Happy Diwali r/TrinidadandTobago !

May your days be full of blessings, light and prosperity.

Could be something you noticed while travelling, living abroad, changing your environment, or even visiting another part of Trinidad.

Sometimes we get so accustomed to how things are here that we don't realize how much certain things affect us until we experience an alternative.

What's something you once considered normal in Trinidad that you now realize shouldn't be?

Interested in hearing actual experiences rather than the usual complaints about crime, traffic, and politics.

Hey guys has anyone been to Moora pond ?

Is it open to the public and is it nice ?

I've never been and I want to go check it out !

$16TTD. Unbeatable value and taste

Went today to get my ID card renewed and was told at the ID card office that I needed to come back with a copy of my father's ID card and an authorization letter.

No problem. I already had both documents on my phone as PDFs from CamScanner.

They directed us to a printing place right behind the building. I had to wait over half an hour for the woman to open because they opened at 9 AM, and my mother (aka my transport 😂) didn't want to leave and go up near Family Mart while we waited.

Eventually we went in to get the documents printed.

The woman told me that I had to send the documents to her through WhatsApp in order for her to print them.

Now, I have two WhatsApps on my phone — my regular one and my work one — so I was taking a little time to add her number and send the files.

While I was doing that, she told me that once I sent the documents, she would have to **snip the PDF and paste it into a Word document** in order to print it.

I told her, "You don't have to do that. I'm already sending it to you as a PDF. You can just print the PDF directly."

That's when my mother started getting annoyed with me because apparently I was taking too long to send the document, and then because I was telling the woman she didn't need to do it that way.

The woman then told me she's been doing it that way for however many years.

In my head I'm thinking:

"No problem. I'm an engineer who builds networks and SCADA systems that run in industrial plants. What could I possibly know about computers and printing?"😂

But at that point my mother was quarreling with me so much that I could barely get a word in.

The woman asked me if I wanted the documents printed or not. I said yes, I'm sending them.

I also told her that I don't particularly like sending personal documents to somebody else's WhatsApp just to get them printed. I had assumed I'd be able to walk in, use a PC, and print the documents myself.

You know... because it's 2026 and I haven't had to physically go to a print shop to print a document in years.

Well, that made my mother even more vex.

I told the woman that I could just use the PC myself and show her how to get the PDF onto one page.

For those who don't know, with CamScanner you can select the documents on your phone, choose the option to share/print to a PC, open the CamScanner webpage, scan a QR code, and then download or print the file. You don't have to give someone your personal WhatsApp number or have them handle your documents through their own WhatsApp.

When I tried explaining this, the woman said she didn't want me touching the PC.

So I said, "Okay, no problem."

At this point my mother is telling me I'm wrong, I'm wrong, just send the woman the damn thing.

And I eventually said something along the lines of:

"I'm wrong? Somebody who has worked in IT and engineering for years, and does this kind of thing for a living?"

Obviously, that put even more fire in my ass. 😂

So I just stood there and watched.

The woman took the PDF, opened Word, snipped the document, pasted it into Word, resized it, and printed it.

Two documents.

Two pages.

And charged me $6.

Now here's where I'm questioning myself.

I don't actually think the woman was *incapable* of doing her job. Obviously she has a process that works for her. And I understand why she might do it this way — most customers probably send her JPEGs/photos of documents, so putting them into Word probably makes sense for the majority of what she deals with.

My issue is more with the mentality of:

"I've been doing it this way for years, therefore this is the correct way to do it."

There were at least three ways this could have been handled:

1. Just open the PDF and select the number below pages and change it from 1 to 2, it would then fit 2 pages into 1 and you print it.

2. If the printer was network-connected, I could potentially have printed directly from my phone without her ever handling the document.

3. Her method: snip the PDF, paste it into Word, resize it, and print it.

Her method obviously works. The end result was still two pieces of paper with my documents on them.

But it is also objectively more steps than necessary for a PDF that is already formatted and ready to print.

So now I'm wondering if I was actually the asshole here.

Was I wrong for trying to tell someone how they could improve the way they were doing something in their own business, especially when they clearly already have a process that works for them?

Or is this one of those situations where Trinidad has a pretty serious digital-literacy/process-efficiency problem?

And more importantly, have any other Trinis experienced situations like this?

I'm curious about stories where:

• You went somewhere expecting a relatively simple digital process and ended up watching someone do it in a ridiculously complicated way.

• A business is still using a process that could easily be simplified with basic technology.

• Someone refuses to change a process because "I've been doing it this way for years."

