day sixteen - the monastery and more emancipation festival

i got up early, like usual, and literally had nothing to do. since we decided not to go to port-of-spain, there was nothing to do. it was also raining really hard. i thought about going to the library but jessica told me it was closed. so, i just sat in the room and watched movies and worked on my research paper.

at around 3pm, shannon knocked on my door and told me kenwyn was downstairs and waiting to take us to the monastery. i wasn't told that we were going, so i wasn't ready. i had to toss on some clothes really fast and make my way downstairs. we caught a taxi to bottom of the road that led to the monastery (only 3TT$, but i would have rather walked because i knew it was a really short walk) and then took the monastery shuttle to the monastery (4TT$). there was really nothing particularly special about the monastery except that it had a great view of st. augustine. it was just very peaceful and relaxing.  i laid down and listened to the birds.

we took the shuttle back down to the main road. dr. turley and i went back to the dorm while kenwyn took the others to the grocery store (i had already gone). dr. turley and i just chilled downstairs, which was my first time doing so. i usually stay away from there because it's so hot. we had a good time though. i reheated the dinner constance made that i was saving and it was delicious (?roti? bread, curried potatoes and veggies, and chicken). dr. turley and i talked about everything.. food... black rights issues.. her research. she's really cool. we also watched BET. "barbershop 2" was on. lol.

after everyone got back from the grocery store, we took a bus back to the emancipation festival. tonight was the "pan-african concert" night. when we first got there, there was a 10 year old boy (i think his name is timel rivas) rocking the mic with calypso. i got to sit and talk with his mother too. she was super nice. she had broken her sandal. lol. next, kizzy ruiz performed. and she blew me away! she was really good and she performed a song about helping haiti. i kind of had forgotten about haiti...  that's what calypso is though. it's music that deals with social issues.

after ruiz, i marvelous marva performed. she was amazing as well. she sang this one particular song about the killings that were claiming the lives of the young black males of trinidad and tobago. the entire time i've been here, i've felt nothing but safe. i felt more safe here than i did in south africa. but, i kept hearing whispers of bad things happening in certain communities.  i didn't really take it in until i heard marvelous marva sing about being a mother and worrying about her son. dr. turley told me that the last year the students were here, there were 500 killings... they were only here for like 3 weeks! the murdering of the black male youth is a really huge issue here.

after marvelous marva, the "african dance theater - wasafoli" performed and they brought the house down! they were so good. it was sort of a romeo and juliet story line but done completely afrocentric style and with no words.. only dance. and it was a long performance. they had to have practiced for so long. but really.. it reminded me a lot of the african drumming class that i took in undergrad. you don't learn a dance with long choreography, per say... u learn a whole bunch of moves and the moves correspond to certain drum patterns. once the drum master drums out the directions and each drum pattern has its own move.

after their great performance, we left and i went back to the dorm to get some rest.