Trinidad

                                               I Would Be….

I am truly blessed that my grandfather, Tyrone Gonsalves had emigrated to Canada October 13th 1962. If he hadn't , my life would be very different. I had very little knowledge on my family background previous to this project however, speaking to my grandfather who grew up in Trinidad helped me clarify why I am lucky to be Canadian today.

Life In Trinidad

As a kid, My grandfather said Trinidad was a fun place to live as all the children played soccer, cricket and everyone's favorite, marbles in the park . Although nobody had a lot, they all learned to appreciate the smaller things in life. Having 12 brothers and sisters it was hard for my great grandfather, Abel Gonsalves to support the family. They lived in a small skinny house with four tiny rooms. All the adults of the family slept in one room with bunk beds. The kids all slept in another room sharing beds. The kitchen and bathroom were located in the yard outside not containing a roof. This means their neighbors with 2 story houses could see them shower. My great grandfather worked day and night in a lumber yard for about 35 years. This was a pretty common job at the time. My great grandmother, Marie, stayed at home to watch the family. This resembled a pretty average family at the time in Trinidad due to the overwhelming poverty.  

One of the major differences between Trinidad and Canada was education. In the capital city, Port Of Spain, there was only 3 colleges and no universities. Children only had to attend 8 years of school in total (that's including kindergarten) before they could graduate and attend college. Since there was limited room at the colleges, most teens began working right after graduation which was around 16 years old. This is when they were considered adults in society. During the time my grandfather attended school in Trinidad, there were many job opportunities because the war had just finished. This was good for the economy and his immediate family because his older brothers/sisters could help with the income. Common jobs were ones at department stores, grocery stores, lumber yards or as clerks at insurance offices. There were many hard working people however, there was limited resources for them to live a life of good quality. Regarding health care, there was only one hospital located in the capital city, Port Of Spain. When someone was either sick or seriously injured, they would go to the same place to be treated.

What Life Would Have Been Like…

If my Grandfather had not emigrated to Canada, I would have a much harder life in Trinidad. For one, I would not be exposed to the same education I am here. There, it is not only shortened in time, but also very basic. I would be living in extreme poverty with high crime rates. I would have to work much harder to sustain a decent quality of life than I have to in Canada. Since there are limited resources regarding health care, I would probably need to learn at a very young age, essential tips to keep healthy. However, there would also be many positives to living in Trinidad. At my age now, I would be graduated school, considered an adult and soon beginning a career in one of the several jobs offered there. In Trinidad, teenagers are exposed to a more independent lifestyle much faster than they are here.For example, the legal age to purchase and consume alcohol is 18 years old. Because it is not a rich a country, I would be appreciating many of the smaller things in life. I would maybe own less but, I think I’d feel like I had more being surrounded by the beautiful landscape and creating much stronger relationships with the people around me.  

Living In Trinidad may not sound like a pampered lifestyle but, it builds character and I am proud to say that’s where my last name comes from.

Works Cited

Blackburn, Victor. “The General Hospital Port Of Spain.” Oct. 2007, www.miodragcolic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Zgrada-bolnice-u-glavnom-gradu-The-General-Hospital-Port-of-Spain.jpg.

Doodnath, Alina. “Vistabella presbyteran school.” 4 Nov. 2015, www.looptt.com/content/parents-protest-over-closed-vistabella-school.

Gonsalves, Tyrone. Interview. 30 Dec. 2016.