Independence

This morning’s walk was chilly!  And windy!  Jerry wasn’t thrilled by the wind, and barked at it when it blew his fur the wrong way 😂 I’m glad that I’d grabbed a sweater before I left the house, because it was highly needed!  My nurse arrived today to remove my PICC line, so I’m no longer “wired” for a quick IV hookup — we haven’t had to use the line in a long while, so it’s good news.  Also I had a discussion with my endocrinologist, and my insulin has been reduced further, and we’re likely to cancel it in a week or two as my body has been managing fairly well without it.  She said that over time the body can fluctuate in its need for insulin, and I seem to be in a place where I don’t really need much.  Don wasn’t feeling great today, unfortunately, but he seems to have perked up a little.  There’s work being done on the building, and the noise in the morning is dreadful!  I don’t need anything more to interrupt my sleep, and it seems that I’ll have to be up early as they start work at 7 (I actually checked the bylaws, because that seemed ridiculous, and yes, work is allowed from 7-19 Monday - Saturday.  Who passed that?)

Today marks the 60th anniversary of Trinidad and Tobago’s Independence from Great Britain.  As a diamond jubilee, it’s seemingly being celebrated with great pomp at home and in Toronto (which is apparently all of Canada) while I’ve heard nothing of any events in Ottawa.  That doesn’t mean there aren’t any, just that I’m unaware of them.  I was watching a few videos from Trinidad today, and it was so lovely to see and hear the activities.  First, I felt warm and fuzzy hearing the singsong cadence of the speech as the presenters introduced the show.  Then I heard the anthem being sung for the first time in a while, and performances of a couple of national songs.  Please appreciate that we don’t play these indiscriminately.  In Canada (and the US) the national anthem is played and sung (often badly) at every sporting event, even (it seems) when 3-year-olds assemble on the field to play tag! So you hear “O Canada” almost daily, and it loses some of its thrill (to me, anyway)  But hearing the rumble of steelpan in the opening bars of Forged from the love of liberty to the climactic wish “Here every creed and race find an equal place And may God bless our nation” makes my heart dance joyously.  Days like this remind me of what I love most about Trinidad and Tobago.

I don’t know about you, but does it happen that when you listen to music that you’re transported to a time and place that’s evoked by the tune?  Listening to all of the classic national songs, and the other set pieces, I feel like I’m back at home with the sun beating down on my head, the sky arcing blue overhead with little white poufs of clouds and a chorus of birds singing as I’m out in the garden.  Or else I’m on the beach, feeling the breeze and tasting the salt in the air.  Or I’m deep in the forest with giant hardwood trees casting down dappled light.  Basically, I’m mentally transported back home in some of my favourite places remembering past days.  Today, then, when I heard “of flaming poinciana and shady immortelle” I had a vision of the hills with flaring scarlet trees scattered among the greens.  The warm and sparkling waters that break upon our shores beat out a tune… and I’m looking down on the reef with flashes of brightly coloured fish among the coral.  (Sadly, the reefs have been badly damaged so that they’re no longer as colourful as they once were.)

Sixty years is not a long time for a country to fully develop its own identity, especially after over 300 years of colonialism.  The Queen’s speech at the raising of the national flag in 1962 referred to Trinidad playing its part, “however insignificant” in world affairs.  Only slightly condescending, no?  🙄 But seriously, for a country of 1.3 million people, Trinidad has managed to create its own culture and have a presence in many countries and a variety of fields which is surprising.  We’re justifiably proud of what we’ve managed to create, even if we’re often confused with Jamaica in discussions of the Caribbean.    I’m not overlooking the negatives, but it’s customary for these kinds of celebrations to remind ourselves of our accomplishments and to take a moment to bask in their glow.  At times like this, I like remembering our national watchwords of “discipline, production and tolerance,” and the ideal of racial and religious equity.

Overall I’m proud of my country, and pleased with so many of our accomplishments.  I love showing off my culture — food, music, arts, etc — to others, and I’m always happy to host friends.  I’ve done cooking demonstrations for friends, just to introduce them to the tastes we enjoy.  I’m happy to play our music in some of the more elite locations in the city, and for several years I was involved in the hosting of the Ottawa carnival. I’ve downgraded my level of involvement in the last few years, but I’m still proud to be Trinidadian.   I’m almost never at home at this time of year, because the weather in Canada is comparable and it’s nicer to go when it’s frozen in Ottawa, so I haven’t been part of the celebrations for a long time.  But I look forward to soaking up the warmth of the people and hearing all the lovely local music on my next visit.  Happy anniversary to Trinbago, may our example of religious and racial diversity be a guiding light to others, and may we live up to the ideals that we’ve set out for ourselves.