Reflection

By doing this blog it has opened our eyes to the vast urban culture of the Chaguanas area, where there is a multitude of services offered to all the needs of a person. We first examined the nucleus of the area which was Chaguanas Main Road which proved to be very diverse. As we moved forward with our study we found that the functions of the main road expanded beyond what we previously knew. We found that services offered spans political, social, economic and cultural aspects of urban lifestyle and contributes to the urban livability of the area. It offers education and health services which are imperative to the livability of the Chaguanas area as well as religious requirements of the suburban population. We also found that Chaguanas comprises all classes of society and there is even a growing industrial sector along the highway. While Chaguanas is now considered a borough by the government there are efforts being made to grant it "city status", as was note by several newspaper articles that we found: Talks on Chaguanas City Status, Chaguanas ready for city status, and Transitioning of Chaguanas from "borough to city" status. 

A picture of Chaguanas Main Road from the Uriah Butler Highway

We visited other blogs done by our course colleagues and found that some displayed similar themes to ours but regarding other areas of the country including Port-of-Spain and St. James. These blogs are:

(1) Urbanization of Port-of-Spain -  Lisa-Marie and Aziel had several sub-themes of their blog that are relatable to ours, for example, the themes of how urbanization has culturally and historicallly affected housing, food, security and entertainment in Port-of-Spain. These posts were similar to the themes we covered, however they had a greater focus on the historical aspect. This would have been easier to discuss than for Chaguanas, as the urban area of Port-of-Spain has been developing for a much longer period of time than that of Chaguanas, which has only recently begun to develop on a larger scale. 

(2) Urban St. James - Johnathan and Menesheh had a blog theme that was parallel to our own, but focused on the urban area of St. James, Port-of-Spain. St. James, much like Chaguanas, is not recognized as a city, but can still be considered as an "urban area." They had posts that were similar to our own, for example the one about religion, where they examined the religious diversity of the area, illustrated through places of worship for Hindus, Muslims and Christians alike. We found that Chaguanas was very much like this, where there are places of worship for persons of all religions. This was a very refreshing post to read, as it provides new insights to the St. James area, to which we did not have previously. 

(3) Urban Life - Shivanie and Amy also had a blog with sub-themes similar to our own, including food, entertainment, and the administrative services. For instance, their post, "Food for long tiring days," touches on the globalization of Port-of-Spain, with respect to food places, where KFC was noticed to be majorly frequented, at all times of the day as it is open 24/7. This creates a parallel, to our point, of the dominance of foreign food outlets as opposed to that of the local. It indicates how foreign food brands are spreading throughout the urban areas of Trinidad. 

We hope you enjoy our blog as we have enjoyed doing it! We also hope it expands your knowledge on the urban area of Chaguanas, Trinidad.

Celine and Kristen :)

References

A Picture Of Chaguanas Main Road From The Uriah Butler Highway. 2015. Image. Accessed April 10. https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2238/2237138265_87c1315dd9.jpg.

Economic Development Board Trinidad & Tobago,. 2014. 'Transitioning Of Chaguanas From “Borough To City” Status - Economic Development Board Trinidad & Tobago'. http://edb.planning.gov.tt/edbcci-e-forum/2014/07/24/transitioning-chaguanas-borough-city-status/.

Wayow, Sue-Ann. 2012. 'Chaguanas Mayor Wants City Status'. Trinidad Express Newspapers. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Chaguanas_mayor_wants_city_status-175178381.html.

Wayow, Sue-Ann. 2014. 'Talks On Chaguanas City Status'. Trinidad Express Newspapers. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/business/Talks-on-Chaguanas-city-status-267095051.html.

Wayow, Sue-Ann. 2014. 'Chaguanas Ready For City Status'. Trinidad Express Newpapers. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/business-magazine/Chaguanas-ready-for-city-status-286042141.html.

Young and Hungry

The penultimate major factor to be considered in the urban diversification of Chaguanas is the impact of globalization. This is analyzed through the use of food outlets throughout the central business district of Chaguanas. It can be noticed that there is a disparity between local and foreign food outlets, where the latter is more frequented than the former. Food is one of the indicators of westernization where a lot of the food preferences in Trinidad are more geared towards a foreign palette. It can also be noticed than the foods which have been brought to the Caribbean and Trinidad, specifically, have adapted the spices and flavours which are most prominent. This can be termed as acculturation, which involves the interaction of two cultures which cause subsequent changes on both sides. Acculturation is one of the two aspects of creolisation which is a major process of the globalization of Trinidadian society and the Caribbean as a whole. 