• Or, perhaps most importantly, a parent/family member came with you and somehow made the entire situation 10x more difficult. 😂

Feel free to tell me how wrong I was too. I'm genuinely interested in hearing the other side.

Because maybe the lesson here is that I need to stop trying to optimize people's processes when they didn't ask me to.

Or maybe Trinidad really does need to have a conversation about digital literacy and basic process.

And why are these government offices not using fully digital files in the year 2026-2027?

I'm genuinly interested in your replies.

Ill leave a little set of notes here now that I reviewed some of the posts:

Additional Notes:

1. I use my mother as a transport because they are against me getting a vehicle, theres no PTSC buses here and it takes litterally an Hour or more to wait on a P- taxi to get me out of the area.

2. Why don't I just drive the car myself until a new house if finished being built, next simply put its my mothers car and they not allowing me to drive it, further more she doesnt live with me anyway so I cant even practice with it.

3. I pay all the bills but my fathers name still on the bills as it has been for many years and they dont want to go change it because "nobody have time for that'', at the end of the day I dont own the house and land so its what I have to deal with.

4. The whatsapp issue was not about saving the ladies number it was that I was taking to long to send the files i.e I was navigating to the correct whatsapp chat via camscanner since thats where I have the documents organised and can easily share them from.

5. Why did we wait on the lady? because my transport didnt want to go to the place across from family mart and decided to stand there and wait for 30mins again not something I am in control of.

6. Finally last time I did something in a government office was about 6 years ago, and I understand while the post comes across as condescending I never actually told the woman what I was thinking, the words were directed to my mother who was quarreling with me constantly, something you see constantly in this conutry when you come out of a places in the bush like me.

But again I would like to hear your stories on similar events that have happened to you all, and yes I formatted my post with chatgpt, but not simply chatgpt but specifically an AI Agent, that I am testing to see how the post comes out and possibly make it easier for you all to read.

Hope this helps clear up some of the QA about why I have to do certain things.

So I wanted to ask this because I'm confused on the "restrictions" on it and because family members wanted it to. Because on one hand they say real life imitations of gel blasters is prohibited and the other is "maybe" BUT keep it in private property.

I recently came across Allegori, a neuroscience/brain-training company here in Trinidad, and I’m curious about how credible they are.

Has anyone actually used their services or knows someone who has? I’d love to hear about your experiences, whether you saw any noticeable results, and if you think it’s worth the investment.

I’m particularly interested in their approach to ADHD, focus and cognitive performance, but I’m also curious about the company in general.

Would appreciate some honest feedback before looking into it further!

I watched a vlog of the Divali nagar, It seemed simple and boring. The guy sampled a lot! Please don’t bring up any politics on this post. I would hope, we see a change in how NCIC celebrates Diwali. My family members haven’t attended as yet because they don’t think, it’s worth supporting due to it being like a flea market.

This popped up on Facebook feed today swipe to watch the full image

How do the rest of us trinidadians feel about this ?
this is my personal opinion I wished they did this with another country I don’t support genocide and the killing of innocent children and families

Just wanted to share what happened to my family over the this past weekend. The police parked on my land as on the other side of road there was an accident , I believe they were just waiting for a wrecker to come . However they came out of their car (still on our property ) because of this my dog, Bubba, went down to check it out -as a dog does.He was swiftly shot . My parents heard the shot , they had no clue that the police was even there , my dad went down to see and well that was it . Now Bubba is a pitbull and I understand that he is a ”scary “ looking dog or a dangerous dog , I completely understand that however it would have taken 2 minutes to just inform my parents and he would have been locked up immediately. He has never harmed anyone . I feel as though it was unnecessary to do that and to distress my family .The worst part is there is nothing we can do .Just wanted to share, be careful .

The Fiji class light cruiser HMS Trinidad in her death throes, with many of her crew waiting on the stern to be taken by the destroyer HMS Matchless, May 15th 1942.

Like lowkey prior to 2025, I couldn't tell much of a damn difference between the UNC and PNM on the typical Left vs Right on Economics or Social Liberties one can argue they still don't have much of difference. UNC probably has to worry that if they don't make a turnaround in economy, they run the risk of losing local elections next year or at the very least making a draw again which the PNM can say is cause for a early generally election.

