Letter from Kenrick Mark 67th Edition
Letter from Kenrick Mark
Dear Esteemed Readers,
It was a very cold Sunday morning! I slept until late. I woke up mid-morning. I relaxed in bed (as it was colder than yesterday), checking my emails and social media. I saw my classmate Silvia posted a photo showing it was snowing (mildly) in Greenwich! I said ‘Aha!’ That explains the very low temperature! I stayed in bed the entire morning, watching movies. I also made a double batch of Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal, with milk. I enjoyed my breakfast while watching movies.
I remembered when I was in primary school. Three volunteers came from Great Britain, to help at Big Falls RC School. This was 2001–2002. One of the volunteers stayed with my family briefly. She was from Scotland, and brought heaps of treats for us. She also showed us photos, and had many postcards of her city, and the wider Scotland and Great Britain. Sometimes, her family would send us some cards, gifts and treats via the Post Office. These were truly from the heart! My love for England and the U.K grew from here, being around the volunteers on a daily basis, and the wonderful photos, and stories they shared with us. I believe in 1999 or 2000, our comrades Joe and Laverne from Tennessee, USA, gifted us a set of Encyclopedias. My entire family (or at least me) always sat in the evening time (after our daily work and chores were completed) to indulge in learning — reading the books, looking at photos, immersing in our home ‘university’. I benefited greatly from the Encyclopedias, using it for research in school, and incorporating new things learnt in my essays and class discussions. This helped me to grew, and become more cultured. I also fetched a wealth of information about the British Royal Family, Great Britain, Universities and Degrees, the USA — history, quick facts, geography, etc, the Caribbean, and so much more. While I was in bed in my room at Cutty Sark Halls, usually in the mornings or nighttime, I would recall these astonishing reminiscences from a kid. These brought smiles to my face, a sense of repose, and the cognizance of little moments. These are the moments that truly reckon in life.
I got out of bed and showered around mid-day. I decided to go for a stroll around the Greenwich area. It was very cold, though. I dressed and walked down the halls. Surprisingly, I noticed many people were out for the day. The pub downstairs our halls was filled to capacity. I saw mugs filled with beer, lots of chatter and good cheer, and burgers. I also noticed that it was mostly British men and women, well, at least on the verandah of the pub. I walked through the McDonalds pathway and there were more crowds, just walking around, and enjoying the day out. I walked unto the Cutty Sark ship arena where I saw a mini festivity happening. There were trucks selling coffee, mulled wine, crepes, chocolate, and burgers. I loved the distinctive smells of the freshly cooked street foods and brewed coffees. However, I never thought of purchasing any. I only purchased from the food stalls, which was a completely different event.
I walked around, watching carefully at the food preparations. I grew up working in a restaurant in Belize, so my love for food and desserts has grown tremendously. Recently (post-Chevening: 2018–2020), I have been practicing on baking Chocolate Peanut Cookies, Butter Cookies, Coconut Tarts, and Potato Pone. I spent the remainder of the afternoon at the banks of the River Thames, sitting on a new wooden bench, and observing the fast flowing river, the boats and ferries going by, the views of Canary Wharf on the opposite side, the people passing by (lovers holding hands, families — parents and children, elders, those coming from work), and birds flying over.
I loved that afternoon/evening. I walked back to my apartment until it was nightfall.
I did some work for my foundation in Belize.
I fell asleep later.
I’m quite exhausted for tonight. I will continue my journey in a next edition of Letter from Kenrick Mark.
Sincerely yours,
Kenrick Mark
