Ramble On

Yesterday after returning from the Prefecture (french DMV, just as badas the US) after an unsuccessful attempt at registering the car, I found that the house had been broken into and that my computer, computer bag, iPod and case and headphones, camera had all been stolen. They tried to take the TV but they either didn't have time or decided it was too heavy. I'm pretty sure that when I got back and pulled into the house they were still there and had to hide and that's why they left the TV. So life in Martinique is set back quite a few steps. Everytime I move forward here, something else comes along. I'm tired of it. I had locked the house up tight and made sure that everything was closed because Marie-Ange had warned me about other robberies in the area. They got me. Add another B to the list: buses, bats, bees, burglars.

I had a very successful day in Martinique in terms of speaking French, and with one particular class. Before I start off; I have to apologize to Clint. I might have accidentally made one of my students have a crush on you and then taught them the song that goes "(your name here) and (object of your desire's name here) sitting in a tree; k-i-s-s-i-n-g; first comes love; then comes marriage; then comes baby in the baby carriage" and I might have used your name and a student's name. But don't worry; I warned her that she shouldn't get her hopes up. The students ate it up. These kids who I can barely get to speak in class, much less be interested, loved the song as it was a way to embarrass one of their own in another language. One got the feeling that the girl, Yasmina, ate it up as well though. She's an attention lover. That class, (it was the first time I'd had the class ever because the class who I normally have left for their internship for 6 weeks) ...

I went running in the rain today. It’s been raining here for two straight days. At time it’s been light, at times a deluge, but always raining. I didn’t go running yesterday. Today I didn’t go until later in the day to see if I could find a crack in the weather about an hour long. Then I got wrapped up in some things, and missed my window. The clouds were heavy and dark in the west. I couldn’t see into the valley because the wall of rain was already that thick and close. I started to feel the need to defy something. I needed to defy the weather. I needed to defy Martinique and it’s tendency to defeat me in things I try to do. The clouds got thicker. I could feel the wind start to pick up. I put on my shoes. Droplets started falling, I walked out the door. I breathed in the water and air and started running down the road. Every step I took it seemed like the rain started coming down more and after a few minutes it was pouring and I was soaked. I didn’t care though. I sta...

Ah! An escape from Martinique. Couldn’t have come at a better time. I got a few assistants together to split a little cottage in southern Guadeloupe for this week off from school. I didn’t do much in the days leading up to it. Just packed and putzed around th e apartment. I helped Sylvie paint her furniture in the apartment, somehow managed to get a cold in the hottest place I’ve ever lived, and read The Grapes of Wrath. Right. On to the excit ing part. We left on Sunday at noon on the high-speed catamaran ferry that goes to Guadeloupe via Dominica. The winds were pretty high that day and we ended up having really rough seas. The boat pitched from side to side almost constantly once we didn’t have an island to protect us. I had taken seasick pills befo re I got on to be extra careful. I didn’t really think that it would be a problem for me but I had heard horror stories of others. It was actually a pretty pleasant way to travel save for the c onstant side to side motion and ...