There are two major hotels in Trinidad; the Hyatt and the Hilton. We had heard about some of the places to eat at those hotels, so we decided to go try it out last Thursday. Of course, their main restaurants were really expensive; about $50 US. But, we also found out that both restaurants have poolside restaurants and the Hyatt has a tapas bar as well. So, we went to the Hilton first. We were going to get dessert or something there, and then swim, but they had finished serving and so we just went in the pool. The pool was actually very nice, and there aren't a lot of public pools here, so that was nice. Then, we went over to the Hyatt and got supper at the tapas bar there. That was really nice, too. It was expensive, but since with tapas you don't really order that much food anyways, it didn't add up to too much. We tried the plantain chips, lamp kabobs, quesadillas and chicken samosa. It was very good! There was music there around 6:30 and we were hoping to stay for some of that, but we finished too early. But, it was a nice day.
~Olivia
Yesterday was graduation day at West Indies Theological College. The ceremonies marked the formal end of the academic year, and a reminder that our time here in Trinidad is indeed drawing to a close. Eleven students graduated this year. Of those eleven, six had been in at least one of the classes that we taught. The graduation ceremony was held at a Church of God in Port of Spain. I was invited to deliver the opening invocation. When we arrived, we were also somewhat surprised to find out that we were to receive special awards during the ceremony. Barb and I each received a very nice plaque from the college in appreciation of our service over the past year. It was a really nice ceremony, although three hours in an unairconditioned building got a little bit long--especially for all of us in academic gowns.
Following the ceremony, we headed over to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Port of Spain (the other top hotel besides the Hyatt and the Hilton) for the banquet. The meal was a very nice buffet. There was also a program that included music (solos on steelpan and violin) and toasts of appreciation to various groups of people. Once again, we were toasted in recognition of our service to the college. I had been warned about this a few days in advance so that I could be ready with a brief response as well.
All in all, it was a lovely day, although somewhat bittersweet as we mark the closing of this chapter in our time in Trinidad.
~Richard
We mentioned in our blog last week that the father-in-law of one of the pastors had died suddenly, and that we had gone to the wake. When I mentioned to Trini friends that none of us had ever been to a wake before, they were surprised. I explained that wakes are not common these days in most communities in the U.S. "How do you support the family then?" They were concerned that people were left alone in their grief. While I was able to explain many gestures and rituals of support that still occur, it is a good question. Do we sometimes neglect the family in times of death? This family had wakes from the death on Friday till the funeral on Tuesday. We went on two nights.
The wake was not the only first I encountered related to that death. The funeral service was not unlike funerals to which I am accustomed. But this gentleman chose to be cremated. Some choose to be cremated in a crematorium. But it is more common to be taken to a cremation site. So, after the funeral we all got in our cars and processed to the cremation site where words of comfort and sending were spoken, just like those I have been part of at burials. Then, kindling was placed on and around the body along with ghee, a sort of butter common in Indian cooking. Ghee was also put in the pyre where the body was then placed and lit. Hymns were sung while this was happening. People stood for a while, then began to turn to one another and to the family and visit or share words of comfort.
There was one more first. As our carload was leaving, one of the people we gave a ride to wanted to buy us snowcones. So, yes, I had my first ever snowcone at a funeral. In the U.S. it probably would be considered crass to sell refreshments at a cemetery. But on this hot day, when the family and their friends were there for a while, a family quietly available off a ways to sell cool drinks, was a real service. For a very small fee, they kept the mourners hydrated. Having someone buy and bring you something cool was an act of compassion.
~Barb
Although we have been talking about the elections and campaigns for a while now, the actual election will be held tomorrow. The final rallies for each party were held yesterday, but this afternoon, all we could find on the local stations were just re-runs of yesterday's rallies. In some ways it will be a relief to have the elections over, partly because it'll be exciting to find out who won, and also partly because some of the songs blasting out of trucks that drive by adorned in either yellow or red (the parties' colours) are kind of getting on my nerves. If we turn on the radio, we're hearing political advertisements constantly! There are more than this, but here are some links to a few of the songs we've become accustomed to hearing multiple times a day.
Patrick Manning Have to Go Patrick Manning is the current prime minister, and Jack Warner is the Chair of the opposition party. This is a song campaigning for the opposing party, the People's Partnership.
Ah Cyar Vote Fuh Dat (I can't vote for that) This is also for the opposition party, saying that they can't vote for all the current corruption.
Patrick Leave an Go Nah This song is for the People's Partnership as well. Kamla is the leader of the opposition, so if they win the election tomorrow, she will become the first woman Prime Minister!
We Votin' PNM This one is for the PNM, which is the party who's in power right now.
We Stepping Up 'We stepping up' is one of the PNM's slogans for this election. This song is also promoting the PNM
Put Your X By D Balisier The Balisier is a flower--the red flower they show in the video. It is the symbol for the PNM.
While these were fun to listen to for a while, they get kind of old and we hear them a little too much. We will be excited tomorrow evening to hear who won the election, and also to welcome some of our family who will be visiting us and coming in tomorrow evening!