Photograph 1, taken by Kristen Goseine with Canon EOS REBEL T3i/EOS 600D. (Date taken: 30/03/15)

The two cultures interacting here is not between ethnic groups (Adekunle et al, 2011) but with local Caribbean culture and the western culture. This interaction is what creates the shift from preference of local brands to foreign food brands. The presence and increasing popularity of the international food brands allows for the introduction of Caribbean essence to the foods, for example with KFC where local spices are used to enhance the taste. 

Photograph 2, taken by Kristen Goseine with Canon EOS REBEL T3i/EOS 600D. (Date taken: 30/03/15)

In Chaguanas local food places include Redd's, Marios, Pizza Boys, Darwish Arabian and Local Cuisine, Medford's Grill and Anisa Roti Shop. Whereas, the foreign food places include KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza, TGI Friday's, Ruby Tuesdays and Subway. The appearance of these places differ greatly between the foreign and local. The foreign places are much cleaner, well-kept and more aesthetically appealing when compared to the local places. For instance, TGI Friday's was recently renovated as can be seen in the photograph. These foreign places are more dominant throughout the urban area where the customers of the local places are monopolized forcing them to go out of business. An example of this would be the local ice cream store which was closed down and is now a mobile phone store called Cellular Corner (Photograph 2: Bottom Right). There was even the opening of a $40 million Chuck E. Cheese along the fringe of the CBD, which is a North American franchise. While there is the domination of the foreign food places, there are still some local places which continue to thrive such as Marios as well as Rituals Coffee House. The success of these businesses is attributed to their adaptation of western culture where they emulate a global franchise, Starbucks Coffee Company. It can be noticed, however, that they did not get into any confrontation with Starbucks, because there is no Starbucks in Trinidad. This cannot be said for Louis Huang in the ABC television series "Fresh off the Boat."

References

Adekunle, Bamidele, Glen Filson, Sridharan Sethuratnam, and Dario Cidro. 2011. 'Acculturation And Consumption: Examining The Consumption Behavior Of People Of Afro-Caribbean Descent In Canada'. Journal Of Agriculture, Food Systems, And Community Development, 297-313. doi:10.5304/jafscd.2011.021.001.

Boodan, Shastri. 2014. '$40M Chuck E Cheese Opens In Chaguanas'. Trinidad And Tobago Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.tt/business/2014-07-18/40m-chuck-e-cheese-opens-chaguanas.

Visual Politics,. 2009. Globalization: You're Living IT. Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2Sei7F61U8.

Wikipedia,. 2015. 'Fresh Off The Boat'. Accessed April 10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresh_Off_the_Boat.

A Caribbean Grove

Chaguanas also offers a multitude of services for people, the focus here is on the social services offered in the area. These services include a rehabilitation center, cinemas, gyms and several malls. These services, also amplify the sense of livability of the urban area of Chaguanas, as it is mostly top-down which caters to more economic expansion for private or individual profit (van Vliet, 2002). 

Photograph 1, taken by Kristen Goseine with Canon EOS REBEL T3i/EOS 600D. (Date taken: 30/03/15)

There are many malls located in Chaguanas including Centre City Mall, Mid Centre Mall, Centre Pointe Mall and Price Plaza (Photograph 1: Bottom Right). There are also a great many minor plazas and malls located along the Chaguanas Main Road such as Adam's Bazaar and 2001 Plaza where people can go shopping. In addition to these shopping plazas there are many stores scattered throughout Chaguanas. The major malls are indoor malls where shops are large, whereas, minor malls are usually walk-through with a clustered organization of shops. The most popular mall, used mainly for recreation and located on the periphery of the CBD, is Price Plaza where there are many foreign food outlets and restaurants along with a cinema complex. There is a major trend noticed with these commercial centres which is that their design all include banks and some include groceries. Center City acts as a focal point around which many of the major banks exist such as Unit Trust Coorperation, Bank of Baroda, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and Republic Bank. 

