Guten Abend! I had a thoroughly interesting experience (no...not the Summit, although that was also interesting!) Easterweekend that (re) awoken me to the beauty of my country, our family life, our culinary skills and our culture. I had a girlfriend whom I befriended in my stint in Berlin visit along with her husband whom I never met.
I was a bit nervous - it was the first time that I have ever shared my culture with someone who was completely foreign to it. So my anxiousness was only compounded when I realised that their flight from Barbados (Liat) was delayed with no updated departure time posted on the Piarco Airport website. I arrived at Piarco after eventually scolding enough of Liat's agents who were eventually able to confirm the arrival time to find that they had suffered the same fate as I have on most of my flights. They didn't come with their luggage.
But that was to be the most negative thing about the trip. Their luggage arrived a day later but they celebrated with me and my family my Grandmother's birthday and easter with us. I think most of my family worried about how I had coped in Germany for 2 years but Grit and Andre (the couple) totally changed their perception of GERMS (my nickname for Germans). Andre wanted to hear steelpan and on Glorious Saturday, Silver Stars Steel orchestra was the only one that was practicing for the competition the following week. I was concerned that even though Andre had expressed an interest that he would not like steelpan. If you listen to it without an appreciation for it, it can sound like a lot of ... noise! So we arrived to the panyard to the tinkering of pans. The Orchestra was warming up and we stuck around to hear them play ensemble because they could not fathom how the sound would come together. As the group struck up to play they started with what I thought was Bohemian Rhapsody. After they played a few more notes, I realised that it was BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY! This was a treat not because I am a traitor (I have a pretty eclectic taste) but it allowed my friends to see that the steelpan can play an array of music but also it helped ease the transition because it was something they recognized. Well Silver Stars was great and we went home quite satisfied and my girlfriend's husband wanted more!
We went to the sister isle which never failed to be breathless and I taught them the art of what my dad's friends call "parangin'". Not to be mistaken for our Christmas music. Paragin' is his word for liming at a friends and drinking him out of Scotch! We visted my different family friends - most with open doors- and just waltzed right in without calling too much in advance ie when I was on the top of the street :))
But I have to say, I could've been the best hostess in the world but nothing would've been as enjoyable if I didn't have the best guests! So now they are a part of our family and I love Grit even more (though everyone called her Britt!). If only all visitors kept an open mind to our shores, culture, food and families ... the benefits would be limitless!
I was a bit nervous - it was the first time that I have ever shared my culture with someone who was completely foreign to it. So my anxiousness was only compounded when I realised that their flight from Barbados (Liat) was delayed with no updated departure time posted on the Piarco Airport website. I arrived at Piarco after eventually scolding enough of Liat's agents who were eventually able to confirm the arrival time to find that they had suffered the same fate as I have on most of my flights. They didn't come with their luggage.
But that was to be the most negative thing about the trip. Their luggage arrived a day later but they celebrated with me and my family my Grandmother's birthday and easter with us. I think most of my family worried about how I had coped in Germany for 2 years but Grit and Andre (the couple) totally changed their perception of GERMS (my nickname for Germans). Andre wanted to hear steelpan and on Glorious Saturday, Silver Stars Steel orchestra was the only one that was practicing for the competition the following week. I was concerned that even though Andre had expressed an interest that he would not like steelpan. If you listen to it without an appreciation for it, it can sound like a lot of ... noise! So we arrived to the panyard to the tinkering of pans. The Orchestra was warming up and we stuck around to hear them play ensemble because they could not fathom how the sound would come together. As the group struck up to play they started with what I thought was Bohemian Rhapsody. After they played a few more notes, I realised that it was BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY! This was a treat not because I am a traitor (I have a pretty eclectic taste) but it allowed my friends to see that the steelpan can play an array of music but also it helped ease the transition because it was something they recognized. Well Silver Stars was great and we went home quite satisfied and my girlfriend's husband wanted more!
We went to the sister isle which never failed to be breathless and I taught them the art of what my dad's friends call "parangin'". Not to be mistaken for our Christmas music. Paragin' is his word for liming at a friends and drinking him out of Scotch! We visted my different family friends - most with open doors- and just waltzed right in without calling too much in advance ie when I was on the top of the street :))
But I have to say, I could've been the best hostess in the world but nothing would've been as enjoyable if I didn't have the best guests! So now they are a part of our family and I love Grit even more (though everyone called her Britt!). If only all visitors kept an open mind to our shores, culture, food and families ... the benefits would be limitless!
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