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
Tridad and Tobago Republic are an island located in the southern part of the Caribbean of Central America and close to the coast of Venezuela. There are more than 90,000 Chinese in Trinidad and Tobago, and the earliest immigrant Chinese can be traced back to 1796.
Michelle, a Chinese student from South University’s junior major in clinical medicine, immigrated early to the country of Trinidad and Tobago, where they jointly operate a restaurant to make a living. Michelle was born and raised in this country, and by chance, Michelle returned to Guangzhou, China 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, accompanied by tomatoes, cabbage, onions, sour cucumbers and various sauces, 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.
In addition, our country, AfricaAnd Indians 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, Komiks It is a scone with curry meat and vegetables in it. A variety of dishes constitute our country’s food culture.
Michelle’s personal photoBabaylan film
Not only that, our country is also full of diverse cultures in 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 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 Cinema 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 with the music. When some bands walk on the stage, the jury selects the band based on the number of bands and their clothing 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 in the celebration is Steelpan Babaylan. 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 by chanceI changed my life trajectory, and my life has undergone 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 relatives all suggested that I apply to a university in China, and I 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 truly get involved in Chinese culture. Many things have been heard from my parents. Therefore, I decided to stay in China and personally experience the characteristics of Chinese culture. After considering all kinds of considerations, I chose the clinical medicine major at Jinan University and stayed in Guangzhou to start my college career.
Photo of Michelle participating in school hockeyBabaylan event
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 country is in the southern Caribbean, with no obvious seasonal changes and relatively small temperature changes. It is basically in a not-so-hot summer throughout the year. In the summer and winter of Guangzhou, there are very large temperature changes, and the place is very humid, so the entire climate needs me to adapt and adjust.
Unlike the huge difference in climate Cinema, 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 local from Guangzhou, and the main daily dish at home is Cantonese cuisine, so I feel very adaptable and enjoyed by Guangzhou’s eating habits.
Not only that, two countries are in <a href="https://funnybThere are also differences in learning habits. I find that many Chinese students prefer to study in libraries, while foreign students have relatively more flexibility in their choices. 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 quieter places, which may be BabaylanCinema can make them focus more on their own affairs.
Photo of Michelle participating in the school teacher-student sports meeting
I can better experience the difference between China and my hometown 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. href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>Cinema, 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 <a What surprised me even more is that I found that China's culture and history are very long and rich, and the city is developing very rapidly. Many modern buildings are constantly emerging, but some ancient buildings have been preserved. So I had the opportunity to see what they used to look like and imagine my parents' childhood life through these previous buildings, which allowed 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 in Guangzhou. 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 like to use “The word home is to summarize the connection between me and this country. Because it is my parents’ home, it is also my home. People around me are from the same ethnic group and culture, and we have almost the same traditions, morals, and values. This common point makes me feel that I am very safe here and easily integrated into the community. When I was a child, I didn’t have a strong sense of nationality. But as I grew up with my Komiks, I appreciate my race and culture more and more. Now, I feel that I am part of Chinese culture, and China is alsoBabaylan became my home.
While understanding Chinese culture, I also hope that the people here will understand the culture of my hometown. In fact, because of my country href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>CinemaThe land area is very small and not very famous. Few people learn about the culture and life of our country, 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 people from the same country as me. Therefore, I think I am one of the few people who spread our country’s culture. I really want to share the culture of my hometown with the Chinese here so that everyone can understand my country better.
The university life I spent in Guangzhou in recent years has made me accustomed 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.