Hmmm, Where do I start?…

Four score and something years ago I came across a feathered pen and aged parchment and found my calling, a calling to relay my message and blah blah blah…SCCREEECCCHHH…BOOM. BANG. ENDLESS WUK!!! Sorry guys, I wish it were this poetic but it ain’t…

Hey Gurl Hey! I’m Val, Gyuol How! [Fagapedia - 'Nice to meet you./ How are you?'].

So, how did this all start? Over the years I have mastered the rigorous art of ‘Ole Talk’. It is one that I am very proud of and have spent my short life refining. This life skill works very well with my secondary profession of being a qualified Limer and Mas- enthusiast. I mean, if you’re out having a time, it makes sense to balance a scotch in one hand with a good ole talk in the other, right?

Through this, I’ve had the pleasure of enduring a painfully vybzie existence meeting many very interesting, beautiful, strange and some absolutely insane people that have brought colour to my life. I’ve also have had the pleasure of developing an interesting perspective that allows me to enjoy all that I do and experience; an interesting perspective that leads me to have thoughts on different things and view the world in the most intriguing way. For years people have told me that I should write, blog or tweet and now, well the time just seemed right.

After University I had the blessing of being able to follow my dreams by living life through my talents and having a ‘job’ that makes me happy (I believe firmly in this). I figured if I was going to write, best I write about something that I knew inside out and that would bring a smile to both myself and those who can’t run fast enough LOL – and since one can ONLY write so much about doubles- BOOM! ‘#VAL’ was born!!!

So there it is, my name is @instaval_tt (*cue self-advertising*) and I have a problem. Costume & Event designer and Consultant by profession. Entrepreneur by Curiosity. Tweeter by ‘Idle Fingers’. IG Whore by ‘IG WHOREDOM’. Now I’m a ‘SCORCH Rambler’ by… idk, lets just see where this goes.

In this column I hope to be able to share moments and topics with you to help your CarniVAL experience and so much more, for as we know, it can be a season of confusion, indecision and decisions!!! I tend to have the strangest experiences and conversations known to man and I hope that in imparting these that I shall ‘end world hunger and bring change and PEACE to the globe!!!’. Wellllllll, a bit ambitious, but you know what I mean.

As our conversations continue, I plan on bringing a ‘LOL’ to your day whilst talking about as much Mas Related stuff that comes to mind… until dey tell meh to ‘Wine and Hush!’. If nothing else, at least ah promise yuh d’ lime go be good! So, stay tuned folks, more to come

Cheers!

Well Ricarda blows that stereotype to pieces. Not only is she a 7+ Stunna but she also has a lot more to offer as well. She’s a “fly-girl” in every sense of the word!

What’s your age and profession?
I recently turned 23 and I’m
a Helicopter Pilot.

How did you decide that was what you wanted to do?
From small I can recall thinking to myself I didn’t want to be cooped up in an office. I knew I needed something that was a little bit more exciting. At first my goal was to be an airplane pilot, just being in control of this large machine, feeling the turbulence etc, the whole idea of it fascinated me.

So you’re an adrenaline junkie?
Yea, I got a rush from it; most people may be scared or shy away from it but I loved the thought of it! My cousin who works offshore is the one who put forward the idea of flying helicopters. So I researched it, found a school and set off on my journey to be the best damn helicopter pilot out there.

7+ Stunna & Helichopter Pilot -Rircarda Thompson

So you completed it last year; where did you go from there?
Well right now I’m freelancing. I work with a company out of Mexico called Comesa. I’m on call as the need arises, so they will fly me out there to work probably for a few weeks to a month, then I come back home. I normally would be responsible for transporting machinery and people out into the field.

So how long did it take you to complete your training?
It takes as little as 6 months to do it. For me it took about 1 and a 1/2 years, because I wanted to travel as well so I flew to Miami, Orlando, California just to name a few places. I was 20 when I left TnT at that time.

How would you describe your profession to a five year old?
It is VERY cool! I get to fly Helicopters! *laugh*

Watch out World!

What do you think is the hardest part of your job?
Multitasking on a high level and the fact that you have to concentrate a lot. At the end of the day it’s my life and other people’s lives in my hands, so there is no room for error. The
helicopter alone costs a few million dollars (US).

How do you manage that? For someone so young that’s plenty responsibility.
The first thing is maturity, definitely. You just have to motivate yourself to get the job done and more importantly get it done right the first time!

What do you think was your hardest day on the job?
To me every day brings new challenges, but my first day out alone just so happened to be my most challenging. It was my first solo flight and I had a communication failure. It wasn’t on the job
but still in training and I couldn’t speak to anyone to get clearance to land. I had to do an emergency procedure, circling the landing zone till I figured out the most practical solution possible. It was a bit nerve racking but while in it I didn’t really think about anything else but a solution. It was all my call and in the end it turned out pretty well. I landed on the taxi way where I knew it would be clear.

Being in a male dominated profession how have you adapted?
Well that’s one of the reasons I don’t have a job in Trinidad right now. There is a lot of politics down here. I got a chance to prove myself by taking jobs outside of TnT. Experience is everything,
plus you get a chance to build a name for yourself. I think outside of Trinidad they focus more on your skill set and not the fact that you’re a female. For instance one of my first trips to Mexico I was in a camp of a hundred plus men and lil’ ole me was the only female. Now when I say camp it is literally that. It was port-a-potties, the full works but I had to
adapt.

At first my fellow pilots were intimidated by me but now it’s all cool. One of them even told me that it was great to see a woman doing the job.

Age?

Still young (30)

Profession?

Market development manager.

How would you describe your profession to a 5 year old?

I ensure that international brands grow their sales to get in Caribbean and Latin American countries.

Where did you study?

France, Spain and London.

How did you know this was what you loved/wanted to do?

Easy, it involved speaking foreign languages, lots of travel and exposure to various cultures.

What is the hardest part of being a female professional?

Finding balance in your personal life.

What is the biggest misconception that people have had about you?

Many think I am very serious.

What do you want SCORCH readers to know about you?

Though focused, I am actually a very easy-going person.

Who is your favourite football team and why?

PSG!! After living in France I got a liking for the French football league. I also lived in Paris for sometime and you supported where you lived *** giggles

Who is or was your favourite football player?

Hmm… well being a football player in high school myself, RONALDINHO.