~Roxy
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
May Musings
On Thursday, for our weekly field trip for home school, we decided to go up to Chaguaramas which is an area we've been wanting to look around more. It's just past Diego Martin, where we go to church. We had looked at some of the stuff to do in Chaguaramas and what looked the most interesting was a hike up to a waterfall they call Edith Falls. My mom talked to the tour guide, who said it was an easy hike and a common sense path. We parked at the golf course, and it was obvious where the hike started. The hike went into the rain forest and it was really pretty, although also extremely humid with not much breeze. For the most part the path was fairly "common sense" but then we got to a place where the path turned into a bunch of rocks. We didn't think we were at the waterfall, but it didn't seem like we were on the trail anymore. We had to climb over a bunch of rocks and finally we got to this place at the bottom of a huge cliff and there was water trickling down the side. It was really pretty! Once we got there, it was obvious. For a while, we just sat there and watched it. Then, we went down to the bottom and watched the tiny little frogs jump around. Roxy caught quite a few frogs actually. Eventually, we turned around and made our way back to the golf course. And right after we got in our car it started raining! We got back just in time.
~Olivia
A major highlight from this past week is that we got a NEW CAR! Actually, it's not really ours, it belongs to Virginia Mennonite Missions. But it's the car that we will use for the next couple of months. It's also not really new, but it's much newer and more reliable than the last one. It's a 2005 Toyota Yaris, with only 38,000 kilometers (about 25,000 miles) on it; and it seems to be in excellent condition. Those who've been following our blog over the past several months know that we've faced a number of issues with the former car (a 1998 Mitsubishi Galant with more than 325,000 kilometers or over 200,000 miles). We never were able to find a gasket to replace the one that's been leaking oil since Christmas. We also finally gave up on actually getting the car repaired from the accident when I was rear-ended at a stop sign almost two months ago. The process of making the insurance claim is still ongoing, and we should still be getting a check from the insurance company.
This past Monday, I delivered the old car to a friend of one of the other Mennonite missionaries here. He buys damaged cars, fixes them up and sells them. So he was happy to purchase our old one. Then on Tuesday, I spent the entire morning waiting at the license office in Port of Spain to get the title transferred from the former owner of the Yaris. Most of that time, the workers were still finishing up paperwork from transfers they had started doing the day before. Finally, at about 1:00, all the paperwork was complete and I was able to bring the Yaris home. We are very happy to have the "new" car to drive. Besides being newer, in better shape, more reliable and using less gas than the old car, we also love the fact that it's PURPLE!
~Richard
During our time here in Trinidad we have been able to experience many firsts. Yesterday brought another first for all four of us. It was the first wake we had ever attended. The father of Linda Gunpath, one of the Mennonite pastors' wives, died suddenly on Friday. So, from that night until the funeral, people gather each night at the home of the family to sit with them and offer support. They believe that the cause of death was a heart attack, but would like to do an autopsy. Because autopsies are not done on weekends, they have to wait till Monday. So we will probably be attending the funeral early next week. That means that the family will have wakes for about 4 nights in a row at the house. Mostly folks just gather and visit. The gathering happens outside under a tent. The atmosphere was very nice and supportive. Small children ran and played happily. Last night the gathering was informal. Tonight they may have more of a worship service in their yard with singing and prayers. Extended families often live together in different levels or additions to one large house or in neighboring homes. So there are many hands to help serve coffee and Chubbies (a local brand of pop) and give help where needed. It was good to see Linda and her family so supported and to have the opportunity to be a part of that.
~Barb
In our homeschooling schedule, Friday is a day we just take our normal classes we chose. One of these classes is cooking, though, so we decided to invite someone over every Friday night for supper. Our first guests this week were David and Shirley Yoder, and Olivia and I made potato quiche, cucumber salad, and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and cut up some fresh mango. While they were here, a man from the Charlieville Mennonite Church (where we live) came up and shared cookies with us! We had a nice visit with everyone and it was fun to make the meal too! We learned, though, that when grated potatoes sit out for a while, they turn kind of gray. But they still tasted good, and that's what counts.
~Roxy
~Olivia
A major highlight from this past week is that we got a NEW CAR! Actually, it's not really ours, it belongs to Virginia Mennonite Missions. But it's the car that we will use for the next couple of months. It's also not really new, but it's much newer and more reliable than the last one. It's a 2005 Toyota Yaris, with only 38,000 kilometers (about 25,000 miles) on it; and it seems to be in excellent condition. Those who've been following our blog over the past several months know that we've faced a number of issues with the former car (a 1998 Mitsubishi Galant with more than 325,000 kilometers or over 200,000 miles). We never were able to find a gasket to replace the one that's been leaking oil since Christmas. We also finally gave up on actually getting the car repaired from the accident when I was rear-ended at a stop sign almost two months ago. The process of making the insurance claim is still ongoing, and we should still be getting a check from the insurance company.
This past Monday, I delivered the old car to a friend of one of the other Mennonite missionaries here. He buys damaged cars, fixes them up and sells them. So he was happy to purchase our old one. Then on Tuesday, I spent the entire morning waiting at the license office in Port of Spain to get the title transferred from the former owner of the Yaris. Most of that time, the workers were still finishing up paperwork from transfers they had started doing the day before. Finally, at about 1:00, all the paperwork was complete and I was able to bring the Yaris home. We are very happy to have the "new" car to drive. Besides being newer, in better shape, more reliable and using less gas than the old car, we also love the fact that it's PURPLE!
