The Year of Reconciliation

Every year, the United Nations puts out themes to raise international awareness of those themes and to try to bring the different nations of the world a bit closer together.  One of this year's themes, and the theme that we used at the school was the Year of Reconciliation.  Our goal was to incorporate the theme into what we were doing in our different classes, celebrate the diversity of our student body, and come to a close with an international food festival.  

Unfortunately, I did not bring reconciliation into my classroom.  I wanted to come up with something a bit political and things to really make them think about their perceptions on things and take them out of their comfort zone.  But every topic that I could come up with seemed forced and I really try not to squeeze things into my class subject matter if it doesn't fit with what we are doing.  Authenticity and honesty with my students is pretty important to me and I think if I used some of the suggestions that I was given, they would see right through it and they would easily tell that I didn't buy into it.  And that is an issue as you are building and maintaining a culture in your classroom.  I know, I know, mathematicians and people have to reconcile bank accounts and what not all the time.  But I felt that was too obvious for my kids and again they would see right through it.  

But this is not the reason of this post.  The real reason is the ending celebration at the international food festival.  At first, I really didn't want to go.  It cost me $30 TT (which is only $5 USD) and I heard you only get little portions of food.  I also envisioned that there were just going to be these little booths like at a county fair or carnival or something and you just went up to them and tried something new.  I couldn't be further from the truth.

The food festival took up the entire gym.  The school parking lot was filled and cars were parked on both sides of the street all around the block near the school.  There was not much room to walk once you got inside and every country that was represented had their tables decorated with native fabrics, decorations, pictures, etc.  All the people working were wearing traditional clothing from their country and the vibe in there was electric.  You know how people always gather in the kitchen at parties and that's really where the party is at?  Well this kitchen was the size of a gymnasium, so it was a good party.  Lots of smiles on people faces, lots of full bellies, and if there were alcohol there, I don't think anyone would have left.

It actually was a really good thing that you only got little samples of things.  I ate so much in the 2 hours I was there, I thought I was going to burst.  I had food from Pakistan, India, Costa Rica, Panama (you have to try the Sopa de Amor if you're ever in Panama.  It's a dessert that may have won top prize in my informal dessert competition), El Salvador, Venezuela (the Tres Leches cake running neck and neck with the Sopa de Amor for dessert first place), Syria, Lebanon, Canada, Russia, China, West Africa, and of course Trinidad.  There were also some other places that didn't have vegetarian options and a couple that I found at the end of my tour of the world (the US, Indonesia, France), but there was just no room left in my tummy.  

So the theme was the year of reconciliation and at times I think some of these countries were at war in my stomach.  But after having some time to rest and think things over (a nice long nap), I think they all found peace.  If only it were that easy.  Get everyone together and share food and drink and see each other as people, not as images of ignorance, hate and anger.

I think the Hash I just tried could get addicting.

One of the other teachers told me about it when I first got here and I was a bit intrigued.  She mentioned it to me a couple times since then, but we were never able to get together for me to experience it.  So yesterday, Katie, Aaron and I decided to try the Hash with a few other people that we know from playing Ultimate Frisbee Thursday afternoons.

We were a bit apprehensive, but curious at the same time.  It sounded like kind of a crazy idea, maybe even a bit stupid, but intriguing at the same time.  The Hash wasn't in Port of Spain, so we had to travel to Toco to do it (Toco is at the NE corner of the island - about a 2 1/2 hour drive.)  There were supposed to be a lot of people there doing the Hash too - kind of a big party, but we were a little early, so we played in the ocean a bit.  About a half hour later, people started showing up, a guy gave some quick instructions, we handed over our keys (so no one would get lost or left behind while we were doing the Hash), and we were on our way.  Allow me to explain the Hash experience a bit more...

A Hash is something that I thought was created in Amsterdam, but after doing a quick check on Wikipedia, it appears that it was actually created in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia.  In a nutshell, when you're doing a Hash, someone runs goes out and creates a path either in the woods, in a rain forest, in a city, or wherever.  They leave small markers along this path (which may or may not follow along an already created trail) and you try to find your way from the beginning point to the end.  The Hare (the person laying the trail) will also leave false markers along the way to confuse people, which you then have to double back and find the original trail again.

The Hash that I was on went into parts of the rain forest on the island; went up hill and down hills, through the mud, through and up a river, and over many a fallen branch or tree.  I was part of the front of the pack, trying to find & follow the trail, until we found a false trail.  At that point, I ended up getting stuck at the end as everyone turned around and went the other direction.  I then got stuck behind a girl who was sliding down every decline on her butt.  After a while I was able to get past her, but one other girl and I were kind of on our own for a bit because we fell so far behind the pack.  We eventually caught up with a few other people and we slowly started catching up with other people.  (Don't worry, people who helped lay out the course were picking up the rear, helping the people who were really struggling).

We found our way to the end, wet, muddy, sweaty, and with grins on our faces from ear to ear.  It was so much fun.  Afterwards, most people partake in a lot of drinking (a common Hasher phrase is that they are "drinkers with a running problem").  I enjoyed a carbonated apple juice.  These apparently happen every other week in different locations across Trinidad and I have a feeling I know what I'll be doing next Saturday afternoon.  For those who are interested, there are Hashers in pretty much every country - just look them up online and you'll probably find one nearby. 

Wait, what did you think when I said I was trying Hash down here???

