BATS

Tamana Bat Caves...I have been looking forward to going to the bat caves since I came to Trinidad, and last night I finally got the chance. The caves are home to millions of bats that fly out at dusk in search of food. There are mostly fruit bats and insect bats found there. Dave (fellow Fulbrighter), Mary (friend from church) and I went with a small group from Hike Seekers, heading to the famed Mt. Tamana. The journey began with the narrowist, bumbiest, most unlevel road I've ever seen in my life and ended with a barely visible path through the bush. We suddenly just stopped next to a fig tree and our leader said, ok we're here! We got there right around 6pm and as we made the steep, slippery climb to the mouth of the cave we could see a couple of bats flittering around. The higher we climbed, the more bats passed by overhead and the excitement built! Finally we reached what looked like a big hole in the ground that was the mouth of the cave. We took up a place in front of the mouth of the cave as the darkness began to descend on us. The darker it became, the more bats began to trickle out of the cave until there were hoards of them whizzing past us. You couldn't move, you just had to stand up straight and still and they flew by all around you. I could feel them whoosh past close to me on either side and tried to become as small as I could so they wouldn't hit me!




We all did get hit though...some of the younger ones didn't have the best radar! I got nailed on the back of the leg (and after letting out a bit of a scream) discovered that I had quite disorientated the bat and one of the guides grabbed him and stretched him out so we could see it. The bat seriously had the scariest little face I've ever seen. It had a little horn on its nose, intense eyes, and its miniature fangs were biting at the air. It's face kept contorting trying desperately to fight off his captor. (Don't worry, we let him go and he was just fine!)


We then ventured around the back of the cave where we could actually go inside. The place was littered with bats, they were in every nook and cranny. There seemed to be a lot of younger, little bats in this part and they weren't flying around, just hanging. The place had quite a smell to it and water kept dripping from the cave ceiling...at first we thought it was bat poop and were VERY happy to discover that it wasn't!




Overall, this has been one of my favorite experiences here in Trinidad so far. It was so cool to feel the bats whizzing by and then to see them all over the cave. Not something that I want to repeat frequently, but a priceless experience for sure!

Fatal Error

I really thought that I had things around here pretty well figured out...turns out not so much. Today I learned of some cultural mistakes I made for my project and then made a really embarrassing misinformed assumption while running errands today.

Trinis love letters (and stamping things, but that is a whole other matter). You have no idea how many times I have heard "Well you have to make your request in writing by sending a letter to..." some director with a strange title and an impossible to spell name. Just today I was asking to get some information from the hospital like what year it was built and what the bed capacity is, and I was sent away to write a letter with all of the information I want listed. And these letters have a special format and you need fancy letterheads to make them believable. Well today I also learned that in many cases a letter from me is inappropriate because I really am a nobody here. The letter has to come from my mentor, who has a fancy post at the university and is a professor. He must introduce me and my project and then if the person responds positively, I can communicate with them. Well the director of the largest HIV treatment facility and therefore a pretty important piece of my research on HIV facilities, is a bit of an egomaniac and a big protocol nazi and was VERY offended by the fact that I sent him a letter and refused to have "an audience" with me. Now we have to gravel at his high and mighty feet for him to allow me to do any work at his clinic. So while it might have been my cultural error, I really hate writing letters and would prefer to make my own contacts, but it seems that my lowly status will force me into a backseat.

Ok this one is much funnier and more embarrassing...I have a checking account here at Republic Bank and today I went to deposit a check. I also needed to go to the grocery store, so instead of going to my usual bank, I opted to go to the one right next to the store. Thought I was being pretty clever there...turns out not so much. I went in and filled out the deposit slip, waited in line for the teller and went through with the whole transaction. At the end I asked for my balance...$13,000 and some change. WHAT? Holy cow, I was expecting about $2,000 (Trini money, don't forget!). I asked the teller if she was sure, she said yes, so I walked out, slightly confused. While I was getting groceries I started thinking about it and it just wasn't adding up...she said it was a savings account, but it is a checking. There is 6 times more money in there than should be. I headed back to the bank, this couldn't be right, my money had been deposited in someone else's account, that had to be it. I told them what I thought had happened and, looking very concerned, they took my receipt and ID and went to chat. They then came and asked me where my account was...I said I had opened my account on campus. Well guess what-I was at the RBTT bank, which I thought stood for Republic Bank Trinidad and Tobago. It doesn't. They are completely different banks. Yes, I tried to deposit a check at the wrong bank.

You've suffered through all this reading, so here are some pictures

The frogs are invading!! The Logie's have a nice pond and I often find frogs waiting at the gate when I get home at night. It is like they know I'm coming home and that I'll let them in!