~Richard
During our time here in Trinidad we have been able to experience many firsts. Yesterday brought another first for all four of us. It was the first wake we had ever attended. The father of Linda Gunpath, one of the Mennonite pastors' wives, died suddenly on Friday. So, from that night until the funeral, people gather each night at the home of the family to sit with them and offer support. They believe that the cause of death was a heart attack, but would like to do an autopsy. Because autopsies are not done on weekends, they have to wait till Monday. So we will probably be attending the funeral early next week. That means that the family will have wakes for about 4 nights in a row at the house. Mostly folks just gather and visit. The gathering happens outside under a tent. The atmosphere was very nice and supportive. Small children ran and played happily. Last night the gathering was informal. Tonight they may have more of a worship service in their yard with singing and prayers. Extended families often live together in different levels or additions to one large house or in neighboring homes. So there are many hands to help serve coffee and Chubbies (a local brand of pop) and give help where needed. It was good to see Linda and her family so supported and to have the opportunity to be a part of that.
~Barb
In our homeschooling schedule, Friday is a day we just take our normal classes we chose. One of these classes is cooking, though, so we decided to invite someone over every Friday night for supper. Our first guests this week were David and Shirley Yoder, and Olivia and I made potato quiche, cucumber salad, and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and cut up some fresh mango. While they were here, a man from the Charlieville Mennonite Church (where we live) came up and shared cookies with us! We had a nice visit with everyone and it was fun to make the meal too! We learned, though, that when grated potatoes sit out for a while, they turn kind of gray. But they still tasted good, and that's what counts.
~Roxy
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mother's Day!
On Tuesday, I took the CXC test. It ended up being really crazy! I'm not necessarily sorry I did it, it was an interesting experience, but I'm definitely glad I'm not taking 9 different subjects (for most of them, there are 2 papers you have to do, too). So, we were told to be there by 7:30 (school starts at 8:00), so I got there at 7:40 (in Trinidad, 7:30 rarely means 7:30) and went up to my classroom and there were 2 other people from my class there. Even, by the time the bell rang for school to start, not many others were there. So, I waited for a long time up in my classroom and then finally, we were called down to the lab. At 9:00, the first group started their test, and the rest of us, who weren't in the first group sat around and talked in the classroom next door, which we weren't allowed to leave. You see, this was the practical part, which we had to do on the computer and there were only 14 working computers (which is actually more than there have been a lot of the year) so that's why we went in more than one group. By lunch time, no one had officially told us we could leave the classroom but me and some friends decided we could and went to get lunch and found a nice spot under the avocado tree to eat it. Then, at 11:30 our test started. The test itself wasn't so bad, although there were quite a few instructions to follow. But it was mostly pretty straightforward. I was done testing by 2:00. But, then I waited for over an hour and finally the principal came down to start printing it out. Then, that process took about 2 hours, so it was after 5:00 by the time I left the school (school usually lets out at 2:30) and then after 6:00 by the time I got home since it was rush hour so there was a lot of traffic. I have another exam in June, but hopefully since that's the theory part and doesn't involve computers it should be simpler.
~Olivia
At the beginning of this term, we weren't really sure how much longer we'd stay at our school. We decided to keep going until Olivia took this big test she mentioned. So Monday was my last day of school at PAWI! It was really funny, because apparently even if you're wearing a nice white button-down-the-front shirt as a part of your uniform, people still sign it on your last day! On Tuesday, I just stayed at home and started preparing for homeschool. The principal allowed us to keep all our textbooks (here, we have one for basically all our subjects), so I looked through those and decided which ones were worth using for our homeschool time. Then on Wednesday we really started our homeschool experience! My parents made up a schedule for us. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we have regular classes. On Tuesday, Olivia and I do some independent project. And on Thursday, we take a fieldtrip! Next week will be our first full week of homeschool, but we got it started this week! I think it's been working pretty well and I've enjoyed it (so far, at least). I'm really glad we've been at PAWI as long as we were, but I think it's the right time to leave, also.
~Roxy
Today is Mother's Day. It is as big of a holiday here as at home. The TV has been plastered with commercials for what you can buy mom. All of that is pretty much familiar. One fun difference is how big a deal the churches make about Mother's Day. In our congregation, the teenagers were called to the front and asked to bring in the gifts. Then all the mothers were invited up one by one and presented a small cheesecake all wrapped in pretty cellophane. It is worth noting that I have never been given cheesecake here. While you can order it in some fancy restaurants, it is not a common Trini food. It is sort of an exotic treat. People were given opportunities to share about what they appreciate about their mothers. A woman in the church who no longer has a living mother and who never had a Christian mother shared how much she appreciated the women in the church who have been mothers to her. Then, quietly after church was over, she gave me a pair of earrings for Mother's Day.
After church we came home. Our apartment is above one of the other churches. When we walked in to the church downstairs which we go through on the way to our apartment, we found four plates of cake with a note saying they were for our family. Right now, as I write this, Richard and the girls have banished me to the back while they prepare a surprise supper for me. It looks like this Mother's Day is going to be a real food bonanza for me.
~Barb
We had mentioned a while back that parliament had been dissolved, and elections would need to be held soon. It is now about two weeks until election day (May 24), and the political campaign is in full swing. Every night, both of the major parties hold a campaign rally somewhere on the island. All of them are carried live on local television, often on more than one channel. On one evening this week, I found three different rallies being televised live on five different TV stations.
