in transit..
I spent a lot of time in transit these last couple of weeks... and with a mostly fuzzy mind , these things just strike me.
Trinidad always amazes me.. I land there and get a sense of people who are assertive.. judging from the ads on the Caribbean Airlines video, there are all kinds of things that are promoted from Trinidad.. the University, the song and dance thing, the business thing, the tourism thing - Guyana promotions are El dorado rum, and Pegasus Hotel - which has come into light recently for more interesting governance reasons, but these are not on the Caribbean Essence video. One day we gun see UG advertising on the Caribbean Airlines flight.
it make me feel more bad when the lady say that this started in PNM time and it continuing now.. so it have nothing to do with which blasted political party in power. Nuff ting wrong in TT we know, but still...NO PICTURES OF KAMLA at Piarco that I could see, and yet we got the champion of garbage city smiling in the immigration hall at Timehri .. like they friken it get wet in the rain or something and at TT airport they have instead their Government services portal.
The Trini immigration officials remind me of Heathrow for some reason. There is a wide racial mix.. and I see Indian women too, which I do not see in Guyana. The immigration officers are polite. Heathrow immigration.. I heard one time that everyone was related to each other who worked there.. but it was nice when the UK Border Protection Officer is now a woman who descended from people I descend from and who wearing hijab who asking me what will be my business in the UK. Look at life.. if history was different, we subalterns would have been sweeping streets or making tea in some palace of some other oppressor..
They dont have too many white immigration officers at Heathrow.. Gatwick though was a bit like Miami Airport... but, the officer was a young guy who was hustling up for his coffee break.. my counselling skills you see.. when I see him yawning I say tut tut you poor thing, you been at work long and then he say yes.. and he ready for coffee and he aint ask me nuttin more..
When I bored, I like to go and smell the perfume in the duty free shop at them airport.. I know I aint buyin none.. and I does play fancy and ask for the coffee beans.. you supposed to sniff the coffee beans to clear the smell between fragrances.. that was a lil thing I learn years ago and most times they do not have the coffee beans.. as I said, when I bored..
Yesterday in Heathrow I went and buy up the Marks and sparks biscuit and it was early, and I get in with a gaff with the young trainee guy who doing cash register and making the coffee. The guy glad to have a conversation with somebody, he want to know which part of India I am from, he from Gujarat, come for three years and dont like it ,, he has no life.. so I say just go home then.. but I guess it not so easy for him. He wanted to gaff but customers were coming in.
In Budapest, a man wanted to borrow the adapter .. strange request, and he asked me if I was Arabe.. first time I have been asked that. Must be the beard.
I felt like a security risk at Heathrow when I tried to insist that my backpack could fit on the plane since I brought it out, but when I saw walkie talkies come out and a lil boy come up and say.. sir what is the problem.. I say no problem, bag going on as checked luggage. And it was nice to see that another young woman in hijab also was doing the security check at Heathrow.
In no other country, I never see anybody video they family and thing coming off the plane.. but on the plane from Toronto in Guyana all the come backees and non rezzies videoing one and another and the airport and so on as they walk off the plane.. and I like the rest of people who working at the airport stupsing we teeth and wondering if they head aint good and they aint got notthing to video.. wait till they go near regent street and see the garbage piles then they should video dey self dancing in front of the flipping garbage
At the gate in London I listen in.. a lot of Trini men are working the oilfields around the world.. one man talk about Azerbaijan, another Dubai, and then I meet a man on the plane who travel between new Zealand and trinidad every 30 days or so.. like is nuttin. I have a friend who is an engineer who works in the Atacama desert in Peru too and I remember when he name drop some countries where he was going to have interviews. I did not realise that they want all skill levels, good for Trinidad!
I stay far from the book shops in big cities because I will buy books that I will not read.. though I had one memorable afternoon in the Borders in Miami talking to a Bajan woman who catching up on her erotica stuff.. Zane Grey
I know they say Guyanese all over the place.. a man on the plane coming back, he buy wine for the two ladies next to he for breakfast. He tell me he works the cruise lines and he just come back from a 5 month stint that included Vietnam, Thailand and the rest of the Far East.. he back for a month and then he gone again. The man ask me if I play guitar.. ah.. if only.. if only.. man.. me playing guitar on cruise ship in bangkok..
