The Final Countdown

This past weekend was the last in Trinidad. I went to Zen on Saturday to destroy my hearing (it wasn't a planned trip so I didn't have my earplugs) and dance, and yesterday went to Maracas Bay to bathe in the Caribbean Sea and eat Bake and Shark for the last time (for a while at least). As usual, it rained the whole time we were there and the sun came out as we drove away. It's such a lovely drive, through the mountains, and is really a representation of the beauty of the country. I'm so looking forward to coming home that I'm not sad about leaving. One more day!!

11 More Days

My resignation was not taken well, but was taken nonetheless. I can't wait to leave, and a few people at work have stated that I look so light and happy. It's true. I'm feeling sad to leave the people of this country without anybody to give them audiological care, but other than that...get me outta here!

I'm ready to leave

It's time for me to move on. In work-related news, I'm still without a contract, and I was told the Personnel Committee chair had until the 24th of October to resolve the matter. I have not heard from him about this. It's kind of a slap in the face.
In Trinidad-related news, yesterday, rains flooded many parts of Trinidad, and there was up to 4 feet of water in some of the main roads. People were stranded everywhere. I luckily left work early, so did not get stuck anywhere, but as soon as the first rain drops fell today, it was a mad rush to get out of the city. It took me about 2 hours to make the usual 1 hour drive, even though I was 2 hours early leaving. The flooding is pretty common, from my experience, but it's been especially bad lately.
I have been out of propane to cook with for a couple of weeks now. Looking at lots of shops to trade in my canister for more. Usually, I just ask if there's any gas, but today a vendor told me that NP (National Petroleum) is on strike, and there's a shortage of cooking gas everywhere, and I'd be hard-pressed to find any. He said it's been 2 weeks that he's been without a delivery. Aargh!
As you can read, I'm becoming rather annoyed with Trinidad, and I figure the contract issue may have been a blessing in disguise.

Things that I'll miss:
Rainbows all the time, Coconut Water (straight from the coconut), great Dancehall on the radio (this is a double-edged sword because the DJs talk all over the music all the time), my wonderful patients, humidity that makes my hair look awesome, the exchange rate of $6TT to $1USD, pumpkin and plantain in a fried bake (AKA Orgasm for Breakfast), beastly cold Carib beer, plentiful national holidays...and I'm sure lots more.

Now, I don't know when I'll leave, but I have an idea. I don't know where I'll go for sure, but it'll either be Florida or New Hampshire (leaning toward Florida at this time).

Waiting...my favorite pastime

When I go to the bank, I must schedule an hour to be there: About 40 minutes to stand in line, 5 minutes to have the teller tell me they don't do/know how to do the transaction I request, and 10 to 20 minutes completing the transaction I need. Also, everything is written on paper, and stamped like 100 times on both sides of the paper. It's hard not to want to scream at somebody.

Lime Juice

I have a Key Lime tree outside my house and made some kick-ass lime juice yesterday. Also have used them for lots of marinades, and I've been researching some other recipes with the fruit in it.

Contract is almost finalized? HA!

Still working per diem without a finalized contract. I'm not getting my emails answered, either, when inquiring about the status. Whatever.

DDOR

I seriously wanted to discontinue this type of entry because there are too many to count and it's a little morbid, but interesting in any case. This is the worst/best dog entry. There is a huge, stiff dog right down the street from me. It is on a corner, right next to a bar, and it is big! Not a small Pompec [Pomeranian-type fluff-ball], but a Boxer-sized beast. I saw it yesterday, just a glimpse, but made myself look quickly away because I knew I'd think about it all night if I did. Well, despite a millisecond look, I couldn't stop the thoughts. It was completely stiff, if you wanted to stand it up, you could just tilt it back onto it's legs. It's eyes were bulged out, it's tongue hung to the side. It reminded me of Sorrow, the taxidermy dog from Hotel New Hampshire. The child I was with said he was shot in the back (of this, I would not be surprised). This morning, I saw it again as traffic was stopped right there and I was, again, face to face with it. I couldn't eat lunch 6 hours later, thinking of it; I was choking back my food [sorry, reader, if you are eating right now]. If this thing was any closer to my driveway, I would have to call in sick until it was gone. I know this posting is disgusting, but if I didn't share it with somebody, I'd go on obsessing about it and seeing it in my head. Thank you.