The campaigns are quite negative, too. We've seen attacks getting worse in the U.S. in recent years, but this election is worse than any I've seen back home. For example, the other day there were reports that one of the party headquarters received a phone call warning of death threats against the party's leader. Rather than denouncing violence, however, high-ranking members of the other party immediately dismissed the reports as merely a hoax designed to gain attention and sympathy for their opponents. It has been really interesting for us to see how another political system works, but we'll be glad when the nasty campaign is over.
~Richard
~Olivia
At the beginning of this term, we weren't really sure how much longer we'd stay at our school. We decided to keep going until Olivia took this big test she mentioned. So Monday was my last day of school at PAWI! It was really funny, because apparently even if you're wearing a nice white button-down-the-front shirt as a part of your uniform, people still sign it on your last day! On Tuesday, I just stayed at home and started preparing for homeschool. The principal allowed us to keep all our textbooks (here, we have one for basically all our subjects), so I looked through those and decided which ones were worth using for our homeschool time. Then on Wednesday we really started our homeschool experience! My parents made up a schedule for us. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we have regular classes. On Tuesday, Olivia and I do some independent project. And on Thursday, we take a fieldtrip! Next week will be our first full week of homeschool, but we got it started this week! I think it's been working pretty well and I've enjoyed it (so far, at least). I'm really glad we've been at PAWI as long as we were, but I think it's the right time to leave, also.
~Roxy
Today is Mother's Day. It is as big of a holiday here as at home. The TV has been plastered with commercials for what you can buy mom. All of that is pretty much familiar. One fun difference is how big a deal the churches make about Mother's Day. In our congregation, the teenagers were called to the front and asked to bring in the gifts. Then all the mothers were invited up one by one and presented a small cheesecake all wrapped in pretty cellophane. It is worth noting that I have never been given cheesecake here. While you can order it in some fancy restaurants, it is not a common Trini food. It is sort of an exotic treat. People were given opportunities to share about what they appreciate about their mothers. A woman in the church who no longer has a living mother and who never had a Christian mother shared how much she appreciated the women in the church who have been mothers to her. Then, quietly after church was over, she gave me a pair of earrings for Mother's Day.
After church we came home. Our apartment is above one of the other churches. When we walked in to the church downstairs which we go through on the way to our apartment, we found four plates of cake with a note saying they were for our family. Right now, as I write this, Richard and the girls have banished me to the back while they prepare a surprise supper for me. It looks like this Mother's Day is going to be a real food bonanza for me.
~Barb
We had mentioned a while back that parliament had been dissolved, and elections would need to be held soon. It is now about two weeks until election day (May 24), and the political campaign is in full swing. Every night, both of the major parties hold a campaign rally somewhere on the island. All of them are carried live on local television, often on more than one channel. On one evening this week, I found three different rallies being televised live on five different TV stations.
The campaigns are quite negative, too. We've seen attacks getting worse in the U.S. in recent years, but this election is worse than any I've seen back home. For example, the other day there were reports that one of the party headquarters received a phone call warning of death threats against the party's leader. Rather than denouncing violence, however, high-ranking members of the other party immediately dismissed the reports as merely a hoax designed to gain attention and sympathy for their opponents. It has been really interesting for us to see how another political system works, but we'll be glad when the nasty campaign is over.
~Richard
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Exam Time
This week, I am taking a big test. They call it CXC which stands for Caribbean Examination Council. At the end of form 5, everyone has to take this exam. There are a bunch of different subjects that you can take the test in. Usually, students choose around (I'm guessing) 6-9 subjects to take during form 5, which they then take the exams in. However, I am in form 4. At my school, the principal is wanting all the form 4's to take a CXC exam in the subject EDPM (Electronic Document Preparation and Management). Ever since September, when school started, we have been working on our SBA (School Based Assessment). This is basically just a conglomeration of the work we needed to learn for the exam. Somehow that goes towards our grade, but our teacher grades it. Then, on Tuesday, I have the exam for the practical part. Some official examiner person will come to watch us and grade us, I think. But, it will still take place at the school. And then in another month, I will take the theory part of the exam.
For me, this is not that big of a deal, because I don't think it will really count for anything for me, but for the form fives, it is a very big deal. When people go to look for jobs, the employers will look at how well you did on the CXC exam. That and the exam that the form sixes take. But, after they finish form 5, they can graduate from school and they don't actually have to take form 6. Usually, those who are college bound do take form 6, though. So, anyways, there is a lot of pressure to do good on CXC. It's not as big of a deal for me, though. But, this exam is something that people all over the Caribbean take.
~Olivia
I taught my last class on Wed. night. I have had most of these 7 students in all 3 classes I've taught here and all of them in 2. They are all on their way to becoming social workers. I felt a little warm and fuzzy about the whole thing because I won't necessarily see most of them again. They, on the other hand were feeling stressed and a little afraid of me since I am giving them a final yet next week. Actually, the final is tomorrow. So I will have to finish editing it in the morning. But all I have to do is to e-mail it in. They have proctors who administer the test. I'll finish up this class in the next couple of weeks by grading their final exams and their final community project. It feels strange to see this part of my assignment coming to an end.