At Sports and Family Day for the church I've been going to. This was one of those blindfolded, find the golf balls while your partner shouts directions at you kind of games...we got 2nd!


Can you find me? oh right I'm the really white one in the middle! Here are some of my team members!


Me with the group of people that I came with. Carol is right next to me and was the first person I met at the church.


The habitat house after the last day I was there...I can't believe how far along it is! They are hoping to finish it in the next few weeks.

So there you go...check back soon because on Saturday I'm heading to a bat cave and I'll put up pictures as soon as I can!!

Half Way Day

So today is officially my half way point, wow. 5 months down, 5 to go, once again wow. And sorry I haven't written lately, but it seems that as I've reached my midpoint, things are pretty...normal. I actually feel like I now have a fairly normal life, it is just that I'm in a tropical paradice instead of the corn fields of Illinois or Iowa. My research project is going really well at the moment. Monday I start at my second (of 5) main health care facilities that I am looking at, so I'm very excited about the progress of things. I am also playing for a women's soccer team (like a real team with practice and games and everything), taking a dance class and tutoring once a week at a home for children with HIV. So things went from really slow paced to pretty busy busy! So in honor of my half way point, here are just a couple of my favorite Trini things thus far...

1. Even just the beginning of the rainy season has left the mountains the most amazing green color. Add in a bright blue sky and it is wonderful.

2. Trini phrases..."Just now" meaning anytime in the next, oh, hour. "You going good?" is pretty much how are you. "Mash Up" has many meanings surrounding something being broken or hurt and "Bounx" is to hit something/someone. There are countless more, but I'll spare you the language lesson at the moment.

3. The food...the delicious, fried, breaded everything, the fact that you can get all kinds of things in coconut flavor and all of the wonderful fruit.

4. The fact that the world cup is broadcasted everywhere, you can talk about the day's game with a random person on the street and in general, on any given night you can find a pick up game to play in.

5. Trini Phones. Many people in Trinidad have 2 (or more) phones, one from each of the major phone companies. Most phones are pay as you go instead of contract so they trade off depending on which has minutes. They also tend to use one phone for people they actually want to talk to and the other for the, well for the other people. See people in Trinidad give out their phone number like candy, anyone you meet is liable to give you their number for any number of reasons. Even Brenton was given a phone number on the plane here to come eat at the restaurant the guy worked at, which is an hour from where I live!

Well there you go, 5 months, 5 wonderful things about Trini life. Here's to 5 more great months!

On the Catwalk

I'm convinced I could be a model. But let's start at the beginning of the day, we'll get to the model part. Thursday was Corpus Christi Day, which is a Catholic holiday, I think. I feel like a bad Christian since I not only don't know what it is celebrating, I have actually never even heard of the day before. But the point it we get the day off here in Trinidad, land of the holidays (we also had Monday off for Indian Arrival Day) so, making the most of my free day, I started it off with a hike to Marianne River and ended it with my first ever runway show at Trinidad's Fashion Week. So it is rise and shine at 5:15, I set off to the hike meeting place where I would meet Snake...that's right the hike leader is called "Snake." That right there should tell you that he was a very interesting character. I rode with him because I didn't have transport and he told me all about his trip to California, which included a lot of topless spring breakers and eating road kill, yeah I said interesting. The hike was actually quite easy, and ended with a beautiful waterfall that we got to both bathe in and go to the top of. However we spent a great deal of time walking through the river, which meant being barefoot over small, sharp rocks...my favorite thing ever. I must have extra sensitive feet or I am just be a super big wuss because I just can't handle the rocks. If hell is catered to each person, mine would be walking miles barefoot in this river. The waterfall was worth it though, absolutely beautiful. So Snake also is supposed to take me back to the taxi stand after the hike, but he decides that I need a tour of Maraval, where he lives,(other people were in the car, so I was pretty confident that I wasn't being kidnapped) and we set off driving around the little village. We headed up the huge hill and had to stop after to let the car cool down...we had to stop later at a gas station to get oil because the car was starting to overheat! I was glad to finally get home!

