Trinidad

So I'm not really sure I have any capability of understanding any other culture, and on this my 5th trip to Trinidad, I'm pretty sure I understand less than ever what is going on here. So here's just a little of what I'm noticing and not understanding.

Meaning of Place

I live somewhere where people attach probably too much meaning to place - the Holy Land. But I find that being away, I miss it. Even in the US, where I lived previously, there is a sense of being in a special country that's better than anywhere else. Here in Trinidad there's much more a sense of being "someplace in the world" - someplace perhaps unique but not special as Israel and the US see themselves. I find myself looking for meaning and not finding it.

No sidewalks

The roads tend to have drainage ditches along the sides but no sidewalks. Gates, walls and fences of houses (almost all have them) come right up to the road. It makes everything look different than what I'm used to.

No codes - or codes I can't see

Israelis dress in a very coded way. By looking at someone, I can tell if they are secular, Religious Zionist, Haredi, Arab, etc. Not in all cases of course, but in many cases. I've often wondered why people don't try to pass as what they are not, and in fact many do, but many do not. Head covering, for instance, is a clear way people differentiate themselves. Here in Trinidad, I can't find those same codes. One of our hosts last night with whom I discussed this said that you can place people by what they have. He said the culture is materialistic. When I tried to talk cultural legacies with him, he said he understands culture materially.

Lush and Green

Geographically or botanically, Trinidad seems so much the opposite of Israel. It's very, very green. Plants grow very rapidly. Bugs and birds are everywhere. Heat is moist, humid.

Amazing Hanukkah Party

We attended a Hanukkah gathering of the Trinidadian Jewish community last Motzei Shabbat. An amazing mix of descendants of the original Jewish Sephardic communities in the Caribbean (including Recife, Curacao, Trinidad, plus more), descendants of Jewish families who came as refugees from Europe in the 30s, Israeli expats, US expats including someone from the FSU - a former refusenik, one French expat with roots in Eastern Europe, Jews by choice, us. It was truly a gathering of the exiles. Long on history and peoplehood, short on Yiddishkeit. A couple of Chabad rabbis came last summer for a visit. If anyone reading this can visit and teach, I'm sure they would welcome you.

That's what I've got for today - thanks for reading, thanks to the housesitters, happy last day of Hanukkah and Shabbat shalom