Trailblazing Unleashed

About a year ago now, I got to study abroad in Trinidad and Tobago! This was a super amazing experience that helped me grow in so many ways, but most of all it helped me understand more about international travel with Celiac disease.

This study abroad trip was my first trip abroad without my family and friends, so it was a little overwhelming! I learned a lot about independence and foodie culture in other countries.

Study Abroad

I am a huge fan of study abroad! It’s a great way for college students to expand their horizons and learn more about themselves. I have been super fortunate to study abroad three times in my education, and each time has been a completely different adventure. It can be a bit intimidating if you’ve never traveled abroad alone before, and I’ll be writing a guide to study abroad a bit later!

This study abroad trip was for my Advanced Design class at NC State, where we were working on different food design problems for Trinidad and Tobago. I focused a lot on accessibility in cultural dishes, and how to make good cuisine more available. My design ideas mostly circulated around allergen friendly meal plans and community building foods, which I got to try more of when we went to Trinidad. This study abroad was a shorter one, as it was only spring break, but I learned so much!

I would totally recommend studying abroad if you get the chance. If not, some traveling in your adult life will definitely do the trick!

Now on to the Celiac guide!

Out of all of my study abroad trips, this trip was the hardest as far as Celiac safety goes. I think that this was mainly because of my trip instructor. I loved my instructor content wise; she taught me so much! Unfortunately, she had a lot going on and had a hard time coordinating with me on food options. Here’s what I learned: independence and advocacy are equally important while studying abroad.

Airport Travel

I have whined about airports multiple times on this blog, and I’m not planning on stopping anytime soon. For this trip, I flew from Raleigh NC, down to Miami FL and finally to Trinidad. Miami and Trinidad both had Celiac Safe options in the airport!

Miami – While in Miami, I stopped for snacks and small meals. If I remember right, I got a couple bags of trail mix, a smoothie, and some fruit. Fortunately, the FindMe Gluten Free app works in Miami! So on the way home I stopped for a meal here thanks to that app. Doing a quick google search for gluten free restaurants will do the trick too!

Trinidad – There are a couple gluten free chains in Trinidad! One of these chains was pita/bowl restaurant that I had a lot of luck with. They helped me figure out what was gluten free and what was celiac safe super quick. On the way home, I tried a smoothie place in the airport and got some snacks too!

Overall, not a bad airport experience!

Snacks

Snacks in Trinidad were pretty straight forward! Thankfully there was no language barrier here like in some of my other study abroad programs, so all I had to do was check the label! There was also some pretty awesome local fruits that kept me going quite a bit.

Convenience Stores

These were pretty easy too! Again there was lot of fresh fruits, canned veggies, and canned fish that got me through the week. When my classmates chose a restaurant that wasn’t gluten free, I had canned goods to get me by. The only thing that was tough about that was that I forgot a can opener!

Restaurants

This is where it gets funky. I had very little luck with non-chain restaurants. Fried food is super popular in Trinidad, and trying to find something gluten free in a sea of fried food was nothing short of a feat. Sometimes it worked out, but I had the best luck on a couple local farms we toured rather than common restaurants.

Farms

Because the class I took was centered around food accessibility, I was able to visit close to a dozen farms that week! I got to try lots of local produce and all sorts of small dishes. Some of the best and most accessible food I had on this trip was on small town farms.

Sustainability was also a big component on these farms, in addition to being a huge passion of mine! Look out for an article on sustainable food soon 🙂

Cooking

I cooked for myself a good amount that week! All of those canned goods I mentioned earlier really came in handy. I didn’t actually cook a lot, but I definitely combined a couple different canned goods each night to get a good meal in.

Food Culture

When I could, I tried all of the local food I could get! I learned a lot about food culture in Trinidad and Tobago, and it changed my palate. There’s a huge amount of Indian food in Trinidad, and that opened me up to a world of new experiences. I tried a lot of different curries, spices, and traditional dishes that I never saw in the U.S. I also tried a lot of seafood and fresh fish! I loved the combination of island food and Indian food that I got to experience while I was there.

In addition to my instructor, a lot of locals tried hard to make my experience amazing! So many restaurants and individuals were willing to learn about Celiac disease and help me find delicious, safe food.

All in all, this trip was an amazing adventure that I’m proud to have taken. I think that while this trip may have been less accessible than some of my other study abroad ventures, it’s definitely still one of my favorites. It taught me to be prepared, flexible, and up for anything.

I hope my story helps you step out of your comfort zone and try international travel! Mine is one of many, and combined we can take on the world!

As always, Trailblaze on!

— Kaya