June 30, 2017 - Afternoon in Trinidad

Afternoon in Trinidad

I don’t know if you are like me, but when something is about to happen, I don’t sleep the night before.  The first day of school, the last day of school, or going on a vacation.  I had to be up this morning at 5:30 and in a taxi by 6:15 to get to the airport on time.  So I didn’t sleep last night.

I had a dream about two boys I taught a few years ago, Shelby and Angus.  Denise will remember them.  In my dream, I was administering the STAAR Test to them, but nobody else.  Shelby kept leaving, something not surprising for him.  I would look up and he was gone.  So I had to take Angus with me to search for him.  Then I’d turn around and Angus was gone.  Those boys might have done that in real life, but at least they won me the kickball trophy after two decades!  So who cares, right?

That was the dream I remember when I woke up at 11:30.  I also woke up at 1:00, 3:00, 3:45, 4:30, and 5:15 before my alarm went off at 5:30.  So I was tired when I arrived in Trinidad at 11:00.  By 1:30, after my meal of alligator, I was asleep in my hotel room. 

The brilliant blue sky, the grey and white clouds, and the gentle tropical breeze, all were calling me to explore.  Thus, around 4:00, I escaped from my air-conditioned hotel room to learn a bit more about the city of Trinidad.

I had seen two little plazas as I entered the city and decided to look for them.  Trinidad is not that big of a place, maybe 100,000, so using my map app on my phone, helped me find both easily.  One was dedicated to the heroes of the Chaco War, but it was run down and not very clean.  The other was a bit cleaner.  It was dedicated to the ranchers in the Beni. 

Walking around the city, I noticed a few things. 

Every street has a deep rain gutter for the rainy season. 

There are about 20 motorcycles for every one car. 

Drivers will motion you across the street, unlike Santa Cruz where they might run over you. 

About half the buildings look like they are about to crumble. 

Trash and dog poop is everywhere. 

In Santa Cruz, you see people wealthier than what you’d expect to see in Dallas, but here they are poor. 

But I also noticed these people say hello as you walk down the street. 

By 5:00, people are sitting outside their door enjoying the approaching evening. 

And last, nothing, absolutely nothing is open at 6:00 for dinner, nor are there that many restaurants.  I finally found one that would seat me at 6:30 and ended up going to that place again the next night.  It was still almost 7:30 before I was served my meal.  

Is this a city I could live in, like I said I could in Tarija, Sucre, or Cochabamba?  At the moment, I don’t think so.  I feel out of place and a bit lost.  

But that could be because I am tired and hot.