Les Saintes

     Sometimes I forget I'm living on a small island, until I look on a map and realize that I'm actually residing on that tiny butterfly-shaped dot in the Caribbean.
     You've already been introduced to two of Guadeloupe's islands, La Desirade and Petite Terre. But now it's time to discover another one of Guadeloupe's treasures: Les Saintes (Islands of the Saints).  Known to have the second most beautiful bay in the world, this small archipelago is composed of 9 islands, two of 

which are inhabited: "Terre de Haut" and "Terre de Bas." Finding these islands on a map would be an impossible task, so let me give you a better idea of their size. With a total population of 3,400 and a surface area of 5 sq miles between these two islands, you might begin to think that they don't have much to offer. But that's where you're wrong. The charm, the tranquility, the beautiful views, the tight-knit community feel, and the quaintness of the villages is something you don't often experience elsewhere. It became clear that everyone on the island knew each other, as soon as we told someone we were looking for Joelle, and they responded with "There are two Joelles, which one are you looking for?" Or as we walked down the street and saw about 20 kids playing together at the park at night, or skating in the streets because there is barely a car that drives by. As the island

Typical car used to get around

and the roads themselves are small, people only drive golf carts or scooters/motorcycles.

     After taking a 30-minute ferry from Guadeloupe, you walk off the boat and immediately feel as if you're entering another country. The colors of the houses are just as bright as the turquoise waters, goats are freely roaming everywhere, and your ears pick up a different creole that is much more comprehensible and closer to French than the creole back on the main island. After further research on their language, I learned that few slaves were brought to Les Saintes and it was the people from Brittany and Normandy who settled there to fish. Hence their creole stems mostly from the interbreeding of the European colonists.

"Close because of the goats! Thanks."

     Off of one of the beaches is an amazing snorkeling spot they call "The Natural Aquarium," and it turned out it's named that for a good reason. I was amazed by the giant blue parrotfishes and the small butterflyfishes, but as I continued to swim out deeper, it was the first time I had found myself swimming among giant schools of fish. As my luck would have it, however, I soon swam quickly back to shore when I saw a giant shark swimming toward me (no, I'm just kidding...no sharks in Guadeloupe! Let's back up...) when I started getting stung repeatedly all over my body by an invisible source in the water. I wish I would have known before I got the red stinging rashes that it was the season for sea lice (aka jellyfish larvae). Nothing much I could do after that though. I mean, of course a Pharmacy wouldn't be open - it was a Sunday.

     Guadeloupe may only be a dot on a map, with Les Saintes not even visible, but it's amazing how beauty reveals itself in the least expected places, or when you didn't even know it was there.

     Experience the beauty for yourself by watching the video I made below! From beneath the waters to the highest viewpoints...
VIDEO: Les Saintes

Petite Terre: The Iguana Kingdom

      After bracing the rough waters on a two-hour catamaran ride, you arrive to this beautiful natural reserve, ruled by the 10,000+ iguanas on land, surrounded by turquoise waters, home to sea turtles and baby sharks. This little corner of paradise is known as Petite Terre ("Small land") - Two small, uninhabited islands that are part of Guadeloupe, but are dependent of the commune of La Désirade. This is one of the only places in the world where you can find this protected and endangered species of iguanas (Iguana delicatissima or Antilles Iguana). Imagine - 1/3 of all these iguanas in the world are found on this tiny island of 0.6 square miles.  On the other hand, the green iguanas found on the main island of Guadeloupe aren't a part of their kingdom!

Antilles Iguana

Guadeloupe's first lighthouse

On Petite Terre, you will also find the first Guadeloupean lighthouse, which was built in 1840, after the rise in importance of fishing and trading between islands and France.

Green Sea Turtle

                                                   Diving below the waters of the lagoon, you will swim among a variety of tropical fish, crabs, lobsters, sea urchins, green sea turtles, and may even spot some baby lemon sharks if you're lucky. This area is commonly known as one of the best snorkeling spots in Guadeloupe.

After touring the island on foot and cautiously jumping across iguanas blocking the pathways, we were served a barbecue lunch on the beach with a T-punch (their typical rum punch). Life here sometimes feels like a never-ending summer vacation, but I'm not complaining!   

Experience the wildlife and views for yourself by watching my video below: 

VIDEO: Petite Terre

La Désirade: An Island of Rejects or a Hidden Gem?

