Untitled

This blog is called 'untitled' because the way I feel right now is unexplainable more or less. Between Saturday night and Monday morning, so many things happened at once that left me feeling confused, hurt and now numb. But there are just a couple things I feel need to get off my chest.

First, I'd like to state that I appreciate honesty, even though I may not like the truth at first, I would still respect you very much and even thank you in the end if you highlighted something to me that no one else would dare mention. That's why the respect and trust I have for my parents and my sister is second to none. I really don't appreciate being told sometime afterward how you really feel. It sucks because I did feel that way, and now I do not, and I'm pretty sure I can't go back feeling the way I did before. Knowing myself, I tend to try to move forward as much as I possibly can, because dwelling on past issues has made me too stressed out than I need to be. So honestly all I can say right now is yes, there is nothing that can be done about that, but I don't want to be resented. I still consider you a friend, and I hope you can still consider me such in the future. But as of now, I appreciate your honesty and I respect you and trust you a bit more for it. Right now though, I honestly resent the timing. But who knows what the future may hold.

Second, I just have to rant on this, because this is what has me most upset, confused, hurt and kinda weirded out at the moment. I've been friends with this person for just over ten years (wow has it been that long?), and recently she has been getting more into her religion and refraining from several things that she has done in the past, like listening to certain genres of music and watching certain TV shows. Because she was my friend, I accepted her changes, and her new found commitment to her religion. She changed for the better, and I watched in pride as my friend grew from her old ways, to her new sacred ways. However, I have noticed that she has been drifting away from me and her other friends from high school and university. I thought okay, she needs her space and she'd reach out when she's ready, and I backed off a bit. But I noticed that she wouldn't try to reach out, and would literally avoid most outings I would invite her to. The way we kept in contact oftentimes was via Twitter, and I know it was the one place I could have reached her reliably if I wanted to. I felt as though it was the sole real bind to the friendship we possessed. My friend dealt me a blow when she told she only wants to follow pages on Twitter that relate to her religion and that she wants to follow persons whose tweets she relates to.  I felt really hurt that she basically wanted to dislodge what I thought to be the last stronghold of friendship we held. I'm not sure how to react to this, but right now I'm pretty annoyed about it. I get the feeling now, as of this moment, we'd be drifting apart. Her unfollowing me symbolizes the beginning of the end of the friendship we had. At first I thought maybe I'm overreacting, but the 'being distant' thing has been going on a while, and this is the abrupt beginning of what I feel is the end. Everything between us changes now, and it is kinda hard for me to believe.

Not sure how I feel about this totally, but right now I'm definitely annoyed and confused.

The last thing I want to talk about is the blog I saw of three American female citizens travelling into Trinidad for a relative's wedding. The were yelled at, beaten and arrested by airport authorities, and have been in jail for the past few days. The entire situation to me is very unfortunate, and it does paint travelling to my country in horrible way. I am actually in shock at this story. But what's interesting is that persons who are Trinidadian, who do not live in Trinidad are using this story as a justification as to why they're not living here, and that's why Trinidad is in such a bad place, and that's why Trinidad is backward. This is just one story and one must remember there are always three sides to a story. Yes it is an unfortunate situation, but should this story really be used as an excuse for you not living here? I think everyone has choices, and I think those who migrated made a choice to do so whether it was a difficult or easy decision. The story, nonetheless, is a very unfortunate one, and I hope they come out of this situation soon. One thing's for sure though, future visitors, if they read the story, would be wary of visiting, which is understandable. The tourist experience begins and ends with the flight, and if the flight experience is bad, it will taint the rest of the time they spend at a destination. Therefore airport authorities need to be more careful when interacting with travelers at that point.

End of rant. However, gonna try my best to have positive vibes today mayne.

