My name is Jennifer Mohammed and I work at an airport departure lounge snack bar. My name is "Jennifer," not "Jenny." I grew up and lived all my life in the same small village all my life. I feel safe. Everybody know everybody. That could be good and bad. Even though I feel safe in my village, I don't even want to say exactly where it is. Because of the state of the country.
I went to Arouca Government Primary and then ASJA Girls' College. I used to travel to Arouca every school day. I am a practising Muslim. But I don't make a religious objection to alcohol. I'll take a drink occasionally. Women have a secondary position to men in Islam. And they should. Men are the head of the family.
I come from a medium-sized family. I'm a wife and mother but I won't talk about any of that. The way the country is going, I don't want to put too much of detail about myself on the papers. All the people living in my village now were always living in my village.
I know them all my life. The village has doubled in size, but I still know everybody. The only way "outsiders" move in is when they marry somebody from the village. And then we accept them. Some don't get accepted so quickly, but I've never seen anyone not accepted. Is a happy place and it always send out a good vibes.
My village is a good place to raise children. It's where I raise mine. But I won't give out details about my children. I have no experience of anyone close to me being affected by crime. But I'm still worried about it. We light deyas in my village for Divali. We don't take it too much a religious reason. We have Indians, Africans, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, everybody in the village. It's a mixed community and everyone gets along well. My village is still the real Trinidad.
Be yourself and show respect. That is what I pass on to my children. I used to pitch marble and play cricket as a girl. I could bat good. I taught my children to play pitch but I don't think village children play pitch now. They too busy with PS3. We never had a video club in my village. But I used to rent VHS tapes in Arouca. I like to watch music videos on TV now. I'll watch TV shows and movies in-between. Hollywood movies. Buy some DVDs and watch.
I watch and support West Indies cricket. Thick and thin. But I'm not quite pleased with the last series. They did all right in the one-days. I didn't follow the Tests in-between. I listen to all kinds of music. Calypso. Soft rock. All kinds. Swappi is my favourite singer right now.
I was always attracted to playing mas when I was younger but my parents ent too like it. Parental discouragement. I wouldn't go back and play mas now. That window closed with no regrets. To play mas now is nothing fancy, just a lot of nakedness. My own kids won't play mas. From parental discouragement. At the time when I wanted to, it was safe, and you had costumes. Now, it have no costume, no thought at all.
My job is very interesting. I might work day or night shift. Either one, I enjoy. I handle sales and cash and serve customers. Is usually two or three of us. We sell sandwiches and snacks. Sometimes, the snack bar is be dead for long periods, when it have no flights. Then, when flights come, is be real busy. In-between flights, I tidy up and prepare for the next rush. I get a little chance to think and reflect them times.
The best thing about the job is serving the customers. I never got a bad-tempered customer. It doesn't have any bad thing about the job. I even get to work easy. A Trini is a person with a big, big smile on they face. Regardless. Trinidad and Tobago means everything to me. I've been to the States but I wouldn't go and live anywhere else. I'm a village girl.
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