~Barb
Since the class I've been teaching this term is a preaching class, the "final exam" is for each student to deliver a sermon. With four students, we decided that trying to get all the sermons done in a single two-hour session would be difficult. It would leave hardly any time for the evaluation that we do all together. In addition, I've really stressed that preaching is an act of worship. So when the students preach, we try to set a worshipful tone by beginning with prayer and singing. In order to have sufficient time for all of this, we divided the final preaching into two sessions. Two of my students preached last week. The other two will preach on Wednesday. So I've had very little that I need to do in preparation for these last two classes. I will, of course, still need to give grades to each of the sermons. Some of the students have other assignments that they haven't turned in that I'll need to grade as well. So while I will have a fair amount of grading to do in the next week or so, the time spent on classes is down considerably and will soon be completely over.
~Richard
For me, this is not that big of a deal, because I don't think it will really count for anything for me, but for the form fives, it is a very big deal. When people go to look for jobs, the employers will look at how well you did on the CXC exam. That and the exam that the form sixes take. But, after they finish form 5, they can graduate from school and they don't actually have to take form 6. Usually, those who are college bound do take form 6, though. So, anyways, there is a lot of pressure to do good on CXC. It's not as big of a deal for me, though. But, this exam is something that people all over the Caribbean take.
~Olivia
I taught my last class on Wed. night. I have had most of these 7 students in all 3 classes I've taught here and all of them in 2. They are all on their way to becoming social workers. I felt a little warm and fuzzy about the whole thing because I won't necessarily see most of them again. They, on the other hand were feeling stressed and a little afraid of me since I am giving them a final yet next week. Actually, the final is tomorrow. So I will have to finish editing it in the morning. But all I have to do is to e-mail it in. They have proctors who administer the test. I'll finish up this class in the next couple of weeks by grading their final exams and their final community project. It feels strange to see this part of my assignment coming to an end.
~Barb
Since the class I've been teaching this term is a preaching class, the "final exam" is for each student to deliver a sermon. With four students, we decided that trying to get all the sermons done in a single two-hour session would be difficult. It would leave hardly any time for the evaluation that we do all together. In addition, I've really stressed that preaching is an act of worship. So when the students preach, we try to set a worshipful tone by beginning with prayer and singing. In order to have sufficient time for all of this, we divided the final preaching into two sessions. Two of my students preached last week. The other two will preach on Wednesday. So I've had very little that I need to do in preparation for these last two classes. I will, of course, still need to give grades to each of the sermons. Some of the students have other assignments that they haven't turned in that I'll need to grade as well. So while I will have a fair amount of grading to do in the next week or so, the time spent on classes is down considerably and will soon be completely over.
~Richard
Sunday, April 25, 2010
April Coming to an End
Yesterday was supposed to be one of the days we would go out on a hike for youth group. However, the guy who usually leads that had been busy all week with a group of high school students that had come up from Virginia and he was in charge of planning the week for them, so he didn't have much time to plan for youth group. He ended up deciding just to invite the youth over to their house and order pizza and tell about the group that had come from Virginia. He said any of the youth could come, but it was only me, Roxy, his two kids and his daughter's friend. But, we had a nice time. Mostly we just played games and ate pizza. There was a video of the group from Virginia's trip playing so I saw little bits and pieces of it, but it was muted.
~Olivia
Olivia and I only have one more full week of school! Actually, it will be the only full week we'll have gone this term! The last 2 weeks we were only there for 3 days, and next week Tuesday Olivia will be taking the CXC exam. In some ways it will be nice not to be in school, because sometimes we get really frustrated with the school. But we'll also miss seeing our friends. We will figure out some homeschooling stuff to do until we get back to the States.
~Roxy
It is interesting to see how God works through events in our lives. A few weeks ago one of the church leaders contacted me to ask for some help finding a piece of equipment for a disabled person in one of the churches. She was hoping to order in the U.S. and have it sent here with some of our guests. As it turned out, the timing did not work to send it with some of our guests, but I agreed to help locate and arrange for the item. I decided to begin by exploring local options to see if I could find a local connection through whom to purchase it. I didn't, but through a series of calls I got to talking with a man who taught special education classes at a local university. The fact that I am visually impaired came up and he asked if I could speak to a class of educators about teaching people with that exceptionality. So, this week on Tuesday I went to speak to his class. I began by introducing myself and explaining that my husband and myself are missionaries here. I went on to discuss the subject at hand. After class a young woman came to speak with me. She had been feeling a strong sense of call to missions and wanted to discuss the process of discernment of call. When I agreed to help look for a way to get this equipment, who knew all the places it would lead.
~Barb
This past week turned out to be one of our busier ones here in Trinidad. In addition to our regular duties of preparing for class at West Indies Theological College and for worship at Diego Martin Mennonite Church, we ended up with some responsibilities every evening of the week. On Monday, we had our monthly get-together with David Yoder, the overseer of the Mennonite Church of Trinidad & Tobago. On Tuesday, we went to a cell group from the Mennonite Church of Chaguanas where Barb led the Bible study. Wednesday was our regular class night at WITC. Thursday was our monthly meeting with the Leadership Team at Diego Martin. And Saturday was Diego Martin youth group. Friday could have been a free evening at home, but we were invited to go to a cricket game where the brother of one of the girls' school friends was to be playing. Since we had recently identified seeing a live organized cricket match as one of the things we wanted to try to do before we leave Trinidad, we couldn't pass up the opportunity. All of the activities were good ones to be a part of, but we'd prefer to have some of them spread out a bit more. Soon, however, we know that many of our responsibilities will be winding down. We only have one more week of classes at WITC before finals, and only seven more Sundays at Diego Martin.