Snail Sounds?

A patient today described her tinnitus as the sound snails make. Then she added, "But I guess you wouldn't know about that." How strange! If anybody has any information about the sounds snails make, please enlighten me: I haven't been able to find anything.

Work Stuff

The contract is almost finalized, and I started yesterday on a per diem agreement until we can officially close negotiations. I'm happy I don't have to leave the country; and had decided I would leave by October if an agreement was not reached.
I am so glad to be back at work; I am just so unproductive (in all facets) without a job. I was told today, by a patient, that my smile was "refreshing." He had no idea how relieved I am to be almost done with this process. My sleep schedule, however, is totally messed up. Getting up in the dark again is painful!

Also in America

The toilet-seat covers! That was the best (and first) thing I noticed when getting off the plane in Ft. Lauderdale. Weird, I know.

Back from the US

It was nice to be in America: Central Air Conditioning, being able to go out and buy whatever at 10 pm, the variety of things to do, the flatness of the beach, hanging out with family and friends, the relative safety and ability to blend in anywhere, the food (probably my favorite: the range of different foods to eat).
Now, back in Trinidad, I'm sweating in my living room with the windows closed because of the possibly Dengue-ridden mosquitoes, house-bound until more word comes in on the contract (have a meeting Monday)...but quite content in all of these accounts. Life could be a lot worse!

Good Riddance, Almera

Got rid of the rental today. I had to extend my rental agreement because I couldn't buy anything without a contract, and can't see paying the exorbitant rental fee when I leave for graduation. I am sad to not have a car when I come back, but very happy to see that piece go. It has been nothing but trouble over the past few months. Shall we take a walk down memory lane with the Almera? [Cue the instrumental]
Snapped off someone's side mirror in the first week of driving the car here.
Got the bumped ripped off by a dump truck.
Got broken-into at a Family Sports Day for the Prison Services Department (go figure!). During this, my back passenger side window was smashed, the thieves jumped in, popped the hood, disabled the battery, and tried to pry my stereo out of the dash. They didn't get anything, but they totally messed up my whole console. When this was repaired, that door wouldn't open, parts of the dash were repaired, but the stereo was put in upside-down, the antenna didn't work, and the clock and air conditioning was re-set every time the car was turned off.
Got rear-ended at a red light, causing me to fly into the car in front of me. My car looked like an accordion, and to make matters worse, a box of bbq chicken exploded during impact, sending bits and pieces of it (along with pasta salad) everywhere in the car...can you imagine that smell in 90-degree heat after the windows are up? The damage caused the trunk to leak, and now it continues to leak, which has fostered the most fantastic environment for nice mold spores to flourish.
The back tire [or tyre] has a slow leak.
A flying rock on the highway caused a nice crack across the windshield [or windscreen].
I was told, "That car is blight!" [It's cursed].

I'm not sure what's going to happen once I get back to T&T/work (if that ever happens!), but I could "travel," which means take a maxi-taxi, taxi, bus. Maxi taxis are big vans that are color-coded depending upon the route they travel. These are usually squished with as many people as possible and the windows don't really look like they open (or slide) very much to let in air. Taxis are just cars with "H" plates (for "hired"), usually squished with as many people as possible, with no air conditioning in most cases. Buses run, but I don't know much about them. I am hoping not to travel because I really need a coach to do so, and don't want to get taken advantage of/robbed/etc. that can sometimes happen. To get transport, you stand on the side of the road and put your finger down or up (I've seen both). Also, if a taxi is driving by and they have room, they'll beep at you. A friend told me he tried to travel one day and ended up walking a mile before a friend stopped and picked him up. I also don't want to attempt walking anywhere because I get a lot of calls and whistles...it's a little unnerving. Also, I heard when it's rush hour or if it's raining, people push and pull and fight to get transport. Yikes!

God is a Trinidadian

So, we're in the middle of hurricane season, and you may hear on the news about storms and hurricanes killing people in the Caribbean. Not to worry: I've been told "God is a Trinidadian." We are the last island in the Caribbean chain, and outside the Hurricane Belt. I've also been told that there have been many hurricanes that have passed through the "And" part of the country; or right in the middle of Trinidad And Tobago.
In a nice ironic twist to the post title, 3 people have died of Dengue Fever in the last few days. "Several" cases have been reported over the past several weeks. It's impossible to get real information around here; and the Government officials in the Ministry of Health are always trying to downplay the severity of the issue (like any good Government Official).

