Sunday in the Country
Saturday afternoon we all got back to the place where we had been staying, packed up our things and were all picked up and taken to our lodgings. I am glad to be back in the apartment. We went on our first grocery story trip and had a good time trying to pick out things we love to eat in France and find some American favorites. We found a good balance between pain au chocolat and breakfast cereal, passion fruit juice and fresh avocados. The fruit here is amazing and the choice of juices at the store is almost overwhelming. It’s fantastic though. So is the fruit.
Sunday was a very relaxed day. I went on my first run in St. Joseph which was sunny and quiet at the beginning and halfway through turned into torrential downpour. The rain here is unpredictable and at times, very heavy. It’s refreshing though. I didn’t mind running in it except my shoes were very heavy at the end. The rest of the day we spent organizing and chatting with Marie-Ange and the lady who’s staying with her temporarily, Sylvie. They are hilarious and I had such a nice day sort of talking with them and having people drop by to say hello and talking with everyone for hours. Nothing gets done on time here, and I think that will bother me, but it’s something I’ve realized I’ll have to add to the growing list of things to adapt to. I just can’t be too rigid in anything or I’m bound to be frustrated. Sylvie is from mainland France and I asked her if that was something that bothered her, and she said yes, at the beginning, but you’ll be able to see how it’s good and bad in some ways.
All in all, I’m looking forward to these months in Martinique. We get our first long break in a few weeks, at the end of October, and I’m hoping to be able to spend it somewhere fun. We don’t get paid until the end of November so I’ll have to get pretty creative. Imagine two months of work without a salary. Stupid bureaucracy. But I think these first weeks will be important for me to adapt and figure out how things go here. Plus I have a ton of paperwork and forms to wade through. I should be getting a car soon, so that will make things a little easier. It’s a VW Golf, which makes me SO happy. I couldn’t believe I found it, but I’m pretty sure it’s the one I’m getting. After that it’s just a matter of getting used to the horrendous traffic on the island and finding my way around.
I know this is very long, but if you made it this far, thanks for reading. Perhaps it was too detailed but such are the opening moments of a new experience. You want to savor every last morsel of it, good or bad.
I have an address now, so write me and send me things and keep in touch at:
Karla Petty
Chez Madame Ponremy
Petit-Berry
97212 St. Joseph
Martinique
I also have a cell phone number: 06 96 73 01 78. It takes a few tries to figure out how to dial it but the country code for Martinique is 596, so I think you dial 011 + 596 + 696 730178. Something like that. Calling cards aren’t that expensive, though calling a mobile phone is more expensive than calling a landline, which I will have fairly soon. I’ll be sure to post that number as well when it’s activated.
Talk to you all very soon!
Sunday was a very relaxed day. I went on my first run in St. Joseph which was sunny and quiet at the beginning and halfway through turned into torrential downpour. The rain here is unpredictable and at times, very heavy. It’s refreshing though. I didn’t mind running in it except my shoes were very heavy at the end. The rest of the day we spent organizing and chatting with Marie-Ange and the lady who’s staying with her temporarily, Sylvie. They are hilarious and I had such a nice day sort of talking with them and having people drop by to say hello and talking with everyone for hours. Nothing gets done on time here, and I think that will bother me, but it’s something I’ve realized I’ll have to add to the growing list of things to adapt to. I just can’t be too rigid in anything or I’m bound to be frustrated. Sylvie is from mainland France and I asked her if that was something that bothered her, and she said yes, at the beginning, but you’ll be able to see how it’s good and bad in some ways.
All in all, I’m looking forward to these months in Martinique. We get our first long break in a few weeks, at the end of October, and I’m hoping to be able to spend it somewhere fun. We don’t get paid until the end of November so I’ll have to get pretty creative. Imagine two months of work without a salary. Stupid bureaucracy. But I think these first weeks will be important for me to adapt and figure out how things go here. Plus I have a ton of paperwork and forms to wade through. I should be getting a car soon, so that will make things a little easier. It’s a VW Golf, which makes me SO happy. I couldn’t believe I found it, but I’m pretty sure it’s the one I’m getting. After that it’s just a matter of getting used to the horrendous traffic on the island and finding my way around.
I know this is very long, but if you made it this far, thanks for reading. Perhaps it was too detailed but such are the opening moments of a new experience. You want to savor every last morsel of it, good or bad.
I have an address now, so write me and send me things and keep in touch at:
Karla Petty
Chez Madame Ponremy
Petit-Berry
97212 St. Joseph
Martinique
I also have a cell phone number: 06 96 73 01 78. It takes a few tries to figure out how to dial it but the country code for Martinique is 596, so I think you dial 011 + 596 + 696 730178. Something like that. Calling cards aren’t that expensive, though calling a mobile phone is more expensive than calling a landline, which I will have fairly soon. I’ll be sure to post that number as well when it’s activated.
Talk to you all very soon!
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