Photograph 2, taken by Kristen Goseine with Canon EOS REBEL T3i/EOS 600D. (Date taken: 30/03/15)

With the arrival of Movietowne to Chaguanas, many stopped going to the older cinemas located there, thereby, resulting in their closure. The cinemas which were forced to shut down due to a lack of business are Globe Chaguanas and Jubilee. Movietowne acts as a major factor of gentrification as it provides a higher standard of cinematic experience than there ever was in Chaguanas. It is a high end movie complex consisting of eight theaters and a concession stand with a large variety of foods and snacks, catering to both vegetarian and non-vegetarian persons. This development of Movietowne, in the immediate vicinity of Price Plaza, is indicative of urban retail development. Rotem-Mindali, 2012, examines the growth in variety and scale of unplanned commercial strips on the periphery of American cities. This factor can also be noticed with Price Plaza which has developed along the periphery of Chaguanas' CBD. There is an increase of accessibility in the area due to the development of roads as well as an increase in car ownership, contributing to "strip development."

Other services provided in the CBD are those which can aid in personal betterment such as the Angel Hearts Rehabilitation Centre as well as several gyms including Fitness Centre, Central Athletics Club, Evolution Fitness and Xtreme Fitness Centre. These facilities are all available to the public and some of the gyms even provide 24/7 service to their members. 

Photograph 3, taken by Kristen Goseine with Canon EOS REBEL T3i/EOS 600D. (Date taken: 30/03/15)

Chaguanas also has an active nightlife which includes Club India along with numerous casinos. Club India contributes to the versatility of the services offered in the urban areas of Chaguanas where persons are able to enjoy their night out "in da club." The advent of casinos would quicker attract a mature crowd to avoid the young adult crowd found at clubs.

Photograph 4, taken by Kristen Goseine with Canon EOS REBEL T3i/EOS 600D. (Date taken: 30/03/15)

These aspects of the urban life of Chaguanas could be referred to as a Caribbean-style Grove.

References

Google Maps,. 2015. 'Malls Near Chaguanas'. Accessed April 9. https://www.google.com/maps/search/malls+in+chaguanas/@10.5269955,-61.4096614,13z.

Movietowne.com,. 2015. 'Welcome To MOVIETOWNE'. Accessed April 9. http://movietowne.com.

Rotem-Mindali, Orit. 2012. 'Retail Fragmentation Vs. Urban Livability: Applying Ecological Methods In Urban Geography Research'. Applied Geography 35 (1-2): 292-299. doi:10.1016/j.apgeog.2012.08.003.

The Grove - Los Angles. 2012. Image. http://50.28.63.73/~twentyfo/assets/The_Grove_3_W-1-of-11.jpg.

van Vliet, Willem. 2002. 'Cities In A Globalizing World: From Engines Of Growth To Agents Of Change'. Environ Urban 14 (1): 31-40. doi:10.1630/095624702101286089.

High School Never Ends

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

Education is considered a major factor which influences the culture and society and should be described as a trigger of urban change. Citizens of Caribbean believe education to be a very important asset which allows one to acquire jobs and secure an income. The quality of education of an area along with its access to affordable housing and cultural amenities along with other factors all affect its livability. Therefore, it can be noticed that the many educational institutions located in Chaguanas aid in promoting its urban livability. 

Within the urban center of Chaguanas there are many schools of varying educational levels ranging from kindergarten to tertiary level institutions. There are government schools, denominational schools, such as religious schools and and privately owned schools, such as Upper Level Educational Institute and even, some driving schools. Some government schools include Chaguanas Government Primary School, Chaguanas North Secondary School and the Youth Training Employee Partnership Programme (YTEPP). Whereas, some denominational schools include Chandernagore Presbyterian Primary School, Presentation College Chaguanas, Saraswati Girls' Hindu College, Anjuman Sunnat ul Jamaat Association (ASJA) Girls' College and Ramlogan Driving School. 

Some schools in Chaguanas provide a high standard of education. Chaguanas Government Primary School is an institution which produces admirable students, both in academics as well as extra curricular activities. When these students graduate they move on to prestigious secondary schools throughout the country, which are usually listed as their first choice schools when they write the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA). One of these schools, Presentation College Chaguanas (Photograph 1), is located just around the corner. This school produces students with a high quality of education, which is proven by the amount of times they have won the President's Medal. 

Photograph 1, taken by Kristen Goseine, with Canon EOS REBEL T3i/EOS 600D. (Date taken: 30/03/15)

Another popular educational facility available is the Chaguanas Public Library (National Library and Information Systems [NALIS]). The existing library is located in Centre Point Mall whereas, the new library is being built on the northwestern end of Ramsaran Street (Photograph 2). It can also be noticed that the construction of the library is expected to be completed soon due to the impending elections. However, the new library may be converted to the Chaguanas Judicial Complex due to a build up of court cases at the Chaguanas Magistrate Court. Planning Minister Dr Bhoe Tewarie stated that, "Justice also has to be attended to just as education and learning has to be attended to." 

