Newsletter for past alumni of The Abbey School, Mt. St. Benedict, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.
Caracas, 16 of November 2002. Circular No. 53
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Dear Friends,
Here is the second episode of my adventure at the Abbey School.
Again I am enclosing a letter for Fr. Cuthbert, this time one that was sent a year later.
From the letter we can see the end of the motorbike that Fr. Ildefonse used.
Reference to Michael Azar, who by the way lives in Portland Oregon.
Fr. Lee Sing, whom I remember for his peanut eating, every night while he was watching us trying to sleep in the small boys dormitory?
Fr. Bernard being the Abbot after Fr. Adelbert van Duin who went on loan to the Port of Spain.
I met Fr. Bernard while in wheel chair, luckily he was speaking by then.
Fr. Gerome, my English teacher in Form I.
Fr. Benedict, who is very well for his age.
Bro. Bruno, and the dogs?? How many took German Shepherds back to Venezuela??
PART II
Now back to my story: In those days the refectory was an old wooden building near the main church. This two-storey building had the kitchen on the first floor and we eat in the second. There was a centre corridor with tables on each side. The prefect sat at the wall end of the table and four kids sat on either side of the table. There was an elevator that brought up additional food from the kitchen when there was need, although the tables were set before we arrived at the main door.
The prefect’s pets sat to his left and right and the youngest or less liked kids sat next to the corridor, the furthest position from the prefect, they were the last to get food if any was left!. This is where I sat during a couple months. First, because I was new and second because I did not know English, the third there was an empty place at the table. My arrival was not welcomed as the food had to be rationed from 8 portions to 9. All the kids at the table tried to teach me the name of the edibles but without luck. So next the prefect tried the rough way, he told Wayne Vincent Brown to get English out of me or there was no food. I got bounced about but English was not easy. Finally I got upset and decided call WVB “Topo” which is not offensive in Spanish but for those that only knew English found it puzzling and annoying. It worked because when WVB got rough, I called out. The end of this episode I cannot remember but I did not die of hunger and was not hurt except for my pride!! They got tired I presume or I began to assimilate English.
But this is not the interesting part, what was really intriguing was the quantity and quality of food that left the elevator to go in an open cart to the Priest´s refectory that was next to ours, while we eat in silence and had time to see and smell the food in the cart. I could not figure it out why this food was being carted while we eat, and in front of our eyes and noses. I presume that the kitchen had to serve us first and then the Priests. This always caused lots of comments and the effort to steal some of the edibles.
The procedure to enter the refectory was to wait until the priest in charge arrived and at 7:00 am., 12.00 midday and 6:00 pm?? (some of you must correct the times if I am not correct) the door were opened and we had to walk slowly down the corridor to our table. We had to wait until we said prayer and sat down. The Prefect had first choice of each plate of food that was passed down, he had to make sure that everybody got part of the dish that was passed. There was no authorization to talk, one, because the fight for food would have been loud and second because some kids would only talk and not eat, third, we were next to the priest refectory and there was a lecture being read while the priest eat.
The third part shall come soon.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another oldboy wrote:
Date. 30 July 2002
Sun, 22 Sep 2002 13:49:08 EDT
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 13:01:32 -0500
Continuing the Who is Where,
35. Alan Date is living in Korea, teaching English at a University there. His e-mail address is alandate@lycos.com. If you are lucky to get a reply from him, he can give you Paul's address. Paul is presently living in Victoria B.C.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
God Bless
Ladislao
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Listado: C53 .xls
Photos: Carta Fr. Cuthbert 07 feb 89 1
Carta Fr. Cuthbert 07 feb 89 2
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Caracas, 16 of November 2002. Circular No. 53
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends,
Here is the second episode of my adventure at the Abbey School.
Again I am enclosing a letter for Fr. Cuthbert, this time one that was sent a year later.
From the letter we can see the end of the motorbike that Fr. Ildefonse used.
Reference to Michael Azar, who by the way lives in Portland Oregon.
Fr. Lee Sing, whom I remember for his peanut eating, every night while he was watching us trying to sleep in the small boys dormitory?
Fr. Bernard being the Abbot after Fr. Adelbert van Duin who went on loan to the Port of Spain.
I met Fr. Bernard while in wheel chair, luckily he was speaking by then.
Fr. Gerome, my English teacher in Form I.
Fr. Benedict, who is very well for his age.
Bro. Bruno, and the dogs?? How many took German Shepherds back to Venezuela??
PART II
Now back to my story: In those days the refectory was an old wooden building near the main church. This two-storey building had the kitchen on the first floor and we eat in the second. There was a centre corridor with tables on each side. The prefect sat at the wall end of the table and four kids sat on either side of the table. There was an elevator that brought up additional food from the kitchen when there was need, although the tables were set before we arrived at the main door.
