When I reflect on the semester, I think about the vast amount of different perspectives I’ve been exposed to. I was here during the national elections for Trinidad and Tobago and that was a very eye-opening experience to see the similarities and differences in terms of the US and Trinidad and Tobago, and with respect to the climate crisis and how that is treated politically. I think something I will carry forward with me is the dependence on the US government to fund initiatives such as Fulbright and environmental NGOs and civil organizations that help Trinidad fight to make their country more greener. I want to continue to be an agent of change by trying something different and working for a non-profit NGO this summer in Trinidad. Striving towards meaningful work that would reduce the negative outcomes of climate change on this island is something I am eager to accomplish.
Some of the things I have carried with me these past months and participating in Paulson is an increased interest in agriculture and cultivating plant life and learning about plant and animal interactions. I think this will be something that I follow into a future career but I think this is a vital life skill to be able to have a deeper understanding to any land I may travel to in the future and inhabit. I also want and desire to learn more about indigenous environmental and plant practices firsthand and how they can better our own futures in terms of climate crisis, as an effective and fully considerate operation, as opposed to “green technology” that often worsens and strips the earth of even more resources.
As a part of this fellowship, I have expanded my horizons and gotten into working and collaborating with an art exhibition around botanical futures and pasts: Botanical Afterlife of Indenture – Mehndi as Imaginative Visual Archive and it has transformed my perspective in terms of what my art-making practicing can look like, and how it can reflect nature and the things I’ve learned about the people of Trinidad and Tobago. Therefore, I want my final project and deliverable for Paulson to focus on artwork that I have thought deeply about, and the plant-life that I’ve had the opportunity to grow closer to. I’ve been interested in ornamental fiber arts, particularly crochet lacework, and I want to create my own piece of lace to sort of “tie” in and create a mural of all the experiences and things I’ve learned here and eventually create my own visual archive of the people and places and environment that has shaped my past 4 months.