I returned home from a two week trip to Guyana yesterday at 11 am.
We reached home at 1:30 pm.
On the way we stopped to see my sister-in-law and I opened one of my suitcases and took out some of the stuff that Big Sis sent for her.
It wasn’t until the next day (today!) 5 am, after we ate Suhur (meal before the start of the fast in Ramadhan) that my mom asked me if I had any dirty clothes.
Yesterday when I dragged myself upstairs I was so excited to tell my sisters that I wasn’t interrogated and no clothes were forcibly wrested from me. I slept. So I am announcing it to the WORLD!
By the way…Ramadhan (muslim month of fast) has started. We did our first fast on Thursday so RAMADHAN MUBARAK!
I just had a weird conversation with a Guyanese child and I better put it down before I forget it all, especially as some of it will be strongly paraphrased since I don’t totally understand the Guyanese phrases.
So, I’m spending the night by Chennette’s and somehow got conned into hanging out her last load of laundry on the line outside (never mind she delivered my dirty clothes back to Big Sis’ house). There’s a guard (more like watch lady) on the compound at night and it seems her granddaughter (according to Sister, the Elder) is sleeping on a table on the back, right outside Chennette’s back door.
I went outside, careful not to disturb her but she greeted me after I hung the second piece of clothes. Please note that this conversation is occurring as I walk in and out of the apartment with clothes to hang and she takes a bathroom break at some point.
Girl: You wear pants and skirts?
Me: Yeah! (I did think about this because I rarely wear skirts)
Girl: Oh, but I never see you wearing pants!
Me: (Realization dawns. Remember I am sleepy and this just happened 15minutes ago so it’s LATE! She’s looking at the laundry and thinking I’m Chennette!) Oh, you mean my sister. I’m not her. But yes she does wear pants and skirts, just skirts more often.
Girl: Can I get something to eat?
Me: (Thankfully we have something to eat. With Chennette’s travels this is not always a certainty but Chennette made me some cheese biscuits because I was starving as usual so I put three on a napkin and gave it to her).
Girl: Can I get some drink?
Me: Is water okay?
Girl: Drink?
Me: (*click* Drink in Guyana usually refers to soft drink or soda or pop or sweet drink…) Is water okay? We don’t have drink?
Girl: ok!
Me: (I fill her a glass of cold water and give it to her).
Girl: The biscuits come from a chicken place?
Me: What? Why?
Girl: They smell like they come from a chicken place.
Me: No, she just made them for me. They’re a bit salty.
Girl: She made them? oh!
Me: (Up to here I’m thinking I’m having a regular normal conversation with a little girl…not too strange).
Girl: Why you so big? Why you don’t drop some size?
Me: (I was a bit lost at first because I couldn’t understand what she was actually asking. Was she saying I was too big or I needed to be bigger) Well, if it was that easy to drop weight, I would have already.
Girl: You won’t be able to find anywhere to sit!
Me: (I must admit I wasn’t sure if she was saying I’d be too big to sit anywhere, or too big to find someone to hook up with so I told her I don’t understand. I am really trying to paraphrase what she was saying and on discussion with Chennette we decided it was I’d be too big for seats. So far I comfortably fit into airline chairs and other tight fits. In fact, I lost THREE whole pounds in the 6 weeks since I’d seen one doctor). I don’t understand.
Girl: You don’t speak/understand English?
Me: Yes! It’s Guyanese I don’t understand. (It’s true! Sometimes I don’t understand Big Sis’ niece and nephew and the phrases are different. Well I did get a look for that!)
Girl: You could buy me a phone?
Me: No…
Girl: You don’t have a phone?
Me: No…(okay I was stunned and Chennette says I should’ve asked her why I should buy her a phone).
Girl: Why you doing your washing so late?
Me: Because that’s when she has time to do it. Our mother bring us up so.
Girl: Why you bringing one piece of clothes? Why you don’t bring it all in a basket?
Me: Because I don’t know where the basket is and I don’t want to disturb her.
…
Girl: Oh, you have a washing machine.
Me: Yes.
Girl: When I grow up I want to work like you.
Me: What you mean?
Girl: I want to do what you do.
Me: What do I do?
Girl: You deal with papers.
Me: Um, that’s my sister. I’m a teacher.
Girl: Where do you teach?
Me: Trinidad.
Girl: English, Spanish…?
Me: Maths
Girl: No, you teach in English?
Me: Yes. Trinidad speaks English.
Girl: My mother says (only?) America does/doesn’t speak English. (I was confused!!)
Me: No, Guyana speaks English. Trinidad speaks English.
Girl: Is it America?
Me: It’s the Caribbean.
Girl: (a look)
Girl: I want to go to Trinidad. Will you take me to Trinidad?
Me: No.
Girl: I want to go Trinidad.
Me: Why?
Girl: To study.
Me: Well you can go Trinidad when you grow up.
Girl: No. My mommy says only children can go Trinidad.
