HELLO! I haven't posted is so long and I apologize. Everything is good here on the island. It's somewhat rainy and when i ask about it (since we are in the dry season) everyone says it's because it is a leap year. Um, ok.

Been filming stuff for work which feels great.


FYI:


Check out the Pangea Day website and save the date - May 10th

www.pangeaday.org

Hi!
Carnival is over and we are into a peaceful lent (let's hope).
Here are a few pictures from Tuesday's festivities. It was hot and humid but everyone was full of energy and enjoying the party. I think most of the women have better self esteem than me as it would take a lot for me to get in one of the costumes...

xo
mere

I have been a terrible blogger. I apologize.
The past month has included a fantastic trip to the Grenadines with Matt, Bobby, Kate and Jack. A visit to TnT by my parents, a long weekend down the islands and a pig roast.
I recently found out I will be on contract until June (maybe August but that is not set in stone) so that leaves more time for people to come visit :-)!

Here's some pics...

me and my vest...

http://joyofsox.blogspot.com/

go red sox...

PICS FROM CURACAO

VISION 2020...

This Thursday (October 11th) is World Sight Day.
For more information and links go to:

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2007/world_sight_day/en/

I signed up my dive certification sometime around the end of July. Conditions have been so bad since then that I haven't stepped foot in the dive shop - until today! The format is as follows: you first do some classroom work (after studying the manual and watching the PADI DVD), then you do some confined water dives - either in a swimming pool or very shallow sea water, and then you go in the open water and DIVE. Well, we seemed to bypass the first 2 steps and I just dove in the open water today. It was somewhat uncomfortable trying to learn in the deep sea but once you are down there and moving it is amazing! I didn't get a shot of me in my gear (was too embarrassed to ask) but I am forming a dive group with people I met today and cannot wait to get back out there!

http://morris.blogs.nytimes.com/

If you want to be happy for an hour, take a nap.
If you want to be happy for a day, go fishing (or shopping).
If you want to be happy for a month, go on a honeymoon.
If you want to be happy for a year, inherit a fortune.
If you want to be happy for a lifetime, help other people.
CHINESE PROVERB

Today is...
International Day of Peace
for more information go to: http://www.un.org/events/peaceday/2007/

9.9.07
New Attitude!!!!

Being back east made my attitude about Trinidad and my job quickly go downhill. It is very easy to realize the things you are missing back home. HOWEVER - that is nothing a dip in the ocean can't fix. Today I went to beach (perfect weather, almost too hot), ran into some people I know and had some bake n shark with them, the Pats won their first game (I wasn't able to watch it but still a win), and I went for a RUN. Yes, a run. I figured out I hadn't done that since 1994. It's felt funny and I only lasted about a mile but I think I will try it again early in the AM so the sun isn't so hot. Soooo...things are not all bad here. Tomorrow is just another Monday...

After a week on the east coast, I am back in Trinidad. Things quickly got back to normal. No internet in my apartment upon my return and I got pulled over for having too much tint on my car windows.
It was great to be back home and to see friends and family. I also enjoyed going to Whole Foods and looking at the fresh meat and produce!!!

Day trip to the bush...

Took a very scary drive to the bush yesterday. Steep "roads" the whole way and it was raining making the earth a bit unsteady. One stop was at a small waterfall which was great to climb up the rocks and sit under. It was very refreshing. And the day ended with a stop at a horse farm where a horse had a fever and was lying down, shaking uncontrollably (very sad to see) followed by an impromptu lime.

Currently studying for my dive certification...

later alligators

Seriously, is this what my life has come to???

Tonight was my first Friday night working the "night shift". What it really means is that I just need to observe the shift change at certain stations. Today, the station shift change was at 6 PM. Not that bad but it would still be dark by the time I got out of there so it made me nervous. On top of that the station is home to the most crime ridden area on the island.

As most of you know, I cannot see. Driving at night is a nightmare - the oncoming white lights really come at me and blind me. Driving at dusk seems to be worse.

I was pretty much finished at the station and it was still dusk. I thought this is actually good (given the crime situation). Just get out of here before it gets totally dark. I pull out of my parking spot when the Inpsector of the station stops me, gets in the car and tells me to park in the stations downstairs lot because there's a birthday party for an officer that I need to go to...hmmmm, not really what I had in mind - it's getting darker by the minute!


