Before deciding to come to Trinidad, I was not really sure where it was located. I knew it was considered a Caribbean Island, but that was about it. I looked on the map, and realized that it is actually just a few miles off of the coast of Venezuela in South America! So, when I first arrived at the airport here, I knew I was in for a culture shock because I would not be in the U.S. anymore.
In Trinidad, most of the people I see do not look like me. Most Trinidadians are either of Indian or African decent. Also, I knew that the accents and local dialect could be a challenge. For example, as I approached the customs counter at the airport, the agent said "Good day" to me. I found out that it was a customary greeting here, like "Hello" is back home. Depending on the time of day, Trinidadians will greet you with "Good morning, good day, or good night." It sounded strange to me the first few times I heard someone say it, but now even I am saying it!
Besides the interesting new greeting, I have had to listen more carefully than I ever have had to back home. The accents here are very strong, and sometimes it is difficult to understand what locals are saying.
