Readers' choice: our top 10 blog articles for 2010!

Image by The Gift of Gifts (Away) via FlickrPhew! The last year has certainly not been without its challenges. The global economic recession has contined to challenge individuals and businesses in the Caribbean and around the world. And that's without factoring in crippling natural disasters like the earthquake and cholera epidemic which have continued to ravage Haiti, or the late-season hurricanes which devastated parts of the Caribbean.

As a publishing business built predominantly on advertiser- and subscriber- supported Caribbean travel, lifestyle and business magazines, we are grateful for the continued support of our readers, advertisers and clients. We wouldn't still be here without you, and look forward to continuing to work for you in 2011.

And guess what? MEP turns 20 next April! The coming year marks the 20th anniversary of MEP and one of our flagship publications, Discover Trinidad & Tobago. Our other flagship publication, Caribbean Beat – the inflight magazine of Caribbean Airlines – turns 20 in 2012, and is starting 2011 with a bang, featuring a complete redesign of your favourite Caribbean magazine. We can't wait to share all the exciting new designs and content with you!

But as 2010 draws to a close, we thought it would be interesting to look back at the top 10 articles from this blog over the last 12 months. It says so much about what you, our readers, are moved by, and we are proud and heartened that the most read article of 2010 was a piece on contributing to the Haitian relief efforts. We hope our trailblazing and hard-hit neighbour to the north finds better fortunes in the coming year, and that the global community will continue to do all we can to help.

We wish all our faithful readers a very blessed holiday season and all that is good for the new year! In the mean time, here's a look back at your most popular content from 2010:

1. Haiti: how to help
2. Caribbean beaches among the world's best – including Trinidad's Grande Rivière
3. Chaka Khan & Erykah Badu confirmed as headliners for Tobago Jazz 2010  
4. Tobago Heritage Festival 2010
5. The Caribbean Airlines merger with Air Jamaica (guest blog by Derren Joseph)
6. Introducing Trinidad's newly renovated Macqueripe Beach
7. The Trinidad & Tobago Jazz Festival debuts
8. A ride on Trinidad's new Water Taxi
9. Caribbean Fashion Rocks to honour Caribbean Fashion Week Founder, Jamaican Kingsley Cooper
10. Taste Trinidad & Tobago Culinary Festival returns!
    

Trinbagonian Christmas Treats

In Trinidad and Tobago there are certain elements that are essential to celebrating the Christmas season. In fact when polled, the average Trinbagonian will without a doubt retort, “what’s Christmas without….” Fill in the blank with any of the following answers and you would be correct: parang, soca parang, pointsettas, pastelles, sorrel, ponche-de-crème, ham with chow chow and black cake. Their place in the Christmas season is even celebrated in the popular songs at this time.

For all those Trinbagonians stuck out in the cold for Christmas, just the inclusion of one of these elements would make them feel warm and happy. When I lived in London, I decided to spend Christmas there instead of coming home and that is that a mistake I would never make again! I was so homesick that I attempted to make pastelles, even though I had never seen them made. Although they came out more like arepas, they were tasty and fun to make as I listened to parang tunes and got into the holiday spirit.

Wherever you are this holiday season I hope you get a chance to enjoy some of our Trinbagonian Christmas treats. Maybe these photos might even inspire you to try to make some on your own! Have a Happy Season!

Pastelles

Sorrel

Black Cake

Ponche-de-Creme

All images are Copyright 2010 © MEP Publishers / Ariann M Thompson

Ariann is ready to reacquaint herself with and in some cases ‘meet’ Trinidad and Tobago. Follow as she travels to different places and interacts with a multitude of faces while ‘Discovering T&T’.

From our MEP family to yours: Happy Holidays!

The e-card says it all – but THANK YOU to all our advertising and publication clients; our industry partners and vendors; our writers and photographers; our loyal subscribers and readers; our blog and social media followers; and all of the people who've worked with us to keep learning, growing and thriving over the last year!

We wish you all a peaceful and joyous season of holidays for people of all faiths, filled with camaraderie, humanity and good cheer (traffic woes and bank-busting notwithstanding!).

Our office party's today, and then we'll be closed from Monday 20th December until Monday 3rd January, though will still be available for anything urgent you may need from us. Don't be surprised to still see us blogging or posting things on Twitter or on the Discover T&T and Caribbean Beat Facebook pages. We just can't help ourselves!

In the mean time, feel free to peruse our publication websites like, say, Discover T&T online or Caribbean Beat.... ;)

Until next year!

The MEP staff, December, 2010!
Back row (standing, left to right): Halcyon Salazar (General Manager); Judy Raymond (Editor, Caribbean Beat); Jacqueline Smith (Sales, Production & Distribution); Joanne Mendes (Financial Director & Production Manager); Helen Shair-Singh (Sales & Marketing, Caribbean Beat and Trinidad & Tobago Business Guide); and Caroline Taylor (Editor, Discover Trinidad & Tobago and Online Marketing Manager).
Seated (left to right): Denise Chin (Sales & Marketing, Discover Trinidad & Tobago and ENERGY Caribbean); Ariann Thompson (Design & Editorial); Kevon Webster (Layout & Design Artist); and Bridget Van Dongen (Design, Sales & Editorial & Sales)
Sadly absent & sorely missed: Jeremy Taylor (Managing Director & Consulting Editor) and Hazel Mansingh (Account Receivable).

