A Life Lived

I'm used to kids running to me and getting hugs from all different directions. I'm used to sweet smiles and clear understanding. This hasn't been the case in Japan. There is a lot of misunderstanding between us. They look at me curiously, I smile and then they run away. I understand why but it still stings a bit. I look different. In a nation that  places so much emphasis on sameness, my deviation is jarring. Further, the language barrier creates an even wider divide. This isn't just a job about teaching English. It's about opening little hearts and minds to see the beauty and even, safety, in differences. I ,like all foreigners here, carry not only the weight of my reputation but that of my entire race, country, region and foreigners as a whole. I carry it proudly as a gift to be entrusted with this responsibility. I'm here to create and change perceptions. It may not be done through a focused lesson but through words and actions outside the classroom as ...

Sharing a taste of your new book to an audience of readers and writers must be a daunting task but the finalists of the inaugural People's Choice TT Book of the Year Award made it look easy at Hart Arcade on the final day of Bocas 2018. They congratulated their fellow competitors and seamlessly segued into their readings. Some swayed to the rhythm of their own poetry while others stood confidently and allowed their bodies to be governed by the punctuation of their prose.    The finalists are Nichola Harvey with 21 Powerful P’s to Success, D.H. Gibbs and her book Don’t Go Mango Picking, Shivanee Ramlochan's Everyone Knows I Am a Haunting, Lyndon Baptiste with Men and Misfits, Kevin Jared Hosein and The Repenters and Michelle Borel's   Soulspection: A Collection of Poetry .   This initiative by Bocas Lit Fest,together with Newsday and NALIS, aims to promote local writing in various genres and put the power into the hands of the readers to choose the ...

Over the past five years, I've felt alone. Alone in my beliefs mainly. Then, once in a while, I meet someone who shares my belief or lack, thereof, and it makes me believe that I'm not crazy. That I'm not off. That me not wholeheartedly believing in something like everyone else can actually be a thing. And, not just a thing, but a justifiable stance. People lose faith in religion, God and question what they are taught quite often but it's such a taboo topic that it isn't broadcasted (especially in countries where the majority of the population is very religious). Losing faith in religion or God is a world-shattering process. It affects your past, present, future and how you view yourself and the world around you. In the process of defining your beliefs, you often experience many unique things. You feel liberated Many religions place a massive amount of guilt and fear on its members to keep them in check. When you lose religion, you lose fear. People may try to...

“When you work and save, you can get what you want,” profoundly stated an excited Sherisse (9 years old) after listening to author, Aisha Acres, read from her book ‘The Money Adventures of Mike Murray and Friends’ as part of the 2018 Bocas Lit Fest Children’s Programme . The book introduces ten year-old Mike Murray who has to brainstorm and follow-through with a plan to go on a family vacation and attend a gaming expo abroad without handouts or the immediate help from family and friends.  This interactive reading was done in the Children’s Reading Room to a room full of children of various ages. The children discussed self-reliance, creativity in finding jobs, goal-setting, saving, honesty and determination. One parent revealed that she didn’t think that these seemingly ‘adult’ topics could be taught to children. However, Acres proved her wrong as she asked questions and made the session quite interesting even for adults. Children asked questions, were listened to a...

The tables were turned for Ms. Ann Paula Bibby on Saturday 5th August, 2017 at the Lion's Civic Center as she was on the receiving end of the generosity she often gives at a fundraising dinner organised by the Lucy Joyce Blackman International Foundation.  Ann Paula Bibby and family entering the venue.  Ms. Ann Paula Bibby, Project Manager of the Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society, was first diagnosed with s tage IV stomach cancer in January of 2015. Bibby shared a few words by stating that after twenty-six cycles of chemotherapy she has now reduced from stage IV to two nodules left after two and a half years. She encourag ed , "Many people fear cancer but with a lot of positivity, go out there, be strong... don’t be afraid of it, it's curable, because there is one big man who knows what and how to cure it, and that's God... I am here and I am truly alive."The proceeds of the fundraiser are intended to help with Bibby's health expenses.  T...

Fake news. Fast news. News via a text message. News on your timeline. The complexities inherent in the media industry often go unnoticed by the public.  The Bocas Lit Fest continued its emphasis on human rights issues with an  immensely important discussion on Why a Free Press Matters with senior journalists Wesley Gibbings, Asha Javeed, Kenyan journalist and writer Peter Kimani and former government spokesman Andy Johnson. This lively discussion was chaired by Mark Wilson. The freeness with which the panelists spoke proved to be a topic of discussion, even after, for many persons who are not part of the media fraternity. These are some of the key points of that discussion.  Law and Legislature The media is experiencing more freedom but also more restriction. Freedom of speech protects a nation from an overreaching government. Ultimately , free speech is necessary in a free society. Wilson indicated that the Whistle Blowing Act, Data Protection Act and C...

24. People will read blog titles with numbers in them.  23. Sometimes, you are going to have to settle for a low paying job. Despite your fancy degree or other qualifications. 22. You will learn valuable skills at this low paying job. The kind of things that I'm able to handle now are because of the days I felt like crying and running in the opposite direction to my job site. The money is small but, in some weird way, the skills and resilience you will learn are invaluable. 21. High school was not the last you would have seen of adults behaving like a$$holes. I've seen some adults do and say some things that make childish secondary school girls look like Oprah. People will be who they want to be. 20. It is not too late to change your mind about the field you're in.   19. Cleaning and cooking delicious meals are actually not that hard. 18. Rent and other responsibilities are a priority . Ducking them is not cute. Managing finance through a budget is necessar...