Olympics

Watching the Olympics here isn't much different...except now that track and field events are taking place. For those who have watched the recent 100M men's final, you'll see that there were many Caribbean runners (only 2 of the runners were from non-Caribbean/West Indian countries). For the first week of the Games, we saw much of the NBC feed of the events, but now we have a Caribbean feed with local commentators who prove to be much more relaxed than the Americans (it sounds like we're watching Cricket). The "local" feed is from Barbados, but when T&T athletes perform, the local news channel chimes in to give feedback or results.
"We" have 28 athletes in the Olympics, most track and field athletes, 3 swimmers, 1 shooter, and 1 ping-pong player.
This morning, watching the men's final, the neighbors were screaming the whole 10 seconds of the race, and when the Trini came in second, there was much celebration. The radios are declaring "Richard Thompson Day." I don't believe any runner has medaled since Hasley Crawford (for whom the national stadium is named) in 1976 got a Gold in 100M.

What's up with work?

Work? What's that?
It's been almost a month, and still not a contract. My lawyer delivered a more-acceptable draft to the board, and I received an email stating that the committee chair (with whom I was dealing, and seemed to be pretty forthright...ha! again, I learned my lesson)was "extremely unhappy" with it and went so far to say that parts of it were "grave." It was very unprofessional, if you ask my opinion; and feel the tone is uncalled-for. What the hell is a negotiation, anyway? I didn't respond because I knew it'd be with some wise-ass comment like, "I can completely sympathize." Their contract was slapped together, presented late--which did not afford any continuity of services--and did not include items customarily in contracts. I'm also the first Audiologist the board has hired. I'm very happy that I sought legal counsel on this matter. It's my wish to get back to work after I come back from graduation exercises (yes!!), but I don't think this is going to be solved before I leave.

Market

I went to a market last Sunday with Colleen from work. It was really smelly because there were crabs and fish and chickens laying around and being chopped up. But there were tons of produce to get there from different vendors. I didn't take pictures because I'm not really a tourist here....but I wish I had a spy-cam to capture everything.

Litterbugs

People here love to litter! If you're opening a beer; throw the cap on the ground! If you're done with it; throw the bottle in the drain! If you're finished with your Styrofoam food container, just toss it in the grass! Cigarette wrappers, butts, and packs...throw it on the ground! It doesn't matter who's watching or where you are, littering is a culturally-acceptable practice. It's strange, though; there's always work for someone to do in cleaning up, and the trash does not accumulate the way it should with all the tossing going on around here.
Also, there's no recycling...don't know if I mentioned it before. If you buy a 6-pack of glass bottles, you pay $1.80TT ($.30US) as a deposit fee. It's almost worth the money NOT to collect the bottles and bring them back to the store. And when you bring them back, you need to stand in line and then wait for someone to handwrite some slip of paper that you then have to give to the cashier when you're checking-out, and then they have to call someone over and validate it. It's a real piss-poor system (as most "systems" are), and really deters you from recycling.
By the way: Trash is burned in the middle of the island here. You can smell it when you're on the highway, and sometimes you'd think they took every dirty diaper in the country, put it in one single pile and lit it on fire using urine as a stimulant to the flames. One of the poorest and most crime-ridden neighborhoods lays just across the highway from the landfill. When first getting here I was told, "if you ever get a flat tire here, keep on driving. Do not stop for anything." And it's true: In this area of the highway, people walk out in front of cars, throw things in front of cars, drag trash items (metal, toilets, wood) in front of cars just so you'll be forced to stop. Once you do, they'll rob you blind. When everyone is stuck in traffic in this area it's fine, but I never catch myself driving through it alone when traffic is flowing; you always want a buddy car with you. A few months ago a man got into a serious accident here. He wasn't assisted, but was robbed of $10,000 (he was a driver for a company).
Anyway, lesson for today: People litter (but the place isn't all that dirty and someone always has a job cleaning), trash burning is very smelly, and if you're driving through the Beetham and get a flat, keep driving (and I think if you're driving here and somebody steps out in front of you, try and swerve around them).