They gave me a drink (Johnnie Walker black on the rocks) and could not believe I would not have a second one. But then the speeches rolled around- speech after speech. And then it happened - they hand me the officer's gift and asked me to make a speech and present it to him! Mon Dieu. I don't speak in public! There were about 30 officers from various stations in the room- all men except 2, me and someone else. Well, perhaps thanks to Johnnie Walker, I was able to make the speech and get the hell out of dodge. Yes, it was dark out but I got home safe.

And in the spirit of the last blog entry- go Pats!

*** and, trying to decide on October trip- Barbados or Curacao - thoughts? Keep in mind I started scuba classes today***

MY FIRST MAIL...

Fed Ex is just pointless down here (the driver doesn't walk up stairs so he wouldn't deliver it to my apartment) but I managed to get my care package from Matt and Bobby. I love it! I forgot what getting mail was like!
Check out the new goods!

ISLA DE MARGARITA, VENEZUELA

My weekend on Margarita was good. It's a very interesting island. Viva Chavez billboards followed the road from the airport to the hotel. Also, I had the taxi driver stop at the main shopping area in Porlamar - hundreds and hundreds of vendors selling local goods. The area is very poor (until you hit the "tourist" area) yet picturesque, if that makes sense.

The area I was in, Costa Azul, had been built up a bit with tall hotels and other buildings. There is even a Hooters. The beach in Costa Azul seemed less than desirable - the water wasn't the beautiful blue/green I saw when the prop plane was approaching the airport and nobody was actually on the beach. Next time, I will have to try a different area and a more rustic hotel. I stayed at the Hilton. When I am finished trying to get the blue stains I acquired from the pool towels out of bathing suit, maybe I will muster up the energy to write why I really didn't like the hotel. (and if anyone knows how to get such stains out, please comment).

My Spanish/English failed me. I would try and my brain would get overloaded. Spanglish only works when the person you are communicating with also has some version of Spanglish. While Margarita is consider a "tourist" stop, it is mainly so for the other Spanish speaking nations of South America - thus no blending of Spanish and English. However, I held my own and managed to get where I needed to go and eat and drink. Actually had the best breakfast in a long time this morning - a true Venezuelan feast with fresh OJ, coffee, a plate of fresh fruit, and a plate of shredded spiced meat, black beans, scrambled eggs, and plantians.

Lastly, it's a process to get out of Venezuela. Muliple stops at various counters at the airport is required. This is mainly to pay the various taxes required to leave - which totals to approximately $61US. There are 2 exit taxes in Trinidad but one location for payment. Oh, of course, my "papers" were not in order again upon my arrival back to Trinidad. This, again, led me to be pulled aside to pay a fee. This time the immigration officer gave me copies of the forms so that I can have them filled out prior to my next arrival in case I never get my visa stuff together. I am taking it into my own hands and heading to immigration tomorrow.

Stay tuned...

THERE'S A MUD VOLCANO OFF THE ISLAND...

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/07/26/trinidad.mud.volcano.reut/index.html

and Simon discovered it a couple months ago while on a dive. It has grown 50 feet in two months!

Quote of the day:

"It's like a sweet pepper. It's large but it's got no spice."

- in reference to a broken industrial sized air conditioner.

SPAIN

Hola. Back from Spain.
Spain was great - Barcelona (too many people, must go back in the fall or spring), Granda, Rhonda, Sevilla, and Madrid. A lot in a short period of time. I will scan the group photo eventually and I think that will speak volumes. Also, I will add my pics from the bullfight which was incredible and I plan on going back.

I was excited that all of my administrative issues were taken care of before I left (DL, work permit stuff, et cetera) and that it would be smooth sailing from here on out. WRONG.

Whatever paperwork I have is not correct and I ended up having to step aside at POS Immigration to obtain a visa waiver (for a fee of course). I tried to explain the situtation but it was fruitless. I never want to leave this country again. Getting back in is never easy.

more when the jetlag wears off...

I CAN DRIVE A MOTORCYCLE...

