Getting ready for my trip to Trinidad and Tobago-February 17, 2011

Fifteen days to go! I'm counting down the days before my trip to Trinidad and Tobago for 2011 Carnival. It hasn't sunk in yet that I'm actually going back 'home' and I'm actually going to play 'Big People Mas'. Two weeks ago, I parted with some hard-earned cash to buy my ticket. It was probably the most expensive ticket I have ever bought to fly to Piarco International Airport but Carnival is likely the busiest time of year to travel to Piarco. I did it anyway, paid my fare.

I want to capture these moments so I'm going to blog about my trip, the before, the during (where possible) and after.

Next thing for me to do is buy my costume. Growing up in Trinidad, I never tired of the Carnival festival. It was always the best time of the year for me. Every year at school, we would make masks and design costumes and learn about our history, but we also got dressed up and had our own carnival right at our school. Every school does it, it is very much a part of the culture of Trinidad. One year, I was Queen of the Band at my school and my costume was lovely.

My mother is an artistic sort and loves this kind of stuff. She is also a fashion designer by trade and so took immense pleasure ensuring I had the best-possible-costume-ever. The name of my costume for the "Sweets" band was "I dreamt I was a cotton-candy". It was an excellent title and my mother did not hesitate to go over-board designing a headboard I wore on my shoulders complete with fluffy pink pillow, a billowy pink skirt that was like a canopy and a cottony head piece topping my pink striped pjamas. Of course, that year I won the school contest as Best Queen. Everyone, including Mom and me, thought that I should have entered the costume in the Kiddies Carnival. Alas, it was too late for that year, but next year?

When the next year I was queen of the band again, thanks to my mother's efforts, my costume, "Jewel of the Ocean" was entered in Kiddies Carnival. In addition to playing mas at school, I got the chance to jump-up on the biggest stage ever infront of thousands of spectators. It was exhilarating and scary at the same time. I loved being up on the stage and showing off my awesome oyster/pearl costume. The stage was huge and was hardly able to see the edge (my glases being removed to show off my glittery face-makeup), I was so afraid I was going to fall off! I didn't. It was amazing. One of my best Carnival experiences ever!

I'm so looking forward to jumping up as an adult in the 'Big People Mas'.