Two years ago I studied Spanish in Ecuador for three weeks with EF. I loved the country, the people, and the culture and knew I wanted to go back. When I left two years ago, I wrote this entry in my journal:
5/31/08 11:30 pm
So here is what I learned on this amazing trip, well, some of what I learned…
You don’t need a lot of material things to be happy. Sometimes the less you have the happier you are. The essentials are friends, family, and a roof over your head.
Family is important.
Scary situations can sometimes be the most rewarding.
It can be difficult to adjust to a new culture, but it will happen.
Cuy (guinea pig) is considered sacred by the native people and is eaten as a delicacy.
Here, monogamy doesn’t hold much importance, but romance does.
Belly button piercing hurt like hell.
In life you should take risks, be open to new people and things because they just might change your life for the better, love fully, and try not to judge.
How to dance merengue and salsa
Sometimes you get lucky and everything works out just the way you wanted, and sometimes you don’t.
You can get virtually anywhere in Ecuador by bus
South America speaks to my soul
I want to and will return.
And, well, here I am, about to board a plane, destination: Quito, EC. I am excited to go back, excited to catch up with people I haven’t seen for awhile, and to connect once again with a great country. I know this experience will be different in many ways and I know my eyes will see things differently and I can’t wait to see how Ecuador has changed and how I have changed since we last met. This time I will be there for six months, teaching English with International Volunteer Headquarters. This is counting as my second co-op so I get credits and get to live abroad, pretty cool huh?
So I don’t know that many details of what my job entails or where I am staying or what my schedule is yet but I have a few days to adjust to the altitude and everything else and figure it all out before I start on Monday. Also don’t know the internet situation but there will be updates, I will make sure of it. Until then, besos y abrazos!
The trip is over, we are no longer in Trinidad and I no longer sleep in a kitchen or see that wonderful group of people everyday. I just wanted to give some final reflections on the trip before I embark on my new one. This trip meant a lot to me and changed me in a way I hadn’t expected but wouldn’t change for a thing. On this trip, I learned so much about myself and what matters to me and what I believe in. It was very spiritual for me both externally and internally. I feel like I finally understand what spirituality means to me and now I can explore it. That alone is a huge gift from a trip such as this, a result that I wasn’t expecting from this type of trip, but every day, every moment, and every person we met gave me something that I took away and put it together all at the end to give me a piece of what I hope to discover about myself and life. The most important part of this for me has been how it made me feel about myself. The combination of sun, ocean, mountains, beauty, inspiring people, friends, music, and an unvisited place made me look in on myself, what matters to me, and what is just shit that I can let go of. It felt so good to get rid of stuff that I didn’t need weighing me down and to become more comfortable with the me I am already and the me I hope to be. The trip also meant a lot because of the people who I loved and hope to stay close with. We all got along so well and every time we were all together we had fun and enjoyed each other’s company. I had more fun going out with the whole group than I have had in awhile. Everyone was so much fun and we couldn’t help but be happy to be where we were, soaking in the music and dancing in Trinidad.
I am sad the trip is over, I feel that I could have stayed in Trinidad for much longer, furthering the strong connections that we made with the people there, learning more about the culture and traditions, maybe learning more about the aspects of culture I didn’t focus on including mas, carnival, calypso, rapso, soca, the Indian traditions, etc. There is so much I hope to learn about T&T in the future because it is a fascinating country with so much to offer. I was impressed by T&T and I fell in love a little bit, unsurprisingly. I hope to go back, I hope to see more, and I hope to take what I have learned during this trip and carry it with me forever, building upon it, returning back to it, and evolving it as I go through my own evolution.
After many hours, inspiring interviews, stressful moments, mini-aggravations, breakthroughs, and discoveries, our research came together today in our final presentation of our work. It was the day we had all been both dreading and waiting for. From the beginning we had our challenges and setbacks, but we also had our “Aha!” moments and strategic meetings that led to successful results. We had worked hard as a whole group and in our individual groups and I was excited to see the outcomes of the other groups and to see how my group did. I was also really nervous because the presentation was the part of the project that I felt the least ready for. I had less idea of what the expectations were as there had been fewer guidelines and my group had pulled together at the last minute our decision of what to do for the presentation. It was a hard process because we wanted to portray the Orisha faith in some way that would incorporate the music and how powerful it has been within the spirituality and its influences on Trinidadian culture. We originally wanted to learn how to play the drums or chants or maybe have someone else perform, but it was clear that it would be difficult in our time frame. We had a couple other ideas but we settled on personal reflections on our experience with spirituality and our research and what we had learned from everything. The idea felt the most natural to us and although we struggled with the idea that maybe we wouldn’t be technical enough, we decided that it was our best shot. And we pulled it off. As nervous as I myself was, as soon as I started talking about my own experiences, the words came to me easier than I thought they would and I really meant and felt what I was saying. It felt good to be giving a presentation and feeling comfortable with it. The rest of the group did their own part and each part was different and it was a great way to give it a more well-rounded reflection. We ended it by playing a video of the trip that we had made which was a hit and then gathering in a circle to hold hands and give thanks for everything accompanied by the four blessings of Ifa. It was a really nice way to end everything and everyone enjoyed watching the movie and gathering together. The other two groups were also really impressive and it was so fun to watch them perform. The mas group had put together a nice documentary and then actually played their own mas which was so cool. We got out own mini-carnival and the Lloyd Best Institute. The kaiso group wrote their own calypso about the professors that was hilarious and had us all singing. My favorite part was when Brittany scatted just like Dr. B. Priceless.
