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So I recently returned from my trip home to Trinidad, and I’m still on cloud nine.  It was a great trip, people!  It was a celebration of sorts.  Here it was that 18 years after I left, I was just returning for a visit.  Yeah…so, it was an overwhelming experience, from the time the plane touched down till my ride back to the airport.  My aunts, uncles, grandmother, cousins, brothers, sister, niece, dad, and nenny (my step mom) were elated to have me.  I got to see how far Trinidad has come in its development since I left as a little girl. 

There were many memorable things about this trip, but most memorable was returning to the place where I grew up—Morvant.  Presently, it is not a great area to be wandering around in after dark, but I loved it to bits when I was growing up.  After he returned from work one day, my dad took me to my old stomping ground to visit my grandmother and other relatives.  I enjoyed the drive into Cipriani Avenue then up the hill to 2nd Caledonia Road.  During the ride, a wave of childhood memories rushed back.  I was in glee.  I said to myself, “Yes, I’m back,” and whispered to my baby, “This is where mommy grew up.”  I saw the road I used to take to travel to school, and the hill I had to climb, and a vision of me at the age of 10 all dressed up in my school uniform with ribbons in my hair returned to me.  In that moment, I was happy.  My grandmother has the best view from her gallery (front porch), which pans all the way out to some of Morvant, all of Coconut Drive and Laventille.  So I pulled up a chair, sat my baby in my lap and took it all in.  Neighbors stopped by, and relatives too.  Someone took the hint that I looooove mangoes and my cousin mysteriously found a tree that had some ripe ones (mangoes are in full season in May and June) and brought them for me to eat…along with some succulent cashews (the actual fruit).  Have you ever sucked a ripe, fleshy cashew?  I was in heaven.

Two weeks was not enough time to plan my stay, but I tried to make the most of it.  In between visiting with family and meeting new friends, I got some hardcore sleep, stuffed my face with doubles (two pieces of fried bread with curried chick peas), pelau, roti, saltfish, and other good dishes I can’t remember.  Of course I visited the Emperor Valley Zoo, and took my baby for strolls around the Queens Savanna where I over-indulged on coconut water—with the jelly.  I went into town; walked a little bit by Independence Square and slurped down a snow cone…you have not had a snow cone until you’ve tasted one from Trinidad!  I just fully immersed myself in the life I once lived and the streets I used to travel. 

What good is a trip to Trinidad without going to the beach?!  With my baby in tow, nenny, my baby sis, a friend and I headed off to Maracas Beach.  The winding road up the mountains through Maraval is not for the weak at heart.  The twists and turns on the insanely narrow road that you must take to get to the beach is nothing like driving down Collins Avenue in Miami Beach.  But the view is so gorgeous (View from the mountain top).  The waters were a little too rough at Maracas, so we kept driving until we reached Las Cuevas Bay.  My baby was decked out with her strawberry bathing suit, but she was tired and only interested in sleep once we arrived at the beach.  I, on the other hand, took advantage of the moment and stayed in the water for as long as possible.  My baby sis took a million pictures of us acting a fool, and then it was time to go.  However, we stopped to eat some bake and shark before heading home…a bag of phulourie (Google it) as well.

After seeing family and friends, the thing I looked forward to most was gorging on fruits.  So, the minute I arrived I was running my mouth about all the fruits I wanted to eat.  Unfortunately for me, some of the fruits I wanted were not yet in season.  But, thankfully my dad and my step mom tried their very best to grant some of my wishes…and so, I gorged on sapodillas, pommeracs, puttigals, governor plums, balatas, pommecythere, a few mangoes here and there, and some other fruits I’m forgetting.  I know the names of these fruits sound foreign, so Google away to get a description.  I fully allowed my 9 month old to stuff her face on fruit, as well. 

I am blessed to have a huge family (my grandmother had nine children).  So it is such a wonderful feeling to have family that is physically near and far.  Seeing some relatives again after 18 years was such a great feeling.  I am so thankful to all my family for rolling out the welcome mat the way they did, and welcoming me back home.  I definitely don’t plan on waiting another 18 years before I visit again.  No, I’ll be back there soon.  I miss those mornings of sitting in the gallery and just listening to the birds sing.

Until next time,

Anastacia