Food I haven't seen

Since I've been here, I haven't seen a single zucchini or summer squash, honeydew or cantaloupe melon, kiwi, pomegranate, Clementine, Boston lettuce, heavy cream (or any cream for that matter besides whipped cream in a can), lots of different cheese varieties, the millions of rice and noodles in a package sides, diet soda (besides Coke and Sprite) or other awesome sodas like Dr. Pepper and all the Dr. Pepper shoot-offs, Root Beer, or cranberry ginger ale.
There are the ones that come to mind now.

Eating Out

While I'm on the topic of food, I should mention that it's easy to eat out.
There are lots of Chinese, Barbecue , and Roti (Roti is an Indian food and deserves its own post)places to choose from. I've only seen one Sushi place (but haven't yet tried it), and heard there's another one, seen one Thai place (again, not tried it), a handful of Arabian food places (falafel and hummus!), some Italian places, one Irish pub (food stank), and tons of other local-food places.
There are fast-food places here just like home such as Subway, Burger King, Long John Silvers, Popeyes, Quiznos, KFC (which is a huge hit), Dominoes, and Papa Johns. The lines at these places are disgusting. Americans would never think about standing in line as long as I have for this type of food. I have waited in the KFC drive-thru lane for over 30 minutes. I have stood in line at Subway for 25 minutes, same for everything else.
There are also a few chain restaurants that we know like Ruby Tuesdays, TGIF, Benihana, Pizza Hut. Now, if you're going to Ruby Tuesdays or TGIF, you are getting dressed up because you are "going out." It's a very different experience than what I am used to (wouldn't touch Ruby Tuesdays with a 10-foot pole), but may reflect the amount of money people make here (the prices are relatively the same), the newness of having these chains here, the fact that there are only a few of these types of restaurants available to a very large population, or other factors that I can't quite wrap my head around.
Also, prices differ depending upon where you eat. In the West, where I lived before and where there are many ex-pats and wealthy people, prices are much more than in the East where I am now.

Grocery Shopping

I don't think I've written much about buying food here, maybe because I don't cook much, or because my idea of a meal is cereal while standing in the kitchen when I'm so hungry I could throw up.
There are grocery stores, much like the ones we're accustomed to, but there are some major differences.
They may be out of things like bananas, carrots (except expensive baby carrots), bread, yogurt, real butter (but they have tons of fake butter), or--like the other day--chicken (I waited while they reshelved it) or other meats (wanna buy hamburg meat? good luck, and it's called "mince meat").
The potatoes are usually soft from sitting in the humidity, there may be nasty, bruised tomatoes or wet bananas (when they're available).
Milk is rarely found fresh...it's all powdered milk (but I drink Soymilk and have no problems).
There is lots of local produce like pumpkin ("punkin"), patchoy (patchoi or bok choy), sweet potatoes (that are really ugly and dark), plantain, ochre, chive ("sive"), celery (which is very small), fig (small, green bananas), bodi (really long green beans), bananas, mangoes (there are to Julie Mango trees at work), papaya (Paw Paw), grapes, watermelon, and others I can't think of. Most people seem to go to the market to buy their produce, but I don't know how to do that, and I don't know if I'll get fair prices being a foreigner, and I try to stay away from crowded places where I can be "marked".
You can also go to small places where you can buy chicken all cut up, and cook all the parts (feet and all).
A good thing about the grocery stores is that it is very vegetarian friendly. There are many Hindus in the country, so the amount of meat-less meat and soy products you can buy is wonderful.
Other produce like lettuce, apples (being from the Northeast, I am really a snob about these, and take forever going through them), strawberries, and the like are the same we get over in the US, only it's taken an extra week to get to us so they aren't as fresh, and they are very expensive. I paid about $7 (US) for a container of strawberries, and I rarely see them.
Most produce is packaged, and you can't choose your own (broccoli, apples, grapes, tomatoes).
Food prices are very high here, especially for the amount of money the average person gets paid, and there is a lot of unrest about the recent increases in eggs, bread, and rice. There have been some robberies of food delivery trucks lately because of this. Also, the road food prices have gone up, causing a lot of anger. For example, there are things called "doubles" and it's chickpeas (called "channa" here) curried and folded into a soft pita-bread-like thing. It's wicked good, but prices have just gone to $4 (TT...divide by 6 to get the US price of things), and people were in disbelief...it's the only thing that was talked about on the radio for a week.
I spend about the same amount on food that I did when I lived in Florida, and there is a lot less to choose from. I miss cereal mostly, and Fluff, and Hummus (which I've seen for $6 US), but I do pretty well with everything here.

