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This portfolio is a reflection on my views on society and the current issues that we are faced with today. Each issue discussed is based on objectives one to three which is structured respectfully. The issues would be based on language, education and religion. Discussed is an introduction into the topic and then a commentary on a recent or current issue on it. A self-evaluation of what I learned for the duration of the semester is also included along with how the course has helped me in being more open on viewing things due to our historical upbringing.

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Within our little region of the Caribbean, we have a variety of languages which are spoken, all of which has shaped our country and society into what it is today. These languages may have been influenced by West African and European languages which created our creole language. Our languages are influenced The main languages in the Caribbean are English, Dutch, Spanish and French Creole (Caribbean Traveler, 2009). The language that we speak may have also evolved from the slave plantation where there was no common, shared language so they were forced to try to understand their language.

Being part of a Caribbean country, we should try to be informed as to what is happening on other islands in relation to politics or the country’s economy. For example, French Caribbean countries would quicker discover what is happening in Paris than what is happening with neighboring islands like Cuba, who speak Spanish. Recently Haiti and Dominican Republic came together and agreed to form a joint bilateral nation to resolve border trade and migration. This is a problem facing most countries in the Caribbean and I think that they should also come together with the larger economies like Dominican Republic, Cuba and French territories in order to stimulate growth but we are linguistically divided (Jessoop, 2016).

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Regionally, the Caribbean today has a strong education system in place like the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE) which allows admission to tertiary institutions according to the quality of passes obtained by the individual. These exams have replaced General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). Moving away from GCSE shows that we have moved away from the colonial era and that we are now independent, even over our educational system. The University of the West Indies (UWI) is another institution where education can be furthered at the tertiary level (Ali, 2015).

With these systems in place, the student do not have to leave the Caribbean in order to further their education, especially tertiary education. Besides UWI there are other tertiary institutions, so the degree which many not be offered there will be offered at another institution. It is usually culturally diverse as people from different countries in the Caribbean come to study here as it is easier than leaving the Caribbean region. Today, more institutions are being built and this helps our growth as a country as it bring more educated people into our work community (George, 2015). This picture shows the Minister of Education with a few students. They are trying to constantly maintain or upgrade schools to facilitate the students.

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This course explains how the Caribbean has been shaped by its past and more specifically Trinidad into a more culturally diverse society. One of those reasons are due to religion. This came from the Indians, Africans and Europeans who brought their cultural norms to the Caribbean. Today, people of different ethnicities and races, whether it be through friends, family, co-workers, come together to celebrate Hinduism, Christianity and Islam celebrations by partaking in food and wearing of the clothing associated with the celebration and prayer.

I think that in this modern society, religion, in the sense of how things were done before and how things are done now are changing. For example, certain spiritual rituals and even the way we dress for these events today may not be considered the “right way” by the elders of society. This is because we tend to follow what the world is doing and if it becomes a fashion trend we begin to lean towards that instead of it being something spiritual and symbolic because it makes us feel acceptable.
An example of this disrespect is the costume which was worn by the President Anthony Carmona at the Brian Mac Farlane’s 2017 Carnival: Cazabon on March 1st 2017. He wore a white, dhoti, turban, kurta and sacred chains which are worn by Hindu priests or pundits when preforming religious rituals. Most people saw this as disrespectful especially these Hindu priests and questioned the kind of example he was setting, while some saw nothing wrong as he was just portraying our culture and thought that he had the freedom to wear what he wanted (Kissoon, 2017).

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Initially I thought the course FOUN 1001: Caribbean Civilization, was going to be a tedious class where we come in and discuss a topic and do endless reading on it. It was quite the opposite. Yes, there were readings to do, but it was simple and understandable after attending each class. I only have experience with the face-to-face classes, I can’t speak for the online classes. They were interactive and fun. My only knowledge on Caribbean History was up to the form 3. This course has helped give me a better insight on what was taught to me then and that there is much more than what was in the text book or what we were told at that level. Even though I do believe that history has shaped our culture into what it is today, the course gave me a better view on what and how exactly it has done that. It makes me appreciate cultures, norms, religions, the way people look, dress and behave, even more. It has helped me be more observant of this. I even began to see it in the different areas of Trinidad with respect to how developed an area was as it was either a plantation society, where slaves were kept or where head chiefs were housed. This course in overall has opened my mind and has given me a new found respect to how our society was then to how it is today.

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In conclusion, these are a few things which have been developed since the slavery period and the few social issues that we still face today because of it. It is seen how the Caribbean, because we speak several different languages we became linguistically divided and are now unaware of what is happening with our neighboring islands as we cannot communicate with them. We've also seen how we have became independent with our education system and now provide various programs in the Caribbean which would be easier than studying out of the region. We've also seen how religion which was once sacred and symbolic is now starting to fade as we are following the first world countries. It shows that our culture is changing. A self-evaluation is also included which shows how much my perspective on people and the Caribbean has changed due to this course.

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Ali, Raiesa ‘Trinidad and Tobago: Education Reform and Societal Mobilization.’ August, 2015. 06th July, 2017.

Caribbean Traveler ‘Caribbean Language’. April, 2009. 25th July, 2017.

George, Nancy ‘Education in the Caribbean.’ June, 2015. 06th July, 2017.

Jessoop, David ‘The Media and the Linguistic Divide.’ September, 2016. 06th July, 2017.

Kissoon, Carolyn ‘Did the President’s Portrayal Disrespect Hindu Pundits.’ March, 2017. 25th June, 2017.