~Richard
~Olivia
Olivia and I only have one more full week of school! Actually, it will be the only full week we'll have gone this term! The last 2 weeks we were only there for 3 days, and next week Tuesday Olivia will be taking the CXC exam. In some ways it will be nice not to be in school, because sometimes we get really frustrated with the school. But we'll also miss seeing our friends. We will figure out some homeschooling stuff to do until we get back to the States.
~Roxy
It is interesting to see how God works through events in our lives. A few weeks ago one of the church leaders contacted me to ask for some help finding a piece of equipment for a disabled person in one of the churches. She was hoping to order in the U.S. and have it sent here with some of our guests. As it turned out, the timing did not work to send it with some of our guests, but I agreed to help locate and arrange for the item. I decided to begin by exploring local options to see if I could find a local connection through whom to purchase it. I didn't, but through a series of calls I got to talking with a man who taught special education classes at a local university. The fact that I am visually impaired came up and he asked if I could speak to a class of educators about teaching people with that exceptionality. So, this week on Tuesday I went to speak to his class. I began by introducing myself and explaining that my husband and myself are missionaries here. I went on to discuss the subject at hand. After class a young woman came to speak with me. She had been feeling a strong sense of call to missions and wanted to discuss the process of discernment of call. When I agreed to help look for a way to get this equipment, who knew all the places it would lead.
~Barb
This past week turned out to be one of our busier ones here in Trinidad. In addition to our regular duties of preparing for class at West Indies Theological College and for worship at Diego Martin Mennonite Church, we ended up with some responsibilities every evening of the week. On Monday, we had our monthly get-together with David Yoder, the overseer of the Mennonite Church of Trinidad & Tobago. On Tuesday, we went to a cell group from the Mennonite Church of Chaguanas where Barb led the Bible study. Wednesday was our regular class night at WITC. Thursday was our monthly meeting with the Leadership Team at Diego Martin. And Saturday was Diego Martin youth group. Friday could have been a free evening at home, but we were invited to go to a cricket game where the brother of one of the girls' school friends was to be playing. Since we had recently identified seeing a live organized cricket match as one of the things we wanted to try to do before we leave Trinidad, we couldn't pass up the opportunity. All of the activities were good ones to be a part of, but we'd prefer to have some of them spread out a bit more. Soon, however, we know that many of our responsibilities will be winding down. We only have one more week of classes at WITC before finals, and only seven more Sundays at Diego Martin.
~Richard
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Changing Seasons
It's finally raining again in Trinidad! When we arrived last August, it was the middle of the wet season. For the first several months, we saw rain almost every day. Since the dry season began in January, however, we have seen very little rain. In fact, it has been the driest dry season the island has seen in more than 60 years. As a result, the capacity of the reservoirs that supply most of the nation's water has dipped down to about 35% of what it should be. The government has imposed a ban on using hoses for watering lawns or washing cars, and has been encouraging various water conservation measures. In addition, there have been many bush fires burning all over Trinidad. Most days in the past month or two, we have smelled smoke and have often seen it rising on the mountainsides. The air has grown increasingly hazy. At times, there have even been fires along roads where we've been traveling that have made visibility quite low.
In the past few days, however, the pattern has begun to change. We had a couple of days this week when there was a nice rain for significant parts of the day. We haven't smelled smoke in our apartment; and the air has been noticeably clearer. In some parts of the island, there have even been issues with flooding. It's still over a month until the wet season actually begins. It will also take quite a bit more rain to replenish the water supply, stop all the fires and cause the government to ease water restrictions. In the meantime, we are at least enjoying the "April showers" and looking forward to more rain in the next few months.
~Richard
Last week, I mentioned a teacher that was going to take me to get my ears pierced but did not show up. She has not been back at school this week and from what I've heard is not planning on coming back. She taught 3 out of my 8 classes, so this leaves me without a teacher for those 3 classes. However, there are these big tests coming up in a few weeks in one of the other subjects and so we're spending a lot of the extra time preparing for that. Meanwhile, one of my friends from school offered to take me to get my ears pierced, so we went and did that yesterday! We picked up her and another girl at her house and then went to the mall. We stopped at the ear piercing place first and then while my parents did some grocery shopping, the four of us girls walked around the mall. Afterwards, we went back to my friend's house and her mom was cooking us roti!
~Olivia
This week, school has also begun for all four of us. I'm not exactly sure how my parents' school is going, but I can at least tell about Olivia and my school. As Olivia mentioned, we know of 2 teachers who don't seem to be coming back this term. However, this week the attendance of the other teachers has been much better. We hope this continues! We are planning on being at this school for 2 more weeks until Olivia takes a CXC exam (the big test she mentioned) and then just doing some home-school stuff. Tomorrow and Tuesday are the Parents' Days. That's basically parent-teacher conferences, just they call it something different. We had heard a lot of people say they might not come back to PAWI this term, but so far this term has been better than the one before. Hopefully we'll still be able to say that in a few weeks!
~Roxy
It was good to have a week of play with our friends (although we continued at the church also during that time), followed by a more relaxed week without classes. It was also nice this week to get back into the routine of school for all of us. Roxy noted that they only have two more weeks of classes at their school. The same is true for us in our teaching. Classes go through April and then we will need to give and grade finals in the first part of May. Since I am also supervising a thesis, this will probably continue for the rest of the time we are here depending on how quickly the student gets it done.
