Tuesday, March 24, 2015

2 Weeks of Catching Up!

I apologize for the delay on my posts! There is just so much that goes on that I either get too lazy to write about them right away or I get caught up with everything that I don't have time!
Since the last time I posted (East Indian Experience) we have done so much. We got to participate in the Phagwa celebration which is a Hindu event that welcomes the Spring time and is known as the Festival of Colors. This celebration was definitely one of my favorites. Dressing in all white is a requirement because the moment we stepped on the field that the celebration was held at, we began getting sprayed with abir (a purple colored liquid mix) and a bunch of colored powders! We had no time to settle in and get our stuff ready! Haha. We came prepared with gallons and water bottles full of abir so that was good. We all found our spot and began retaliating on anyone that we spotted targeting us. We were spraying everyone down as they were with us, chasing people with our packs of colored powder, and attacking anyone that attacked us. It was funny seeing little kids about 7 to 12 years old with these water gun contraptions spraying us from feet away with evil little smiles on their faces haha. The older guys were the ones that didn't care & attacked us without holding back. They would come up behind us and smack our faces with powder or dump abir on us. Within a matter of minutes we were all stained purple and couldn't recognize each other. No one from our group held back from getting even. It was lots of fun just letting loose and getting dirty. The Hindu community was so welcoming and had lots of fun attacking us as clean Americans. They were surprised at how involved we got too! Haha. We left the event looking like purple zombies with powder all over our hair, faces, and bodies. Showering at the lodge was a mess as everything we touched turned purple. To this day, the blonde people still have a bunch of colors in their hair! My finger nails were purple for weeks after that.
After that, all the fun stuff kind of died down... I know you might not believe it but I do have lots of school stuff to do. Actually, everything we do is considered school but I sure don't think of it that way! We had a midterm for our Caribbean Culture and Society (CCS) course of the program that following Tuesday & I also had one for one of my classes at UWI. That weekend consisted of a lot of procrastination... But midterms came around & I think I did pretty well on them! (Hopefully!) We had a few lectures that week, including one on politics in Trinidad and Tobago to prepare us for our visit to Parliament. I won't bore you guys on the Trinidadian government but I'll tell you it's very different than the U.S. They use a Westminster system like that in Britain. We actually got to attend a passing of a bill at the Parliament building and it was interesting but not my favorite. The only cool things about it were that we got to dress up in formal business wear, we got to sit about 10ft away from the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, and we got to witness a little bit of bacchanal in the room between the different representatives. Other than that, I tried my hardest not to fall asleep haha. But it was still a neat thing to experience and learn about as politics are a major part of every society.
That following weekend we planned a pool party BBQ with our friends. One of them lives in a beautiful mansion overlooking Port of Spain and the ocean. The pool was really nice to swim in, so nice that I was in it basically the entire night. That was a different setting than the usual weekends we've had. We all contributed to bringing something to the BBQ whether it was pitching in, making something, bringing something, or driving. I made the best guacamole I have ever made! Some of the guys have never had guacamole so I think I made them fall in love with it haha. That night was a long one.. When we left the house, most of us went down to Maracas Beach to watch the sunrise. As tired as I was, that was one of the nicest moments I had here. I ran out of the car to the beach like a little kid with a huge smile on my face. It could have been a slow-mo scene from a movie haha. I just love the beach so much & to be there to witness one of the most rewarding things God can give us, another day of life, was something that I was excited for. We stayed there for about an hour or two. Some people fell asleep in the car or on the beach while some others walked along the beach & played in the sand or water. It was a nice moment for all of us.
Another thing that happened this week was that most of us started our volunteer service work. This is part of our program so we have to log our hours & write reflections on our experiences. I am volunteering at the Autistic Society of Trinidad & Tobago & so far it has been so rewarding to be there. Debbie & I have helped them design their banner for an event this year and we have gotten to participate in their activities. Being there with other volunteers & staff members & the families that come with their kids is a nice way to escape the lodge and dedicate my time to something bigger. I love seeing all the kids with autism and their parents escape the reality of the world too. I really enjoy being there & I look forward to spending more time there.
This past week was also a little busy as we had a few lectures and meetings to do. Our lectures are coming to an end which is really nice because that means no more readings! Woo! haha. We also had a meeting with one of our program coordinators who helps us with our final paper. Now that we have about a month & a half left, the focus on our final presentations & papers is increasing which is really stressful. But anyways, we were ready for the weekend once it came around. We were celebrating Megan's 21st birthday! On Friday, a few of us went to Bruse bar to lime & have a good time but not going crazy because we had big plans for Saturday. At 8am on Saturday morning, we went to the Military Museum in Chaguaramas which was really cool. There were so many neat artifacts at the museum that aren't anywhere else so it was really cool getting that experience. Afterwards, I organized for us to go zip lining! That experience was the scariest but most adrenaline filled since we've been here! It was also in Chaguaramas overlooking Macqueripe beach. The moment we got there everyone's nerves were high & we were sweating more than usual haha. But no one backed out! The guides were all really cool, nice & helpful which added to the experience. I was so proud of everyone & myself for facing our fears & taking on this adventure! After the 3rd line everyone's nerves calmed down a bit & we made the best of it all the way through to the 7th & final line. One by one, we reached our end point & celebrated everyone that came down the line. It was so funny seeing everyone's excitement & having everyone cheer each other on. It was definitely something to be proud of! We will definitely be doing it again before we leave & this time we'll come prepared for the beach too! Later that night we went out to the Avenue for Megan's birthday again & that was lots of fun too since it had been a while since we've gone out like that. The highlight of the night was when I slipped & fell flat on my butt at Stumblin' (how convenient) haha. It was hilarious! We ended the night with some delicious gyros then came back to the lodge at around 4am.
What an eventful few weeks it's been. I still can't believe that we are here doing what we are doing. There is not a day that goes by that I am not appreciative of this opportunity. I've been living it up to the fullest & plan on doing so all the way to the end!

No comments:

Post a Comment