Today we spent the day driving around Tobago seeing the many sights and beautiful views of the island.  Our biggest stop was swimming in Argyle Falls in the interior of the island.  With our last day wrapped up, we will certainly miss this beautiful place, but have many memories and new friendships to carry on!

Day 1 in Tobago, Rachel Isaacs

We started off our day with some great breakfast just down the street from our hotel. Shortly after, it was time to head to the beach to get on the glass bottom boat that would take us around the reef and to the nylon pool! While waiting to board the boat, we all had a a chance to jump into the ocean for the first time and enjoy the beautiful water. Once we were on the boat, we were able to see the coral reef very clearly through the glass windows on the floor. Our guide pointed out several varieties of coral and fish before giving us our snorkel gear so we could see it up close!

After seeing the reef, the boat took us to “No Man’s Land”, which was a small beach area with the ocean on one side and a fresh water bay on the other. We got to walk around and take plenty of pictures before getting back on the boat to head to the Nylon Pool. The Nylon pool is a shallow, crys tal clear sandbar area far out into the ocean. Here, we got to swim around and enjoy the beautiful ocean.

Our next activity for the day took place a bit later and was a surprise for all of us! Around 6:30, we all loaded back onto the glass bottom boat, which then took us out to an area surrounded by mangroves.. Here, we saw our first glimpse of the glowing in the water… it was bioluminescent algae! We then got the opportunity to actually jump in the water and watch as the bioluminescent algae followed our every movement. Any disturbance lit up the algae, so all of our bodies seemed to glow. Mesmerized, we stayed in the water for quite a long time before hopping back in the boat to go the the Nylon Pool for a night swim.

Our first day in Tobago was absolutely incredible and I can’t wait to see and experience more of the island!

Today we headed out in the morning to visit Nutrien’s model farm.  There we learned all about Nutrien’s community outreach and their efforts to teach farmers better methods of farming to improve their yield and help increase interest in agriculture in Trinidad.  We learned a lot about all of their community outreach, including a hospital that they had helped build for the community.  We got to see and even taste some of their foods that they produce before we headed out to one of their greenhouses to see their operation in person.  We got to see even more of their trees and their irrigation system as we walked around afterwards.  They used a form of irrigation called fertigation, using their irrigation system to also carry around fertilizer to all of their crops.  After that, we went back to the barbecue tent that we went to on our first day before heading back to Norma’s Bed and Breakfast where we said good bye to the staff and headed out for the second leg of our trip.

As we headed to the airport from there, Van Bern showed us his incredibly effective methods of getting through rush hour traffic in Trinidad to get us to the airport in time for us to really get a lesson in Trini time.  Despite us being in line to go through security about a half hour before we were supposed to board, we weren’t allowed to go through until almost about a half hour later.  As we sat down at the gate twenty minutes after we were originally supposed to board, we watched two more planes board and take off before we were finally allowed to board our plane and leave about an hour after we were scheduled to.

After an extremely short flight, we touched down in Tobago.  We got a brief tour of the area and all of the local attractions. We then headed to our new hotel, where we got ourselves all settled in.  We all explored our new living spaces, and settled in, looking forward to being able to sleep in in the morning.

Today we visited the National Foodcrop Farmers Association (NFFA), high in the mountains of Cauro Valley, where the President of NFFA showed us his paw paw trees. Terrance showed us the two different kinds of trees, the female and hermaphrodite, that he has on his small farm. These plants are genetically modified as seeds, so they do not need a male plant in the area to pollinate the other trees. He also told us how one of the biggest downfalls in this country is the lack of youth involved in agriculture. That is why he is constantly advocating and trying to make sure it is implicated in the youth of Trinidad.

Seeing how proud the farmers are of their small fruit farms, really makes you appreciate the food that they produce and we eat. Terrance also showed us some of his pumpkins, and how the agouti are the biggest pest for this crop. Unlike the other farm we had visited, the African black snails are not yet a problem up in the mountains, the other pests for the paw paw are the usual mites and worms. One of the most important things he highlighted on was how he wishes there were an agronomist in every county in Trinidad. Due to the lack of agronomists here, if they don’t have the necessary technology to look up what to use on their crops, they are spending way much for the chemicals needed to keep their plants healthy. He would also like to see the policy change for the right to land.

In the beginning, there was nothing, but then, Ari (the tour guide) got a tour and took us to a bread factory. The bread factory is that of KISS, a bread company that is everywhere in Trinidad & Tobago and is exported to various Caribbean islands and a few South American countries. When we first got there, it looked a bit like the army built a fortress out of playdoh, as the building was surrounded by barbed wire but the actual factory was a party of reds, blues, and yellows. Before the tour, we learned about the factories very strict pedestrian lines, which you had to walk in at all times when said lines were present or else risk being flattened by a forklift of bread.

On the tour, we went through the snack cake and bread mixing portions of the factory. Both were relatively similar and featured large amounts of machinery. There were strictly no photographs in the factory at any point, which leads me to believe they are hiding Elvis or maybe Jimmy Hoffa in the factory. The snack cake part featured a mixing tool similar to a gigantic egg beater, and an oven the size of maybe two tractor trailers. Needless to say, the machines were rather large. There was a constant flow of snack cakes going into and coming out of the oven, and very quickly iced and wrapped, ready for retail, after going through the ~alleged~ quality department, which we did not get to see.