As we note this part of our assignment winding down and also have a firm date for departure, we find ourselves beginning to feel the pull between our two worlds. On the one hand, we still have work here that we enjoy and are committed to. On the other hand, we are beginning to think ahead to the work in Manhattan that we also enjoy and are committed to. On the one hand, we have been hearing about how particularly glorious spring there is and we wish we could see our daffodils and smell our lilacs. On the other hand, the mangoes here are really beginning to ripen again after several months of being absent from the markets, and mangoes have become one of our very favorite things about Trinidad. On the one hand, dealing with all the car headaches here is getting pretty old. On the other hand, when we go home, we will have to buy a new car since we sold ours to come here, and car lots have never been our favorite place to spend time. There is much beauty and much struggle in the world, and it does not all exist in only one place.
~Barb
In the past few days, however, the pattern has begun to change. We had a couple of days this week when there was a nice rain for significant parts of the day. We haven't smelled smoke in our apartment; and the air has been noticeably clearer. In some parts of the island, there have even been issues with flooding. It's still over a month until the wet season actually begins. It will also take quite a bit more rain to replenish the water supply, stop all the fires and cause the government to ease water restrictions. In the meantime, we are at least enjoying the "April showers" and looking forward to more rain in the next few months.
~Richard
Last week, I mentioned a teacher that was going to take me to get my ears pierced but did not show up. She has not been back at school this week and from what I've heard is not planning on coming back. She taught 3 out of my 8 classes, so this leaves me without a teacher for those 3 classes. However, there are these big tests coming up in a few weeks in one of the other subjects and so we're spending a lot of the extra time preparing for that. Meanwhile, one of my friends from school offered to take me to get my ears pierced, so we went and did that yesterday! We picked up her and another girl at her house and then went to the mall. We stopped at the ear piercing place first and then while my parents did some grocery shopping, the four of us girls walked around the mall. Afterwards, we went back to my friend's house and her mom was cooking us roti!
~Olivia
This week, school has also begun for all four of us. I'm not exactly sure how my parents' school is going, but I can at least tell about Olivia and my school. As Olivia mentioned, we know of 2 teachers who don't seem to be coming back this term. However, this week the attendance of the other teachers has been much better. We hope this continues! We are planning on being at this school for 2 more weeks until Olivia takes a CXC exam (the big test she mentioned) and then just doing some home-school stuff. Tomorrow and Tuesday are the Parents' Days. That's basically parent-teacher conferences, just they call it something different. We had heard a lot of people say they might not come back to PAWI this term, but so far this term has been better than the one before. Hopefully we'll still be able to say that in a few weeks!
~Roxy
It was good to have a week of play with our friends (although we continued at the church also during that time), followed by a more relaxed week without classes. It was also nice this week to get back into the routine of school for all of us. Roxy noted that they only have two more weeks of classes at their school. The same is true for us in our teaching. Classes go through April and then we will need to give and grade finals in the first part of May. Since I am also supervising a thesis, this will probably continue for the rest of the time we are here depending on how quickly the student gets it done.
As we note this part of our assignment winding down and also have a firm date for departure, we find ourselves beginning to feel the pull between our two worlds. On the one hand, we still have work here that we enjoy and are committed to. On the other hand, we are beginning to think ahead to the work in Manhattan that we also enjoy and are committed to. On the one hand, we have been hearing about how particularly glorious spring there is and we wish we could see our daffodils and smell our lilacs. On the other hand, the mangoes here are really beginning to ripen again after several months of being absent from the markets, and mangoes have become one of our very favorite things about Trinidad. On the one hand, dealing with all the car headaches here is getting pretty old. On the other hand, when we go home, we will have to buy a new car since we sold ours to come here, and car lots have never been our favorite place to spend time. There is much beauty and much struggle in the world, and it does not all exist in only one place.
~Barb
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The last week of Easter Break
Yesterday, one of my teachers was going to take me to get my ears pierced. She has been very disturbed by the fact that my ears are not pierced all year. Most people here just get them pierced when they are babies. So, we were going to just take the day and go to the mall and and then also get my ears pierced while we were there. Then, we got there and called her and it turned out she wasn't coming. Apparently, she still hasn't gotten her salary and so she didn't have money to get there. It is a lot more common here not to drive and just to use public transportation. So, this also means that although school begins again tomorrow, the teachers aren't going back until they get paid, so there seems no point in us going back until there are teachers!
~Olivia
We have decided that we very much like a 2-week break in Spring. The first week, we had guests, and we just kind of played all week. Then this week, we spent a lot of lazy time and also got some work (cleaning) done. We borrowed a really awesome vacuum cleaner from a friend to vacuum our curtains with! And it has a little miniature vacuum in it too! And we washed windows. We have enjoyed our time playing, resting, and (well, we didn't exactly enjoy cleaning, but it was good to get done) cleaning.
~Roxy
One of the tasks we set for ourselves this week was to make some decisions. The first was to figure out when we would leave. While our intention had been to give a year to serve in Trinidad, when we received our visas, they were until July 17. We began looking at plane tickets home for sometime that week. While we would like to stay as long as possible to help with the summer Bible school or other projects in the churches, we found that by leaving on July 13, we could pay a fraction of what it would cost to stay till the end of the week. We considered stewardship of time, money and responsibilities and decided to get the tickets for the 13th of July. We acknowledge that it will be both hard to leave and good to return.
