Small island but big heart

This will be my submission to the Caribbean Writer's call for submissions for volume 39.


The theme is "Possibilities: Beyond Tradition, Inside of Courage." The word that stands out to me here is courage. I read that the word "courage" comes from the Latin word cor, which means "heart". In earlier times the word was used for speaking one's mind bravely. I asked my friend Gemini to explain the theme to me and he suggested that true possibilities lie in venturing beyond the boundaries of tradition, and that courage is necessary to embrace these possibilities and create something new. This has me thinking about my Caribbeaness. What it means to be from the islands? What it means to be Trinidadian? How it shapes my approach to life? How what limits me makes me stronger? I have learnt to be creative and make the best of what I have. I am from a small island but I have a big heart. I lived abroad for 5 years after turning 18 years of age. It was the beginning of my adult life. Four years was spent at university in Atlanta and one year working on Wall Street in New York. I was like a little fish in a big pond. In 2003 I returned to the little pond. I had returned to Trinidad where I reside to this day.

New York felt like the crossroads of the world but when I returned to Trinidad I did not feel like I was missing much. The internet was connecting the world and Trinidad was on a path of development and I would be part of that. It was not long after that I discovered the world of blogging and specifically tech blogging. Blogging has defined me for the past twenty years. Only recently I started writing books. What fascinated me about blogging was that I did not have to rely on traditional media. I was now part of the new media which later turned into social media. I created blogs and content that I was looking for. I was so fascinated by the local voices mixed in with the global voices in the blogosphere. I wanted to be as much of a producer as a consumer. Local content matters. All I needed was an internet connection and the courage to share my enthusiasm and noobiness. The courage to dream of being a voice of progress and learning in the tech space. I also ventured into creating tech youtube videos. There are not many local tech bloggers or tech youtubers. It took courage to continue on this path for 20 years without monetary reward where others would have seen this as a waste of time and effort. It was a labour of love. I needed a big heart and I was passionate about what I was doing.

Tech blogging had become my tradition. It is only recently I discovered my love for book writing and it helps that I have a background in blogging. I rebranded my blog to focus on book writing. I was leaving what had been a tradition for me behind. It was an act of courage as I now considered myself a book writer. The local book writer space is more established than the local tech blogger space but I bring a new voice and a new style. My voice and style and background is quite unique I would think. Writing gives me freedom. I feel like I can make a difference through my writing. In school I was less good at the non science subjects including English, Literature and Writing. There was a lot of competition to get into the Sciences and I was guided by this. I did not see encouragement and a future in writing at that time. I never imagined myself becoming a book writer one day. In a sense I am breaking with tradition and the mold that I created for myself. I open my mind to all the possibilities. I find courage in all those who occupy this space that I am new to.

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