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!