Living in Trinidad: a "foreigner" gets used to life in T&T

I have now been in Trinidad for just over a month working at MEP on Caribbean Beat (look out for the exciting redesign in our next issue!). And as with anywhere, there are pros and cons to living here. I will give you a list as I have seen them...so far!

Pros

• Getting around: So I knew before moving here that living in St. James would be ideal but I didn’t realise exactly how ideal. Getting to and from work takes me literally five minutes and three of those minutes are taken by the walk to the corner to catch a taxi. I’ve even managed to befriend one of the unlicensed guys who ply the Long Circular Road route and always look out for his car on my way. It’s also reasonably priced – costs TT$3 / US$0.50 each way.
• Shopping: This one should really be under the cons as well since I am unused to living in a consumerist society with plenty all around. It’s wonderful to be able to get almost anything I need at any time since I have Long Circular mall in walking distance plus many shops along the Western Main Road. At the same time, having a six-year-old whose sole shopping experience comprised going to the grocery every month now seeing all of this "stuff" for sale and having temper tantrums when Mum won’t buy her everything she asks for, makes me wish for slightly less.
• Internet: I have a brand new toy at home and being used to slow, intermittent internet at exorbitant cost on the island I used to live, it is a pleasure to have fast, reliable service at a reasonable charge with no installation fee. The man who came to install my broadband modem was wonderful and even gave me his personal number in case I had any problems.
• Electricity and cooking gas: I am amazed at the cost of electricity compared to where I came from. Here the bills come once every two months and they are very moderate. I know Trinidad has oil, which is why they are able to keep the price so low, but I am not afraid to run my air conditioner at home like I used to be. As for the cooking gas, there is a truck that passes by my house once a day where you can buy a small tank of cooking gas for TT$25 / US$4 (including delivery charge). That is half of what I was paying before and there are rumours back home that the price is going up again.
• The food: From doubles to gyro to roti to Chinese to fast food, it’s all available. Everyone has his or her favourite doubles seller and Chinese restaurant. I have been trying each of the different Chinese restaurants along the Western Main Road (and believe me there are plenty) – I already have a favourite. Plus between fast food and coffee chains, there’s always somewhere open. Eating out is not cheap, however. Even the fast food joints are pretty pricey but yum, it’s easy to see why everyone raves about Trinidadian food. The downside of course is that it’s hard to pass up all of this wonderful grub and so even though I walk a lot, I’ve still managed to gain a few pounds!
• The birds. Every morning I wake up and hear birds singing everywhere. I’ve also seen green parrots flying around. Somehow, even though I’m living in a concrete jungle, it doesn’t feel like one thanks to the birds. Even sitting here in my office I hear the birds all around and it really makes me realise that I’m living on a tropical island – most people’s dream!

Cons

• The rain: I know it’s the rainy season but I keep forgetting to bring my umbrella to work. Every morning the sun is shining and I don’t expect there to be rain, but like clockwork, around 12pm or 1pm, the rain starts to fall. I’m not talking a light drizzle here either. It’s torrential rain! The nice part about the rain though is that there everything is green and there are plants growing everywhere.
• Schools and childcare: We had a really hard time finding a school for my daughter before we came here. Eventually we got her into an Anglican-run government school which is hopelessly overcrowded – 38 children in her class alone and her teacher in charge of two classes! The private schools we tried either had no room for her or were unaffordable. Luckily we have since found a place in a really small private school for her to start next term, where she could get more individual attention. My other problem is that schools seem to finish early and close for unscheduled days, which you don’t find out about until two days beforehand. Luckily MEP is very understanding and flexible but I know a lot of others aren’t and I have no idea how other working parents manage. Finding reliable childcare is also really difficult. I have not been able to go out with my husband since we cannot find a babysitter.
• The cost of food: I cannot believe how expensive even the basics are, and inflation is high! Things like cheese and meat and bread are ridiculous. A pack of two small chicken thighs costs over TT$20 / US$3. Even the cost of vegetables in the supermarket is super high. Luckily there are at least three green grocers within walking distance so I can buy locally grown produce. But even that is not cheap and the price goes up seasonally since Trinidad experiences flooding in some areas during the rainy season which destroys crops.
• The crime situation: I grew up in South Africa, so being crime vigilant is nothing new to me. Unfortunately having lived for the past 12 years on another Caribbean island where violent crime is much less prevalent, I’ve gotten soft. I have not yet had anything negative happen to me, but I see and hear sirens constantly and reading the papers sometimes makes me wish for a simpler time. The government is cracking down, however, so hopefully I’ll be able to rest a little easier as time goes by.

Since I started working basically two days after I got to Trinidad, I have not been able to get out and see much of the island. MEP closes for Christmas and I am hoping to take some of that time to get out and about and see some of the amazing sights all around. If anyone has any suggestions for "must sees" in Trinidad, let me know!

