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                Surviving Y2K, Trini Style
 
 by 
                  Alloy
 
 (c)copyright 1999
  
 
  
                Imagine a man like me, come dong to dis.....a 
                man who ent like nothing to do wid machine, much less computer, 
                have to resort to makin' out ah list to survive dis Y2K ting. 
                In case all yuh ent hear, let mih tell all yuh. Ah read on de 
                news dat come nex' New Year's, a lot ah dem computer and dem fancy 
                electronic gadget goin' to go crazy an' mite even break dong. 
                Dey say is because  de machines an' dem cyar read all dem 
                'zeros'. I learn in school dat zero is nuttin, so ah cyar understand why 
                dey worrin' about nuttin'! But since ah ent no expert, ah have 
                to go wid de flow, so ah mite as well start preparing mih list 
                to see how ah go survive, jus' in case, 'ketch arse days' come 
                arong. Dey say dat if computers fail, ah lot ah tings will stop 
                workin' and ah lot ah factories go have to close dong until dey 
                fix dem........It mean water, electricity, telephone, bankmachine, 
                oilrefinery, toute bagaille, goin' to shut dong, unless dey change 
                some kinda chip in time. Boy, look at mih crosses! How to start 
                to prepare for dis kinda jangat? Dis is enough to make mih migrane 
                an' dem come back!
 Everybody tackling dis ting different, depending on dey circumstances. 
                  Look at Boysie, from de day he hear 'bout dis ting, he start 
                  to dig a cess-pit. He say dat way, he go have more water to 
                  drink, 'cause  he wouldn't have no toilet to flush.Ah nearly 
                  tell he wat he full of.
 Derek, living next door to me, say dat he going to dig up he 
                  lawn and flowerbeds and plant ah kitchen garden. Already, he 
                  done build a big cistern to collect all de rain water from de 
                  roof of he house.Now ah fine dat is a good idea if yuh could 
                  afford it.
 Mih odder neigbour Mahase say he buy ah piece ah land in Central, 
                  an' he start to plant ground provision, fig, plantain and vegetable......his 
                  only worry is dat by de time  everyting start to bear, 
                  he ent go get nutten because dem Rasta boys go reap up everyting. 
                  So now he bussin' he head to see how he go proteck he place.
 Chee Fatt, say he takin' a survival training course, so  
                  if tings get real bad, he goin' to live in de bush. He say dat  
                  in order to blend in wid the scenery, he done start to grow 
                  dreds an' ah beard. Yuh see wat trouble dis ting causin'? Trinidad 
                  go have de fus' Chinee Rasta, all because ah dis Y2K problem!
 Mih fren Joe, say seein' dat everyting go close dong, he ent 
                  diggin nutten, he going to stock up on fishin' line and tackle 
                  an' he go fish every day.
 Well ah done tink dis ting out real careful. Ah never 
                  did like plantin', neider livin' in de bush, because ah hate 
                  mosquito....and me an' snake  ent no fren. Besides, ah 
                  ent have no set ah money to make no big preparation like Derek. 
                  De little bit ah survival skills ah learn in de Boys Scouts 
                  will have to serve mih jus' fine. De onliest ting I see ah could 
                  do, is to stockup on de basics or at leas' try have de basics 
                  wen, 'shit hit de fan.' So ah start to make ah note ah wat basics 
                  ah go need......
 WATER- Ah go need water to drink, make tea and juice, 
                  to bathe, to flush de toilet, to wash clothes........ Is a lot 
                  ah water ah go need and is where ah go store more water? Arready 
                  ah have two reserve tank .... besides, it cyar get any worse 
                  dan it is, because it never have water in de water main in any 
                  case. If push come to shove, ah could always go to bathe in 
                  de sea......So ah tink ah good on water, oui!
 FOOD- Well dis is mih big item. Ah only hope dis crisis don't 
                  last more dan six months because if dat is de case, ah mite 
                  as well open a grocery an' make some money to boot! Ah doan 
                  really like tin stuff but it look like ah have no choice, because 
                  since it ent go have electricity, ah cyar stock meat except 
                  a lil salt meat for mih peas an' rice......Ah
 could stock a lil salt fish too.....dat could keep. Ah have 
                  to stock up on rice, flour, macaroni, dry corn for mih coo-coo, 
                  farine, cocoa, tea, coffee, kool-aid, dry peas(red, lentils, 
                  split, lima and gub-gub) , powderedmilk, cooking oil, ketchup, 
                  salt , sugar (brown and white), seasonin', bakin' powder, lard 
                  and margarine in de tin, clove an' spice, curry powder.........De 
                  ting dat have mih worried is, to find space to store all dis 
                  stuff, an' to tink of all de damm cockroach,weevil an' mice 
                  it go encourage in de house! It mean ah go also have to stock 
                  up on rat bait, rat trap an' cockroach spray too!
 FUEL- Ah go need fuel to cook wid and for de car. Maybe 
                  ah wouldn't need to stock up so much for de car, because if 
                  tings get bad and de office close dong, ah wodden have to go 
                  to work, so ah go save on gas dere. Besides, ah could always 
                  fix up mih bike... Ah have to mark dong to get two tires. Also 
                  plenty matches. Some coals jus' in case a run out ah pitch oil.....also 
                  ah have to stock up on some ole wood, in case ah run out of 
                  coals and pitch oil. Some candle and some extra wicks for de 
                  hurricane lamps. Yuh know, it now cross mih mind, seeing dat 
                  ah stocking up on so much inflammable tings, ah should increase 
                  mih fire insurance! Dis ting turning out real expensive, oui! 
                   INCIDENTALS- Ah cyar forget batteries, lots an' all kinda 
                  size, for de boom box, walkman, camera, nintendo, bedroom radio, 
                  cellular and de chil'ren toys....Also toilet paper(two ply) 
                  and plenty! Toothpaste, toilet soap, soap powder to wash clothes, 
                  detergent to wash dishes, cotton balls, iodex, iodine, aspirin, 
                  vicks, plaster and sorf candle.
 CASH! Ah have remember to take out plenty cash because dey expecting 
                  de banks to run out of money because dem plastic cards ent go 
                  worth a fart! Which means ah go have to get a lil safe to keep 
                  de cash in..... an' ah battery operated security alarm system 
                  to proteck de safe.....Boy, all ah dis givin' me real stress! 
                  Talking about stress...ah nearly forget, ....... Rum, beers, 
                  whiskey, Coke and two pack a cards, to play All Fours to pass 
                  de time..... While we playin' cards we go need snacks, so ah 
                  have to remember, Corn curls, peanuts and channa........
 Well ah tink ah remember everyting, what ah ent have, 
                  ah go just have to do widdout. De onliest concern ah have now 
                  is how long dis ting will las'. If is a short time, ah could 
                  always use out de stock ah have, before cockroach and mice get 
                  to it but if it go longer dan six months........ Den is real 
                  hell! By den everyting go be scarce! And tiefing go start!....Which 
                  means ah have to put on mih list, ah pooyah to proteck mih family 
                  possessions.   Ah done plan arready if it last longer 
                  dan six months, ah goin' by mih Tantie in Icacos, 'cause dong 
                  dey, dem still livin' in de Middle Ages so dey ent seeing no 
                  Y2K problem for ah long time!
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