Hello Friends,
We missed sending an update in September so now you're going to get two.
This year Trinidad and Tobago commemorated fifty years as an independent country. There was much fanfare and celebration.
When Trinidadians, or "Trini"s celebrate they make music. Steel drums are very popular.
Vendors selling food on the street are common. This one features Corn Soup.
Trinidad is famous for "Doubles" which is a piece of fry bread smothered with a sauce made from garbanzo beans and savory spices topped with another piece of fry bread - hence the term "Doubles". They sell from the back of a pickup truck parked on the side of the road.
The lid is used to scoop up the topping. Doubles are very popular with the Elders!
Here is Sister Lindorf showing how it's done.
How would you like to do your dishes with this view? No window necessary - it's always warm! Below is another view of the rain forest on Tobago from the same kitchen.
Most permanent homes in the Caribbean are made of concrete. I guess they read the story of the three little pigs! This is a house prepped for a pour. Can you believe that bamboo is strong enough to hold up a slab of concrete?
This is the biggest burger I've ever eaten - and it's a MEDIUM size (about 7 inches across). They have an even bigger one but I can't eat that much!
If you look closely you'll see this roadside vendor selling iguanas for meat. I wonder if that is what was in my burger?
Flooding in Port of Spain, Trinidad. This was from just one rainstorm.
You may remember seeing this house before. We visited a Seminary class held in this home in Guyana earlier this year. Notice the pet aligator!
Apparently the story of the 3 little pigs didn't make it to Guyana. This is the same house after a violent windstorm. LDS Humanitarian Service missionaries are helping them rebuild. Fortunately no one was injured in the storm.
Bananas are used many different ways here and they have varieties we don't typically see in the US.
These are cooking bananas, skinny and about five inches long. They are not sweet at all.
They are boiled while green in the skins. When peeled, are used the same as we would use potatoes.
We're busy and having an amazing time on this mission. Seminary and Institute classes have resumed and school has started again after the summer break. Sister Lindorf has been tenaciously entering all the new classes and students into the computer for tracking purposes. I have more pictures I want to share but they'll go out as a separate email.
All our best,
Elder & Sister Lindorf
