Drain It

I am writing this so that when I look back on this blog in years to come I will chuckle heartily..with much gusto. Cuz lord have mercy my friends and I are some wildings. drain it is a concept born in 2016 when some work colleagues and I went to a free drinks event at a bar along Ariapita Avenue. It was so chuck full of people, we had to lime..in the drain. It has since evolved to a BYOB on the sidewalk kind of event..any ends you have in your cupboard and we basically in one night, try to drain every damned thing. What was once a lime with 4-5 people, has exploded into complete wutless abandonment on the people and them government sidewalk. My God. What have we done. lol

went to bermuda!

Bermuda is a beautiful island. period. The seas and beaches are not, blue, not aquamarine but azure..gosh they are so blue and clear and just..beautiful! So June 15-20 2017 marked my second sejourn to the beautiful island in the middle of nowhere that belongs to no region (not caribbean and not american!) My colleague from work and I made the journey after my first trip left me in complete awe that I said I HAD TO GET BACK THERE! It gave the feeling of being at a much improved version at home. Clean, friendly, warm...gosh...the only negative thing..my golly it's expensive. A girl can really lose some weight there. This year I travelled (again) for Carnival 2017 or Bermuda Heroes Weekend as well as to take a day to view the America's Cup sponsored by Loui Vuitton and Mercedes Benz..so you KNOW the kind of crowd that attracted. Let's start with Bermuda. We took a flight through Canada (because of course that is what was cheapest) with a two hour layover in YYZ...lost farrah for a bit but I found her back. Smooth sailing all the way through until we get to bermuda and what? ...no bags. lolol..yes i said it..NO CHECKED LUGGAGE. Let me rewind a bit. Skip to departing Trinidad and Tobago at some ungodly hour in the night. I, learning from my 2016 Spice Mas experience have a carry on full of clothing and a checked bag full of liquor (lol). I ask the gate agent..do I need to head to baggage and recheck my bag? homegirl says yes. I look at farrah who only has a handbag on her with a blanket...no clothes and ask her..ahm..where your clothes? she decides to trust her best friend (Jesus) in the hopes that our bags get to our destination. We arrive in Canada and we ask a million and one people IN canada about our bags and they say, no the baggage tag says Bermuda, so your bags will definitely go through all the way. You know Kimlyn's child trusts no man..so I still head to baggage claim to see if I can see our bags even though I literally have 1.5 hours to spare to exit, re-enter and go throuhg security to get to the gate. So I stand for a good 15 minutes or so with a large crowed and I see no bags.. I say alright..whatever has to happen will happen cuz i aint missing my flight...especially as I have 80% of my clothing with me in my carry on! So farrah and I dawdle, dilly daddle, get breakfast and buy liquor all in the airport and finally board our flight to lovely Bermuda where all goes well until we see an empty baggage carousel!! Farrah wants to cry...I just laugh (and tried really hard not to say i told you so lol) we recceived a nice care package from air canada and are sent on our way to Josies!! A bit about Josies..I discovered Josie (my housing provider) through airbnb last year and trust me I've been schemeing all 2016 on how to make it back to bermuda. Hospitable and fun and her place is clean and well situation..josies is where it's at! Sowe finally make it to Josies sans l'alcool for me and sans vetements for farrah lol where we are welcomed warmly and with the right amount of shock at not receiving our bags. At this point farrah is on the verge of panic because we have a beach fete to go to! So we head to the grocery store right down the hill to stock up on breakfast items, find some slippers and hopefully soem clothing. Farrah was really lucky as this was the ONE time i overpacked..usually..i am STRUGGLING for clothes but this time I had stuff to lend and give away! So we head to the beach, a TriniJungleJuice party..let's say..the people watching was..interesting..drank some box wine, bounced up my cousin unexpectedly and had a good 1.5 hours of partying..because of course...it's bermuda..where the done party ON TIME OR EARLY!! LOL..beach the next day and ... our BAGS! but they came so late we missed our next fete..but thank god it was free so no worries. Then there was the struggle to get trasnportation out to another fete. Yall , Bermz aint easy. These taxi men go in their bed all kinda 9pm. No late pick ups! But I going a fete! So after asking the promoter politely to sort me out a ride..whcih we did..we went to Euphoria which was a nice time. Well worth the 40/50$ that we paid. The next day..America's Cup! where farrah and I were the bastiens of diversity in the event...really. We were even featured on the big screen! lord I can't comments on anything else besides the day was freaking hot! But I have pictures! lots and lots of lovely picture of Farrah, Josie and I. Parade day was wonderful :) Bermuda rum swizzles can give a girl life! But the BEST part was trying to get home after carnival..because ya know.these taxi men :/ Getting home after Bermuda Carnival 101. Step 1: Cat spraddle on the roundabout like a po-me-one as no taxis in sight (of course everyone in dey bed) Step 2: Strike up a convo with two old timers on a scooter Step 3: Watch said old timers bully passing cars into giving you and your + 2 a ride home Step 4: continue to watch them bully passersby...aggressively. phrases heard included "they come from quite trinidad?" "Man you better take them further than that!!" "What you mean you going home?..you better take these beautiful ladies to their home!" Step 5: Enter stage left..a convertible driven by a 67 year old weed smoking, cussing, fast driving knight in shining armour. Step 6: you and your + 2 get in the car.make the following pit stops while half naked/costumed: Grocery store for refreshments, the home of his 87 year old father (who was in drawers by the way) and fully prepared to entertain us, and finally home all whilst fielding idle hands and eyes and weed weed weed. Step 7: arrive home and look at Farrah, like wtf just happened. And then..it was time to leave Bermuda... too short... too soon. But we Bermuda we shall meet again. Somehow. The Schemeing returns.