Tonight was a night full of good energy. We spent tonight at Leroy Clarke’s house with some wonderful people including our professors, Sunity Best, Earl Lovelace, Leroy Clarke, Muhammad Muwakil, Sean Thomas, Rubadiri Victor, and other guests. It felt so good to be back at the Legacy House once again and based off of our first experience, I knew that the night would bring big things. And it did. Dr. P, Dr. B, Sean, Muhammad, and Rubadiri got their groove on and the music that was happened was magical. Everything fell together so smoothly and everyone could feel the joy that it created. While we jammed to the music we ate up the homemade snacks from Sunity, sipped on Mr. Clarke’s favorite beverage, and enjoyed the company. At one point, while admiring Leroy’s works in progress, he let us make our mark on his masterpieces. Almost all of us got to pick up a brush and add some dots or dashes where he directed us. It was an honor to know that Leroy Clarke trusted and respected all of us enough to paint on his work. And we did a mighty fine job I might add.
During one of the songs, “I Remember”, the song we picked up from the Women in Calypso night and sang everyday during classes, all of us joined in to sing the song. Normally at 8:30 am when we sang that song in class it was mediocre; no one was fully awake and some of us maybe didn’t feel like singing some of the days, but it was a different story tonight. Everyone was into it and I knew because I could feel it, I could feel the effort that everyone put into singing the song and we all had our own moments with the song and it came out better than it had ever sounded, hands down. It was after that song, during the following song that was totally vibing that I had a long moment in which I was overwhelmed by the desire to have that night go on forever, to stay in Trinidad with the amazing people we had met and with each other. I looked around the room to everyone and for every person I felt a warm feeling of affection, even the guests who I didn’t know well or even at all. But for the people I knew, it made me realize how amazing it has been to spend this time with them and share everything that we have experienced during the trip. I also watched the professors in their zone, in the music, and I saw a side I hadn’t seen before really and it made me appreciate them in a different way. It was a great moment and I know that it will stick with me for a long time. I left the Legacy House tonight feeling so satisfied in a way that only good people, good music, and good times can leave you and I know that I left a part of me in the Legacy House, all of us did. We were all a part of a legacy tonight, that of Leroy Clarke’s and our own.
Miss Ella Andall is a famous calypso singer in Trinidad, characterized by her beautiful voice and her devotion to the Orisha spirituality. But our group got to meet her on Tuesday and we found out she is so much more than that. We were all excited to meet her and I wasn’t sure what to expect because you never know with famous people how they are going to be, down to earth? Demanding? Distant? Friendly? I was just hoping that I would learn something from her. As soon as she walked in, her presence was undeniable. She wore a long black brown tie-dye dress and a golden hair wrap for her long locks. She greeted us all and we welcomed her, not sure yet exactly what to say or do. With a brief introduction from Dr. B she broke out into an Orisha chant calling the ancestral spirits to our meeting so that it would be a successful meeting. It was beautiful and she immediately demanded our attention. She talked about each of us having our own rhythm and that we have to learn to be comfortable in our own rhythm and step so that we can guide our lives by what we want to do and what we are comfortable with instead of walking to someone else’s rhythm. She then had us up and singing and making music and then the Dr. P got on the piano and Dr. B on his sax and all of us singing and grooving and just getting lost in a beautiful moment of music and togetherness and letting go of everything else. She was warm, caring, lovely, and it was such a good day to be in her presence and learn from her and that she, even as such a big name, wanted to learn from us and engage us as much as she did. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHEyzL1g3w8&feature=related
In the afternoon, my group went to an Orishas shrine up in the mountains. I wasn’t sure what to expect as the only Yoruba religion shrines I had seen were in Cuba and I knew this could potentially be completely different. It did end up being different, but I still felt comfortable and familiar with what I saw and I felt instantly happy being in that location with the people we met. It had a really great energy. The shrine was in a small white building that seemed to be a lot bigger on the inside, full of rooms for people to stay or live. Along the outside white walls there were murals of each of the most important orishas. Everyone was busy preparing for this weekend’s rain festival and Orisha conference. We met a Venezuelan Babalawo from Florida, a Babalawo visiting from Nigeria, and others involved with putting together the conference. After a long talk with the Venezuelan Babalawo, I learned more about this renaissance that is going on within the Yoruba religion outside of Africa. Cuba, Trinidad, even Venezuela, Southern U.S., and even Mexico are “going back to Africa” both literally and in the sense of bringing the original traditions back to the religion outside of Africa.