La Désirade

     After a 45-minute, bumpy, stomach-sloshing boat ride, we finally arrived to La Désirade: one of the five islands that is part of Guadeloupe. On this small island, there is a library, a Post Office, a few small grocery stores, some restaurants, two Elementary schools, and three beaches. On Christopher Columbus' second voyage, this island was his first sight of land, which lead him to give it the name "La Désirade" - The Desired Land. However, he wasn't interested in coming ashore to explore the island as there was no sign of water, which is why he continued his route to Guadeloupe. In fact, this land was never an interest to settlers for that same reason. It later became a hiding place for pirates, and until 1958, the site of a leper colony. The western part of the island was also a place of banishment for offenders of mainland Guadeloupe, and sometimes even France. 

     Because of its history of being an island of rejects, Guadeloupians on the main island seem to still hold onto the negative view of La Désirade, and as such, it remains a place not often frequented by tourists. From any eastern point on Guadeloupe, you can see La Désirade in the distance. But solely admiring it from afar is like looking at the surface of the ocean and not wondering what's beneath it. I knew I couldn't leave Guadeloupe without discovering what stories this island had to tell.  

    Being only seven miles long and one mile

wide, it's easy to visit the whole island with a car in one day.  However, there is only one road accessible by car that goes from one side to the other. Otherwise, you need 4-wheel drive, or lots of drinking water and endurance to go by foot and explore the top of the plateau. 

The hand-drawn map

     We chose the option by foot, but little did we know that the trail (if you can even call it that) to the top wouldn't be so obvious.  Following a map that was hand-drawn for us on an envelope by a Désirade native, we set out on an adventure to follow the directions he had given us. 

STEP ONE: Find the "trailhead," which was located up a hill across from an old bus stop, past a house, around the first barbed-wire fence, and then the second giant barbed-wire fence, and finally after the fifth pole of the fence. The man explained that after the first barbed-wire fence there will be a trail that leads to some pigs. He warned, "If you run into the pigs, then you have gone too far to the right. Always stay on the left of the pigs." It seemed easy enough, but somehow fifteen minutes later I found myself in the middle of a group of pigs starring and growling at me like a pack of wild dogs. I never knew pigs could sound so vicious! I turned around and ran away as quickly as possible, retracing my steps and looking for the trail heading left that we missed. Finally we spotted a small opening in the vegetation that had the potential to be a trail, but clearly wasn't often frequented as one. Well, we took our chances. Eventually we spotted the barbed-wire fence that lead us to the trailhead. 

STEP TWO: Make it up the mountain and find the road on the top that goes across the island. Luckily, on the way up, we didn't run into any more pigs - just lizards and land-crabs.

FOUND IT!

STEP THREE: Pass through a restricted area where the wind turbines are located and find the lookout that gives you the most beautiful view on the island.

Step Three: COMPLETE!

Notre Dame du Calvaire

STEP FOUR: Head across the plateau, find the small blue chapel, then head back down from there. As there were no signs along this road, we had no idea how close or how far the chapel was, making each trailhead we passed a questionable opportunity.
After heading down a few too many of those paths and turning around, we finally came across the blue chapel and another beautiful viewpoint.

STEP FIVE: Head down the mountain to the main road and follow the road from there. Five hours later, and after stopping at a small supermarket for a Floup (a Guadeloupian popsicle), we finally ended up where we started! What an adventure and a beautiful way to discover the island.

Former Meteorological Station

     On the easternmost part of the island, there is an old meteorological station from the 1930's that was used to monitor hurricanes, as it is Guadeloupe's furthest point in the Atlantic Ocean. Although, destroyed by hurricane Hugo in 1989, the station is now closed. 
     As La Désirade is the oldest island in the Lesser Antilles, it has rocks that are 145 million years old (the oldest in the Caribbean), which you can find on the eastern part of the island as well. This area is a geological Natural Reserve and often visited by geologists. I could have stayed there all day looking at all the different kinds of rocks and shells you can find on the beach.  Of course, there are white-sand beaches as well - no tourists in sight, just palm trees and turquoise waters protected by the coral reef, perfect for snorkeling.  You're sure to not miss seeing the King who dominates the land, the iguana, as he roams everywhere, and is loved and protected by the locals.

Colombo Chicken

     A visit to a new place is never complete without tasting their traditional food. A large part of the Desiradian cuisine is made up of several traditional goat recipes, but I didn't have enough time or courage to taste any. Instead, I tried the Colombo Chicken, another typical dish. For dessert, their famous cashew fruit is cooked for several days in cane sugar, and used as a syrup over ice cream. 

