constantine's first season was difficult; both he and the residents of the town were at that stage uncertain of each other. few black people had been seen in nelson, and although some residents wrote welcoming letters, the constantines also received racist and abusive ones. he quickly established boundaries over what he considered acceptable, permitting and even sharing small jokes over skin colour but protesting strongly at outright racism. john arlott wrote: "[constantine] fought discrimination against his people with a dignity firm but free of acrimony." although constantine later attributed some of the initial uneasiness to ignorance, at the time he seriously considered returning to trinidad after the first season. his wife persuaded him otherwise, pointing out the benefits from remaining to complete his contract. from 1930 constantine found life more comfortable; the family began to develop friendships and to engage in the social life of the town. they continued to visit trinidad in the english winters, but nelson became the family's permanent home.