Onliest

Another word they use is "onliest" instead of the word only. It's quite interesting to hear the way that the English language is adjusted (by our standards).

Medical Stuff

Many patients, when asked, have no idea what happened in their medical histories, if they had a procedure (everything is surgery), when it was done ("some time ago"), and what medications they were given ("some tablets"). It can be very frustrating when trying to obtain a clear medical history.
Going to the pharmacy is quite interesting. There's one big chain "SuperPharm" where you can shop around and get stuff you want like a Walgreens, but if go to a mom and pop store, or if you want "some tablets," you're gonna have to ask. First, the pharmacist is going to ask you what you want/need/symptoms/etc., and you're not going to have any privacy because the next person in line is breathing down your neck. Many Trinidadians are "Fast" (should've introduced this term much earlier...it means that they are all up in your business. They eavesdrop, spy, snoop, "maco" meaning all of those things. It's just a cultural thing. Maybe it's because the country is so small, you're going to know the person ordering drugs or their mother/aunt/sister/uncle/cousin, and it's always interesting to know what's going on with a person medically. It relates back to the personal space that doesn't exist here), and it's difficult to speak with a pharmacist over a 7 foot counter if you have anything that is embarrassing (also, being a "snobby" northeasterner, everything is embarrassing. I want my privacy!!!) that you want treatment for. And no matter what, you're gonna have to say it. And being the only white person in my area, it's easy to spot me out. I'm waiting for someone to go by whispering, "she's the one with the [fill in horrible condition that you want to keep private here]!"
One good thing about the pharmacy is you can get almost anything without a prescription, and the pharmacists know what to give you if you tell them your symptoms. You do need a 'script for antibiotics, however, and I haven't tried to get any other "good" medications, so I don't know what's really behind that counter. Also, forget about getting a bottle of tablets, you can just get one. Yesterday, at my friendly neighborhood pharmacy, a woman asked for Ambien...and bought just 2! I don't understand...either you have a sleep disorder or you don't. Whatever; guess I'm just being fast myself with all this wondering.

Trinisms

There are so many things that Trinidadians, or Trinbagonians say that takes a bit of time to get used to, but I can never think of them when I'm ready to write about them.
"Again"--anymore. "You were so late coming to the party, I didn't think you were coming again."
"Short pants"--shorts
"Ears"--one or two ears, it doesn't matter. Like, "I'm hearing better in my right ears."
"Van"--pick-up truck
Luckily, there really are no vans here, and VERY LUCKILY, there are no minivans!!! That has been a wonderful thing here. However, they have the same stereotype here that women can't drive. It's funny, though, because all the motor vehicle deaths are from male drivers.
"Slippers"--flip-flops

One thing that has been really strange is the cultural "acceptance" of infidelity. It is very obvious in the vocabulary they use to describe this, and it is very different to the American way of describing cheating, all using negative words. Here are a few:
Horner man/woman--the man or woman you are cheating with
Horned--to get cheated on
Outside man/woman--ditto

One day, while stuck in traffic in my car (surprise!), a man, who was sitting in the back of a truck with a group of men, asked, "are you married?" I replied, as always here, "yes," and he asked, "do you need an outside man?" I said, "No, thanks." The whole concept of cheating is kinda like that...it's almost expected and accepted. I say, "No, thanks."

Patient's [patience] Stories

I told one woman, "we're going to start the hearing test now," and she responded, "The urine test?" She seemed like she would have consented to anything.

Another woman asked, when learning where I was from, "Why are people from Boston so snobby?" I had to explain to her that it's not that we're snobs, but that we have a different way of relating to people, and that it's just how we are. I was certainly offended at first, as any New Englander would be when asked to defend your personality, but I had to remind myself that it's been hard for me to adjust to being touched by all of my patients and been told, "God bless you," by most of them mostly due to my "Snobby" New England upbringing.

