Playing Through the Pain

Had my job interview today. The place was very professional and hi-tech. It’d be a great place to work even in the States. Their demo reel kinda scared me, actually, because they put out some very high-end stuff that I’m worried is beyond my skill level. No work for me right now, but hopefully there will be some come January, when the Carnival festivities kick into high gear.

Tried to open a bank account again today, but found out that as a foreigner, in addition to two forms of identification, I also need either a letter from an employer, a utility bill in my name, or a “Letter of Welcome” from my bank at home. The first two made sense, but that last one cracked me up. Is it just me, or does that sound suspiciously like I’m being set up for some kind of arranged marriage?

At any rate, I also learned a very hard lesson today. I hadn’t been thinking too much about dehydration because I’m in a more humid climate than when I lived in the high desert in New Mexico. But today, as I was experiencing one of my hellatious headaches without the aid of any Excedrin, it occurred to me that I sweat, a lot, every day here. Not only is my body not used to this, but I also lose a lot of water this way, too. Duh. So on the way home I bought some Gatorade and a box of granola bars, then hobbled, half-blind, into a pharmacy, where I bought ten Excedrin (you don’t have to buy a whole bottle here, they actually sell individual tablets). Then I took a shower to cool my body down, lay down naked on my bed with the fan blowing full bore on me, popped three Excedrin, forced myself to eat and drink despite my nausea, and watched several episodes of The Office until I felt better. Which I did, in a matter of maybe an hour. It’s amazing how well one’s body responds when you give it what it needs.

But the lesson is this: from now on, I shall never allow myself to travel without liquids, nor run out of Excedrin (although my liver is going to kick my ass if I don’t figure out a way to get rid of these headaches).

I shall also never allow myself to leave the house without a bandana, or ‘rag’. Every day I’m out I carry a tissue so I can mop the sweat off my face. But I noticed today that several people were carrying around bandanas or washcloths. I read later that most Trinidadians never leave the house without one. It definitely made me feel like less of a wimp to realize that even natives are affected by the heat, too.

And I learned an interesting lesson about keeping cool as a woman. Turns out there’s a practical reason for wearing dresses here: a dress is much cooler than pants in this heat, as my drum instructor’s wife, who can always be found in one, later confirmed. So I have to get my few dresses sent down to me as soon as I can.

Me in a dress, all day every day. If only my former co-workers could see that.

Today’s Trinidad Impression: There are several tiers to the public transportation system here: There are buses, similar to buses in the states, except you have to buy tickets in advance; there are Maxis, which I’ve discussed at great length; there are route taxis, which are cars that drive along specific routes, similar to Maxis (except they hold less people, obviously); and there are private taxis, which are most like taxis back home. Now, the thing is, all the car taxis here are unmarked. So essentially you’re getting in a car with a random man and trusting that he is, in fact, a taxi driver. For example, today I found myself in quite the potentially compromising position. I’m walking down the street, and a driver beckons to me. I ask him if he’s a taxi, he says yes, and I get in the car, wondering briefly if I’ll finally have the need to use my ever-present mace, but too distracted by the air conditioning, as well as the burgeoning aneurysm, to do anything about it. Fortunately he soon picked up a woman and her child, and then another woman, so I was free to sit back, relax … and enjoy the sensation of my head being slowly crushed in a Jigsaw-like torture device.