Lime Grove

Ah yes, the second week comes to a close. I'm kinda relieved since I'm closer to going back to Trinidad but at the same time I'm saying WAIT! hold up time! Got the rest of Bim to explore. But of course time says, you're joking right? -_-

This week was a tad weird for me. I started to feel a bit homesick, and all I could have thought about really was my family, friends and Trini food: pelau, curry, callaloo and the like. I even miss Trini KFC, which to me is so much better. But then I also had my good times with my interns and just interacting with the family I'm staying with about history, general world issues (especially the Brazil protests) and celebrity news (got used to the name North 'Nori' West). My intern peeps are cool too. One finished this Friday, one mastered my accent (lol I would master the Bajan accent), one started gym and the other just finished watching Scandal and is about to start Game of Thrones :D

So today, we went to Lime Grove, which in essence is an upscale mall and cinema catered directly to affluent visitors. At this mall, you'd find brand name stores like Louis Vuitton and Mac, and gourmet dessert stores and coffee shops. It's like a plaza, with a very European feel, and it has a very romantic type of atmosphere. Since I was going to see 'Man of Steel' at the cinema there, I daydreamed for a minute or two of me and the ever gorgeous Henry Cavill strolling through this cool place. *sighh*

                                                                **swoons**

                                                 (First view when I entered the Lime Grove)

The cinema to me is really posh. The seating is all leather, there's a lot of room, there's a buzzer on your table to call a waiter to bring you something to eat on the menu, there's a security buzzer too. On the menu there's wine, and beer, and burgers and fries, and other junk foods. It reminded me of IMAX Trinidad =) but there is way better in terms of ambiance. Man of Steel was a good movie for me overall, but it was good for me mostly 'cause of Henry Cavill ;)

But whenever you're coming to Bim, ensure you go to Lime Grove, whether its just to stroll, take in a movie, or purchase way overpriced goods =)

                                                          (View from the cinema balcony)

(View of the courtyard)

Barbados is just vibes so far yes =) It has its ups and downs, but it has mostly been great so far!

And it continues

Blog time yay! J

Everyone is asking me how my first week went, and all I can say is that it has been interesting. Interesting in that, it’s the first week I’ve gone without seeing my mom, dad and younger sister. Interesting in that, I’m in a different country and adjusting to life here in the next few weeks. 

Interesting in that, I’m learning more about myself; things that I would not have learned if I was back home right now. 

Interesting in that, I’m meeting some really interesting people.

I've used the word interesting too much...but you catch my drift.

At work on Friday, I was literally mesmerized at the plans they would like to launch, and also very happy that I would be there when they are launched. I was looking through the magazines that they use to advertise the Caribbean, and damn I just want to visit the entire Caribbean…like I have to. We live in a beautiful region, and I think every Caribbean person should at some point try to visit as many islands as they possibly can. I know that’s on my bucket list.

Friday I went to the place I’ve wanted to visit months before I came to Barbados: Oistins. Before I’ve heard basically this synopsis of Oistins: good vibes, good food, good people. So I was looking forward to that. I went, and as soon as I saw the lit fish floating in mid air supported by two electricity poles, I was really excited. We walked through the side, and made our way to the back, where several craft stalls are set up selling jewelery, clothes, sandals, ornaments, and other crafts. And to the right, were all the restaurants, seating areas and dance spaces. These restaurants sell mostly sea food, and there were several ladies walking around asking if we wanted to dine with them. We eventually sat in the dining area, which was very informal, and I loved that; wooden benches and just vibes. Everyone was just happy and eating good food, and listening to slow reggae in the background. GOOD VIBES! 

Our orders were taken, and the food was brought to our tables. I bought shrimp this time, and it was interesting, but I’ll stick to the fish next time! Afterward, I even tried piece of a lobster tail, which was perfectly grilled, just missing some sauce. By the time we finished eating, the dance floor crowd was getting thicker, and the music was getting faster. We walked around some more, through the fish market, and then on the street, which was busy that night. Oistins is really an awesome; if you come to Barbados, make sure that it is one of your stops!

On Saturday morning, the first thing I did was walk to the beach from where I live. It was so breezy and cool, and the waters looked great with the sunrise. Afterward, I went to the grocery store, which annoys me a bit because food in Barbados is three times more expensive. I walked around the entire grocery store, and when I left I was thrilled to see an ad for an underwater submarine experience. I was told I would definitely be able to do that before I leave. I was pleasantly surprised with a phone call this Saturday, and was unsuccessfully dissuaded from visiting the underwater submarine. Muahahaha…If I wanna experience it, I wanna experience it. Sunday was more or less a laze day. I feel kinda weird that I wasn’t able to spend time with my father for Father’s Day, but I was able to speak to him! Sunday is my day some deep reading at the moment. Right now I’m reading three books, which so far are excellent reads:

-        - How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnergie (I will never forget what the guy from Atlantis Resort Bahamas said about the importance of such a book).