The prefect’s pets sat to his left and right and the youngest or less liked kids sat next to the corridor, the furthest position from the prefect, they were the last to get food if any was left!. This is where I sat during a couple months. First, because I was new and second because I did not know English, the third there was an empty place at the table. My arrival was not welcomed as the food had to be rationed from 8 portions to 9. All the kids at the table tried to teach me the name of the edibles but without luck. So next the prefect tried the rough way, he told Wayne Vincent Brown to get English out of me or there was no food. I got bounced about but English was not easy. Finally I got upset and decided call WVB “Topo” which is not offensive in Spanish but for those that only knew English found it puzzling and annoying. It worked because when WVB got rough, I called out. The end of this episode I cannot remember but I did not die of hunger and was not hurt except for my pride!! They got tired I presume or I began to assimilate English.
But this is not the interesting part, what was really intriguing was the quantity and quality of food that left the elevator to go in an open cart to the Priest´s refectory that was next to ours, while we eat in silence and had time to see and smell the food in the cart. I could not figure it out why this food was being carted while we eat, and in front of our eyes and noses. I presume that the kitchen had to serve us first and then the Priests. This always caused lots of comments and the effort to steal some of the edibles.
The procedure to enter the refectory was to wait until the priest in charge arrived and at 7:00 am., 12.00 midday and 6:00 pm?? (some of you must correct the times if I am not correct) the door were opened and we had to walk slowly down the corridor to our table. We had to wait until we said prayer and sat down. The Prefect had first choice of each plate of food that was passed down, he had to make sure that everybody got part of the dish that was passed. There was no authorization to talk, one, because the fight for food would have been loud and second because some kids would only talk and not eat, third, we were next to the priest refectory and there was a lecture being read while the priest eat.
The third part shall come soon.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another oldboy wrote:
Date. 30 July 2002
Dear Mr Tony Johnson,
Just found out about the ABBEY SCHOOL web site. It is fantastic; as I browse thru it I had tears in my eyes, I leap back in time to the Mount.
My name is SALVADOR COSCARART.
I attended the Abbey School in 1967 to 1975. as well as my brother Pedro Coscarart.
I now reside in Bristol Louisiana U.S.A. My phone # (337) 668-4595
My e-mail addresses:
salborbolla@hotmail.com and Salco56 @cs.com. I have been wanting to know about what happened to the Abbey School, its faculty and students. I am originally from Cumana, Venezuela. I am now a citizen of the United States.Married to Gina Beaugh of Eunice louisiana, we have three children Jonathan 20, Lander 18, Ansley Nicole 17.
Best wishes Salvador
Coscarart.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sun, 22 Sep 2002 13:49:08 EDT
[Unable to display image] We would like to say hello to all of our classmates (1967-1975) and the staff of Mount Saint Benedict.
We love you all and God Bless.
Salvador & Pedro Coscarart.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 13:01:32 -0500
Me da mucha alegría de haber tenido noticias del Abbey School.
Muchas gracias Ladislao. Yo me llamo Salvador Coscarart, naci en Cumana Edo.
Sucre. Atendí el ABBEY SCHOOL desde 1967 a 1975. Vivo en Bristol Louisiana
Estados Unidos, mi teléfono es (337) 668-4595.
Una pregunta si no es molestia, como supo de mi y quien le dio la
referencia, de mi parte le saluda. .Estoy lleno de mucha alegría al ver el
web del Abbey School. muchas gracias otras ves.
Saludos muy cordiales,
Salvador Coscarart ABBEY SCHOOL 1967-1975
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Continuing the Who is Where,
35. Alan Date is living in Korea, teaching English at a University there. His e-mail address is alandate@lycos.com. If you are lucky to get a reply from him, he can give you Paul's address. Paul is presently living in Victoria B.C.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
God Bless
Ladislao
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Listado: C53 .xls
Photos: Carta Fr. Cuthbert 07 feb 89 1
Carta Fr. Cuthbert 07 feb 89 2
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATTACHMENTS
Listado C53.xls
| Names | Form V | Contact | Nickname | business address | business phone | |
| Muro, Alvaro | glen | YV | ||||
| Muro, Enrique | glen | YV | ||||
| Murphy, Philip | farcheg | |||||
| Nacimiento, | ||||||
| Naime, Michael F. | glen | YV | ||||
| Nassief, Michael | roge | |||||
| Nassief, Phillip | Dominica | |||||
| Nuñez, Joaquin | glen | big | YV | |||
| Nuñez, Simon | 1958 | small | yv | |||
| Obrien, Anthony | 1964 | gioannetti | inches | TT | toni@trinidad.net |
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