Last week I decided that it was time to try and get my Trinidad and Tobago license. I called the Licensing Bureau last Thursday to ask what documents I needed. Included in the list is a work permit (I guess as a way to prove you are here more than 90 days). So there went that plan. But I received my permit - not really a permit, more a piece of paper saying I am excused from having a permit??? - on Tuesday and there was no longer an excuse. Tuesday I went to get two passport sized photos taken before I headed to the Licensing Bureau. Since I live near the embassy there are a few places that will do the photos - but not for me. They claimed they didn't have the proper background color for a license. This didn't stop me. I figured there may be places near the Licensing Bureau so I got in my little car and started driving. TRAFFIC DEFEATED ME and I turned around and went home.

I tried again on Wednesday. When I got to the place, a man at the desk told me the officer who administers the exams wasn't there, was not going to be there at all that day and to come back tomorrow. Huh? I asked him if I should get my photos taken now to save time tomorrow - he said "no, no, you don't need photos, you do it all here tomorrow. Come back at 8 AM". I asked how long it would take. He said, "if you get here at 8 you will be out of here by 8:30".

AND WHY DID I BELIEVE HIM?

I was at the Licensing Bureau at 7:30 AM this morning. No breakfast, no coffee. I sat in my car for a few minutes before I decided to join the masses and take my test. A little before 8 AM I went into the office and was approached by a man asking me what I was doing there. I explained I wanted to take the written test. He said, "no problem, you have plenty of time since we don't open until 8:30 AM". What? I am supposed to be out of there by 8:30! I explained what I was told yesterday and the man just looked confused. A little but later I spoke with a very nice woman who took my paperwork (no work permit needed). She asked me where my photos were. Huh? She told me to go to the main office to get my photos taken (background color does not matter) and to hurry since the first sitting of the exam is at 8:30 AM. So off I went.

I went to the information desk and asked about the photos. The woman looked confused and directed me to two ladies outside. I walked outside and got attacked by two ladies, "photos, photos". I made eye contact with one and she said to the other "I found her first". She directed me across the street (it's major road with a medium). After playing frogger with the cars I am directed by a woman on the upstairs balcony to walk up the stairs next to the BBQ. The woman asked for $25 and took 4 pics with a green background (I thought licenses were typically red here). I ran back to the regulations office and turned in my photos.

I got called for the exam a few minutes later - 20 multiple choice, 18 true/false.
About 2.5 hours later they called my name. They gave me back the application with the approval stamp, the photos and an extra piece of paper saying I can drive a motorcycle. I was then told I have to wait in the cashier's line.

I thought the license was $200 but they charged me an extra $20 which I later found out was for the motorcycle certificate - sneaky.

After the cashier I was directed to the "photography room". If there is such a room, why am I jumping mediums on foot to get photos taken?

Almost 6 hours since the day began at the Port of Spain Licensing Bureau Office, my name was called again. I was taken into a room and asked to double check that all of my information on the license was correct. CRAP. They spelled my name wrong. Maredith. I told them and a woman grabbed her white out and re-typed (in a different font) the correct spelling of my first name. Click on the photo to enlarge and you will see what I mean about the font (sorry, the best I could do with the scanner I have).
Then I was asked to take a seat so I can have my photo taken. Ah, ok. I did and the woman took 2 pics. A few minutes later I was given my license. A Tremont Street special (or Alvarado and 6th - same idea).



I'll be off the blog for a week or so as I heading to Spain on Saturday. Hope everyone is doing well!
xo
Mere

Bail me out...

I did a site visit with my boss today and on the way back, as I was driving around the Savannah to drop him back off at the Hilton, I got pulled over. It appeared like some sort of roadblock. So I unroll my window and smile. The traffic cop asks for my license and insurance. I look all over the place for the insurance card and cannot find it. I tell him it's a rental car and I don't know where the insurance card is. He tells me it's illegal not to have it and starts asking me questions about why I am in Trinidad. He asks for my credentials and about my work visa. Oh great - still no visa. I can't lie so I just smile and say they are working on it. Not impressed. He takes my license and I tell him I am going to call the rental car guy to find out about the insurance. He then tells me all rental car license plates begin with an H and mine starts with a P. Great - I have no idea what to say - I tell him it's the car the Ministry of National Security arranged for me. Again, not impressed. Trying to make conversation I ask him what type of roadblock this is - he says, "we do things different than in New York, we do routine traffic checks". Thanks, pal. The rental car guy has me search all over the car and then agrees to come and give me another insurance card. On his way he calls me again and asks me to check one more secret spot. Ah, I found the insurance. I get out of the car and try and find the officer (through the traffic) who has hijacked my driver's license. I show him the insurance and it's not valid since it's a copy of a copy. Also, he asks for my passport to see when I entered the country so he can tell if I am driving illegally on a US license (you need to get a Trinidad one within 90 days).
After a little chit chat and promises to get the proper insurance card and a valid Trinidad driver's license, the officer let's me go.
Just part of the experience.