Me: That’s not true. Adults can go Trinidad. (Hmmm considering she hasn’t heard of Trinidad and now she wants to go? Does somebody want Chennette to “adopt” her??).
Girl: *disbelief*
Me: (Anywayz, now I’m a bit *worried* to say the least. Can’t wait to finish hang out the clothes…success!) Well I’m done. Good night! Just leave the glass and we’ll pick it up in the morning.
There may have been more conversation but it must be blanked from my mind. I relayed most of it to Chennette so she might remember if there is anymore.
But…yikes!
I’m not sure what to say.
Chennette says I didn’t respond to her questions properly but I’ve not been properly prepared for this. I haven’t heard “stories”!
Isn’t being an aunty fun? :-)
Been sick the last month…very horrible…slept non-stop and it wasn’t restful.
Still enjoying this unemployed feeling tho. Got last paycheque. Hope to post *something* of substance one day. I posted pictures on flickr the other day….I will try to put links…feeling tired….must sleep….plane in 8 hours
Sort of.
Today was my last working day at my current place.
Technically my last employed day is sometime next month…but I cleared out my desk (mostly), deleted my email (darn I should’ve deleted my account settings from Outlook but anywayz), deleted all my files (I hope! Did I forget something?), turned in my keys, gave in that silly flash drive and…left?
I also left things to be copied for the students who worry they won’t get a replacement teacher.
But FREE!!!!!!
Happiness.
Okay.
Of course I am a bit worried. Everybody likes money coming in. Not having an income any more is sort of worrisome but this is better for me for now! :)
And I’m technically on paid vacation now :)
I’ve always wanted to go to Tamnak Thai.
It’s in town somewhere (say Port-of-Spain, environs).
Well, I’ve finally gone…but in Barbados.
It turns out there is one in Barbados. And downstairs is an Apsara!
So, is it a chain?
Oh well.
So finally, I’ve crossed waters to get to Tamnak Thai.
There were so many things on the menu that I wanted.
Pad thai.
Green papaya salad.
But I got some kind of cashew nut and prawn dish.
I love cashew nuts in stir fries and curries.
It’s such an unexpected lovely flavour.
Chennette got Prawns in Red Curry.
We got fried tofu and spring rolls as appetizers.
And for dessert…well…usually we try to get “authentic” dishes for dessert too but they had Death by Chocolate Cake and Crème Caramel.
Who could resist?
Incidentally dessert cost less than the ice cream we got at Il Tempio (!!!).
The Crème Caramel tasted different from ours. Theirs was more custardy? Ours was lighter. Probably type of cream used. We didn’t use heavy cream…!
I’m not sure (but Chennette is)
The cake seemed to be a combination of chocolate cake, chocolate torte and chocolate ganache? all with mint flavouring.
YUM!
Here’s dessert!. Follow the link for the rest of the pictures.
Chennette took a picture of her main course, Prawns in Red Curry:
I just explained what macaroni pie is
Well, it seems Bajan macaroni pie is a tad bit different.
Anywayz, the last thing on Chennette’s list of things to do in Barbados was to eat macaroni pie and flying fish.
A few days after trying to get it at Cave Shepherd (and a failed attempt to go drive around the coast…we slept), we went to this little diner close to the grocery store.
So, I got macaroni pie and fried flying fish (hmmm) and cole slaw.
She got macaroni pie and fried flying fish and fried plantain bites.
It was very nice and cheesy and had a tinge of red.
I liked it!
We spent about B$28-$301 on this and two bottles of water a bottle of coke.
*nice*
And, since I had my camera, I took a couple pictures :-)
- US$1 ~= B$2
Chennette is in search of a sweet and sour dish she had once.
I think I had it too.
You know how Chinese food differs not just by region but also by the country it was imported to?
Well we had a very tart (was it lemon, orange or sweet and sour) chicken in Trinidad, recently. It wasn’t what we expected, good but as I said unexpected. I can’t remember what it’s like anymore…except I know it wasn’t the Sweet and Sour stuff I got in massachusetts.
We figure it must be from the restaurant in Mid Centre mall because where else did we used to go and eat chinese food.
Anywayz, after my day in Bridgetown, since Tamnak Thai was not open yet, we went to the International Mall, open until 9PM!
Now that’s nothing to sneeze at. We were both studying in places with malls that closed early or stores that close early. And I think malls close early here in T&T too.
Well.
I wasn’t impressed.
It felt like how the inside of Gulf City used to be (it had like all the temporary stores in the middle). Note, just the inside stores, nothing else.
And it was very small. It looked much bigger from the outside. She said it seems the grocery took up most of the space.
But we were hungry and so went to check the chinese buffet. The buffet wasn’t open but they were open.
We had sweet and sour fish, shrimp stuffed mushrooms and some appetizers I’m sure but I can’t remember what. I think we paid about US$50 for our food. I *think*
I really loved those mushrooms. They were kind of spicy and unexpected. The fish was good too. Very red. She doesn’t think her camera takes such great red pictures.
Continue reading Barbados: Sweet and Sour and malls open until 9 PM!!!
