TT is really beautiful

Even myself as a native "trini" couldn’t grasp the wonderful experience we normally take for granted — at least not after spending an entire year abroad in Northern Ireland.

Having grown up in an environment completely exposed to our local culture which incorporates the different races and their beliefs from calypso and Carnival to Emancipation, Divali, Eid-ul-Fitr, etc where Muslims, Hindus, Christians and other denominations exist in harmony, it felt completely alien to dwell in a land where the mere difference between Protestants and Catholics cost the lives of man and is still the reason for a lot of antagonism and animosity among its people today, even after the 1997 cease-fire and more recent IRA (Irish Republican Army) decommissioning.

My first impression of Ireland proved to be disillusioning, because my concept of the land of leprechauns revolved around finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, somewhere amidst the picturesque green fields, story-like castles and then enjoying a pint of Guinness or green beer on St Patrick’s Day! While this paints a pretty overall picture it conceals the real depth of tension existing within the communities that dwell there. For me it was difficult to understand the pulling and tugging between ‘loyalists’ who consisted basically of protestantsand ‘nationalists’ who were the Catholics.

These were people who if they were standing right next to each other you wouldn’t be able to distinguish one from the other — to further enlighten you, without being prejudice, it’s a community of generally "white" folks.

I couldn’t relate in the sense that I came from a country where different races like Indians and Africans for example lived as one with themselves and others, and here the same race couldn’t be at ease with each other.

Although everyone was exceptionally nice to me, ‘an outsider’ they couldn’t be nice to each other. A bewildering example is a fight over the mere name of one of its major cities in the north — ‘Londonderry’ if you’re Protestant and ‘Derry" if you’re Catholic.

For me it was not a big deal but for the citizens of Northern Ireland it was something you could get shot for in the past.

Imagine that! It wasn’t long before I started to miss the friendly native and laid back attitude of our people and after a year I was engulfed by overwhelming home sickness. I can’t express the immense pleasure that filled my veins at the prospect of returning to our lovely twin isle.

Our sandy shores, blissful sunshine, lush green mountains together with people who dwelled side by side in peace and harmony, reminded me that there was no place like home in sweet Trinidad and Tobago.

I hope this article can help us to appreciate the simple things as a united nation that we so often take for granted.

SHARMELA RALPH

Point Fortin