Trinidad always amazes me.. I land there and get a sense of people who are assertive.. judging from the ads on the Caribbean Airlines video, there are all kinds of things that are promoted from Trinidad.. the University, the song and dance thing, the business thing, the tourism thing - Guyana promotions are El dorado rum, and Pegasus Hotel - which has come into light recently for more interesting governance reasons, but these are not on the Caribbean Essence video. One day we gun see UG advertising on the Caribbean Airlines flight.
it make me feel more bad when the lady say that this started in PNM time and it continuing now.. so it have nothing to do with which blasted political party in power. Nuff ting wrong in TT we know, but still...NO PICTURES OF KAMLA at Piarco that I could see, and yet we got the champion of garbage city smiling in the immigration hall at Timehri .. like they friken it get wet in the rain or something and at TT airport they have instead their Government services portal.
The Trini immigration officials remind me of Heathrow for some reason. There is a wide racial mix.. and I see Indian women too, which I do not see in Guyana. The immigration officers are polite. Heathrow immigration.. I heard one time that everyone was related to each other who worked there.. but it was nice when the UK Border Protection Officer is now a woman who descended from people I descend from and who wearing hijab who asking me what will be my business in the UK. Look at life.. if history was different, we subalterns would have been sweeping streets or making tea in some palace of some other oppressor..
They dont have too many white immigration officers at Heathrow.. Gatwick though was a bit like Miami Airport... but, the officer was a young guy who was hustling up for his coffee break.. my counselling skills you see.. when I see him yawning I say tut tut you poor thing, you been at work long and then he say yes.. and he ready for coffee and he aint ask me nuttin more..
When I bored, I like to go and smell the perfume in the duty free shop at them airport.. I know I aint buyin none.. and I does play fancy and ask for the coffee beans.. you supposed to sniff the coffee beans to clear the smell between fragrances.. that was a lil thing I learn years ago and most times they do not have the coffee beans.. as I said, when I bored..
Yesterday in Heathrow I went and buy up the Marks and sparks biscuit and it was early, and I get in with a gaff with the young trainee guy who doing cash register and making the coffee. The guy glad to have a conversation with somebody, he want to know which part of India I am from, he from Gujarat, come for three years and dont like it ,, he has no life.. so I say just go home then.. but I guess it not so easy for him. He wanted to gaff but customers were coming in.
In Budapest, a man wanted to borrow the adapter .. strange request, and he asked me if I was Arabe.. first time I have been asked that. Must be the beard.
I felt like a security risk at Heathrow when I tried to insist that my backpack could fit on the plane since I brought it out, but when I saw walkie talkies come out and a lil boy come up and say.. sir what is the problem.. I say no problem, bag going on as checked luggage. And it was nice to see that another young woman in hijab also was doing the security check at Heathrow.
In no other country, I never see anybody video they family and thing coming off the plane.. but on the plane from Toronto in Guyana all the come backees and non rezzies videoing one and another and the airport and so on as they walk off the plane.. and I like the rest of people who working at the airport stupsing we teeth and wondering if they head aint good and they aint got notthing to video.. wait till they go near regent street and see the garbage piles then they should video dey self dancing in front of the flipping garbage
At the gate in London I listen in.. a lot of Trini men are working the oilfields around the world.. one man talk about Azerbaijan, another Dubai, and then I meet a man on the plane who travel between new Zealand and trinidad every 30 days or so.. like is nuttin. I have a friend who is an engineer who works in the Atacama desert in Peru too and I remember when he name drop some countries where he was going to have interviews. I did not realise that they want all skill levels, good for Trinidad!
I stay far from the book shops in big cities because I will buy books that I will not read.. though I had one memorable afternoon in the Borders in Miami talking to a Bajan woman who catching up on her erotica stuff.. Zane Grey
I know they say Guyanese all over the place.. a man on the plane coming back, he buy wine for the two ladies next to he for breakfast. He tell me he works the cruise lines and he just come back from a 5 month stint that included Vietnam, Thailand and the rest of the Far East.. he back for a month and then he gone again. The man ask me if I play guitar.. ah.. if only.. if only.. man.. me playing guitar on cruise ship in bangkok..
Comments
Post a Comment