If you’ve stuck with me this long, you may be crazier than the people around you are aware of, but it’s okay, because I won’t tell anyone. If you’ve only just stumbled upon this article, welcome to the other side of the looking glass. No, not really, but keep up! Some Exposition: I’m on a journey to learn about St. Maarten Carnival through the eyes of a young adult who has never been very inclined to participate. Also, I am a hermit with social anxiety, so this has been one intense situation after another for me socially speaking. Now that you are all caught up, please allow me to regale you with accounts of my exploits!
I remember two weeks ago I barely had anything to write, so I spent the entire article ranting about that and how I was trying to work Photoshop, which I am evidently getting better at! From the minute I sent in my previous article down, to the very moment I sit writing this one, I have been bombarded with work! Notice all the exclamation points? That’s because I am being fuelled by very strong black coffee and Soca music. Every day that passes where I get less and less sleep; I garner more admiration for those volunteer soldiers of the SCDF army. There are often times that I get fed up with being around everyone – all of the noise – so I call it an early night and head home. But, these people have to spend the entirety of the show, from before the start to long after the end, at the venue. While I’m at home typing and being angsty about my constant interaction with people, they’re at their jobs getting ready to deal with more later on in the day. I applaud them.
This week has been a whirlwind of work, and I don’t mean just the Carnival kind. Juggling my own duties along with Carnival events has been hectic. Every night, as I sit and edit pictures and recap the day’s events, I can see that there is something missing in my journey, which is actually the experience of the events. I’ve been pretty focused on capturing the essence of everything that I haven’t been able to enjoy it. Everything feels like work and I’ve been treating the situation much like I would an intense assignment. So, in order to “Come Experience Life”, from now on, I’ll be pulling back the reins a bit and actually participating. I’m saying all of this, but I’ll probably go right back to seeing everything through a lens, but there will be more effort to actually enjoy what I’m doing as a spectator.
The events of my Friday night were significantly less stressful, in terms of work; the Road to Carnival Finale Party was much more relaxed in comparison to the previous days. I say relaxed, but I don’t mean that. It was just on a less crazy scale than the other parties, which included full jump-ups. However, I made the mistake of getting wet that night and it shaped my Saturday. Waking up with headaches is fine, or at least that’s what I keep telling myself. Having woken up at 7:00am for another assignment, I decided not to nap in between. Allergy meds forgotten, I headed out rather early on Saturday for the Healthy Body Swimsuit and Sportswear Competition. During the entirety of the show, I couldn’t figure out where the migraine came from or where I got it. There was congestion in my head the size of a small child and I could barely focus. By the time I got to the Light Parade, I was so sick I couldn’t see properly. I called it an early night and barely took any pictures.
A recap of the past few days will show you how I faced my fear of those weird cartoon character costume people. I still don’t like them, but I grew a pair just to get proper shots. They freak me out so badly, I wanted to implode when they got next to me. People don’t know this and always assume I don’t like children. No, it’s what follows the kids. Just thinking about those cartoon characters makes my body shiver. If cartoon characters were meant to be alive, they’d be alive. Why would you dress up in a costume to try to imitate that? I’m sorry; I need to move past this. I followed the children from the start of the parade on Bush Road down parts of Pondfill. If ever I understood the need for partial nudity during Carnival, it was Sunday. The sun beat down on me with the full force of 10 large Asgardian men. That may be an exaggeration, but I was in a sheer top and shorts, but the sun played no games with me that day.
I was wrecked by the time I made it to the Band Clash. Later that night, having regretted my decision to wear an outfit that didn’t transition well from intense heat to the cold winds of Pond Island, I stuck it out as long as I could. Between the very loud music from 2:00pm to 9:00pm, and the variations of weather, I was so worn out, I don’t remember being alive the next day; which brings me to my final and most important event for the week – the Opening of Carnival Village.
Thankfully, I made the decision to sit out most of the jump-up in favour of walking through the Village and taking pictures of the booths. I chose food over jamming and I am not ashamed. After having experienced so many jump-ups, I’d say they’re very loud. I was given some advice to get on one of the trucks, but I’m not so great with loud music mixed with constant vibration and nobody wants to be the person who threw up on one of the band trucks during jump-up; that’s weird and unprofessional. In any case, I’m looking into earplugs and motion sickness pills for Jouvert.
It’s only two more weeks of this madness, but I hope I’m still standing when it’s all done.
by Charlesea Joseph, The Reluctant Reveller
