My name is Clement Ramlagan and I’m a balata salesman.
I from Cumana Village. I grow up Toco-self. Right on the water. All in the forest. I appreciate it very much that they going to open hunting season again. But we must hunt with due care: leave the little animals and them alone! Shoot the big one.
I does go in the water. I could do a little swimming but, as human, we must stay a little close to the shore. Because we ent have gill.
I go to Anglican church every Sunday, 6 o’clock in the morning, soon as the church open. That’s the best time to worship God: before the sun even rise.
I have three little kids and my little madam, in Jesus’ name. We have Brian Ramlagan, Giselle Ramlagan and Janelle Ramlagan. And also we have Lucian, which is my wife. I have other children, other wives, earlier relationship.
And I come and I have this girl here and we will get marry soon and I will try to make myself in the proper way to go the right way. In no one else name but in Jesus’ name, I say thanks again. Them other children is big, 23, 24 years old. I have grandchildren which is 15, 16 years old. I have daughters even older than my wife. My first wife die now and I stay 20 years before I get a next madam.
Balata is grow different, depending on how you cut the branches. If you don’t cut the branches, a tree is bear every four-five years. If you cut the branches, is take twice time more than that. Some people does cut the branches because they doesn’t want to go out in the end of the branch to pick the balata because it limber, and they could fall. I don’t do that. That is almost kill the tree because is take a next 15 years to bear.
To eat it, you bite the balata and suck it. It have a black seed inside of it. And it very nice for human. Especially men.
My balata tree grown on my land in my village. I pick them and I come to the stall and sell them to who want. I have six balata tree. I am 62 years and I plant balata tree when I was 15 years and today they bearing. It is a long-term plant.
I doesn’t mind animals, I mind pets. Like the dog, morocoy, and all these things.
When I want to relax, especially on a weekend, I come by the sea, I pick the balata, or anything I have in the land, and I bring it out and I sell it. To anybody who want. I sell mainly on the weekend because, during the week, I have to take time out for my children. Carry them and bring them to school.
Music, fishing and hunting, I love that. That is my three recreation I have. And I like maths. I like counting too bad. I like to bring words and match it up and find out what it is. I love to help my children with they homework too bad! But, nowadays, homework is be a little difficult. But I cool with things, in Jesus’ name.
I go to Town twice a year, three times at the most. As you walk in the road, somebody will interfere with you.
Is have one-two crime in Toco but nothing to talk about. Is be a big-big scene when it have crime in Toco. Everybody wonder who do it and who ent do it and why that boy do that and why they kill him and why they ent kill him. Or something like that.
Trindadians is very loving people. But they supposed to think. And stop the crime. And you going to see now nice Trinidad going to run.
We must not take for each other. As the prime minister, she or he mustn’t lean one-side. What good for one, good for all.
I born and grow in Trinidad & Tobago and is a very, very, very good place. It mean to me, “Happiness”. But is only one thing: the crime situation is very raptid [sic]. The Prime Minister have to make it better for us.
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