Another pretty perfect Trinidad weekend.

The weather this weekend was gorgeous and I was able to take advantage of it. Saturday afternoon I went to the beach. It wasn't too crowded and the sky was a perfect blue - unfortunately I forgot my camera. This morning I was taken on a hike up this "hill" in the West. This "hill" nearly killed me. I was having flashbacks to Idaho (Greg, you know what I am talking about) but this was 10 times worse. About halfway up you could hear what sounded like a plane taking off. The sound was actually Red Howler Monkeys. They make this incredible noise and the trail we were on was in between 2 valleys so the echo was pretty remarkable.


*The roars can be heard over 3km in the forest and 5km in the open, and are reputed to be the loudest sounds made by any land animal. The roars are made by air which is forced through a special bone in the monkeyÕs throat (the hyoid bone), which amplifies the sound.*

I didn't get a chance to see one but will keep my eyes peeled. Waiting to see how the back turns out before I venture on that hike again! The day was topped off with some Trinidadian stewed chicken with plantains.

LABOR DAY...
Today is Labor Day in Trinidad and I went for a drive up the northeast/central coast and mountains. Amazing - and thank god I wasn't the one driving! I couldn't really decide on just a couple photos so I am showing more than usual. Hope everyone is well! xo mere

oh, and by the way, the jehovah's witness came by twice today...

THE LAST 3 PILLOWS IN TRINIDAD...

I feel like I have been sleeping on a bed and pillows made out of sand. My back has suffered because of it so I decided to buck up and replace what I have. Today I stopped at a store to buy a couple pillows. They seemed okay and the store had 3 of them. Only three. I picked up two and went to the register. The clerk told me if I really liked them I should buy the last one as well because the Serta warehouse/facotry burned down last week and nobody on the island knows when they will be able to get more inventory. Of course this leads me to inquire about Serta mattresses and it's the same deal...Only in Trinidad.

On a different note, I picked up my study guide for my Light Motor Vehicle Driver's Examination (I need to take it within the next 3 weeks). Below is a couple examples of study questions:

1) When your motor vehicle is broken down on the roadway what does the law require you to do?
a) try repairing it
b) leave it on the roadway and look for a mechanic
c) go home and think about it later
d) immediately remove it as near to the left of the roadway as possible and indicate its presence by lighting or otherwise.

While I know the answer is D, I like C.

2) Who else, other than a Police Officer and a Transport Officer in uniform can lawfully stop the driver of a Motor Vehicle on the roadway?
a) any person in charge of a horse or any other animal
b) a cadet in uniform
c) a soldier
d) a fireman.

The answer is A. Seriously.

COUSINS.
I probably shouldn't post this but I figure I am a mature woman who can handle it - maybe??!! Anyway, this is a hysterical photo that Kelly sent me from WAY back in the day.

All is okay here. Starting to work Saturdays soon to gather the most research possible (a new thing that I am certainly not ready to embrace). We have 5 new full-timers (all from the US) who started last week. Other than that everything is status quo.

Trinidadian connection...

There was a lot of bulletproof vests and media around the office given the weekend's foiled terrorist plot involving JFK Airport and some suspects captured in Trinidad (they were being held in the building where I park my car). There was a mid-afternoon press conference next to my office updating everyone on what was happening. Given the international connections there was, naturally, a lot of international press present. I could hear the various accents in the hallway and kept thinking WHAT IF THEY HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM - THERE IS NO TOILET PAPER.

THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM

Whenever I tell someone down here why I am here, I get varied but very strong reactions. It has been determined that the best approach to the situation is to not say what I do. So, for the time being, when asked what my job is, I am saying "I am helping the library with the dewey decimal system". Not sure it will work considering some people don't even know my name - just refer to me as and introduce me as the Criminologist. Others flip between Clariss and Scully.
Work has been more productive. I am pretty much on my own now so I can be more efficient with my time and the projects.

Another adventure...
Yesterday I was picked up by Raphie and Simon and his roommate. From my place we picked up Nikki and started our 2 hour drive to the rfiver out by Manzanilla. I think we stopped 4 times - air in the tires was one, honey was another stop. We finally made it to the boat. I brought my mini-DV cam so I was ready to film as much as possible until it got dark. We cruised down the river looking for caimans (crocodiles). We spotted a bunch of babies and kept moving. Then, as it got darker, the bigs ones came out. At times we were able to get very close. Truly amazing creatures. We could get so close we could hunt them. Yes, hunt them. I am hanging over the boat in awe of this animal when all of a sudden I hear "BANG". Apparently, the idea was to shoot the caimans so Simon could rope one up and try some new recipe creations. Hunting is out of season. Rest assured, no caiman was actually captured. The guys were not very good shots.
The evening ended with the long drive back (2 stops, including one for pigs feet).
It was pretty dark so the pics are not that great but you get a feel for the village, boat and crocs.

WORKING CONDITIONS...
Suck. Second day in a row with no power. There is reserve power so you can plug in your computer but no lights. I have to squint at my screen and no AC. And someone is running around saying "this is the dark house, oh boy". To top it off I went home last night and lost power there for about 6 hours. Ah, the islands...

I think I am turning in a chick pea (channa).
This week I will be going on another river trip. This trip is not as wet as last week's so I will be bringing along the video camera.
Stay tuned...

One month...
I have been here a month now and it has been great. There are a few things I don't think I am quite ready to embrace. For starters, being at work by 7 AM at the latest just to get a parking spot is getting tiring. I thought it would be okay because then I could leave earlier but it never works out that way.
I have also found that people must think I lived in some bizarre bubble before coming down here. I have been asked if I know what an oyster is and what it means to "pimp my ride" (yes, referring to cars).
Other than that I think I have adapted well. Work started off very SLOW but I took it upon myself to gather some data and documents and now I will be sufficiently occupied from here on out. I am still trying to figure out if that is a good thing. It gives me less time to work on my pesky dissertation.

Joan Wilder...
Where do I begin? Last night was a cross between the Blair Witch Project and Romancing the Stone...

Simon picked me up last night so we could go CRAWFISH HUNTING in the river and then try and see the leatherback turtles.

A bunch of us met up and in our car was also Gaff, a fisherman I know from my last trip down here. Gaff begins to tell me what we are really doing. Turns out we are heading to this river where we will be lit only by our dinky flashlights, our bodies will be almost waist deep in water, and we need to keep our eye out for poisonous snakes and other creatures. Of course he is telling me this as Simon is driving very fast up this mountain and regardless of deadly snakes, I saw my life flash before my eyes. We get to the river and this is no joke. Part of the time we were walking in the bush, the other part in the water. It was dark. I was wearing Birks, linen pants and a long sleeve t-shirt - PLEASE SEND PROPER FOOTWEAR :-).

The idea was to walk to the waterfalls and along the way hunt for massive crawfish. As we are walking I realized one person had a machete, one a gun, and one a knife. Sweet.
We probably walked about 2.5 miles and I kept waiting for the sound of the falls - nothing. Snakes were visible and crabs and crawfish were hunted with spears. About 3/4 of the way through my flashlight went dead. Great. We finally made it to the end and it was all quite amazing. I was starving.

So we went back to the truck for some beers and the bake and shark (local beach must have) we bought on our way up. The bake and shark is a Trinidad favorite but I was told that more often than not you actually get sting ray and not shark. Beats me.

Then it was back on the road and to the beach to see the leatherbacks. The leatherbacks are these massive endangered turtles that nest only a few places in the world (including St. Croix which I never knew). They can lay up to 200 eggs at a time and maybe one or two will make it to hatching. It's a dangerous world.

I have photos and I will clean them up later but I did not take a lot as I didn't want to disturb momma while she was nesting. This is just a sample.

