Reasons To Seek Vacancies In Trinidad And Tobago

By Krystal Branch


Occupying roughly 2,000 square miles of tropical paradise off the coast of Venezuela lies the two islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Known by most people as an awesome place to go on vacation, the country's main industry is petroleum and petrochemicals. For this reason, loafers and job hunters are always on the prowl for vacancies in Trinidad and Tobago.

Luckily, the country lies outside the hurricane belt, an area in the Atlantic Ocean that is prone to hurricanes between June and November each year. This contributes to the islands' appeal as both a tourist destination and the petroleum industry. The islands enjoy a tropical climate, with six months of blazing sunshine and six months or torrential rain each year. The larger of the two islands is shaped predominantly like a rectangle with a thick "tail" in the southwest corner pointing towards Venezuela.

By far the larger of the two islands (1,841 square miles) is Trinidad. It is also the closest part of the republic to South America. There are disputes as to the meaning of its original name. There are those who believe it is from the Arawak's language and means "land of the humming bird." Others are just as convinced that it simply means "island." It was the Spanish explorer, Christopher Columbus, who christened it Trinidad as a tribute to the Holy Trinity.

A popular tourist attraction is the annual national carnival, an extremely colorful and somewhat racy two-day event held every year just before Ash Wednesday. A celebration of dancing, music, parades and masquerade, carnival serves as a final fling before the long period of Vatican-inspired abstinence known as Lent. The predominant music of the festival is normally calypso, although soca has been making inroads and becoming very popular.

Calypso music got its origin in the 1600s. It was a mixture of West African kaiso music with a strong influence from the slaves of the French Antilles. On the other hand, soca, or "chutney music" as it is lovingly called, comes mainly from the Indian subcontinent.

It was the French who brought Carnival to the islands, but they prohibited their slave population from partaking in the festivities. In the spirit of grace, the slaves started their own party and called it Canboulay.

The British were in charge at the time and tried to bring the situation under control by prohibiting the sticks and torches used in the disruption of the festivities. When this didn't work, they took it a step further and put a stop to the carnival itself. This did not go down well with the locals and the Canboulay Riots earned their place in history with a massive and violent public outcry.

After some bloody skirmishes, called the Canboulay Riots, the British police brought the scene under control. What emerged was a more subdued carnival, which led to what is now celebrated today as Carnival. It is worth seeking out those vacancies in Trinidad and Tobago to sample the present-day festival.




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