My name is Kurlene Joseph and I work in a blu-ray DVD store. I grew up from small, from baby, in Morvant. But recently moved down to Carenage. My mom grew up with a schoolmate named Kurlene and she so love the name, she say she will name any daughter she had, “Kurlene.” And she had me. I like the name. Not too many people has it, and it’s spelled totally different to everybody else own.
I live two minutes’ walk from the sea. But I don’t go swimming. I’s be so tired. I work from Monday to Saturday and the only time I have is Sunday and that is time to rest. Working hours is long nowadays. Very. I have three brothers and I’m the first and only girl. But I’m not that spoiled. I was Catholic but now I’m a Spiritual Baptist. But I go to Catholic church, too.
I believe in the afterlife and hope I’ll go to Heaven. For better. Because, down here right now, all the violence, all the crime, is like we in Hell! It ent even 50 per cent love any more. Which mean it have more hate than love. It’s very sad. Growing up in Morvant, how we grew up was nice: to ourselves. We don’t meddle with anyone. We grew up home, play with we brother and sister. And so it been our whole life.
What change Morvant is, a certain portion of the older heads wasn’t on the right path and the younger ones was following. And everyone feel they was bad. Who badder than who and who ent badder than who. So badness became a thing to be, until it wasn’t making no sense. And everyone just died down. But I had done left Morvant already by that time. Long time. Right now, Morvant is like a ghost town. It much more better now, but I still wouldn’t go back there.
I have no children but I want just one in the future. I don’t mind a boy but I prefer a girl. How I grew up, mom and dad separated, things I wanted for school and stuff, it was kinda hard. So I start working since I was 16: school/work, school/work, until work overpowered school and I left school in form four.
I don’t regret anything in life I did, I just move forward and open my eyes for the better. So I’ll say I don’t regret leaving school before doing my CXCs. But I want to be a nurse. I going to start the course in June, pleasing the Lord. I’ve been plenty times in the sea in Carenage but I don’t reach home and go in the sea and take a splash. I’s reach home and bathe and go to bed!
I have a tattoo on my hand with the name, “Fabian” my deceased boyfriend’s name. He got shoot in St Augustine. He died, it will be two years ago, on June 11, two days before my birthday. He was 30. He died in the hospital some hours after he got shot. I didn’t get to see him. Is still make me sad. He was my boy for about four years. But life goes on. Fabian was my first experience of death and oh my gosh! I don’t want to experience it again. No more.
Is like the younger generation now just feel they badder than everybody. They not respectful to women. They like they was dropped from a tree. How you carry ‘bout yourself is how people will treat you. Is bad enough young men call women “bitch.” I don’t use that word about myself. I’m not a dog. And I don’t see women who refer to themselves as “bitches” and “hos” as ladies or women. They still have a “child” or a “girl” mentality, to use those words about themselves. You can’t call me those words.
At work, I multitask: I deal with customers, burn, do graphics, mostly everything. The best part of the job must be the pay. Since I’m 16, I in the same job. Only one job I ever did was different. So is the same thing over-and-over. A Trini is free-spirited and full of joy and happiness. I just love being a Trini.Trinidad is a very special place to be. We are blessed and sacred.
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