     It may be known as "The Forgotten," but La Désirade proved to truly be a hidden gem, leaving you with the desire to return among its lush nature, tranquility, and simplicity... and with a memory that will definitely never be forgotten.

     Watch the video below for the whole adventure and to see the beautiful views!

VIDEO: La Desirade

Beautiful Basse Terre

Basse Terre. Where does its name come from? The name literally translates to "Lowland," but what if I told you it's a volcanic and mountainous region, with the highest mountain range in the Lesser Antilles? So, why does its name seem to be so contradictory? In fact, its topology doesn't come from it's altitude, but rather from marine lingo that named the lands based on the trade winds, and which part of the island they hit first. Being hit last by the winds, this region earned its name, Basse Terre.

As Basse Terre is the region with the rainforest, the weather is often more humid and more rainy. Driving through Basse Terre is a beautiful adventure itself - small winding roads through lush walls of green with vines dangling down above you. Taking on this adventure at night, however, can be more tricky, as there are no street lights, and of course not even the slightest glimmer of city lights! Just pure darkness with the moon above in the infinite clear sky, accompanied by millions of glittering diamonds.

Towering over the region of Basse Terre is the famous "old lady." Nicknamed by Guadeloupians as such, this active volcano, la Soufriere, is the highest point in Guadeloupe. Thanks to the volcano, you can also enjoy several black-sand beaches and hot springs.

When you make it all the way across to the most western part of the island, you will come to the Cousteau Reserve, named after the French explorer and scientist, Jacques Cousteau. This is a protected marine area with coral reefs where you can see many different types of fish, big and small, sea turtles, eels, and seahorses.

The Third Cabret Falls

The First and Second Cabret Falls

This area of Guadeloupe offers many opportunities to explore the nature by walking along any of its many hiking trails. But don't count on coming back from a hike without legs covered in mud! Some of the trails lead to waterfalls, where you can even take a dip in the pool that catches the waterfall. Jumping in the cold river water feels quite refreshing after a long hike in the humidity of the rainforest.  Otherwise, you can admire the grandesse of the Carbet Falls that flow down the slopes of the volcano and that caught the eye of Christopher Columbus during his second voyage. Being the first sign of water, they inspired him to coin the nickname, "Island of Beautiful Waters," for Guadeloupe. 

Porcelain Roses

Trekking through the rainforest you can come across kapok trees, huge rubber trees, wild pineapples, different sizes of ferns, and more than 100 varieties of orchids. However, the best way to see Guadeloupe's native flora is to take a walk through the Botanical Garden, where you will be struck by the beauty of the porcelain roses, discover exotic fruit trees, such as the breadfruit tree, and even get eye-to-eye with the colorful lorikeet birds.

If you are up for any kind of adventure with nature or are a fauna and flaura fanatic, Basse Terre is the place to explore.

To get a better picture of the beautiful Basse Terre, take a look at the video I put together by clicking below:

VIDEO: Exploring Basse Terre

Christmas in the Tropics

My Christmas decorations

     This year, Christmas had a different feel to it. Apart from the huge crowds at the shopping mall, the extra long lines at the post office, and the uncontrollable excitement of students, it was hard for me to believe it was Christmas already.  Maybe it was because of the 85 degree weather, and the lack of real Christmas trees and "winteresque" Christmas music.  However, holidays such as Christmas are also the best way to learn more about a culture and its traditions.

At the Chanté Nwel

A student made his stocking for me

     In my classes, I shared what Christmas is like in my city, and my students told me about their Christmas traditions in Guadeloupe.  With the 6th graders, we made Christmas cards and stockings to give as gifts, and with the 9th graders we sang American and Guadeloupian Christmas carols and ate sweets. One of my favorite parts about teaching abroad is this type of cultural exchange.  I learned that one of their main Christmas traditions is Christmas caroling, or as they say, "Chanté Nwel." Christmas caroling parties are either held at someone's home and shared among friends and family, or there are public ones where you can pay a small fee to attend. There, people eat, dance, and sing traditional Creole Christmas songs or French ones that they have adapted to a Guadeloupian rhythm.  The sounds and beats are not what I would typically associate with Christmas, but I like it.  The upbeat music and the lively atmosphere makes everyone want to dance. I attended a Chanté Nwel, held at the airport, with my Bolivian friend and a Guadeloupian couple. To experience this traditional celebration, you can watch the video at the end.

