Discovering Pokemon in Antigua and Barbuda

I cannot begin without admitting/proclaiming “I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was!” and who didn’t after picking up a Pokemon game whatever the generation. At some point, even for a little bit, every player wondered how it would feel to live in a world with Pokemon just like the game. To “travel across the land, searching far and wide,” (I can already imagine some readers saying: Is this guy really quoting the Pokemon theme song? …Yes. Yes I am.) And that opening theme song for the anime only served to hype you up even more! So it is no surprise when Nintendo released the Pokemon GO app it became an instant hit becoming the number 1 mobile game, if not THE number 1 game in the world right now. People all over the world are going outside and exploring their world searching for Pokemon. Pokemon GO is a mobile game that incorporates Augmented Reality and GPS navigation. Through the game’s interface you navigate your surroundings searching for Pokemon that may show up in random locations. You catch them, train them, evolve them and make them stronger to do battle against other trainers.

With the news of Pokemon activities and sightings flooding social media, we Pokemon trainers, young and not so old, began to wonder if Pokemon inna Antigua? YES, they are! News of Snorlax found in woman’s bathtub in Old Road; The Museum being a highly sought after and contested Pokemon Gym; Sightings of Pidgey, Polliwag, Rattata, Ekans and Eevee around Redcliffe and Heritage Quay, the General Post Office, Corn Alley Memorial, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium to name a few started to spread quickly. I was hesitant at first, what with all the YouTube videos of zombie-like trainers flooding Central Park in search of a rare Pokemon, news of vehicle on people violence, persons being lured into unsavory locations, muggings and the less dramatic: walking into walls, I reasoned that this was a particular brand of nonsense I need not be a part of…until my brain brought up that theme song repeatedly in my head and I figured: Why not. Its just an app I can delete if not impressed.

Excitement barely contained despite my best efforts I downloaded and installed the game. Anxiously going through the loading, then the tutorial and character creation, the thrill of choosing my starter Pokemon Charmander 

out of pure nostalgia and then…nothing.

You would think living out in the country one would be surrounded by Pokemon wildlife.

Meanwhile my Whatsapp was pinging with messages from friends having a merry time. I had to wait a few days until I could go to St. John’s. So wait I did. And it was worth it.

Stepping off the bus at West Bus Station in St, Johns, my phone was immediately abuzz. the locator was showing silhouettes of Pokemon nearby! What do I do? How do I find them? How do I capture them? Somebody help me! Nope. I was alone. Standing in the station, backpack on, rocking comfortable sneaks and a white shirt to reflect the wonderful heat of Antigua’s own unique brand of sunshine I was feeling a bit foolish and very self conscious. Lets be honest, folks in the States were accustomed to wierdos and minding their own business and getting lost in the mass of people. Here in the 268 we’re all too accustomed to people minding OUR business and judging silently or often times vocally: ‘Ah wha di joke ya, ah Pokemon him ah play, chupidness dat, ah joke him ah mek ‘ and other such words of encouragement. Needless to say I was excited! Unlike the empty wilderness of where I live, St John’s was alive. Pokestops (public spaces/landmarks where one might discover useful items and Pokemon),

and Pokemon gyms (public spaces, building where trainers claim and do battle for their team’s prestige)

St. John’s Museum Poke Gym

I soon discovered the burgeoning culture, a Pokemon Underground if you will. As I wandered from Pokestop to Pokestop, learning as I went, catching Pokemon I first met on my Nintendo Gameboy Color playing Pokemon Silver, I began to meet other trainers, not unlike real life birds, migrating from stop to stop in groups of 2 or more. Some I knew to be longtime gamers, others I knew but never pegged them as the Pokemon type, complete strangers and all of them helpful, polite and just having good natured fun. Even people whom I’ve had rows with in the past, all was forgotten on that trail to ‘Catch ’em all’. I began to learn the signals and posture of the trainers, especially the solo player trying to camouflage on the corner of Market and St. Mary’s. I too adopted this in the attempt to appear inconspicuous. I gave it up eventually as I spent more time socialising, comparing catches and repping our teams

At level 5, you are prompted to pick a team, like school houses you have to pick one. Guess which one I’m in.

and realised it is a waste of time and energy. There’s a lot of fun involved, a lot of positives too: you have people on the move walking trying to hatch eggs and catching Pokemon, socializing face to face, learning their city, and villages, learning and identifying landmarks and much more while having a great time. Yet with all the fun let us be mindful of potential risk and danger as we’ve heard in these stories online. Yes, meeting new people and seeing new places is awesome, but always be mindful of your surroundings, train and have your adventure in groups even more so if you absolutely have to go out at night (yes different pokemon come out at various times of the day).

I went to town just to handle some business and play test the game, it was only meant to be a 2 hour run, a 2 hour run! 9 hours later I finally made it home.

Join the conversation on Facebook: Pokemon GO Antigua 268.

Life Lesson Learnt From Shopping Like White People

Last few weeks I’ve witnessed people going through shit. All sorts of shit but mostly relationship shit and friendship shit, and those people get all caught up in the emotional and the mental…not a pretty sight. Sleep is lost, food not eaten, stalking, high blood pressure, screw face, sighing, crying, it goes on.

