million, and many Trinidadians (that's the official term) go to Tobago for a relaxing vacation. Most of the country's income is from oil and gas exports, as opposed to most of the other Caribbean Islands, which contributes to the country's increased wealth and less-developed tourism.
But we went there for CARNIVAL! Many countries have events for Carnival, but from what I understand, this one is the real thing. (Is that true??) Anyways, for Trinidadians, preparations for the carnival start around december, when this year's most popular Soca music goes up for evaluation. The artists spend the next two months performing their songs and the whole thing culminates in discovering the winner about two days before the carnival. This music is everywhere.
We flew from Tobago to Trinidad for the event itself. Monday morning, starting at 3 AM, is an event called "J'ouvert." People have usually paid to get into one of the "bands" that has a set route along the streets. A band will have a giant music truck, an open bar truck, a toilet truck, and sometimes even a breakfast truck, and you just walk alongside them. We did not pay to get in, but we just followed one band around all night. And as you walk, you spray paint at each other, throw mud, alcohol, whatever you have. It's one big mess. And a whole lot of fun.
That ended about 8 AM. Then people go home and wash up. (We didn't have a home in Trinidad, so we just stayed dirty.) Starting around 10 AM on monday is the rehearsal parade, which is much like walking around with a band at J'ouvert only without mud. You can also pay to get into one of these. Again, we did not. Some people are already wearing their costumes, most are wearing the skimpiest clothes you have ever seen people wear in your life. This goes until nighttime. At this point, my friends and I had to go home because we had a flight.
But, no rest for the weary! Starting about 7 AM tuesday morning, the bands are out in full costume, and they parade around ALL DAY until nightfall. This is the event you can see on TV fairly often. You should find some videos on youtube. There are smaller versions of this in every city of Trinidad, and there was one on Tobago that we attended. And then there was much drinking and dancing after nightfall. You have to party hard because starting at midnight is Ash Wednesday, and you have to start repenting all the sins you committed at Carnival.
All in all, it was a crazy week, full of parades and Soca music and beaches and snorkeling and seafood. I had a wonderful time and I am starting to think I should take up residency in Trinidad. What a great place!
See you all next time!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Yep.
Just a heads up, I have uploaded a couple of pictures to Picasa. Check those out.
It's february, everyone. That means my time in Suriname is getting short! I am down to 5 months left. Everyone here is starting to look for jobs or schools to apply for. All of our staff is overworked and thinking only about things that they need to do to close the Post. A lot of staff members have been looking for other employment and many have quit and left the remaining people with even more work. It's getting crazy over here.
With that said, if anyone wants to offer me a job, I'm open to suggestions.
More updates coming up!
It's february, everyone. That means my time in Suriname is getting short! I am down to 5 months left. Everyone here is starting to look for jobs or schools to apply for. All of our staff is overworked and thinking only about things that they need to do to close the Post. A lot of staff members have been looking for other employment and many have quit and left the remaining people with even more work. It's getting crazy over here.
With that said, if anyone wants to offer me a job, I'm open to suggestions.
More updates coming up!
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