Text/Chen Mingyi Song Xintong Zeng Youlian Li Xinrui Huang Juyuan Photo/Provided by the interviewees
Poster design/Liu Le Lu Tianai
Video/Chen Nana
Instructor/Lu Nanfang Xiao Wei
Trinidad and DobaCinemaColosse Republic is an island country located in the southern part of the Caribbean Sea in Central America and close to the coast of Venezuela. There are more than 90,000 Chinese in Trinidad and Tobago, and the earliest Chinese immigrants can be traced back to 1796.
Michelle, a Chinese student from Jinan University’s junior major in clinical medicine, immigrated to Trinidad and Tobago, where they jointly operated a restaurant to make a living. Michelle was born and raised in this country, and by chance, Michelle returned to China’s Guangxi Province to start her college life. The completely different cultures 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.
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, and it tastes delicious after being served with tomatoes, cabbage, onions, sour cucumbers and various sauces. 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, such as weddings, birthdays, etc.
In addition, our country has the majority of African and Indian people, so there are many specialty foods from their country. For example, Indian flat bread (Roti) is a kind of East India masterFood, it is a scone with curry meat and vegetables in it. A variety of dishes constitute our country’s food culture.
Michelle’s personal photos
Not only Babaylan, our country is also full of diverse cultures in festivals and music.
There are many unique celebrations in my hometown, among which the most popular and prosperous 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 and 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 has many musical instruments with national characteristics. The most famous and most used instrument by bands during the celebration is Steelpan. This is an instrument invented by the people of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, which is made of discarded 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 my life changed by chance by Babaylan and my life changed some unexpected changes.
2Cinema In December 019, I came to China. It was the epidemic at that timeBabaylan broke out, many flights were cancelled, and I couldn’t return to my hometown. My relatives suggested that I apply to China’s Cinema University, and I also think this might be a good choice. Although I am Chinese, I grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, and I rarely have the opportunity to really get involved in 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 Babaylan chose the clinical medicine major at 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 also opened. href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>Babaylan 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 is very different from the climate in my hometown. Our country is in the southern Caribbean. There are no obvious seasonal changes, and the temperature changes are relatively small. It is basically not very hot all year round. Guangzhou has very large temperature changes in summer and winter, and it is very humid here, so the whole climate needs me to adapt and adjust.
Unlike the huge difference in climate, the food in Guangzhou is very consistent with my taste. My parents are both Chinese, and I have been a child. href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>Cinema is exposed to China’s food culture. Especially my mother is a native of Guangzhou, and the main daily dish at home is Cantonese, so I feel very adaptable and enjoyed by Guangzhou’s eating habits.
Not only that, there are differences in learning habits between the two countries. I found that many Chinese students prefer to study in libraries, while foreign students Komiks.com/”>Babaylan‘s choice is relatively more flexible. We 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 a quieter place, which may make them focus more on their own affairs.
Photo of Michelle participating in the school teacher-student sports meeting
I can feel the difference between China and my hometown even more clearly during my life outside of study. The biggest difference in life in China is the widespread popularity of mobile payment. In my hometown, cash payment is still very common. Chinese people use mobile phones to do almost everything, including buying things, taking buses, paying electricity bills, etc. This convenience makes me very surprised, and my friends over there feel incredible when they hear this news.
What surprised me even more is that I find that China’s culture and history are very long and rich, and the city is developing very rapidly. Many people are nowCinema builds to imagine the life of my parents when they were young, which allows me to establish a connection with 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 the things I live here and the culture of China. 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 that retain ancient buildings and have a very humane atmosphere in Yuexiu District and Liwan District, Guangzhou. Maybe it can makePeople who don’t understand the culture here also 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. Everyone around me comes from the same race, the same 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 did not have a strong sense of nationality. But as I grew up, I 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’s land area is small and not very famous Komiks. 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.