Still waiting

I'm on my second week of a "forced" vacation. My work permit expired last week, as well as my contract as a student extern. I have been told that I could work as a volunteer, but I refuse to work without a contract. Of course, personally, I feel awful letting these patients, who have been waiting 6-8 months for an appointment, wait longer for services, but I want everything done "above board" in regards to working in the country. Also, the board has been aware of my position on continuing with them for about 6 months, and I believe it is a little disingenuous of them to wait until my contract expires to try and resolve this problem. I was told last week, "Brandy, in the world of work, sometimes this happens," by a board member. Maybe in Trinidad, but it is not the way to do business properly, and it is not a way to treat a professional (they only one) that you depend upon to provide services to the population.
I received a copy of the contract on Monday, but there are some changes that need to be made. There are many things they have left out, and I don't want any holes. I have legal counsel here, and I like the proposed changes they have suggested. I will be returning my revised draft by next week.
Meanwhile, I am trying to enjoy my time off, but it's very stressful not knowing what's gonna happen, and I'm not able to make any money while I'm not working, so I'm not able to do too much on my time off.
BTW, I am negotiating a 2-year contract so, if I want to renew/renegotiate, I won't have to do this process again for at least 1 1/2 years.

Back , Online

Finally have internet at my new place. Dial-up at work was killing me!
Update: Still in negotiations for a new contract...working on Trini time. My current contract is up on the 22nd of this month (4 days from now), so I may have to take some time off from work while the board meets my demands. In reality, they haven't even given me a draft of their contract, and I honestly think they will present it to me at the 11th hour in hopes that I'll sign.
Tried to finance a car, but after 3 weeks of whatever they do here, they told me that they can't finance a loan for longer than the length of the contract, and I can't afford to pay off a new car in 2 years (which is the length of time they would like me to sign for).
So, I'm now looking for a used car. Banks do not finance cars older than 5 years, so I'd just have to do a personal loan.
This car stuff is very discouraging and frustrating after coming from the very easy process that exists in America. Also, you don't know who to trust when dealing with used cars, and there's no such thing as a Kelly Blue Book here. Also, it's really amazing how expensive new cars especially are. You add on at least $10,000 more than a US listed price. Talk about sticker shock! And, if you want to test drive a car, you have to schedule it because they have only one model that they test.

HEAT

It's wicked hot in Trinidad now. I don't know the temperature, it's just really hot. Having the AC on full-blast mid-day does not cut the heat that comes through the windows. It's supposedly rainy season now, but it's been very dry and there are spontaneous fires on the side of the highway and on the mountains.

I love Carib!

So, what is it that I do when I'm not working? Drinking Carib at 6 in the morning, obviously! A friend had a surprise party for her boyfriend last weekend. The surprise was supposed to be at 9. I didn't get there until 10, and then waited until 11:30 for her to pick him up for the actual surprise. I actually saw some people leave because they had waited too long. Gotta love Trini Time. The house party was fun. A DJ played music WAY TOO LOUD (and I forgot my earplugs), but once the ringing in my ears started, and the scotch kicked in, it didn't feel so loud. An audio on Monday did not show any shift in hearing thresholds. There was also lots of good food, and lots of laughs. The party ended at a bar at about 9 a.m.

A Score to Settle

In the 2006 World Cup, England beat the T&T "Soca Warriors" 2-0. In a "friendly international" match between the two teams, dubbed "A Score to Settle" on June 1st, England smoked the Warriors, 3-0. It was the end of a long weekend (we celebrated Indian Arrival Day on Friday), and everyone partied before and after the game despite the defeat. Oh, and Beckham was here. Here is a picture of the Laventille Rhythm Section, a group of percussion/brass musicians keepin the beat for the whole game.

Updates

• Currently in talks to negotiate a new contract at DRETCHI. I am really hoping to stay, and they have told me they want the same, but I'm waiting for the Personnel committee to meet with me.
  
• Apartment hunting...when apartments are un-furnished, they don't even have a refrigerator or stove! Also, if a price isn't listed in the newspaper, I have my Trini friend call to ask for the price so they don't hear my American accent and assume I'm wealthy and raise the price.

Roach in ear

Since I've been here, I've seen some interesting things in people's ears; wooden and pearl beads, pen caps, eraser pieces.
But recently a man--while taking his history--told me that he thought a roach had crawled into his ear while he was in Ft. Lauderdale 3 months prior. I looked in the clear ear first, put my brave face on, and then peered into the "bug" ear. Yep! There it was, all dead and bunched up in the ceiling of his ear canal...you could see the hairs on its legs!! I flushed it so the bug would come out a little further to avoid pulling it apart while it was in the ear. When I finally grabbed it with my alligator forceps, CRUNCH! The man jumped at bit, and I certainly winched inside. GROSS! It was pretty big, too.