-       - Redefining Success: Still Making Mistakes by W. Brett Wilson (Brett Wilson is probably my favourite entrepreneur and philanthropist at the moment).

-        - Benegal to Barbados:  A 100 year history of East Indians in Barbados by Sabir Nakhuda (such an interesting history book so far; published just two months ago!)

Ah yes, life in Barbados … it’s chill J

                                                   (Pic of the lit fish #vibes)

Barbados Days 7 and 8

Ahh what can I say really about Day 7. So far work is going well, I'd admit, some things are monotonous and some things get really interesting and uber exciting for me. There's more or less a perfect balance as it regards work. The people I've been meeting at work are interesting too. Who's half-Trini, who gives me lectures on Coca-Cola, who randomly asks me how is my day, who likes my Trinbago flag pin...lol. I bought food from a "food truck" at work's car park today. It was entertaining to observe that a line was created way before the van arrives. The van does arrive eventually, and there are so many dishes available to the back of the van: rice, macaroni pie, vegetables, chicken, fish, coo-coo (Trinis eat coo-coo?? Yes we do!), peas .... I'm sure I missed out some dishes. When I went to cash, there was a cooler filled with juices, and the guy asks me, "Toss?" and I'm just like, ''Toss? Toss what?'' And laughingly my fellow intern says he's asking if I want tossed salad. Three of the interns and I went up to the fifth floor to have lunch in the cafe, and its all green and orange and bright with light. I liked it up there a lot. I listened to them talking, and I'm quite sure one of them was speaking Bajan Creole, which I did not understand at all. But as I listened and conversed on I began understanding it (just a little), and laughing along with them. From that conversation, I got the feeling that probably 50% of Barbados despise Rihanna.

Day 8 was more or less the same, but I'll state the difference. To the front of the workplace, there's a couple that comes to sell juices, shakes, fruit bowls and sandwiches in their van. Since Tuesday when I saw the shake I wanted to purchase it. The girl (I'd know her name soon! lol) told me the shake had flax seeds, oats, vanilla extract, and other ingredients and I thought wow, it must be delicious, and I couldn't wait to try it. But I was wary; I didn't want to feel weird for the rest of the day, but I bought it and tried it. It was okay, but it was way too thick for my liking, almost porridge like. I doubt I'd purchase it again. In the afternoon, while the other interns and I were chatting a bit, I was introduced to some Bajan music. I learned of artistes like Lil Rick (I knew his music, just not who he was) and Conduckta, who has a song called "Dutty Android". I was like O.O when I saw the title. My peeps are such a pleasure to speak to. I realized I can have my political discussions with a particular intern, which I totally appreciate.

By the way, did you know there's a steel pan app? Where you can actually play the steel pan? Check it out! It's wayyy cool! My boss showed it to me, and I was like :OOOOOOOO So long I've wanted to practice the songs I used to play at pan, and there's an app I can play it on :D

Barbados Day 6

Day 6 was an interesting day I must say.

It went really well and really off during the day. I think I should talk about the negative aspect of it first, before I end with the positive because right now, my day is going great =)

So my day started to go downhill when I started to feel sleepy at work. I barely got sleep last night, and I knew that contributed to my sleepiness at work today. I really couldn't function properly and think straight, and I just wanted to sleep. Previously, I had asked someone I know from Barbados to show me where to take the bus and to accompany me if possible. I asked my guardians if I can, and they told me they wanted me to settle in for a few more weeks, and my parents also said HELL no. My guardians themselves have also admitted they have not used the bus in a while. So when I told my acquaintance I couldn't do it, he got really annoyed at me, but I can't go against my guardian's wishes. He said that he's a friend and not a stranger, but yes even though we spoke via the internet and sometimes via telephone, I hardly spoke with him in person. I was so annoyed he reacted that way, and like my dad said, he's aware of my situation, and should have been more understanding. Therefore, my parents have a right to say no, and my guardians have a right to be cautious. I got even more sleepy later in the day, and I started to feel really hungry, and when I left work I felt much better (nothing against the job though lol).