The other decision we had to make was whether or not the girls would return for the final term of school. Since the school is financially struggling, there have often not been teachers there. We were happy to be able to speak to a counselor from Manhattan and be assured that the girls will have the credits they need whether or not they do their final trimester in school or at home. Olivia has been signed up to take the CXC exam in one subject on May 4. So our decision is to return to school until then and finish up at home assuming there are no major changes in the situation. However, after the conversation with the teacher Olivia reported, we will wait and see if the teachers are returning at all this trimester before sending the kids.
In terms of the car, Richard spent most of 2 mornings in and out of various offices getting the insurance paperwork taken care of. Now we wait for the adjuster to come out. We are grateful that we had a spacious week in which to give that time to this ongoing issue. We are also grateful that the car has remained drivable while we wait for the slow wheels of bureaucracy to turn.
~Barbara
One interesting aspect of living in a different country has been getting to know a different political system. Trinidad and Tobago has a parliamentary form of government very similar to that of Great Britain. It has been quite educational for us to compare this system to the one that we have been familiar with in the United States. While both are founded on the same basic democratic principles, the ways in which the government actually works are quite different. A key difference in the two systems was illustrated this past week.
On Friday, the parliament was scheduled to debate a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who has held that post for 12 of the last 18 years. If he had lost the vote, Mr. Manning would have been forced to resign and call for new elections. Given that his party held 26 of the 41 seats in parliament, however, no one really expected him to lose. But the debate could have been quite embarrassing to him as the opposition had the opportunity to highlight the many political scandals that have taken place under his rule.
Ultimately, though, the debate never took place. Instead, Prime Minister Manning announced on Thursday that he was dissolving parliament as of midnight. He now has 30 days in which to set a date for new elections. The election must take place in no more than 90 days, which means that we will still be here to see it. Right now, the political parties are busy choosing the candidates who will run parliament. One particularly interesting aspect of these elections is that, for the first time, one of the major party leaders is a woman. So if her party gains the most seats in parliament, she will become the next Prime Minister. Meanwhile, candidates in the U.S. are jockeying for position in a presidential election that is still more than 2 1/2 years away.
~Richard
~Olivia
We have decided that we very much like a 2-week break in Spring. The first week, we had guests, and we just kind of played all week. Then this week, we spent a lot of lazy time and also got some work (cleaning) done. We borrowed a really awesome vacuum cleaner from a friend to vacuum our curtains with! And it has a little miniature vacuum in it too! And we washed windows. We have enjoyed our time playing, resting, and (well, we didn't exactly enjoy cleaning, but it was good to get done) cleaning.
~Roxy
One of the tasks we set for ourselves this week was to make some decisions. The first was to figure out when we would leave. While our intention had been to give a year to serve in Trinidad, when we received our visas, they were until July 17. We began looking at plane tickets home for sometime that week. While we would like to stay as long as possible to help with the summer Bible school or other projects in the churches, we found that by leaving on July 13, we could pay a fraction of what it would cost to stay till the end of the week. We considered stewardship of time, money and responsibilities and decided to get the tickets for the 13th of July. We acknowledge that it will be both hard to leave and good to return.
The other decision we had to make was whether or not the girls would return for the final term of school. Since the school is financially struggling, there have often not been teachers there. We were happy to be able to speak to a counselor from Manhattan and be assured that the girls will have the credits they need whether or not they do their final trimester in school or at home. Olivia has been signed up to take the CXC exam in one subject on May 4. So our decision is to return to school until then and finish up at home assuming there are no major changes in the situation. However, after the conversation with the teacher Olivia reported, we will wait and see if the teachers are returning at all this trimester before sending the kids.
In terms of the car, Richard spent most of 2 mornings in and out of various offices getting the insurance paperwork taken care of. Now we wait for the adjuster to come out. We are grateful that we had a spacious week in which to give that time to this ongoing issue. We are also grateful that the car has remained drivable while we wait for the slow wheels of bureaucracy to turn.
~Barbara
One interesting aspect of living in a different country has been getting to know a different political system. Trinidad and Tobago has a parliamentary form of government very similar to that of Great Britain. It has been quite educational for us to compare this system to the one that we have been familiar with in the United States. While both are founded on the same basic democratic principles, the ways in which the government actually works are quite different. A key difference in the two systems was illustrated this past week.
On Friday, the parliament was scheduled to debate a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who has held that post for 12 of the last 18 years. If he had lost the vote, Mr. Manning would have been forced to resign and call for new elections. Given that his party held 26 of the 41 seats in parliament, however, no one really expected him to lose. But the debate could have been quite embarrassing to him as the opposition had the opportunity to highlight the many political scandals that have taken place under his rule.
Ultimately, though, the debate never took place. Instead, Prime Minister Manning announced on Thursday that he was dissolving parliament as of midnight. He now has 30 days in which to set a date for new elections. The election must take place in no more than 90 days, which means that we will still be here to see it. Right now, the political parties are busy choosing the candidates who will run parliament. One particularly interesting aspect of these elections is that, for the first time, one of the major party leaders is a woman. So if her party gains the most seats in parliament, she will become the next Prime Minister. Meanwhile, candidates in the U.S. are jockeying for position in a presidential election that is still more than 2 1/2 years away.
~Richard
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