Viewing TT football is a "contact" sport

After the crushing loss Trinidad received at the hands of the US a few weeks ago, the much anticipated re-match was at hand.  However, this was not just a rematch, this was kind of a clutch game for TT.  For TT to get back in the running for passing this first round of World Cup qualifiers, we had to beat the US and Guatemala had to lost to Cuba.  That won't seal it for TT to pass through, but makes it much more likely.  I could get into the why's and how's, but anyone who follows sports knows how confusing these different scenarios get, and I will spare us all of that.

The game began on a beautiful, clear evening with an enormous full moon over head.  The TT fans came out in much larger numbers for this game, in comparison to the Guatemala match last month.  We got there a little later than the last time, so we weren't in the midst of the really rowdy section.  This time we were in the equivalent of the "end zone" and across from the party section.  However the crowd in our section was still quite lively.

I won't go through the play by play, because quite honestly, I can't remember when the goals were scored.  I do know that we (we being TT - I was rooting for the underdog tonight) scored and shortly after, the US scored with at 3 on 1, the 1 being the goalie.  As expected, the crowd went wild, throwing beer in the air and down to the field, and the crowd was subsequently silenced.  Later in the 2nd half, there was a penalty by a US player near their own goal, which resulted in a penalty kick for TT.  We scored and were once again in the lead.  The minutes were ticking down and the crowd was going wild anticipating the win.  Over the loud speakers, the announcer announced that Guatemala lost to Cuba, thus nearly ensuring our advancement to the next round of qualifiers.  The Soca Warriors managed to hold off the US as the game ended and there was much celebration.

There is often talk about how crazy people get at football/soccer games outside of the US.  I kind of expected it here, even though we are a smaller country.  But everyone was in good spirits.  So there were no fights or anything of the sort.  I guess the most contact that we had was from the buzz that we all got from everyone smoking marijuana in the stands.  I swear, if there wasn't a slight breeze that night, there would have been a cloud hanging over the stadium.

The Quest To Save Some Turtles - Part III: The Return

After the turtles and another walk down the beach, we went back to the guest house, had some food (turtle soup anyone? - just kidding), and chatted about what to do the next day.  There was a waterfall that we heard was near by and was supposed to have some fresh water pools that we could swim in and all were in agreement that that was what we should do.  Unfortunately, it's about a 4-hour hike and you need to start at 6 AM if you want to do it, so you can beat the heat.  We found out these minor details around 8 AM, before we even started eating breakfast.  So that was out of the picture.  Plus it was supposed to be really crowded as this was all happening over the holiday weekend.  It was suggested by the folks at the guest house that we try it again another weekend and we all agreed to do such.

Instead, they suggested that we go to a slow flowing river nearby and wade in that for an hour or two.  Not really wanting to go back home already and having our minds set on a refreshing swim on a hot day, we all agreed.  The lady running the guest house said it was only a 10-minute walk from where we were staying.  After about 30 minutes of hiking through some rather thick brush and wooded areas, being led by a guy with a machete, we came across an opening and a beautifully tranquil river.

The water was cool and refreshing and perfect after our hike.  We spent a couple of hours here, just relaxing and talking and letting the little girls explore a bit.  The rest of the trip back to the guest house and to Port of Spain was pretty uneventful.  But there was definitely a bond that was created amongst all of us as we went through this journey.  These are some good people and I'm really glad that I'm getting the opportunity to get to know them.

The Quest To Save Some Turtles - Part II: The Rescue

After all the excitement, we all got back to the guesthouse in time to check in and catch the truck that was taking us to the beach.  This picture is looking down the coast of Matura Beach.  Where we ended up finding some hatchling turtles was behind me.

We all go to the beach and started walking along it, not really knowing what we were looking for.  The guides split up to use their "professional" eye to find some hatchlings.  The guide who was wandering with us, got a call on his walkie-talkie and said that the other guides found some lost hatchlings and they needed our help, stat!  Ok maybe he didn't say all of that, but he did find some and we were off to do our duty.  We hiked back down the beach and found this disgusting pool of water that was an outlet for water from the mountains near by.  But apparently there wasn't enough water in it to make it up and over some of the beach hills to get out to the ocean.

In this disgusting pond, we saw little turtle heads popping up and down.  The guides were trying to get the turtles with this long, fallen tree branch, but were not having much luck.  The little girls looked a little despaired by the situation, so Nick (now dubbed the "Hero Dad") climbed into the pond to start gathering up the little turtles and handing them to his daughters saying "girls, can you take this one for me so we can make sure he gets back to the ocean?"  "Yes papa," the girls would respond with joy and excitement.  This went on for a couple passes and fortunately for the Hero Dad, no appendages fell off as a result of wading through this pond and to date, no additional unwanted growths have been reported.

We gathered up the hatchling turtles in a small bucket and the guides began to tell us about the whole process of the mothers laying the eggs, predators of the hatchlings, where their food is stored, etc.  These things were so cute and they were just barely bigger than the size of your palm.

After our lesson on leatherback turtles, we took them to the beach by the ocean and set them on their way.  Apparently they need to feel and smell the sand, so they know where to come back in 20-30 years to lay their own eggs.  We had 22 in all.  I guess during the actual hatching season, you can find a couple hundred on a tour like ours.  But there go our 22 little friends.

I think we were told something like 1 in 500 of these hatchling turtles actually make it to adulthood (which is a staggering 1-1.5 meters in diameter), so chances are, our rescue will still end in death for all of them.  At least it was a cool experience.  And who knows, maybe one of these 22 little hatchlings will beat the odds and grow up to be president one day.