Some know it as “piko,” “marelles,” “hinkelbaan,” or “stapu,” but in T&T, hopscotch is a word that unlocks a world of childhood memories. One Woodbrook woman is striving to turn that memory into an everyday activity.
“You know, I grew up loving hopscotch as a kid and it brought me so much joy. So, I figured, you know, in that time of the pandemic, you know, that it would be very nice to bring that back to people,” said Louann Kristy.
She explained that during the COVID-19 pandemic, she felt that people needed something to smile about, so with chalk she drew hopscotch boxes on the pavement in front of her home for passersby to hop along on their way.
“It was really nice, honestly, just seeing so many people stop and play and then people will come with their children and they’ll play. Then when I posted it up online, so many people even came after that because everybody just wanted to take part,” she added.
Kristy continued: “I think people get so caught up in work and their fast-paced lives that they don’t stop and just enjoy the moment”.
When Guardian Media visited Woodbrook, we caught up with Leon from Nelson Street who stopped by to play hopscotch.
“It brought back memories of early childhood... I wasn’t expecting to see this here. It is a good thing, anything that is positive for any community, it is good,” he said.
Jessica, a Woodbrook resident also hopped along.
“It takes away from your normal morning thoughts, and just takes you back for a little bit... kids these days don’t know about moral and hopscotch, and ring over and these things”.
Meanwhile, Alisia who was with her son on the way to drop him to school, also stopped to play the game.
“It’s just amazing, every time we pass here, we always wonder who did it. It’s a really nice thing to walk past and it just uplifts your day. Sometimes we’re just walking around with a load of things and we don’t think it’s okay to offload them, so it’s just really nice to see little reminders,” she said.