Photograph 2, taken by Kristen Goseine, with Canon EOS REBEL T3i/EOS 600D. (Date taken: 30/03/15)

Fun Fact: The schools in Chaguanas, unfortunately, are nowhere as exciting as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. :(

References

Asson, Cecily. 2014. '‘Save Chag Library’'. Trinidad And Tobago Newsday. http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,197943.html.

Google Maps,. 2015. 'Schools Near Chaguanas'. Accessed April 8. https://www.google.tt/maps/search/schools+in+chaguanas/@10.532565,-61.411893,13z/data=!3m1!4b1.

Google Maps,. 2015. 'A.S.J.A Girls' College'. Accessed April 8. https://www.google.tt/maps/place/A.S.J.A+Girls'+College/@10.547599,-61.417369,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xc4c98d9d69e34eab.

Harry Potter Wiki,. 2015. 'Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry'. Accessed April 8. http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Hogwarts_School_of_Witchcraft_and_Wizardry.

Underwood, Nick. 2015. 'Defining Livability - Partners For Livable Communities'. Livable.Org. Accessed April 8. http://www.livable.org/livability-live/731-defining-livability.

van Vliet, Willem. 2002. 'Cities In A Globalizing World: From Engines Of Growth To Agents Of Change'. Environ Urban 14 (1): 31-40. doi:10.1630/095624702101286089.

Wayow, Sue-Ann. 2014. 'Presentation College Cops President’S Medal'. Trinidad Express Newspapers. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Presentation--College-cops-Presidents-Medal-278743801.html.

Ytepp.gov.tt,. 2015. 'History  |  YTEPP Ltd.'. Accessed April 8. http://www.ytepp.gov.tt/history/.

Take Me to Church (or to Temple or to Mosque)

Trinidad and Tobago's society can be described as multicultural and contains a blend of several religions. These beliefs have been passed down through generations with the most prominent ones being brought during the colonial era. The most popular religions in Trinidad and Tobago include Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. These religions have been greatly changed and diversified over time, even producing new religions. There is no rigid segregation of the religions in Trinidad as most celebrate or participate in various religious festivals such as Eid-ul-Fitr, Christmas and Divali. 

In Chaguanas the mixing of religious cultures is very prominent as reflected by the present of a variety of places of worship located throughout the urban area. These include many churches, mosques and temples. This religious aspect would fall under the category of culture which is one of the seven triggers of urban change. As Chaguanas developed and more persons settled many religions were introduced to the area, thereby, resulting in diversification. This cultural change would play a role in the expansion of the area making it more appealing. While culture is one of the factors affected by this assortment of religions, society is another trigger which can be considered. These religious beliefs of the urban population has a significant effect on the societal aspect of contemporary urban change, as there would be an effect on migration in and out of the area. 

There are churches representing many of the denominations of Christianity in Chaguanas including, the St. Charles Presbyterian Church, Chaguanas Evangelical Church, and Flaming Word Ministries. There is also a variety of mosques located along Caroni Savannah Road (periphery of the CBD) as well as within the CBD itself such as the Chagaunas Masjid and Masjid Ul-Ansari. Hindu temples are also quite prominently located within and around the CBD including the Edinburgh Hindu Temple, the Devi Mandir, and Carlsen Field Mother Temple. 

In Chaguanas there is a very large Hindu community as there are two major cultural facilities located here. There is the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC) Nagar as well as the Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Center. The NCIC Nagar plays host to multiple Hindu festivities with the major activity being the Divali Nagar. The Raja Yoga Center is primarily focused on the meditative and spiritual arts. 

Photograph taken by Kristen Goseine with Canon EOS REBEL T3i/EOS 600D. (Date taken: 30/03/15)

Fun Fact: While Chagaunas may be diverse, it's not nearly as diverse as the Seven Kingdoms where one can find worshipers of the Old Gods of the Forest, the Seven, R'hllor "The Lord of Light", the Weirwood, the Drowned God or the Many-Faced God. 

References

Game of Thrones Wiki,. 2015. 'Religion'. Accessed April 8. http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Religion.

