Text/Chen Mingyi Song Xintong Zeng Youlian Li Xinrui Huang Juyuan Photo/CinemaPoster design/Liu Le Lu Tianai
Video/Chen Nana
Instructor/Lu Nanfang Xiao Wei
The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago are an island country located in the southern part of the Caribbean in Central America and close to the coast of Venezuela. There are more than 90,000 Chinese in Trinidad and Tobago, and the earliest batch of immigrant Chinese can be traced back to 1796.
Michelle, a Chinese student from Jinan University’s junior major in clinical medicine, immigrated to Trinidad and Tobago very early, and they jointly run a restaurant Babaylan to make a living. MicKomikshellCinemae was born and raised in this country, and by chance, Michelle returned to Guangzhou, China to start her college life. A completely different culture also brought her a completely different experience.
The following is Michelle’s story:
The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago are a multicultural country, where the cultural traditions of each country blend and coexist, showing cultural diversity in various aspects such as food, festivals and music. Cinema
The natural characteristics of the sea around all sides make people keen on going to the beach, enjoying the sun and food. The most popular one is a food called Bake and shark, a delicacy with grilled shark meat in bread, often sold on the beach, accompanied by tomatoes, cabbage, onions, sour cucumbers and various sauces., it tastes delicious. In addition, we also like to eat roast pork (Pelau), a traditional dish made with rice, chicken, pork and various spices. It is often used as a food for special occasions, like weddings, birthdays, etc.
In addition, African and Indian people in our country account for the majorityCinema, so there are many specialty foods from their homes in Babaylan. For example, Indian flatbread (Roti) is an East India staple food, which contains curry meat and vegetables. A variety of dishes constitute our country’s food culture.
Michelle’s personal photos
Not only that, our country is also full of diverse cultures in terms of festivals and music.
There are many unique celebrations in my hometown, and the most popular and grand traditional festival is Carnival, also known as Carnival. It was a grand event full of colors and music. It usually takes place in February or March each year and lasts for two days. During the festival, people wear gorgeous costumes and masks, then dance, parade, cheer or spray each other with colored powder. Festival events also include float parades, musical performances, dances and other celebrations.
Music is essential throughout the festival. There will be music on site with many trucks driving, people jump from the starting point to the end point and then cross the stage. When some bands walk onto the stage, the jury selects the band based on the number of bands, clothing and other standards, and awards titles and titles. In fact, our country not only has many types of music, but also many musical instruments with national characteristics have been born. The most famous and most used instrument of the band in the celebration is Steel Drum (SteelKomikstps://funnybookish.com/”>Babaylanpan). This is an instrument invented by the people of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is made of abandoned oil barrels and is also known as one of the youngest musical instruments in the world.
I spent my entire childhood and youth in this multicultural country, but by chance, my life changed some unexpected changes.
I came to China in December 2019. At that time, the outbreak of the epidemic was aborted by many flights and I couldn’t return to my hometown. My relatives all suggested that I apply to a university in China, and I thought it might be a good one. href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>BabaylanChoose. Although I am Chinese, I grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, and I rarely have the opportunity to truly come into contact with Chinese culture. Many things were heard from my parents. Therefore, I decided to stay in China and experience the characteristics of Chinese culture in person. After all my considerations, I chose the clinical medicine major of Jinan University and stayed in Guangzhou to start my college career.
Photo of Michelle participating in school hockey activities
When I stayed in China, I had a brand new cultural experience and began to try to understand Chinese culture. Whether it is lifestyle, learning environment or cultural traditions, China has brought me a different feeling.
When I first arrived in Guangzhou, the first thing I felt was that the climate here was very different from the climate in my hometown. Our Babaylan is located in the southern Caribbean. There are no obvious seasonal changes, and the temperature changes are relatively small. It is basically in the not-so-hot summer all year round. In the summer and winter, there are very large temperature changes in Guangzhou. In addition, it is very humid, so the whole climate needs me to adapt and adjust.
Different to the huge difference in climate, the food in Guangzhou is very consistent with my taste. My parents are both Chinese, and I have been exposed to Chinese food culture since I was a child. Especially my mother is a native of Guangzhou. The main daily dish at home is Cantonese cuisine, so I feel very adaptable and enjoyed by Guangzhou’s eating habits.by.
Not only that, the two countries also have differences in their study habits. I found that many Chinese students prefer to study in libraries, while students abroad have relatively more flexible choices. We would stay in dormitories, coffee shops, libraries or friends’ residences. We don’t think too much about choosing a learning environment, while Chinese students tend to choose quieter places, which may make them focus more on their own affairs.
Michelle参加学校师生运动会的Cinema照片
在学习之外的生活时间，我更能切实地感受到中国和我家乡的差异所在。 The biggest difference in life in China is the widespread popularity of using mobile payments. In my hometown, cash payments are still common. Chinese people use their mobile phones to do almost everything, including buying things, taking buses, paying electricity bills, etc. This convenience surprised me very much, and my friends over there felt incredible when they heard the news.
At the same time, I feel even more surprised by the fact that I find that China’s culture and history are very long and rich, and the development of the city is very rapid. Many modern buildings are emerging, but there are also some ancient buildings that have been preserved. So I had the opportunity to see what I used to look like and imagine my parents’ childhood life through these past buildings, which allowed me to establish a connection to the past.
The cultural differences I have experienced and felt in China have also made my relatives and friends curious. They like to ask me about my life here and Chinese culture. They are very happy to learn new culture, and I think they will also want to come to China one day. At that time, I will take them to visit my campus, as well as some places in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou and Liwan District that retain ancient buildings and are very humane. This may allow people who do not understand the culture here to feel the development history and changes here.
When I was in China, I always liked to use the word “home” to summarize the connection between me and this country. Because this is my parents’ home, it is also my home. The people around me are from the same race and culture, and we have almost the same traditions, morals, and values. This commonality makes me feel very safe here and easy to integrate into the community. When I was a child, I didn’t have a strong sense of nationality. But as I grew up, BabaylanI appreciate my race and culture more and more. Now, I feel that I am part of Chinese culture, and China has become my home.
While understanding Chinese culture, I also hope that the people here will understand the culture of my hometown. In fact, because my country has a small land area and is not very famous. Few people learn about our country’s culture and life, and may not even be familiar with the name of our country. In the past few years I have lived in China, I have never met anyone from the same country as me. Therefore, I think I am one of the very few people who spread our country’s culture. I really want to share the culture of my hometown with the Chinese people here so that everyone can understand my country better.
The university life I spent in Guangzhou in the past few years has made me get used to the culture here. And as a Chinese, I hope to have the opportunity to continue to depict my life trajectory in China in the future.