So I'mma end with the positive vibes, man *Jamaican accent*. I got up at 4:30am, and did 2 Tiffany Rothe workouts (thanks Rochelle!), and I was all happy when I got to work. Outside my workplace, I discovered that there were fruits on sale, freshly squeezed juices, sandwiches, and affordable lunches! At work, getting to know my three Bajans and the St.Lucian is getting more interesting; one plays mas every year in Barbados and Trinidad! lol. After work, we went to Sheraton, I bought an interesting lentil rice (delish), salad (okay), garlic bread (delish) and stewed dolphin (delish). You probably thinking :OOOOOO DOLPHIN? But I was assured its not the kind that is most popular. And right now, I'm watching the Wendy Williams show with good company, and taking a rest shortly, cause I'm so tired.

Paradise isn't all sunshine, some days you have to experience the rain, and I believe that is what makes you a stronger person =) Congrats to my sis for completing all her exams (and for gloating that she's eating a KFC chicken breast).

Barbados Days 3, 4 and 5

On Friday night, I received my first meal from the popular fish fry spot in Oistins. It was DEE-LISH-SHUSH!!! The best tasting meal I've had in Barbados thus far. It was mashed potatoes, all cheesy and delicious and soft, with cole slaw, 2 pieces of fried cassava and finally, succulent grilled fish. It was divine! ^_^

Saturday was a busier day. I went to Sheraton to purchase a Digicel cell phone, since for some strange reason, the SIM card that I purchased was not working in my regular cell phone. Afterward, I went to the hairdresser, and by the time I was finished there with Erica, there were only a few hours left in the day. My dad said he wanted to take us all to dinner, and around 8pm, we headed to the West Coast, and we had dinner at a sports bar/restaurant called The Lucky Horeshoe.

It was clear we all wanted to engage in some cool conversation, but the music was so loud, we could have barely done that, to my amusement. But I was introduced to some sweet Bajan music :D The food at that restaurant wasn't too bad. Afterward, we drove through Bridgetown and it was indeed an amazing sight at night. Can't wait to stroll those streets!

Sunday I visited a residential area called Leslie Gardens, and afterward, did a brief stroll through Farley Hill, which was cool, gorgeous and green. The view from Farley Hill from the East Coast is spectacular! Afterward I relaxed for the rest of the evening, doing nothing in particular.

Monday was the beginning of my internship, and to be honest, I was wary of working in HR. In a previous experience, all I had to do was file, and it was boring and rather draining. Thankfully, the HR Department here is way more than that and I would definitely be able to use my skills and knowledge of tourism in this department. Hopefully I can mix it up a little with other departments. So far the first day was great, and I'm determined by the end of the week to be friends with the other four interns who are here. I feel its with and through them, my Barbados experience can be even better!

Barbados: Days 1 and 2

Right now I'm in Barbados for a compulsory internship. A couple of my friends suggested I do a blog about it, so I decided I would.

I arrived in this beautiful place 6:40am. It was interesting to see Stern John and Dennis Lawrence on the flight. My dad and I left the airport around 7am and drove to Oistins. It's cool that the first place we drove to from the airport in the parish of Christchurch, is the place I wanted to see the most. In Oistins, they have a fish fry every night, and I heard its good times, with good music, excellent food, and friendly people. Who wouldn't want to attend a combo of that sort? I remember Mr Als telling me of the times he had there ^_^

I saw where I was living eventually and was pleased to see that it was near Oistins and near the famous Miami Beach. I later visited Colony Club for the most of the day. The accommodation facility is really nice, and has a very Greek feel towards it. It's perfect if you want to be involved in water-based activities for most of the time.

Mrs. Morris picked me up at Colony Cove and she took me to Sheraton Plaza to get some supplies. I remember walking to a restaurant in the food court that sold Trinidadian and Guyanese cuisine. I observed they had roti, and when I saw the channa I was like O.O It looked like it was poured straight from the can into the serving dish. The fun part was that they sold doubles...that was funny for me. I got back to where I was staying by 7pm, and I unpacked and put away all of my belongings. Afterward, I sat and spoke to the people I'm staying with: Mr and Mrs Morris.

The second day, my dad picked me up and took me to the supermarket. The food here is expensive compared to back in Trinidad and Tobago. I bought a roti at the deli in the supermarket, and it was okay, although the roti skin had more of a sada texture. An acquaintance of mine asked to take me around, but my parents nor Mrs Morris liked the idea, so hopefully another time. I basically stayed at my new home for most of the day, doing nothing of interest in particular.

I still have my Ins and Outs of Barbados 2013 magazine to explore :)