Lots to Take in

I had a 28 Days Later moment while walking down the street today. As I passed underneath an air conditioning unit, a drop of the toxic waste water dripped directly into my left eyeball. I completely freaked out at first, trying to figure out what I should do. Then I decided it was too late, I’d already been infected, and it was only a matter of minutes before I started dining on the blood of those around me.

Ahem. Moving on.

Tons of observations today:

Today was my first day walking with a rag. It was infinitely better than using a tissue.

I was listening to my inner dialogue today and realized that I’m already starting to think in Trini slang.

Noticing a pervasive scent of mothballs in the air. Not sure why. Could it be a precaution against the humidity? I even smelled it in one of the taxis.

Mannequins here are made from a more, how does one put it, voluptuous mold. What am I trying to say? Well, to speak plainly, they’ve all got Bubble Butt. Take that, Madison Avenue.

I’ve discovered that the ‘driving on the left’ thing also carries over to foot traffic, just like driving on the right does in the States (Notice this the next time you’re walking down a busy street). It’s an entire mindset. I realized this after the ninth or tenth time I nearly walked straight into somebody because I was giving way in the wrong direction.

Something else I realized while walking today: As a single white woman in a foreign land, trying to do what I can to keep myself from being a target, I’ve never in my life had the opportunity to ignore this many people on a daily basis. Today, however, I don’t know what it was, but I allowed myself to make eye contact - with an incredibly beautiful man with ‘ras’ (dreadlocks). And honestly, it was really refreshing. We exchanged an electric smile that stayed on my face the rest of the way home.

Seriously, there are some bee-yoo-tee-ful dudes here. Good lord.

Today’s Trinidad Treat: Roti, the unofficial national dish of Trinidad. It’s an Indian dish comprised of bread wrapped around curried meat or veggies. I was surprised to discover that there is a very large Indian contingent here. Apparently it’s the second largest segment of the population, right behind Africans.