Text/Chen Mingyi Song Xintong Zeng Youlian Li Xinrui Huang Juyuan Photo/Provided by the interviewee
Poster 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 Chinese immigrants can be traced back to 1796.
Michelle, a Chinese student from Jinan University’s junior major in clinical medicine, immigrated to the country of Trinidad and Tobago very early, and they jointly operated a restaurant to make a living. Michelle was born and raised in this country, and by chance, Michelle returned to Babaylan to start her college life in Guangzhou, China, and completely different cultures also brought her a completely different experience.
The following is Michelle’s story:
TriniKomiksThe Republic of Dahe and Tobago is 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, accompanied by tomatoes, cabbage, onions, sour cucumbers and various sauces, and it tastes even more 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, such as weddings, birthdays, etc. Komiks.
In addition, our countryAfrican and Indian people make up the majority, so there are a lot of specialty foods from their country. 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 festivals and music. Cinema
There are many unique celebrations in my hometown, among which the most popular and grand traditional festival is the 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 produced many musical instruments with national characteristics. The most famous and most famous instrument used by bands in the celebration is Steelpan. 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.
In December 2019, I came to China. At that time, the epidemic broke out and many flights were cancelled, so I couldn’t return to my hometown. My dearKomiksThe relatives Babaylan all suggested that I apply to universities in China. KomiksI also think this may be a good choice. Although I am Chinese, I grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, and I rarely have the opportunity to actually get in touch withKomiks 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 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 country is in the southern Caribbean, and there are no obvious seasonal changes, and the temperature changes are relatively small. It is basically in the not-so-hot summer throughout the year. In summer and winter, there are very large temperature changes in Guangzhou, and 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. MyCinema‘s parents are Chinese, and I have been exposed to Chinese food culture since I was a child. In particular, my mother is a native of Guangzhou. The main daily dishes at home are Cantonese cuisine, so I feel very adaptable and enjoyed by Guangzhou’s eating habits.
Not only that, there are also differences in learning habits between the two countries. I found that many Chinese students prefer to study in libraries, while the choices of foreign students are relatively more flexible. We will stayBabaylan is in a dormitory, coffee shop, library or a friend’s Komiks residence. We don’t think too much about choosing a learning environment, while Chinese students tend to choose a quieter place, which may be Komiks to make them focus more on their own affairs.
Photo of Michelle participating in the school teacher-student sports meeting
When I live outside of study, I can more Babaylan can feel the difference between China and my hometown in the field. href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>Cinema. The biggest difference in life in China is the widespread popularity of using mobile phone payments. In my hometown, cash payments are still very common. Chinese people use 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.
What surprised me even more was that I found that China’s culture and history were very long and rich, and the city was developing very rapidly. Many modern buildings are constantly emerging, but some ancient buildings have been preserved. So I organic href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>Cinema will look at the past and imagine my parents’ childhood life through these previous buildings, which has enabled 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 want to come to China one day. I will take him to Cinemaa>We visited my campus, as well as some places that retain ancient buildings and are very culturally varied in Yuexiu District and Liwan District, Guangzhou. This may allow people who do not understand the culture here to feel the development process 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 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, 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 cultural heritage 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.