Final Reflection by Mademoiselle Charlotte Lor:
The last full day in Martinique was one of bittersweet reluctance for the students preparing to return home to the stress of school work and worst yet, ‘reality’! Before we all boarded the final plane to JFK International Airport, we gave a final hug and ‘bisous’ to Viktor and Patrick. At the ‘contrôle de sécurité’, Patrick bid his final words: “My heart and my thoughts are with you” in his French-Martiniquais accent.
What exactly did the students gain from this trip? Looking back, Mademoiselle Lor et Madame Phelps would say that the students learned how to communicate with the friendly locals as best as they could given limited language capacities; they were introduced to the simple life of working, studying, and trying to get by – having limited means was something they actually got to see; they began to build an appreciation for nature and how to respect it (grâce à Patrick); they gave back to the community in what little ways they could – interacting with the children, and practicing the idea of ‘sustainable living’; and most wonderfully, they experienced the island leisures of water sports, music (au tam-tam), modest hikes up lovely trails, as well as shopping in the open-air markets. ”Il n’y a pas de problèmes”! Coincidentally, the time of our sojourn fell in line with the Carnaval festivities. Véronique, the schoolteacher, explained the traditions of the three days of celebration and the costumes donned by the people. By the end of the nine days we spent in Martinique, Methacton High School students had nothing but positive feedback to give. The learning curve of their spoken French was fast and steep, that is for sure. C’est vrai… “tout est bien qui finit bien”. A la prochaine!
Trip Photos:
February 20-22, 2012
Over the past couple of days, there have been a lot of exciting things going on here with our group. Yesterday for example, we went to the beach in Trois-Ilets and met up with a teacher from a local school and a couple of her students, including her own children. We played with them on the beach and got to know them. After a couple of hours and a small lunch on the beach, the teacher Veronique, was kind enough to have the group at her house. Her house was extremely interesting! She built an entire house for herself and her two children in a clearing in a hilltop forest. The children welcomed a few students into their room and the entire group was able to explore.
Today, the 22nd of February, was even more adventurous! We woke up at around 7:30 am and ate breakfast and then set out towards Trois-Ilets canyon. The group was led through a freshwater filled canyon into a beautiful waterfall. There wasn’t a student there who wasn’t beaming with happiness! It was extremely breathtaking!After that we set out for Mount Pelee, a dormant volcano on the coast of Martinique. Many students were able to make it very far up towards the top before turning around. The sights from the side of the volcano were magnificent! Many felt it was the most adventurous day of the entire trip. BON VOYAGE!
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Trip Photos:
February 19, 2012
Bonjour! Martinique has been exciting and enjoyable these past two days! Yesterday we went to a beach for community service in the form of cleaning up litter. We traveled there on a boat, driven by a man called Captain Titi. The ride was fast and fun, with the wind blowing into our faces and big bumps every so often as the boat sped over the water. As we neared the beach, it became very evident that it needed cleaning, as there were numerous plastic bottles bobbing up and down on the waves. We assembled into groups and went around picking up trash, finding some strange things like a box full of batteries. Although we definitely could not collect all the trash, it still felt great to help out this beautiful environment. When we traveled back to the hotel, we closed the day with a chicken colombo dinner and a drinkable, pudding-like desert.
Today we began by heading down to a different beach and relaxing under the sun. Some people snoozed on their towels, and others played in the water or tossed a frisbee around. We ate lunch at a small restaurant on the beach. Patrick and Victor brought their instruments, a drum and a guitar respectively, so after everyone was done eating, they played songs for us. People smiled and sang to the music, and we gave them big rounds of applause. For dinner, we went to La Tartine Tartane and ate crepes filled with mushrooms, cheese, and ham. With Carnival starting, who knows what the next several days will bring? Certainly there will be lots of new sights to see and events to experience!
Stay tuned!
February, 18, 2012
After an unexpected stay in San Juan, we finally reached Martinique early yesterday morning. As we arrived one thing was for certain, all the Martinique posters plastered on our French classroom walls do not give justice to the beauty surrounding us. The countryside is filled with bountiful vegetation, friendly and diverse people, and perfect weather.
The first thing we did was go to Chateau de Buc, an old sugarcane plantation currently under restoration. These huge stone structures overlooked the ocean and seemed too picturesque to be real. After that our local guide, Patrick, took us on an “easy” hike and easy to Patrick is mostly uphill, steep, and over an hour long with plenty of detours. Nevertheless, the hike was eventful and was just what we all needed to get adjusted to the Martinique way of life. We ended the day on the swimming on a secluded beach and eating traditional Martiniquais food.
Today we woke up early this morning and went straight to the beach for some kayaking in open waters. Although some might have found it a little rocky, once again we were subjected to the beautiful scenery that Martinique encompassed. After lunch on the beach, we traveled to Les Trois-Îlets where we spent the day swimming and snorkeling along the coast. Then we had a sunset dinner on the beach where we sampled fresh seafood.
So far we have only spent two days on the beautiful island and I cannot imagine being anywhere else.
To make it plain, “C’est la vie”.