     I was invited to spend Christmas with a teacher I work with and her family. On Christmas Eve, four other professors and I gathered at her house to have a traditional Guadeloupian  Christmas meal on the patio: Christmas ham, boudin (black pudding), stewed pork, rice, pigeon peas, red currant juice, and log cake. Dinner started at 10pm and finished around 1am with a cup of tea. But by then, the party was just getting started. The night continued with dancing and singing and lots of conversation in Creole that my brain could only attempt to keep up with. Even their five-year-old son stayed up and played with all the toys Santa had left under the tree when he wasn't looking. I spent the night at their house, going to bed just before 5am. Christmas morning I had breakfast with them and watched their son open the rest of the presents Santa had left him during the night. I eagerly joined in playing the games he received, remembering some of them from my childhood.  It's always hard being away from family during the holidays, but I am grateful to have had the opportunity to take part in another culture's celebrations and experience a different kind of Christmas spirit.

Video: Christmas in Guadeloupe

A strange sighting of Santa's sleigh

At the Bus Stop

     Every morning before work, I am standing at the bus stop at 7am waiting for a bus that will arrive anywhere between 7am and 7:30am. This leaves me a possible 30 minutes for anything to happen, for any unexpected encounter. Let's take a look one day at a time...


October 28th, 2016:

     7:10am - A man with baggy, ripped jeans approached me and said something to me I couldn't make out. I assumed he was going to ask me for bus money, but when he repeated his mumbled, slurred phrase, I was able to grasp just a part of it: "...beautiful blue eyes." I said, "Thank you," and he smiled a large toothless smile and continued to mumble something else incomprehensible to my ears. After asking him to repeat three times, he said, "You don't speak French?" "No," I said shaking my head as my nose grew. After that, he instantly turned around and walked away. Needless to say, the next day I didn't forget my sunglasses.
     12:05pm - On any other Friday afternoon I would be waiting at the bus stop to take the bus home, but this Friday the bus stop was a meeting place where I was to meet a friend after work. When I saw the bus coming in the distance, I started to walk down the street away from the bus stop, so the driver wouldn't think he needed to stop for me. I was looking down at my phone when I noticed the bus had pulled up and stopped by me anyways. The doors opened and the bus driver said to me, "You're not going to Chanzy Street today?" I explained to him I was waiting for a friend, so he continued on his way. Surprised that he remembered me and where I get off, it was in that moment I remembered I was living on an island. Everyone knows everyone here it seems.

November 10th, 2016:

     7:05am - Waiting at the bus stop amongst a group of Guadeloupians, a man approached me and asked me something in creole. Seeing that I didn't understand his question, he repeated it while pointing to his eyes then to the ATM behind him. I inferred that he wanted me to watch his back while he withdrew money, so I nodded in agreement. He approached the ATM and I kept my distance, but watched him as he had asked me to do. He reached into his pocket searching for his wallet, but when his hand came out empty, he frantically emptied all his pockets. With a look of disbelief, he rechecked all his pockets three more times before he grumbled and walked away. Well, I guess my job was done.

November 11th, 2016:

     7:15am - Again at the bus stop among maybe 15 Guadeloupians, a woman in her 70's came up to me and asked me something in creole while pointing at the ATM. It was like déjà vu from the day before, so I assumed she was asking for the same thing. I said, "Yes, of course!" and kept my distance again, but was ready to watch her back.
    