D.D.O.R.

Add 5 more since the last tally. And a chicken.

Note to self...

A man passed out in the waiting area at work this morning. It took the ambulance probably about 2 hours to get there. He ended up driving himself home after spending a while in the testing room on the medical table. And I needed to flag the ambulance down because they didn't know our location.
...never need an ambulance.

Inauguration Pictures

The army, the Prime Minister and his wife, the President and his wife, and the winners of the Children's Carnival.

Inauguration

I was "cordially" invited to the Presidential Inauguration yesterday (along with the general public). It was really cool to watch, and there was a parade of National Achievers (kids that excelled in school, sports, music, clubs, etc). Also, lots of the armed forces (tons of men in uniform), bands, a 21-gun salute, national songs and pledges, and there was even a guy selling flags and flashy pins through the stands of the stadium. There was a program with the schedule down to the minutes. But I was impressed: they actually started right on time. I need to mention that there was no security whatsoever. They looked at the color of my invitation, but that's just to tell me where to sit.

Accident

A dump truck ripped off my front bumper with it's tire when it was reversing into a driveway. It sucked, but it was the safest accident to get in...no speed, no impact.
We both went to the closest police station and reported the accident. He took full responsibility in the station (which apparently is a good thing), and I've been driving around with my bumper in my car for a few days. It's getting fixed on Thursday.

Eating Lizards

I ate curried Iguana yesterday. The guys in the lab caught 3 iguanas last Friday, and Christopher killed 'em on Monday, and cooked 'em before work yesterday and brought it in for lunch. I tried just a small bite, had to spit the bones out (maybe it was a leg?). I guess it tasted like chicken, but chicken doesn't even appeal to me. The curry was great, though.

one more dog to report

...don't know why i keep counting.

Gross!

So, a patient came into the testing room, and as she sat down, she asked to use the sink, and muttered something about having a cold. Next thing I hear, is the woman blowing snot rockets into my sink! That's the first time that's ever happened. And, she was sitting right next to a box of kleenex.

Making up for lost sick time

I have been sick for a few weeks. Been catching everything that comes through the clinic. Haven't had to take a sick day for years!

Carnival!

It's Carnival Tuesday, and I am stuck in my house with "bad tummy." I am watching the parade on the TV.
Yesterday I went out and "jumped up" (jump in and dance) with some of the bands and had a great time. People were in half of their costumes, as the big day is today. Monday morning started with J'Ouvert. People paint their bodies and welcome in the day. It's the beginning of Carnival and the "bacchanal" that ensues.
I think the pictures will say a lot.

Road Kill[s]

I have two more dogs to report...very fresh ones. So that brings my count up to 8 dogs (not bad for about 6 months down here)

Also, yesterday, I saw my first dead body on the road. A man was "bounced down" crossing a busy road. He was hit about 1 1/2 hours before I went by, but he was still there, with a tarp over him. I was really surprised and affected, but everyone here that I talked to about it was surprised that it was the first one I've seen since I've been here. Everyone else has stories about seeing pedestrians actually getting hit.

Nova Comes Back Pictures

Nova Comes Back!

6 students and 2 professors came down for 4 days to help clear out a back-log of people needing hearing aids. We fit about 200 people in 2 1/2 days. It was very nice having some audiological support, and we had a lot of fun. You can see here, we worked all day long!
In a side note, I fit 9 people in my little car!

Facing the Freeze

Went home to New Hampshire for the holidays. It was very cold, gray, and snowy. My hair and my skin did not adapt well, but it was very nice to be home with friends and family.
And to be fair to Trinidad, I saw one dead fox on the road

Hard Wine

So, there's this stuff called "Hard Wine" down here, and it supposedly has some "enhancing" herbs for men (hence, the name). The bottle has a picture of a sexy lady on it (talk about truth in advertising!)


As you can see, it was awful.

Thanksgiving Visitors

My best girls visited for a week at Thanksgiving, and we spent the holiday at the beach, drinking beers and eating Bake and Shark.

We also went to Tobago for a few days where Amber and Ramsey got engaged!