Joy Dillon
Brother-man, sister-friend, lady and gentleman, know your place, eh! Know where you is, and especially where you going in this world! I begging you, from the bottom of my heart!
What for? Otherwise, you could end up somewhere between here and Timbuktu, that’s why! You don’t believe me? Well alright! Let me tell you what did happen to me the other day…
Now just to be clear, I living in a part of the Caribbean that have one setta place name that as plentiful and diverse like the people. But don’t be fooled, nah! How they does spell and pronounce the name of those places in other countries, is not how they does spell and pronounce them over here in these islands, even if how it pronouncing in overseas places is how it supposed to be officially pronounced. In this place, especially in my country, we does like to do we own thing and make it normal, oui!
Like the setta Spanish name we have for some places. How they spell and how they pronounce is two completely different thing, like chalk and cheese. And take what I telling you, that pronunciation could mean the difference in how other people give you good direction, or if you end up having to take a taxi or two, as well as where and how fast you go get drop by one of them same taxi to your destination.
Like it have this place in the East of Trinidad what close to the capital city of Port of Spain, or ‘Tong’, called San Juan. Now the Juan place spelled as S-a-n- J-u-a-n, and which any born and bred ‘Spanish’ go call ‘Sahn Wahn’, right? But in this place call T&T, you only make the mistake and say that you want to go to ‘Sahn Wahn’, nah!
You go see how fast some people go turn they head and watch you funny, as though you is some kinda beast. Or if they bold-face enough, they go be quick to correct you and tell you plain, ‘Is not ‘Sahn Wahn’…is ‘Sah-Wah’!’ And poor you, with your confused-self now trying hard to understand how them people could re-christen the Spanish people word as if is they own English word. You think it easy in this place!?
Is the same thing with them telling you that ‘D-i-e-g-o M-a-r-t-i-n’ is not pronounced as ‘Dee-yay-go Mahr-teen’ but ‘Dig-oh Mah-Tin’. Ditto for ‘L-o-s I-r-o-s’, another place name of Spanish origin, which should be pronounced as ‘Lowe-ss Ee-wrowe-ss’ instead getting called ‘Lowes- Ee-row’. Likewise for ‘L-a B-r-e-a’, which should be sounded as ‘Lah Vray-Ah’ being touted as ‘Lah Bray’.
But is not only Spanish place name that have it hard over here, nah! As I was giving you the example earlier, the other day, I had was to go in the East. Not the near East of ten minutes’ drive or less, but the one hour and more drive in the Far East of Trinidad, to participate in a self-improvement project.
Now to give you some perspective, I born and living in the big city of Port of Spain, which also known as ‘Tong’. In other words, I’s a ‘city lady’, a ‘town girl’ or a ‘tong gyal’ who ain’t know much about the eastern part of the country, excepting the Piarco International Airport in Piarco, and the University of the West Indies (UWI) in St Augustine. Ditto for central and south Trinidad.
So just imagine poor me had was to go and find a place called ‘Sangre Grande’ (or what the people who living there does shorten and just say is ‘Grande’– as in ‘Grand-Ee’ and not prounced as the Spanish ‘Grand-ay’). Plus, after that, I had was to then find a place call ‘L-e-e-m-o-n-d R-o-a-d’.
Well hear nah, that was real adventure! First to begin, I couldn’t even get a taxi heading straight to Grande from ‘Tong’, although it have a clearly marked and designated stand for them kinda taxi. But anyway, so be it.
I had was to put out extra money to go another part of the East called Arima first, and then try and find a willing car that could take me to Grande. Well alright, the trip from ‘Tong’ to Arima was decent enough. However, my real headache did start when it was time to locate that Mr. Leemond Road.
Looking back, I did probably start off bad, by mispronouncing the name of the people place as ‘L-e-m-o-n R-o-a-d’ (‘Lemon Road’), like if I’s some kinda ‘never-see, come-see’ tourist. Okay, I did fix that much later, after I did see a taxi and ask if he goin’ Grande. When he say ‘yes’, I hop in it.
When the car did long pull off and is only trees and road me and the other passengers seeing, Mr. Driver turn to me. ‘Exactly where in Grande you going, Family?’
Hear me with my haughty, ‘can’t mash ants’ disposition, nah: ‘Lee-mond Road’.
Now why I had was to go and do that, eh? Is when I want to play that I smart!
‘Where is that!?’ None of the other passengers did ever hear about that place!
Even the taxi-driver and all was real confused–even when I did repeat what I did say real slow; and even when I did show him the directions and the image of the place on my phone. At that point, to say I did get real worried is joke! I mean, in case of a serious emergency, I didn’t know a single body living on that side of the country!
Anyway, The Good Lord does work in some real mysterious ways. One of the passengers– a real decent lady who was sitting in the front passenger seat. I think she did just complete a security guard shift and was heading home that same morning, when she did happen to overhear the conversation between me and the driver.