Yesterday we were reminded again of the beauty of this country. Tired and slightly hungover from a fun night the night before, we all piled into Ivan’s maxi taxi for the trip up into the rainforest. An hour’s drive through little neighborhoods along the mountainside and through the tall trees led us to a tiny narrow windy road down to the Nature Reserve. We walked up to a big white house that looked exactly what I would picture a grand home in the rainforest from the early 1900’s to look like. It was beautiful with high ceilings, tall shuttered doors, and a porch that overlooked miles of rain forested mountains covered in distant fog. Another mini paradise that I got to experience in this trip. We have been told that Trinidad is known for having the largest number of different birds species and yesterday we got to see at least some of them. I have never been much of a bird
watcher but I have never seen so many birds and all so different with bright colors and songs like I have never heard before. I saw four different types of hummingbirds within ten minutes. We went for a tour into the rainforest where we learned about the different trees and vines and flowers and birds. We heard a bird that sounds like a hammer hitting a metal pole or maybe a digeridoo and one that sounds like the sound effect when you die on Pac Man. Awesome. It felt wonderful to be out in the forest again, in nature and enjoying the smells and sounds and moisture and sights. So yummy. Back at the ranch we relaxed, dozed off in big comfy chairs, and caught up with the Ghana vs. Serbia game. We caught word of a water hole and of course had to check it out so we walked up the road to a little path down to yet another mini paradise. Shaded by a circle of trees, there was a deep round clearwater pool and a small waterfall. We stripped down to our undies and dove in. I felt so refreshed and relaxed and rejuvenated. It’s was such a beautiful day and it refreshed me for the tough week of work we have coming. I think that our little trips that we have taken throughout our time here have helped to keep everyone sane and stress-free. Every time we are out in the forest or at the beach or out in the towns interviewing people, I feel like I get in touch with myself a little bit more and always learn something. I will miss these places, these mini paradises.
But I guess I’m just going to have to find some wherever I find myself.
15 pans, 15 Americans, 1 week, 5 lessons, 1 groovy steel pan band. This week went by super fast and it was a lot of fun and a lot of work. We had steel pan lessons everyday for 3 hours with Mr. Harold Headley. We started slow with a couple scales and slowly worked our way up to knowing three little tunes. We each had to hold our own and help each other remember the parts and where the notes were. And we messed up a lot. But when it all came together, we rocked it. The sound of the steel pan is so beautiful and relaxing and versatile. We played a waltz, a bossa nova, and “Love Me Tender”, and we have heard the pan used for hip-hop, jazz, calypso, and Orisha songs. I’m so glad we got a chance to learn the national instrument and get involved in the rich culture of Trinidad. It was an awesome part of this whole experience.
Other than that, this week has been full of interviews, group meetings, planning, researching and writing. We have definitely had some progress but this project is a challenge for sure. We have our outline put together and have delegated parts of the paper and now we just need to organize and write. This weekend and next week we have some important interviews including two with Ella Andall the famous calypsonian and her son who is an Orisha drummer. It will be great to meet with them and get their take on calypso and the Orisha influences and African retentions. After that we pretty much have to pump out the paper and start planning our final project and preparing for Tobago. I can’t believe that it has already been almost four weeks and that we leave so soon. Interestingly, I am not too depressed to leave but I know that when I get home I will miss every last thing about this place. I guess I am mostly ready for this project to be finished since it has had its frustrations. I don’t want to make it seem that I haven’t enjoyed doing it though. I have learned so much and met so many cool people through this research and had some really valuable practice doing fieldwork. I know that we will all be satisfied when we have our end result after all the hard work.
All this week has been We Beat festival, a music festival in St. James, nearby. Last night we all went to vintage kaiso night which is like old school calypso. It was a long night but it was full of well-known loved performers from back in the day. Listening to calypso is like listening to the news or social commentary because it is very narrative and talks about what is or was going on in Trinidad and the world. It was entertaining, comedic, serious, and all to a good beat. There was also an eight year old boy who is the “Junior Monarch” of kaiso who rocked the concert and I was completely impressed.
Update on the dreads…they are looking good and I love them more everyday. I also love the reaction they get here instead of what I’m assuming I’ll be getting in the states. Not that anyone will really care but I also bought a cool wrap and it makes the dreads look even cooler. Woo!
