My first post, of my first blog, so neat.
So today begins my second official week in Guadeloupe. Although, I feel like I have already done so much. Most of which has just been preparing for my stay here; getting a phone, a bank account, a place to live, etc. Already I have met amazing people who have been so welcoming and have helped me so much.
So, about the place I live, it's beautiful and my landlords (les Charins) are wonderful. I live in the guest house next to les Charins, Madame Jocelyn and Monsieur Phillipe. They recently built it for their guests from France and elsewhere to stay, but decided to let me live there for now instead. I am their first client/permanent house guest. The place is cozy and open, with a spacious bedroom/living room/dining room that connects to the kitchen, that connects to the large bathroom. The wall behind my bed (my bed is actually a pull out couch mind you) can be opened, similar to a garage door. It's very common for those here, but the first time I saw it, I was amazed. It really is cool; one can simply open the wall and let the cool breeze pass through the house. The backyard is massive, filled with tropical trees, and plants of every variety; coconut trees (the Charins make their own coconut water and often bring me some. The other day, M. Phillipe showed me how he cut the coconuts open with his huge machete, then he gave me one with a straw and I drank it straight from the coconut), banana trees (which are actually not trees, they're plants, and they are a different kind of banana than the ones in the states. They have many varieties here, the little ones are my favorite), Avacodo trees, Mango trees, and the list goes on. I also have a hammock in the backyard where I bring a book and sway in the shade, usually I just end up watching the birds, I saw a humming bird the other day, so cute. And my favorite part of the backyard..les cochons (the pigs). They have two, one big black one, that one's my favorite, and another one that is a bit smaller and more pinkish with big brown spots. They also have two chickens, a baby chick (that follows the mother chickens everywhere) and a rooster. I guess you could also say they have lizards, mosquitos, spiders, and, worst of all, les canards (cockroaches), as well. There's nothing I hate more than those cafards! I have some spray, but the next time I go to the store, I will buy every repellant they have to annihilate those monsters.
I am still searching for a car, I went on a drive with M. Phillipe the other day, in a manual car...it did not go well. I will not be driving a stick shift here. Eventually, I know I would get the hang of it, and honestly it was not that bad, apart from the endless honking and dirty looks of the cars that either passed me or got stuck behind me every time I stalled the car.. So, an automatic it is! Which are a bit hard to come by here, but I will really need seeing as though my house is in the countryside of Le Moule, and my schools are in Petit-Canal and Morne-à-L'eau.
I have been to the beaches a few times, each time was amazing. The beaches here are just beautiful. So far my favorite has been the one in Port Louis. It's on the Caribbean side of the island. The water is crystal clear blue and you can see the mountains of Base-Terre (the other side of Guadeloupe) in the distance. Last night when we went, there were huge dark clouds in the distance, and you could see it was raining, but it was still sunny, although the sun was setting (the sun sets around 5:30ish here and it becomes dark very quickly, by 6:30 or 7pm it is already very dark). Then it began to rain, while still being sunny (something so interesting here, it can be raining, but remain sunny with only a few clouds overhead, I love that), were I was in the water with my goggles and snorkel (so far, snorkeling is my favorite activity, I love it. Yesterday I saw a barracuda) so I floated with my face to the sky and let the rain hit my face. The water is extremely salty here, it smells a bit like smoked salmon I think, so it is very easy to float.
So, tomorrow begins my first day of teaching. I'm very excited, I cannot wait to be in the schools. I also have my first clients for private English lessons tomorrow! So this week will be a busy one, with lots of classes and getting used to being in the schools and actually being the one who does the schooling instead of the one who receives the schooling...
So, I will try and post pictures and write in this blog once a week, for anyone who is interested in reading or even just looking at the pictures. The pictures will be much better than my babbling, I'm sure.
Oh, one more thing about the weather, it's hot. Very hot, and it's humid. Very humid, like 24/7 sauna. But nonetheless, I have an excuse not to workout, because it's like every thing I do is a workout, because I'm constantly sweating.
Ok, last thing, it get bright so early here. I wake up anywhere from 5:30-6:30am, partly because it's already light, partly because the roosters cock-a-doodle-doo-ing, and partly because I go to be around 9pm, giving me a good 8-9 hours of sleep...
P.S. I named my blog "La vie est trop courte pour mauvaises bananes" (Life is too short for bad bananas) because bananas are VERY abundant here, I have many in my kitchen, and the other day I was eating one, and it wasn't that good, a bit old, but I kept eating anyway, finally, about halfway through, I thought to myself, why should I eat this banana thats not that good, when I have 5 more that are very good right in front of me? So I threw the one I was eating to the pigs (les cochons) and I ate a good one. Life is too short to eat bad bananas.
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