There are over 91 nationalities in TCI
Can we assimilate and make TCI the best place? – Part 1

In TCI, there are over 91 nationalities, over 31,000 legal residents and only 12,000 are locals. In the workforce, there are over 25,000 persons and of that, an estimate of less than 8,000 are locals.

It is really important that we find the means and ways for the locals and the other nationalities to love each other and blend and live together in harmony in TCI because “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”.In my opinion it should not be about US (locals) vs THEM (expatriates) or THEM vs US. I am conscious of the fact that there is some division among us as locals and some may say we need to be united first as locals before we can unite with others. As long as TCI continues to develop, the population landscape of the TCI will continue to change dramatically and so let all of us use this change as an opportunity to make the TCI one of the best places in the world to live by assimilating with each other.
Sometimes the very words spoken among us drift us apart. For example;

1. “The locals are lazy”
2. The locals do not like foreigners”
3. “Foreigners do not like locals”
4. “I belong here, you are not from here”
5. “This place so backward, back home we did it like this”
6. “We cook the best”
7. WE dress the best”
8. “You foreigner” Go back where you come from”
9. You are not from here. Keep your mouth shut
10. “You’ll come here and want to take over”
11. “You’ll TI people too passive”
12. ‘”My country is independent and so we think independently”
13. “ You’ll have a colonial state of mind”
14. “I don’t understand you”ll people”
15. One thing we don’t play where we come from.
16. Are you from here? You don’t act like the rest of them.
17. You’ll too small minded. You’ll need to travel
18. They don’t have anything in this place.

Sometimes, our behaviours drift us apart as well which are as follows;

1. Some people in TCI are racists and very blatant with it. (Notice I say some).
2. Some of us discriminate against others based on their profession, income, or origin of their country.
3. The majority of the residents hang out with their own ethnicity including having their own churches.
4. Hiring unqualified people and paying them more or hiring qualified people and paying them less.
5. Denying qualified locals an opportunity for a job or a promotion.
6. Not giving locally owned business an opportunity to do the work.
7. Making fun of the way different nationalities pronounce their words.
8. The construction of illegal structures – One rule for some and one rule for others.
9. Operating jitneys without a transportation license.
10. Threatening to call members of the Immigration Board to disapprove a work permit.
11. Some of us just act like we are better than others.
12. Denying some expatriates, the opportunity to volunteer at organizations in TCI.
13. Misleading job advertisements.
14. Sense of Entitlement.