Saturday, April 28, 2012

CAA -->Carnival Addicts Anonymous



Hi, my name is Nelly and I am a carnivalholic!
Cropover 2011 pic--I haven't uploaded all my pics from Trini yet, sadly. It hurts to much to look at them. : (

No, I am not exaggerating. Yes, I have a problem, I am addicted to CARNIVAL. I am not even sure when my addiction got to this level.  I have always loved every aspect of carnival. I have loved Soca music as long as I can remember. I can remember my dad playing calypso in the car as we drove long distances and I would sing the lyrics to "Boots", "Teaser", "Nani Wine"and "Tiney Winey" in my head happily ( I did not discover the world of hip hop until I was in middle school).  I loved visiting my Mother and Father's birth places (Trinidad and Barbados) and I can vividly remember how sad I was the year I could not go to Trinidad for the summer because of the Coup. I have always loved playing Mas. Picking costumes. Touching the beads and feathers, wearing the elaborate headpieces. But I have no idea when it got to the point where I felt like I would simply not survive the year if I did not participate in A carnival. This year I went to Trinidad  for carnival and I had the TIME of my LIFE,  I was not disappointed and for some people that is enough. NOT me! So far I  plan to attend 4 Carnivals this summer and participate in at least 1. I know:

Nelly is going H.A.M.

Honestly, sometimes I feel guilty. Shouldn't I have other interests? Shouldn't I save more money? Shouldn't I try to visit Europe, Fiji, Africa,  or Australia this year instead (I would like to visit these places, honestly)? As the people say, LOVE IS BLIND (Ok, that saying may not make total sense, but you get my point). When I hear soca playing, and I am surrounded by hundreds of other people singing along. When I am in the midst of a crowd all waving flags in the same direction. When I am surrounded by my Caribbean people, eating a roti, drinking sorrel, and having a time. I feel at peace. I feel at home. I feel happy.  And I guess that's all that matters. ; )

So look out for plenty of posts and updates as I prepare and plan for Barbados' Crop Over (Yes, I am going again this year), Atlantic City's first attempt at carnival (we will see how that goes), St. Lucia's Carnival (Thanks to Nyree of thesweet7 who convinced me that this is a must do) , and Brooklyn's Labor Day Parade (hey, I live here)!

I apologize in advance...

; )
Nelly

Btw...If you plan on attending any of these carnivals PLEASE contact me! I would love to meet other carnival addicts .... 

7 comments:

  1. Aww. You will love St.Lucia Carnival! IT'S MADDDDDD! LOL.

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  2. I am attending the Atlantic City Carnival with my peeps. I really think it will be nice.
    For sure I will enjoy the absence of the people who make Labor Day kinda reckless. Pretty sure the teenagers, gangstas, trouble makers won't be making that trek to AC and I am looking forward to a nice lime.
    I think it will be good.
    Going to the launch tonight. Let me know if you'll be there.
    Would love to meet you :D

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  3. Yea...Labor Day has chnanged over the years. To really enjoy it you have to do what my mom does come early and leave early. I think Atlantic Coty carnival will be a totally different vibe....I can't wait to see how the tourists will respond to it. Are you playing mas in AC?

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  4. ^^^^^ looks like I was typing that comment with my eyes closed. Please ignore all the spelling errors... ;0)

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  5. LOL.
    I was wondering abut those typos!
    Yes I will be playing mas. (Most likely)
    Not sure which costume yet though...
    Which was your favorite?
    I may do this one:
    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3353605152133&set=t.100003062908243&type=3
    They didn't have it on a model yesterday though. Not sure why ...

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  6. My favorite one is the blue and copper section, I believe it is called African Star or something of that nature. The one you sent is nice too...I have never played Mas in red.

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  7. LOL. Someone else on IMix was saying she disliked red costumes.
    *shrug*
    For me its more about the design and whether it is flattering or not.
    I am a little confused about the costume stuff though. You can't get a good idea of what the sections are called etc.
    Weird ... lol

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