As she walked up to the ATM, I looked around me, wondering why I'm always the one asked for help when I'm clearly the only one that doesn't speak creole in the crowd. Then I noticed the woman was at the ATM looking back at me and gesturing for me to come closer. Having no idea what she wanted from me, I walked up right beside her. I guess you could say I was quite surprised when she all of a sudden handed me her credit card. All I could understand from what she was saying while pointing at the ATM was, "a ticket." I quickly deduced that she wanted to print an account summary. So, I inserted her credit card and the next thing I knew, she opened her wallet and handed me a small crumpled piece of paper that had her 4-digit code written on it. I entered her code for her and chose the option to print an account summary. Once the ticket printed, I handed it to her along with her card, without looking because, well, that's private information!
     But just as I thought my job was done, she handed the ticket back to me, running her finger across it several times. I thought to myself, "Does she want me to read it to her?" Yes. I read it back to her: "Balance: 92 euros." She looked at me and asked in a mix of French and creole if 92 euros was a lot. I hesitated and quite honestly wasn't sure how to respond. Then she asked me something else, but all I made out was "20 euros." I said, "Yes, it's more than 20 euros." She then pointed at the ATM again, so I asked if she wanted me to withdraw 20 euros. She nodded and handed me back her card and code. Meanwhile, I kept checking down the street, hoping my bus wouldn't come.
     Once I gave her the money, she asked, "Now how much do I have left?" Doing the simple mental math, I responded, "72 euros." The follow-up question was then, "Is that a lot?"  Was I saying my numbers correctly? After briefly questioning myself on my ability to count in French, I quickly tried to think of a way to explain the quantity of 72. "You can withdraw 20 euros about three more times," I explained. Her face lit up and she nodded in comprehension. She continued to say some other things to me, but I just nodded and smiled, pretending I understood. Then she thanked me and walked away with her 20 euros. As for me, I walked away with a good feeling, and luckily, I didn't miss my bus.

     These stories are a reminder that two people don't always need to speak the same language to understand each other.

Under the sun and palm trees on the "Island of Beautiful Waters"

     After my second year abroad in France last year, I decided that even though I love living in Europe, it was time for me to step out of my comfort zone again and try something new. So in September, I packed up my sunglasses, bathing suit, summer clothes, and mosquito repellent and flew to the French overseas department, Guadeloupe - an island in the West Indies.

     October to May I'll be teaching English in two Junior High Schools in Pointe-à-Pitre, 6th grade through 9th grade. Not only will this year be a challenge because I will need to adapt to another culture and lifestyle, but also because it will be my first time teaching in a Junior High. To add to that challenge, the schools I've been assigned to are "REP schools," meaning that the students are typically more difficult. As one teacher described it, a lot of the students are immigrants from the Dominican Republic and Haiti and come from poor families, or they were sent to the school after being expelled from their previous school for violence. But...challenge accepted.
     Guadeloupe is made up of five islands, and Grande Terre is the one on which I am living and teaching. There are around 470,500 habitants in Guadeloupe, and even though the official language is French, Guadeloupe people speak Guadeloupian creole, which dates back to the time of colonization and slavery.

     Ever since my plane was about to touch down and I thought, "We're landing in this jungle?!", all five of my senses have been adapting to this new environment - from feeling like I'm constantly walking through the rainforest exhibit at the zoo with sticky skin, to smelling the salt water, algae, and fresh caught fish in the morning, to tasting the local specialties and the spices of creole food, to seeing the sun every day and some of the most beautiful landscapes and beaches, to falling asleep to the sound of crashing waves, crickets, and frogs.

     To give you a better idea of the culture shock I experienced my first few weeks, here is a list of my first thoughts and observations:

1) "I'm living in the jungle!"
2) "How did these cockroaches get in my apartment?"
3) "I feel like a princess under this mosquito net."
4) "Oh hey lizard, what are you doing hiding in my towel?"
5) When night falls at 6pm, all the insects start singing and I can't help but feel like I'm camping.
6) When I passed a goat standing on a parked car and got cut off by chickens, I started to realize that almost everyone seems to have goats and/or chickens.
7) What time does the bus come? Nobody knows...
8) I discovered a new feeling of disappointment: When you can't find a certain food at the grocery store and realize you have to wait for a new shipment to come in from France.
9) People take their time for everything. If you want to take 10 minutes to pay and bag your groceries, nobody will have a problem.
10) People start saying "Good evening" anytime after Noon.
11) When children are punished in class, they are told to stand behind their chair or to stand in the corner of the classroom. I learned this one day when I was standing in front of the classroom ready to introduce myself to the class and the teacher told me, "Sit down, you look punished." It took me a while to get used to that, so I was told to sit down quite a lot. Apparently there is a saying in France that if you stand too much, it means you want to grow taller.
12) I discovered Gwo ka: their traditional dancing and drumming that one can often hear during the weekend. 
13) Never, EVER, forget your umbrella. And even if you remember to bring it, people will advise you not to walk in the rain. But, I'm a Seattleite and I can't help it.
   
To get a better visual of what Guadeloupe is like, I put together a video that you can see by clicking here :
Video : "Welcome to Guadeloupe"

Stay tuned for more stories and videos about this paradise that Christopher Columbus named "The Island of Beautiful Waters."