Society

I have the advantage of being two nationalities, Trinidadian and Haitian. This past summer I had the opportunity to explore each of them. I was six years old when I left Trinidad to come to the United States. Sometimes, when I try to remember the country of my birth I just have a blank memory of it. I always told myself when I got older, I would go back home for a visit. I already accomplished my goal of visiting Haiti, where my mother was born. Trinidad was next on my list, since I became tired of my mother as well as other family members telling me about the beauty of Trinidad. This past summer was a beautiful and exciting memory that never will be forgotten. Never forget where your nature is rooted, because those who are of different cultures enrich our society, making our world exciting.

Every time my grandmother and I spoke, she always asked me “Boy wenya gonna come home”? And I tell her “soon come”. Trinidadians speak broken English, almost like Jamaicans, but much clearer. Finally the day to leave for Trinidad came on August 1st. I decided to go by myself so I can learn about the country, spending time with old friends and family. It was a personal visit; it had been eighteen years since I returned home. It felt like a reunion with a loved one. I was up for two days counting down the time until my trip. The night before my flight it felt like the night before the first day of high school, I was so anxious for the day to begin. I planned my outfit and was very serious getting about ready for my trip. My dream finally came true because, although I have a lot of relatives in Trinidad, I’m closest to my grandmother and it has been four years since I last saw her. The excitement was rushing through my veins. I was set to go and my eyes were blood shot red from the lack of sleep the past two days. It was time to escape my hectic work-filled days in Spring Valley and enter a new relaxed environment of a tropical paradise for one whole month. I took off at 5:00 pm and took a much needed nap during the five hour flight. The rough turbulence of the plane landing awakened me, letting me know that I was approaching Trinidad. I stepped off the plane with a huge smile on my face and I felt so happy and relieved to be there. I did not know anything much about my country except that it was in the Caribbean, the food was amazing and the women were beautiful. I gathered my luggage and headed out the front entrance. The scenery was nice with a breeze blowing through the palm trees. The sky was such a beautiful purple and reddish color I just stopped to admire it and inhaled the fresh air that I’ve been missing.

My grandmother arrived with hugs and kisses as we embraced each other. It had been a long time since I had seen her. After loading everything into the car, we were off driving through the city of Trinidad with its amazing bright lights and big buildings similar to Time Square. The atmosphere was unbelievable! I thought differently of the country, but they had everything we have in the United States such as BMWs, Mercedes, Porches, Pizza Hut and so on. My grandmother told me a lot has changed. The economy became better, and so the cost of living increased. For example, a bottle of apple juice in a supermarket would be about $1.50 but down there it would cost you about $8.00. The value of the currency is different from the United States; each American hundred dollar bill is nine hundred “TiTi” money in Trinidad. My grandmother lives in the suburbs of Trinidad called Diego Martin and it is like the West Palm Beach of Florida. We finally arrived at her house, but everyone was asleep and I was already beat. Tomorrow would be a new day and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I feel asleep like a baby. The next morning I had breakfast with family members, and after that, we went to the beach. It was a wonderful way to start my vacation.

I always asked my grandmother about my father since I knew he still lived out there and her response would always be that he’s around. I was always curious because I never got the chance to see or know the man. As I got older I hardly asked but I have been in touch with him and our first phone conversation was in 2003. We had managed to keep in touch on and off. We went to Maracas Beach, where you have to drive through the mountains, a scary ride but well worth it. The sea was clean and blue and the sand was so rich and pure I felt like I was in heaven. I swam for days; I felt as though I was experiencing a child first time in a pool or beach and I just wanted to spend the whole day there. Unfortunately, we had to go back, and as we walked back to the car, I was introduced to my father. I thought it was a joke at first but even when then I realized it was not a joke I was in such a shock. I remained speechless during