Something has to happen

Of course I am still freaking out.

I hate interviews. But I must admit those two were excellent learning experiences.

Tomorrow I am off to a Silk Road, Chinese Embassy function. So hopefully that gets my mind off of things.

But I realise that I must also speak my goals into being. I asked for something to happen in May, and this month was a flurry of activity.

Now I need to be able to put it in HIS hands...be what it may. Just hope I'm not devastated in the end :(

August 17 2017. I see you.

Will keep you updated.

Leave it to the LORD ...the interview smorgasbord

Sooo they have come and gone.

Two interviews in two weeks with two different organisations with two equally great mandates
The first was for a post in Kiribati. I was off my game but one can continue to be positive..my beau and my family sure are. That interview was like a full fledged exam - testing technical competencies vs the usual competency evaluation.
Man it was tough but at least I didn't cry at the end if we want to use that as a measuring stick lol

The second just occurred this morning. Typical UN competency exam. Dare I say it was even marginally... Easy? A post in the UAE,  this one is a monster with a huge portfolio to boot. My answers were more or less spot on but God was I nervous.

I am writing this with the hopes I can vanquish the post interview stress and get on with things and continue finding more jobs

I'm trying to leave it up to the Lord

Adieu

Oh how the LORD works

Oh how HE works...

I believe HE has a WICKED sense of humour ..

Letting me hem and haw for weeks until I finally got the point and left it up to HIM.

Then he let it loose...Kiribati.

Lol Lord

Lol.

What an anxious girl you are

I never realised that I am an extremely anxious person.

Especially when it comes to my future and attaining something that I want, whether it be job, job or a job lol..did I say job?

This week I need to learn to give up and let God. Whether it be Kiribati or Fiji or even Abu Dhabi, my path has already been chosen.

I just need to take every opportunity that is thrown at me so that I can find that path.

In the meanwhile, I shall construct my house and go to work at a playground :/

Let live. Let GOD.

Cuba !! Off the bucket list!

No. I swear I'm NOT going to Cuba for tourism purposes.

Hell. Of course I am! And everyone else on this flight too! Cut to April 15th, my beau and I depart the US to soak in the sights of DE CUBAAAA!

It's our first trip. One that has been on our bucket list for at least 7 years. Despite the fact that neither of us can speak a lick of Spanish.  We want to go see the revolucion! The Viva!!
So we land in Cuba and the first thing we notice...

Why are these female officers dressed like..uhm...well..ladies of the night!? Well tight, mini skirts and shirts one wouldn't dare breathe in topped off with these lacy stockings.  A girl just couldn't! Who came up with this uniform!? Ermagad!

As we exited the modest airport, I was on the hunt for CUCs or the *cooc* which is what foreigners use versus the *coop* which is the currency for locals. After 40 minutes in a winding line, we arrive at the front and are hit with the stark reality of the situation.  These Cubans decide their own exchange rate. Take the viva and smoke it. GBP to CUC, CAD to CUC, USD to CUC aalll hovering around the 1:1 mark.

Well player Cuba.Well played.
So Day 1. April 15th.What do we do?

We immediately checked into our Airbnb situated next to Plaza Vieja and we set off to explore.
We decided to take the less beaten path away from the well trodden tourist areas and was it eye opening. It is always interesting and sometimes necessary to see how your Caribbean counterparts live..to understand how good that we have it in Trinidad. I'll leave it  right there.

So Bae and I encountered a cigar scammer who was quite nice and took us on a tour of the city. Well..he was nice till we found out we had no money! After many intentional failed tries at the ATM, we quickly shook him off and went to eat at Paladar which is in an equally sketch part of old Havana. A lady with a small child tried to follow us in..I presume to try to score a free meal.
We did realise though that everyone first assumed that we were american in a tentative kind of way. When they heard we were from Trinidad (and Barbados) they immediately warmed up!

Guess who forgot their camera on day 1, so I'll try to scrap some photos together from the other days. We managed to visit Casablanca, see a ballet at Teatro Marti, buy pan suave at the local bakery, and almost get knocked down by a vintage car! Lol. We also managed to take a trip to Havana Centro and the Malacon. So much in 3 days!! I'll probably have more to add but for now...pictures!

And we're back!

Well! Its been a solid 3 years since I've posted. *gasp*

Lots of changes have occurred since I left  Europe but I'm still travelling!

In a synopsis, I returned to my home country of Trinidad, became a boring professional and moved in with my beau. Tadaaa! Everything in less than 50 words.

My recent trip to Cuba inspired me to start up the blogging game again, as reading through my time in Nimes was quite euphoric!

So! Avance!