"Snake" right before he kissed the poor frog we found on the trail


A pretty view, but check out those rocks...brutal, I'm telling ya

So after a nap I get ready for the big Fashion event!! I got quite a dose of fashion just waiting for my group to show up, the crowd attending the show was quite fashionable. This pretty much means that the men were wearing impossibly tight pants and the girls had tiny little dresses and big, big heels. So once you were in your section, it was open seating, and we picked terrible seats...such fashion show rookies! We couldn't see either spot where the models posed, but we had a good view, unblocked by tall people or big hats. Turns out we picked the night that was all swimwear, which was a little disappointing because I wanted to see some evening wear, but there were some really cute things. And of course there were some really weird and really small things! I am convinced though that I could be a model. I might need to do a few more sit ups and practice a bit with big heals...but I totally could've fit right into that show. Some of the models were not of the anorexic bread, they were actually normal sized, even with a hint of normal-girl love handles. They weren't particularly tall, nor were they particularly good looking and a couple had huge boobs, which is totally uncharacteristic if you've ever seen America's Next Top Model. So watch out Trinidad modeling world...I'm coming!

Me on the runway, the start to a promising career, I'm sure

The group before the show starts...Ocene, who I met that night is from France and an intern at the UN, then Camille, my Trini friend and Pamela, who I also just met and is from Italy. So we had 4 countries represented!


So I'm pretty sure that we totally weren't supposed to video anything, but here is my favorite line..."I Love Trinidad" and it is all red, black and white.

Other exciting events this week:
Research is booming! I've met with reps from the Ministy of Health, learning whole bunches about the computer system pilots. I've started at my first hospital and have things in the works for my next facility.
Wednesday I am going to start playing soccer with a real girls team...with practices and games and everything, so that is cool!
I am quite close to being half way done with my grant, which I can't believe. Some days I'm excited that I'm getting closer to coming home and some days I feel like i have so much more here to do and see, but I'm trying to just get the most out of each day!

Maroon Umbrella: My New Favorite Accessory

We've officially entered rainy season. I came to this conclusion as I noticed the plethora of puddles, the greener landscape, the umbrella pushers on every major corner and, of course, the daily rain showers. I know, I should be a detective with this kind of deductive power. My umbrella is now with me everywhere I go and I am beginning to get a much better understanding of the Trini lifestyle. Things here move at a generally slow pace and time is a relative thing. During the dry season it is freakin hot, rarely are there even clouds in the sky to provide some relief. There is just no reason to move at a high pace with that kind of heat. Then the other half of the year is the rainy season, where there is some slight heat reduction but the sky will open up and dump sheets of water at any given time. The weather report may be able to tell you that it is more likely to shower in the morning than afternoon, but there are no further specifics. And it could look perfectly sunny and pleasant out, then boom, big clouds roll in dropping buckets of water and then they are gone, not 10 minutes later. If it starts raining, it is perfectly acceptable to duck into the nearest shop and wait it out, no matter what the delay will make you late for. So schedules are tough to keep, and while that would usually drive me nuts, the rain I got caught in today made me totally understand!

Other exciting things have been happening here in Trinidad...they just elected a new Prime Minister, and it was a women! The previous Prime Minister called a snap election about two and a half years before the scheduled election was due (so that would be like Obama saying hey why don't we do this election thing all over again, and you are going to vote in a month, and that is what happened). So the opposition joined forces, preaching change, and change happened. The first women Prime Minister...pretty cool. Elections here are like big parties, campaigns are punctuated by catching songs and rallies are held daily, complete with food, drinks and more music. I'm excited to see what this change will bring over the next few months...again, unlike the States, the new Prime Minister takes office THIS WEEK, no transition period, boom she's rolling!

My research is also starting to really move, I am conducting a survey tomorrow with the nursing department at my first facility and have a couple meetings with health big shots this week. I'm really excited that everything is picking up and can't wait to see how the surveys turn out and to start on my time studies. I'm a bit freaked out too though...I really have no idea what I'm doing in research and am definitely learning as I go, but ya gotta start somewhere!

2 People, 1 Room, 7 Days

BRENTON CAME TO VISIT! Woohoo! Brenton left yesterday after a week long visit to Trinidad, now he is back to Davenport, IA to do a summer internship with the Core of Engineers. We had a great time during his visit, really embracing the idea of Trini time, spending most of the week just relaxing and hanging out. We did get to spend a couple days in Tobago, staying at a great little guest house in Bucco, right on the beach. Bucco is also the home of Sunday School, which is a big party every Sunday night with lots of food, drinks and pan. It was fun until I slipped and fell, cutting up my knee like crazy. I am blaming it on the slippery, rain-soaked pavement, but Brenton attributes at least some of it to the rum punches I had with dinner!



The highlight of Tobago was going snorkeling and fishing, although we both got a little motion sick in the boat! We got to see lots of colorful, little fish scurrying in and out of the coral, but I'm not so skilled at using the snorkeling masks. Fishing we caught 4 barracudas and we had 2 more get away...these 2 were on my line and while it is likely that I just didn't reel them in right, I'm going to pretend that they were really big, far too strong to be reeled in. We got to keep 2 of the fish (we don't know what happened to the other 2, they just disappeared!) and the guy who runs the guest house helped us make fish broth and BBQ fish, both delicious!