All in all it was a fantastic experience. Walking the river and bush, crawfish hunting, bake and shark, and leatherback turtles - a perfect Trinidad evening!

WEEKEND IN TOBAGO

I think I can get used to this. I finally have some color on my skin. Tobago was beautiful and I am sure I will be back there often. I didn't do much exploring as I just relaxed on the beach.

I arrived early Saturday morning, saw a cow on my walk from the airport to the hotel and was given a welcome drink when I checked in (it was 9 AM). I spent most of the day at the beach and swimming in perfect water. It is Sail Week in Tobago so Saturday night I limed with some of the sailor boys in town for the races (some who I know from Trinidad). Only meeting locals the past few weeks, I finally managed to meet 2 Ex Pats. One was an older Brit who has been living in Trinidad for 22 years so I am not sure that counts anymore. I didn't catch his real name- everyone just calls him English.

Sunday was more of the same - relaxing at the beach. I managed to befriend the waitor and got my lunch served to me at my beach chair and for free. I even asked for a Coke Light and was given 2.

On the agenda for this week: going to see the leatherback turtles on Wednesday.
Just finished a good Brooklyn true crime book. The Birthday Party by Stanley Alpert. Made me miss home a bit.

The power just went out in my office. Apparently a common thing. Real downside - no AC. It's 33 degrees C today- in other words, HOT. And the bathrooms are creepy in the dark.

I have developed quite the reputation in the Ministry of National Security and TTPS for not being able to drive well down here (see feeling out the left side of the road, et cetera).
Here's the little car they gave me. Any bigger and I am sure there would be severe problems.



What am I listening to today on the ipod? A little new Bjork and and some Spanish immersion.

RECOVERED!
My sofa is back in all it's glory.

Update...
It has been pointed out that I have been slacking (you know who you are) on updating this blog. Everything is still going smooth. I got yelled at by a cop this morning over parking. He was yelling from a balcony telling me I couldn't park in MY spot. But I got back up from some other TTPS employees and everything was settled.
Someone (also, you know who you are) suggested I do a "what am I listening to now" section. And that same someone convinced me to download the Go Gos. There you have it.

Heading to Tobago this weekend and hitting the beach - very excited.
Also, just sent a Fed Ex with my last DVD for film school. Assuming I don't fail any classes, the program will be over tomorrow and graduation (not attending) is next week.

This may be the biggest news so far - as most of you know I HATE drinking water. But, given that I am in a hotter climate I have been pushing myself to drink 1.5 liters a day. It's been tough but the biggest pain is that, given the TP situation at work, I have to bring more with me :-).

Hope everyone is well!
xo
mere

http://www.51degrees.biz/index.htm

Good News!
I have a new desk at work and the top drawer has a lock. So that means I can bring a whole roll of TP and keep it under lock and key so nobody will steal it. It's the little things...

SPORTS DAY

I thought I was going to avoid talking about work but Candace convinced me otherwise. One task is to survey the police officers on various matters. We have hit some roadblocks due to SPORTS DAY. Sports Day is May 12th and it's basically Field Day. Yes, like you had in 3rd grade. The officers are not coming to work because they are in training for the big day. There are a variety of track and field events and some others of note.
They are:
Balloon Burst
Beer Race
Tug o War
Massive Fatman Race
and
MUSICAL CHAIRS.

there's a gecko in my apartment!

Notice anything different from the photos below? Yes, I came home to no sofa - don't know where it went.

extra bedroom...



my room...

Picton Court - the new digs...
Kitchen and Living Room

A small thing...
Just thought you might want to know that I have to bring my own toilet paper to work. I am told not to bring a whole roll because it will be stolen.

Back in Business

Ah, I finally have internet access at home (still not sure about work). So I am here and pretty settled. Driving is not fun but must be done. Everything is SLOW. The island is beautiful. I can't wait to get to the beach. Lot's of things to get used to but I couldn't have asked for a better start! And I think I am ready for visitors. The apartment is nothing special but I hear it is a prime location for Carnival!

Last Days...

Countdown

FYI - My official departure date is April 17th. I'll first be heading to George Mason for some administrative stuff and from there heading to Trinidad on the morning of April 19th.