My name is Sonia Gadd and I am a tourism information officer with the Tobago House of Assembly.
I grew up at Plymouth. We could have walk to the beach from our house. And I went all the time. I have a genuine love of the beach. But I don’t go as much again. As you grow older, you get more responsibility and have less time.
I actually swam couple times. I could have been around 14, 15 and I was on this fishing boat and those guys knew I was afraid of the depth of water, so they had the boat go out — and then they just chuck me off. So I had to save myself, so I swam. Because I didn’t drown.
My mother had six children and I have four children myself: Stephanie, Stern, Stephanson and Sternelle. I have a thing with the letter, “S”: Sonia; sweet.
I am at peace.
If it is you do something and you should be penalised for it, so be it. But if you do something and should be praised for it, you should be given the praise. To have single parenting stigmatised as the root of society’s ills is a bit unfair.
My daughter, at 23, has just recently gone out on her own. Most people her age wouldn’t be leaving their mother’s home but she’s quite intelligent and very independent. My son Stephanson has nine O-levels and is doing four A-levels. I’m very proud of my children. When I look at them, I know I did something right!
My cousin, Grace Thomas, now deceased, said you have to keep children by your foot. So you could groom them in the direction you want them to grow in.
The eyes of the master fattens the beast.
I am of the Christian faith and believe in an afterlife. But everybody is entitled to their own belief.
I must be the best aunt, ever! If my niece want to lie down on my belly, she can!
I shower my children with love — but I wasn’t easy on them! I wanted them to achieve what they should have in the time span they should have and at the first opportunity.
I grew up with people like Mother Leonie Sandy, Miss Eulah James, my own mother, Monica Baptise, my Aunt Rita, Auntie Emel. These are ladies whose life just encompasses greatness. It’s not that there aren’t great gentlemen in Tobago, just that the ladies were more dominant.
If Mother Leonie call you, you had to hear at the first call, and be there before she finish your name!
I love Scrabble. I know all them little two- and three-letter words like “zo” and “qi”.
I read anything, except I don’t like too much thrillers. I would read a maths book, I would read a dictionary!
I have a little issue with A House for Mr Biswas: I love Caribbean authors. But somehow Naipaul’s interpretation of things could be very, very antagonistic at times. His literature tends to bend on the prejudiced side.
Ninety per cent of a child would be a parent’s character.
My job entails disseminating information to the general public, assisting in whatever way, planning somebody’s stay in Tobago. The best part is meeting people and interpreting our culture to them.
Ten years ago, lady used to sell doubles at the old cinema bridge, but to actually have doubles carts spotted throughout Tobago would have been a no-no. In growing up, I would have see people selling mauby and sea moss and peanut drink and drops. I would love to see that come back! Just as how I savour that memory, any modern Tobago child should get that privilege.
A Tobagonian is anybody born in Tobago, nurtured in Tobago and reflects Tobago. Frankly, you wouldn’t be a complete Tobagonian unless you were born in Tobago.
A Trini could speak like anybody else — a Jamaican, a Bajan, a Guyanese — except for a Tobagonian! But a Tobagonian can speak like anybody else, even a Trini. Trindad and Tobago is the country in which I live. Tobago more or less reflects the African part of our lifestyle. Trinidad is more East Indian, Spanish, more diverse and cosmopolitan.
Read a longer version of this feature at www.BCRaw.com