Remembering Divali in Felicity, Trinidad

Though Christmas is less than three weeks away and Divali is now weeks past (you can blame my editor for this belated post! LOL), my first-time experience of Divali in Felicity is one I am bound to share.

Every year on the Divali holiday, my family and I have gone to Adam Smith Square in Woodbrook to light deyas. As part of this Hindu festival of lights, the lighting of the deyas signifies the triumph of good over evil. Since my participation in Divali has mostly been carried out in the Port of Spain area, I was eager to experience this Festival elsewhere. A resident of Felicity, a town located in central Trinidad, told us that Felicity is Divali country, so we couldn’t think of a better place to visit.

In Felicity the festivities center along a long street and things get going around 7pm. Even though all the deyas were not placed and lit when we arrived at 6:30pm, this was a great time to get there as we easily found a good parking spot at one end of the main strip. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation, with people already walking around. All the homes on the strip were open and beautifully decorated with flambeaux, coloured electric lights and deyas displayed in the yards. The street itself had lights arching over it adding to the festive spirit. 

We made our way to the opposite end of the strip where one of the many open mandirs, Shree Shankar, caught our attention. Leaving our shoes at the door, we were greeted by friendly devotees who took the time to explain many intricacies of their faith and the meanings of the murtis that were prominently displayed.

Back out on the street, an hour later, we were surprised at the number of people that were now walking around. There were small groups of tourists toting cameras and some people were dressed to the nines in beautiful Indian wear. The deyas that lined the sidewalks were now lit and the flickering lights were beautiful and mesmerising. The sounds of fireworks that residents were letting off and "fun snaps" that little children were bursting on the ground mixed seamlessly with excited chatter from the crowd. A line of cars slowly drove through the street and passengers were gazing out enjoying the sights and sounds. A tassa group was stationed on part of the sidewalk and we paused amongst a small crowd to enjoy the rhythm while sipping on corn soup.

We ended our night lighting deyas in a small park. The deyas were placed on bamboo bent into various shapes, two of which were shaped into words. There was not a huge crowd in the park so we were able to light as many deyas as we wanted. Even the Minister of Works and Transport who is also the MP for Chaguanas, Jack Warner, visited this park to light deyas! 

This was really a community event and for the entire night, the residents’ graciousness made us feel welcome. We were all given prasad (this was the third set we received that night), which is an Indian sweet and one of my friends was even given a container full of curry. I enjoyed the night, as it was definitely a different experience. 

If you have never gone out of your area to participate in Divali, I suggest visiting the town of Felicity next year! And in the mean time, enjoy the beautiful lights, sounds, tastes and festivities of the Christmas season!

The Shree Shankar Mandir

Murtis

Deyas line the street

Deyas in the park

All images are Copyright 2010 © MEP Publishers / Ariann M Thompson

Ariann is ready to reacquaint herself with and in some cases ‘meet’ Trinidad and Tobago. Follow as she travels to different places and interacts with a multitude of faces while ‘Discovering T&T’.

Related articles

• Divali in Trinidad (meppublishers.blogspot.com)
• Trinidad's Indian Sweets: for Divali and Beyond! (meppublishers.blogspot.com)

Jamaica's Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley takes Trinidad by storm

Damian Marley and Nas perform songs from their joint album Distant Relatives

Damian Marley, Nas and Jah Cure all scheduled to perform on the same stage? From the moment the announcement was made, the Evolution of Sound concert became a highly anticipated event. 

On Saturday 4 December 2010, hundreds of adoring fans flocked to the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Trinidad to see their favorite artist. I was excited to see Damian Marley perform and although I am not a huge fan of Nas, I was interested to see them perform the hits from their joint album Distant Relatives. The duo is currently on tour promoting this album, which features their distinct touch and musical style on each of the 13 tracks. 

To my delight the concert also featured a few local artists, to open the show. I wish the gates were opened a little earlier so that more patrons could have been inside the venue to enjoy the first set of the local stars as much as I did. Reggae, Rock and Hip Hop genres were covered as Verse iTal, Levi Myers, Positive, Orange Sky, Queen Omega and Tim Starr (just to name a few) each gave thrilling performances, getting the patrons in the right vibe for the headlining acts.

Perched on scaffolding backstage, a stone’s throw away from the action, I truly enjoyed the concert, singing, dancing and catching the feel good vibe of the music. Below are a few pictures I captured during the night.

Senior Culture

Verse iTal

Levi Myaz

Positive

Orange Sky

Tim Starr interacts with the crowd while Queen Omega exits the stage after a thrilling performance

Damian Marley's flag man and back-up singers always give a great show

Damian Marley and Nas chat with their fans

Damian Marley

Jah Cure

All images are Copyright 2010 © MEP Publishers / Ariann M Thompson

Ariann is ready to reacquaint herself with and in some cases ‘meet’ Trinidad and Tobago. Follow as she travels to different places and interacts with a multitude of faces while ‘Discovering T&T’.