Soaka Street

                In the land of Steelpan and soca, trini culture is unrivaled and envied the world over. Whenever we meet trinis on our travels, we are always excited to share our experiences. When others who have been to Trinidad hear our voices elsewhere, they always recognize the trini 'accent' and identify us. While on a trip to Mexico, while out Zip lining we met a lovely couple from Canada who only had great things to say about Trinidad, about carnival, the food and the music. Not to mention the beautiful beaches, hiking trails and rivers within our twin island state. These situations tend to leave you with immense pride.
                Something we dislike, is when persons think they know your accent and say we are from Jamaica, or identify the Caribbean as Jamaica. It's just a bit disconcerting generalizing it to the Caribbean, kinda like the feeling after you eat a juicy starch mango but the strings get stuck in your teeth. Not that there is anything wrong with Jamaica of course; it is definitely on our list to visit. Dunn River Falls seems like a wonderful place to visit especially if you like nature and hiking.
                We as a couple are steeped in our culture. For carnival season we enjoy attending 'fetes;' these are commonly broken down into 'kooler fetes' and 'all inclusive fetes.' We both grew up on frequently attending the popular season starter 'Tribe Ice' kooler fete. Now roughly twelve years later or so, we reject the stance of our friends who say "leave Tribe Ice to the young people, allyuh married now." 'Fete with the Saints,' is St Mary's College, my alma mater, annual all inclusive fete  and is another popular choice these days.
                 Begrudgingly for the 2020 Carnival season, we sacrificed the cost of attending any fetes in lieu of saving toward our wedding. With all of the events of 2020, not having the wedding we initially planned and in addition to not attending any fetes, we and everyone we know eagerly await the 2021 season and a life back to a semblance of normalcy. Carnival especially gives trini people a unique feeling of freedom that cannot be replicated elsewhere. For those who don't know, you have to experience it to know it, like my partner in marriage who cannot wait to say the same!