She did put two and two together, after asking to see my phone directions and hearing me talk. She turn she head a l’il bit to face me and ask: ‘Excuse me, is Leemong Road you going?’
I was shocked. ‘Eh? Leemong Road!?’
Well look thing, nah! I did never know that Leemond Road, was ‘always’ pronounced as ‘L-e-e-m-o-n-g R-o-a-d!’ Poor me! To be honest, I didn’t know what to say.
I think I did shake my head at the lady’s question. ‘I really don’t know, nah.’
At that point, some other people mighta leave me right then and there. Nevertheless, that woman was a saint. She was so kind and helpful, that she did explain me the situation. ‘Well, that is the only kinda road it have ‘sounding like that’ in Grande’.
Okay. I was cool with that. However, as she did further explain me. ‘Where you want to go is not in Grande, is near a place called Fishing Pond’. The lady made sure to drop the ‘d’ from the ‘p-o-n-d’ when she was pronouncing the word.
‘What!?’ When I did hear Fishing Pon’, I wanted to drop down and bawl for my mother. I didn’t know about ‘Grande’ or ‘Leemong Road’ good enough, and now the lady was telling me ‘bout going to Fishin’ Pon!?
‘Look at my crosses today!’ At that point, I did start to think up all kinda scenario in my head. I mean, how the hell I was going and get there?
But as I did say before, The Good Lord is a Good God, and He does really work in some mysterious ways. Both she and the taxi-driver did tell me exactly where to get the taxi to go to Fishin’ Pon’.
And she–that real nice, kind, understanding lady–I real sorry up to this day that I didn’t take she name or she number– first my worried head was hot, panicked and bothered–she did come out the taxi with me. ‘Come with me, I go show you exactly where to go.’
That darling woman did take it upon she-self to personally walk me right over to where the Fishin’ Pon’ taxis does work. She did stand up and wait on one to come with me, hail out one for me, and hear this–she did even make sure and explain the driver exactly where I wanted to go in Fishin’ Pon.
I was so grateful for she kind help, that I did thank she like she was God’s daughter! The only thing I didn’t do was kiss that woman’s hand!
When it was just the driver and me now, is a good thing the driver who did drop me to my destination was a young, honest man. He didn’t try and start no kinda funny business with me and we had a cool conversation about the area in general.
We did pass plenty house and car, drive down a long road and drive across some other kinda narrow road. Is then we did come to a fork in the road. The sign for ‘Fishing Pond’ was on one side of the road, and the sign for my destination, that was spelled as clear as day in English as ‘L-e-e-m-o-n-d R-o-a-d’, was on the other side.
Well yes! Good thing it was daytime, oui! Hear nah, man! All it had when I did look left and when I did look right, was plenty bush. One setta bush! It was bush, bumpy road, and more bush! Thankfully, after a good while, we did finally see a few houses; not a single bit of shelter from the rain or something resembling a bus stop.
I couldn’t believe it! ‘Driver, how it possible that people could be living out there and hadda work and go to school, especially if they ain’t have they own regular transport? Like them-so does hadda pray that the weather go always be bright and sunny every single day of the year, or what?’
The driver did shake he head up and down. ‘Family, I agree with you! It really not easy at all for them, nah!
‘Wow! That hard!’ I did feel real bad for them. Maybe one day in the near future, somebody would help them out with better road and access to transportation.
‘Is how far again, boy?’ While he and me was straining we necks looking out for the project site, I was also busy trying to make a call on my phone to contact whoever was already there on the site.
The first number went straight to voicemail. Thank goodness, when I did call a second number, somebody did answer and call me by my exact name. ‘Y’all on the right road. Keep driving. I go stand at the side of the road and look out for allyuh.’
When the driver hear that– because my phone was on loud-speaker, the taxi was almost at the end of the road. That man make a James Bond kinda drive! He wheel and turn that taxi so fast, that one setta dust and small stone fly up in the air!
When it did finally clear, it was like we did see magic! I couldn’t hold back my excitement. ‘But look the place!’
The place I was looking for was right there! The big sign advertising the project site and all was there.
Plus, just like she said she was going to do, the lady who and me did speak over the phone was there, ready and waiting for me to arrive. She did wave at we. ‘Nice to see you reach here safe!’
I did feel so glad and relieved, you hear! After I did pay and thank the driver for his kindness, I did make a pledge with myself: ‘You see you, Miss Lady? If ever it have a next time for any kinda thing like this, you’s not to travel by yourself, nah! And if you ain’t personally know the place good, take a drop with somebody else and let them find it for the two of you!’
Joy Dillon is a Trinidad and Tobago-born and raised researcher, author, writer and public speaking tutor. She firmly believes in the power of the written word, as with other noted forms of communication to trigger positive, enduring change in the holistic thoughts, emotions and actions of all human beings.
She can be contacted via LinkedIn.
Featured photo by Gustavo Fring (Pexels)