One thing I noticed was that whenever their mouth opened all that came up was the other person. Oh she went and did this. Oh he said that. Oh she had the nerve to go there. Oh he keep doing this. Why he talking to her. Why she not answering. You know he with his friend? I haven’t seen her in so long. How he can say that and then say this…

What does this have to do with learning a lesson from shopping like white people? Well its not specifically white people, I should have said ‘like Americans’ but you get the drift unless you’re one of those people. I’ll, however, just keep using ‘white people’ instead ’cause it fits better. You see what I noticed about white people is that when they shop they have a strong sense of worth both in the value of their hard earned dollar and in themselves. ee’ coulda quart fu de subben dem expek fi get dem subben and in damn good condition too an pon time. If one ding pon um ee ah goo back an best believe dem expek full refund of dat quart dey. Why? Because they are worth it. Fullstop. Most time we nuh even business: jus a likkle ding man. Chupz ah just one quart you ah get arn so fa?

And there we see the difference. And it’s a lesson well learnt. I am worth it! I am number one! Make every word that proceed out of your mouth about you, not the generator of the negative vibe. Be narcissistic if you have to. That person cannot be number one in their world and still be number one in yours. Nuttin tal can go so. Demand your refund because your quart is plenty, especially in these hard economic times; in these hard emotional times you are number one because just like Lauréal, you are worth it!

…. Unless you like misery, in which case keep from me cause misery like company and I ain’t about that life.

Peace!

Shouting in the Wind

Sometimes I wonder: What the hell is the point? It feels as if we’re just battling against overwhelming forces. We constantly hear: You matter; Your voice matters; Your vote matters; fight for your rights and beliefs. Yet still it feels as if we just shouting in the wind. That all we are allowed is a brief shout before the steamroller start up.

I usually try to just keep out of things, to block out the events of this world on pain of falling into a great disastrous internal great depression and wig-out like one of those white kids you see on CNN. One example of shouting in the wind is this hike in Social Security and Medical Benefit. I have no in-depth knowledge  on the matter but I’ve been following the papers and listening to talk on the street which only served in raising my blood pressure and killing my vibe.

As talk would have it the fault lies in mismanagement and incompetence. The solution: dig deeper into the people’s wallets (It seems there is no other way). Not surprisingly people were up in arms. The usual grumbling, vex face, chupsing and complaining. People let their voices be heard. Talk of unfairness and breaking camel back was abound. The media did a job of airing out both sides of this issue. Add on top of that the increase in the water bill. So our lives are being reduced to ‘Biting the Bullet’, ‘Tighten Your Belt’ and ‘Structural Adjustments’.

So now we’re just shouting in the wind. Our voices were heard (we hope) yet the thing that was proposed as a ‘maybe’ (as if it was open to debate and an alternative would be looked into with earnest) became a certainty in no time flat. So whats the point? Why make noise? What is it going to take to get a little ease? It just feels as if the powers that be just don’t take us seriously. Its as if they know all we’re going to do is grumble and hiss and chups then chew on a healthy dose of bullets. You know, I do have to tighten my belt, but its not to bear no strain.

Pink Shirts and Tight Pants pt1: The Pink Shirt

Despite your thoughts, views and feelings on the matter, we’ve always associated certain styles and colours with gender. It’s so ingrained that you have to make a conscious effort to be nonchalant or objective whenever you see something that breaks the stereotype. And of course for some people it grinds their gears when a person turns to their child and say “Blue is for boys and pink is for girls!” Love it or hate it, that’s the juice we grew up on.

Needless to say I wasn’t reeaadyyy, to quote Kevin Hart (I love that line) for the pink men shirts. I wasn’t totally surprised given the nature of fashion anything is possible, but it still gave me a jaw tap but I rolled with it. I watched the pink shirt spread from the workplace to the lime place and despite the fact that some guys pulled it off, me being me had to crack my offhand jokes.

I would have let it slide but the pink shirt didn’t want to. It’s when people started defending the pink shirt like it needed justification that I really started paying attention to the talks which got worse when people’s hackles began raising and I like many others were challenged. So in the blink of an eye it went from “Pink is for girls!” to “Real badman wear pink!“….. Hmmm… Ok boss. Then it was:” Only men that sure of their masculinity and are secure about their sexuality rock pink” and let’s not forget the accusing question “Why you nuh hab no pink shut inna you closet, wha happen, you fraid?” I’m sorry but Roma is my grandmother so when I reach my limit of ignorance I bite back, getting a little ‘ignant’ myself ignoring the high road.

So then the issue was not the colour of the shirt but the people wearing it. Why was there a need to become so defensive, so aggressive? After all, clothes is clothes, colour is colour right? Unless you’re in a gang and looking to be merc’d (that’s slang for killed btw…. Am I rambling? I feel like I am). In my limited understanding of humans we tend to get aggressive, offensive and defensive about things that are at the time, controversial or questionable, in our quest for validation or to validate the thing.

So after all this, and after all is said and done and I see you all dapper in your pink shirt asking me these pointed questions MY question now becomes “so what you really hiding behind that pink shirt?”