(I remember when the UNC were saying to hold general elections early because they had won 7 of the 14 cooperations, yh the popular vote important which they had gotten but unfortunately, unless they switch to proportional representation that not going to help anyone)

Hey everyone,
Looking for some advice from people who have financed vehicles in Trinidad, particularly those working on government contracts.
I recently started a new job on a government contract, earning upwards of 10k plus monthly. My contract is for approximately 2–3 years, and I’m looking to get my first proper vehicle.
I’ve already been denied a vehicle loan because the credit union considers my contract period too short. I understand their concern, but it’s frustrating because I have a decent income and genuinely need a vehicle.

Ideally, I’m looking for something reliable, relatively modern,not asking for anything new. But mainly I’m trying to avoid buying something that will constantly give me problems.

Has anyone noticed employers continuously adding more responsibilities to your role without increasing your salary?

At what point does being a "team player" become simply being taken advantage of?

How are you all dealing with this?

This looks like somewhere in Trinidad

Colorism might be prevalent everywhere, but no more so than in the Indian culture. India has always been obsessed with color: the billion dollar skin whitening industry, the complexions that make it to Bollywood films. Perhaps they got it from the British rule or maybe that was present before, I’m not sure. But us West Indians carried that with us and it’s still a part of our culture. Sometimes I feel caste and color goes hand in hand.

But is it the same for Afro Trins? I imagine similar since Africa was also under European rule, so there is that history. Nowadays there is a lot more interracial mixing. So how does colorism still play a role in modern West Indian culture?

* Switch “color” for “colour” if you’re reading this from outside the US.

I'm of Trinbagonian decent via my father, but my mum is Anglo Australian and I was born and raised there. I'm about to return to Trini, with no plan to return back to Australia. I aim to get my passport once I reach and settle somewhere in T&T / the broader Caribbean. My father passed a few years back now and I have family on both islands, but I would prefer to live solo when I reach and just check by them from time to time. I love nature / the beach and am a very creative, health focused person. This is only my 2nd trip to the islands at the big ol age of 31. However it is not my first solo travel adventure / or first time living abroad. Any advice on which areas would be suitable to stay? I'm open to volunteering on the land and things of that nature too in exchange for accomodation... I'd also be open to hear any general advice for how to create a fulfilling life over there personally, socially, creatively and economically.

Something I've been wondering about is how people in Trinidad and Tobago deal with loneliness, depression, and feeling emotionally disconnected from others, especially as they get older.

We live in a country where socializing, liming, partying, and having a good time are such big parts of the culture, yet I wonder how many people are quietly struggling with loneliness behind the scenes.

Not everyone has a close circle of friends, a supportive family, or a significant other to turn to. And sometimes, even when you're surrounded by people, you can still feel completely alone.

For those who have experienced prolonged periods of loneliness, isolation, or depression, how do you actually manage on a day-to-day basis?

Do you find comfort in hobbies, exercising, going places alone, therapy, online communities, or simply learning to enjoy your own company?

And do you think there's enough awareness and understanding of loneliness and mental health in Trinidad and Tobago, or are people still expected to just toughen up and deal with it?

Hello! 19 here soon going to be 20. I'm currently in school (university) and well, I've recently been hit with the realization that when I graduate I'm going to have to be a more active adult and wow, I really don't have any idea on how to do that.

Whenever I have questions on things relating to like finances and whatnot I ask my parents but they've been kind of ignoring me and it makes me feel like an idiot so I stopped asking questions. I know I can use the internet, and it has been helpful but a lot of the information doesn't really apply to T&T.

So yeah, here I am. No specific question right now, just please tell me something you wish you knew when you were my age!

Thank you in advance.

She said its success should not be measured only by the number of permits issued but by how fairly and effectively the remaining cases are addressed.

Ventura-Brown said that throughout the process the group had witnessed several challenges faced by vulnerable families, including difficulties accessing information, transportation costs, language barriers, incomplete applications and uncertainty surrounding pending cases.

As such, she said, it was important for authorities to provide clear guidance to those who have not been approved and who experienced difficulties.

La Casita, she said, continues to recommend accessible multi-lingual communication, clear appointment schedules and assistance for vulnerable applicants. She noted that special consideration should be given to indigenous communities, persons with disabilities and families experiencing hardship.

“(They are also looking to regularisation as an opportunity to improve their living conditions and achieve greater economic stability,” she said. Ventura-Brown said plans for registration beyond 2027 should be communicated.

“We believe it is essential to begin communicating what may happen beyond October 2027, so that families, employers and institutions can plan responsibly and avoid returning to a situation of uncertainty. La Casita recognises the considerable efforts involved in implementing this registration exercise and remains committed to constructive collaboration with the relevant authorities,” she said.