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.