As I am writing this we still have one more month to enjoy here in Martinique but our internet connection is only up until today. We prefer to stop it a month earlier than having it done at the last minute, we don't want to have more stress and any possible problems coming because as we know these companies would always want us to continue our business relationship even if at times it's completely just not possible.
It has been a very colorful one year and a couple of months and a perfect transition for me from the Philippines to France. In a month we'll be in Brest and a lot of people are so negative about it because they say it's cold, there's no sun, we can't go to the beach etc...okay they may be right but if I focus on the negative things I'll be very sad and it won't help the situation at all. On the positive note I'll be discovering France and perhaps some parts of Europe with Fabrice, I'll be seeing a lot of new things, tasting a lot of new foods, experiencing a completely new culture and be eight hours nearer the Philippines. It will be a completely different world and to be honest yes I am a little afraid and worried because it means adjusting to a lot of new things again but at least now I can say I can speak French in a fairly well level. Many people had been telling me scary things about the weather of where we will live but what can I do? Since the beginning I knew that my husband didn't come from a tropical place and besides as one martiniquaise told us, "avec l'amour tout va" which means "with love every thing's gonna be okay". It's a very good statement which is for sure gonna stay in our hearts and she is totally right.
I love Martinique! Before knowing my husband I never knew where on earth is this place, never even heard of it, of course I have heard about the Caribbean but I just really didn't care knowing where in the world it is. Then God gave me the chance not just to know where it is but to live in this "paradise". It still amazes me how a lot of things are the same here from my own Cebu like the fruits, foods, trees and animals even if it is twenty-three hours by plane plus the airport waiting times and transfers. It is a pretty long way from home but I never feel so far however my health had been reacting weirdly with my adjustment. We have the same insects but my skin reaction to my insect bites here are so bad I have to take some strong medicines and live with a lot of scars which hopefully will be erased with time.
Martinique is a very beautiful island. I have met many people here who say they don't like being here yet they stay. They don't like the island because while they are here they decide to just stay in their apartment and long for their own big city. If I had the same lifestyle as these people I would perhaps have the same feeling but luckily God gave me a husband who shows me the best in whichever world we are in. I have done a lot of beautiful trekkings in this island where the views are breathtaking! Unfortunately I have met people who are not so nice too, like anywhere else in the world but I will never forget all the kindness that I have seen and experienced either. When you are in a place where the only family you have is your husband and the only one he got is you then even the simplest act of kindness will be appreciated.
In the Philippines our skin colors are so mixed as well, even in my family I already see the difference but it is in Martinique where I have met really black skinned people and see their beauty up close. Here I have also met and talked to a lot of different people from different walks of life and different cultures. I have seen the kindness and the brilliance of a person no matter which country he or she comes from and so as the stupidity. I have seen vast cultural differences and even wonder how these people see me and see the Philippines in me.
In this island I experience being far from my family for the first time and started living and enjoying my married life with my husband, my new family. I have found some new friends and met a lot of interesting people. We have made a lot of beautiful memories here and whenever we feel cold in the the metropolis of France I hope these memories will help us feel warm every once in a while.
I will miss this island and will forever keep a very special place for it in my heart, and by the way, I have also confirmed that Martinique which former name is Madinina is really the island of flowers. I have seen it change its color from yellow, to pink, to red, to green, to orrange, to brown and then back to yellow again....simply beautiful! When I was a kid, I already saw this place in my imagination where the fields are green, the birds are not afraid of being shot, the animals are fat and healthy and the fruits and flowers don't stop blooming. I am so lucky and thankful that God gave me the chance to live a dream-kind of life.
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| Les Papayers, Anse à l'ane, Les Trios Ilets, Martinique |