Game of Thrones Wiki,. 2015. 'Many-Faced God'. Accessed April 8. http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Many-Faced_God.

Game of Thrones Wiki,. 2015. 'Drowned God'. Accessed April 8. http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Drowned_God.

Game of Thrones Wiki,. 2015. 'Faith Of The Seven'. Accessed April 8. http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Faith_of_the_Seven.

Game of Thrones Wiki,. 2015. 'Old Gods Of The Forest'. Accessed April 8. http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Old_Gods_of_the_Forest.

Game of Thrones Wiki,. 2015. 'R'hllor'. Accessed April 8. http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/R%27hllor.

Game of Thrones Wiki,. 2015. 'Weirwood'. Accessed April 8. http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Weirwood.

Pacione, Michael. 2001. Urban Geography. London: Routledge.

Market

In Chaguanus there are three markets found, which are the prominent Chaguanas Market, the Flea market and the Central Farmers Wholesale Market. Markets allow for the gathering of people to sell as well as to purchase fruits, vegetables, provisions, meats, seafood, clothes and other commodities. There is an atmosphere of competition and negotiation always present as vendors and customers try to get the best deals.

The Chaguanas Market is located in the center of the CBD and is usually so overflowing with vendors that some sell on the street directly outside the market. Many vendors of this market sell locally grown vegetables, fruits and livestock. Upon entering the market there is a variety of colourful stalls packed to the brim with sweet peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, watermelons, mangoes, cherries, bananas and grapes. Within the market the space is organised into rows of stalls and aisles. However, due to the bustle of the people and the calls of the vendors, the market can become very clustered and noisy. A great variety of East Indian sweets and delicacies can be purchased at the market including, kurma, jalebi and barfi as well as ladoo, polouri and saheenas. In the market one can also purchase kitchen utensils, clothes and cosmetics. 

Photograph taken by Kristen Goseine with Canon EOS REBEL T3i/EOS 600D. (Date taken: 30/03/15)

The Chaguanas Flea market can be described as an assembly of street vendors gathered in one open space just outside Center City Mall. Vendors located here sell their merchandise at relatively low and reasonable prices since they are not subjected to paying taxes or utilities. These low prices are the result of them not selling out of stores. In contrast to the Chaguanas Market, vendors located here mostly sell clothes, shoes, hair products and cosmetics.This market started when vendors moved off of the roads and into the abandoned lot where the market is now located.There is also another flea market that occurs annually in a lot adjacent to Mid Center Mall. This market usually opens during the Christmas season when there is a high demand for reasonably priced merchandise. However, these markets will never be as exciting as that of the marketplace in Agrabah, which was the CBD of Arabia. 

Photograph taken by Kristen Goseine with Canon EOS REBEL T3i/EOS 600D. (Date taken: 30/03/15)

The Central Farmers Wholesale Market is up and coming in the urban aspect of Chaguanas life. It will provide services including the sale of fresh produce and poultry at a wholesale price, therefore, allowing persons to buy in bulk. This market is housed in the recently renovated Woodford Lodge compound. The former Woodford Lodge Recreation Club was highly frequented during the "hey days of sugar" and was recently demolished in a fire. This tragedy allowed for the construction of the new Farmers Wholesale Market in a 22,680 square feet building. Agriculture Minister Devant Maharaj said that the building would be open to 1,000 farmers from the various farming areas located in central Trinidad. 

Photograph taken by Kristen Goseine with Canon EOS REBEL T3i/EOS 600D. (Date taken: 30/03/15)

References

Allevents.in,. 2015. 'Christmas Flea Market 2014'. Accessed April 6. http://allevents.in/chaguanas/christmas-flea-market-2014/1520452788171748.

Baboolal, Yvonne. 2015. 'Wholesale Market Opens In Chaguanas'. Trinidad And Tobago Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.tt/business/2015-02-26/wholesale-market-opens-chaguanas.

Disney Wiki,. 2015. 'Agrabah'. Accessed April 7. http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Agrabah.

Ramoutar, Paras. 2013. 'The Lure Of Chaguanas Market'. Trinidad And Tobago Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.tt/columnist/2013-04-21/lure-chaguanas-market.

TrinDigital,. 2011. TRINIDAD CHAGUANAS MARKET. Image. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bktTCe42LME.

Trinidad and Tobago Guardian,. 2015. 'Woodford Lodge Club Burns Down'. http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2015-04-07/woodford-lodge-club-burns-down.