Small Victories

I GOT A PHONE TODAY!!!

I got a phone today I got a phone yeah yeah I got a phone today I got a phone yeah yeah I got a phone today I got a phone yeah yeah I got a phone today I got a phone yeah yeah I got a phone today I got a phone yeah yeah...

This was basically the only thing I accomplished today, but I swear when I walked out of that store, I felt like I'd just built Stonehenge. All by myself.

So today's daily walk to town was chock full of hilarity.  On the way to town I got more male attention than usual, and the call "Sexy sexy" was directed at me more than once.  I have no idea what kind of vibe I was giving off, because it certainly wasn't what I was wearing.  Honestly, mysogyny aside, you HAVE to respect a culture that creates men who appreciate the idea of Woman so much, that they can find something sexy in a skinny, translucent, older-ish chick wearing flip flops, baggy knee-length shorts and a loose t-shirt.  I'm sorry, but that's just freaking great.  Try to find a guy in the States who would've thought I looked sexy in that, I dare you.

On a clothing-related note, all the school kids wear uniforms.  I think that's the Catholic influence in the country.  At the library today, one uniform-clad schoolgirl took a liking to me, informing me, when she saw me peel the protective plastic cover off my shiny new cell phone, that it was there to keep the face from getting scratched.  I laughed, telling her I knew that but I always obsessively peel the protective plastic wrapper off every new item I get.  This cracked her up, and she scooted her seat next to mine.  Then she watched everything I was doing on the internet, and was shocked at how fast I type.  I told her I took classes in school, and did a lot of typing in all the offices where I've worked over the years.  This gave her guardian, a woman sitting nearby, the opportunity to tell her that this was the benefit of taking classes and working hard.  It was kinda cool to inadvertently find myself part of a life lesson.

Also, it was a strangely liberating experience to compose personal e-mails knowing full well that an adorable little urchin was reading every single word I wrote.

Continuing on with the hilarity, on my way back from the library (carrying my giant, like 3-foot long, bright red Digicel umbrella that I'd just gotten as a welcome gift when I bought my cell phone), I suddenly see sparks hitting the sidewalk in front of me.  I look up, and there's a guy doing some welding on top of a wall, right next to the street.  I actually had to wait for the sparks to stop dropping before I could pass.  Can you imagine this happening in the States?  There'd be seventeen lawsuits before the first spark hit the pavement.  Cracked my ass up.

Five steps later I walk by one of the many vendors selling bootleg dvd's and cd's, and hear the hilariously incongruous sound of Elvis crooning "Blue Christmas".

Then, after passing my fruitstand guy, and exchanging one of those silent guy chin-nod acknowledgement things, I passed this lady who beams at me and says "Hello darling" every time I pass her.  I don't know why this is so, but this lady just adores me.  She's not crazy, she's not selling anything, she doesn't even try to talk to me, she just lights up when she sees me, like I'm her favorite child or something.  I enjoy this very much.

Tonight's Trinidad Impression:  The "Double", another tradition that my drum instructor's wife treated me to.  Oh my god, this is now my new favorite food.  It's another Indian dish, a spicy chickpea (or 'channa'), curry and mango chutney concoction, wrapped up in this soft, sweet bread that made my eyes roll back in my head.  The sweet/spicy combo is just right.

Of course, I'm allergic to wheat and chickpeas give me gas, so it's absolutely the wrong thing for me to ever be eating.

Ever ever.