Throughout our days in Trinidad we watched lots of good bootleg movies...Trinidad is full of bootleg copies of brand new, just out in theatres movies. We did lots of cooking...I have missed Brenton's breakfasts, he makes such great eggs! We ate lots of great Trini food too...Brenton loved doubles but didn't like the coconut water so much! Our last day, we went golfing and had a really good time. Although I think my score was at least double his! We got pretty darn close in these last 7 days since we spent lots of time at my place, which has everything all in one little room...bathroom and all! Having to go to the bathroom in the same room all the time is real, true love!! The whole week was really wonderful!




On a side note...I went to Mayaro today with Christian, Susan and Christian's parents and here are a couple pictures from that. We found live sand dollars, which I had never seen alive before, so cool! The palm trees were amazing, there were so many, it was beautiful!

When it rains...it pours, or cancels flights

My eyes popped open and searched for the clock, 6:03, you've got to be kidding. This was a morning I could actually sleep in a little, but it seems my weeks of early alarms has eliminated my ability to wake up much past 6. I rolled over, hoping to get a few more minutes of shut eye when my phone started going off. I groped at my desk...remote, no, mouse, no, phone, wrong one. Finally my fingers found the source of the vibration, my US phone. Brenton, my boyfriend, should be leaving about now for the airport, starting his long day of traveling to Trinidad. I quickly realized that this was not good news as I focused on the word "cancelled." His 7am flight from Moline to Chicago had been cancelled, and he had prepared to hop in the car to drive the 3 hours to Chicago when he found out that all the flights from O'Hare would be cancelled or delayed due to a huge storm cell going through the city. Much of a delay in Chicago would cause him to miss his connection in Miami to Trinidad...so his entire flight schedule was postponed until the next day. (Luckily he had the trip insurance and they rescheduled everything for the next day as well as postponing his return flights a day for no charge).

Needless to say, I felt pretty much like I had been punched right in the stomach. I had begun the countdown for him to be here about a week ago, and now I had to reset it, add back that 24 hours. At least I had planned a distraction for the day, working on a Habitat for Humanity house, originally it was to keep myself busy since the day would be spent in anxious anticipation of his 10:05pm arrival. Now it would serve as a distraction for my disappointment and a means for working out the frustration. So I packed my lunch, grabbed my sunscreen, pocketed some taxi money and headed out the door. As my taxi pulled up to the Habitat House, I was a dollar short in my pocket money so I searched my bag for my wallet, and searched....and searched, and... Nope. No wallet. No money. This taxi driver was very nice and accepted my $3 instead of $4, but I was pretty sure the other 3 taxis I would need to take to get home wouldn't be so cool with a rain check on the fare. I had made friends with the builders and would be back next week, I could borrow and pay them back. It would be fine, it would be fine, I'll be ok, I'll be ok, this internal dialog was barely containing the welling panic.

Full blown panic came about 20 minutes later. I was sitting with the the father of the family the house was for and received a call that said the builders weren't coming today. The break down was imminent. Brenton wasn't coming, my distraction was pulled out from under me and I don't have a cent to my name to get home. I almost expected a rabies infected dog to come bite me, the sky to open up and let rain pour down and the chickens fluttering around the build site to come peck my left eye out. Luckily, just about the opposite happened. The father sat and talked to me for awhile, telling me about his story (which made me feel like a big overreacter, knowing what he had gone through in his life!)and he had a friend that would be able to take me home. He also gave me a bunch of mangos and some real-deal eggs...he pulled them straight out of a near by chicken's nest. This guy was a personal ray of sunshine.

The rest of the day actually went really well. They took me home, there were 5 of us in the back seat...me, the father, a the driver's 6 year old daughter, wife and the wife was HOLDING their 7 week old baby. Dave, another fulbrighter, also had a bad morning, so we met for ice cream and a movie to lift our spirits. I also received a call from my mentor saying that the Ministry of Health had officially approved my project and forwarded their approval to the facilities I would be working with. This was actually a huge break through for my project, so I guess the day ended pretty well! And on a side note, I think the rainy season officially started today because it is POURING, if this rain delays Brenton's flight...


One of the stray dogs that hangs out at the build site...looks pretty vicious huh, ready to attack at any moment!


A rooster strutting around, we got the eggs in that hiding place to the right of the picture.


The build site the first day I arrived. They haven't poured the foundation yet, but it is looking a bit more ready for it now. I can't wait to see it finished, the family is so wonderful!