The bread mixing and loaf cooling area looked like a very complex amusement park ride. Like the snack cake section, there was a constant flow of entire loaves of bread riding around on tracks as far as the eye could see, a true wonder for people that like bread. The last place on this tour, which we got to by staying inside the pedestrian lines, was the cake decorating building, where we watched an air brush artist draw Ben Ten onto a cake (Not bedtime, as Dr. Kelly thought alien hero Ben Ten was called). On our way out of the cake decorating facility, a worker dropped surprisingly large globs of cream onto all of our hands, which was a nice appetizer to the 2 things of snack cakes we all got about 5 minutes later. Alas, we left the factory in the bus.

Before

Getting work done!

The finished project and all of the participants.

This afternoon we went to the St. Benedict Primary School. This school was located in the mountains on a very steep road, just down the way from the beautiful Mount Saint Benedict Abbey. Here we had the opportunity to do a service project. We redid raised gardens in the lot of the school, where the students of UWI would then upkeep them once we were gone. I loved this opportunity because I was able to engage in my major. Libby and I, Community Leadership majors, were the team leaders and our task was to make a plan to redo the garden beds in an effective and inclusive way. We then split our group of students where one half worked with me on flattening out the soil on four beds, redoing the watering system, cleaning up a mound garden, and planting new vegetables. The other half were with Libby and did a lot of deweeding on other beds as well as planting new vegetables in those beds.

    The children at the school were so kind and engaged, they worked hard with us the entire time, and absolutely loved planting new vegetables. We began by leveling off the beds that had sand and gravel as their soil, using shovels and hos, as well as removing weeds and unwanted plants that were in the bed. The children loved shoveling the soil, they would constantly take my shovel so they could work harder. Once the beds were deweeded and level, the Dean of the Agriculture Faculty at UWI, Dr. Ganpat, came and directed us with where to plant what. We ended up planting cabbage, lettuce, celery, okra, and more. The children’s favorite part was planting the vegetables in the gardens, even the littles, no more than 5 years old, were eager to plant.

    Once we completed the beautiful gardens we had a Christmas party for the students. We began with doubles, a delicious, Trini street food. We then enjoyed wonderful Christmas music by a band of students, playing maracas, small guitars/ukuleles, and a bass that was made from a box, stick, and string. We were able to learn a Spanish Christmas song, and even teach the children our signature, American Christmas carol, “Jingle Bells.” We then handed out a goody bag to each of the staff, and a wrapped present and goody bag for each of the students as well. We ended the night enjoying some delicious pizza from Pizza Hut. This opportunity was very enjoyable and fulfilling. The children were so much fun to play with and enjoyed us being there. All of the trinis that were there were so grateful, you could not deny it.

This morning we visited an Artificial breeding center. There we learned the process of semen collection for artificial insemination. At this center they do not freeze their samples for long term storage. A sample is typically used within a few days after extraction. This center is funded by the Trinidad government and provides the service to farmers looking to breed their animals. After seeing the process carried out with two of their bulls, we split up into two groups. One group was given a tour of the outdoor facility and shown the various kinds of animals living at the center. These included bulls, sheep, goats, pigs, and many other varieties. Meanwhile the second group was shown the lab where the animal semen is handled. We viewed one of the samples that was just collected under the microscope before and after it was suspended in milk. We learned the importance of keeping the sample at the proper temperature so that the cells stay alive. We also learned the importance of the speed of the sperm cell. Even if the cells are alive, they must be traveling at a certain speed to be effective. Afterwards the two groups switched to have the full experience.

In the Faculty of Food and Agriculture

At the student whispering wall.

From the roof of one of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture. They have a rooftop greenhouse and a great view.

Demonstration plots for the community to see how to set up their own modern garden.

The mural in the entrance to the Faculty of Food and Agriculture. It was completed in August and represents the current state of agriculture.

Today we visited the University of the West Indies, or UWI, and learned about the Faculty of Food and Agriculture.We saw a beautiful mural that depicts the work of the faculty.We also met Dr. Ganpat, who is the dean of the faculty and generously welcomed us. The faculty is very similar to our college, though there are a few differences in the programs offered. The faculty is about half of the size, with about 1000 undergraduate students. We learned about the different majors and specializations within the faculty, such as agribusiness, human ecology, nutrition, and even geography. The faculty is focusing on conservation and sustainability through study of soil science, among other subjects.

After learning about the programs in the faculty, we toured campus. We saw a garden with many different types of hydroponics. One of the purposes of this garden area is to help educate people on what hydroponics is and how it works. The university also has a rooftop greenhouse, which provides a great view of the work of the work of the tropical landscaping students.

​We were able to tour a few of the common areas and study spaces of the university. We ate lunch with a few UWI students, and then headed to UWI’s research farm.

Today after visiting the University of the West Indies, we went to go visit their School of Veterinary Medicine’s farm to learn more about the animals and what kind of research they do there. One of the parts of the farm that we visited were the quails. The main reason why they are bred is to help sustain protein through their meat and their eggs.

The quail

Following the quails, we got to see a large breeding ground for rabbits of many different types. Some were all purebred others were a mix of two other types of rabbits. They use the rabbits as research because they are able to breed very quickly. After the rabbits reach a certain maturity, they will most likely be slaughtered for meat.

The rabbits at UWI’s Farm

After viewing the rabbits we got to look at some of the cows they have on the farm. Researchers there are trying to crossbreed a cow to be perfectly suitable for the tropical region. We saw many other animals including a black-bellied sheep, goats, and very large pigs, agoutis, and chickens. The visit was very interesting, and it was amazing to see what kind of research they are trying to get done to improve tropical agriculture.

Aguti, domesticated wild game that is considered a delicacy in T&T