“On y va!”, Tommy yelled, the boat starting with a roar. As I sat on this boat filled mostly with Martiniquais, I picked out a young couple sitting in the back. They were British. The woman had her hair cornrowed into a ponytail, a blue printed dress, and was scribbling notes in a maroon leather-bound…
10 of the Best Local Foods in Martinique & Where to Eat Them!
Fruit picked from the tree, vegetables pulled from the ground, fish, uhh… fished from the ocean — the truth is, I never had a more well-rounded diet than when I lived in Martinique. Food in Martinique is its own thing, a rich mélange of West African, French, Indigenous, and South Asian flavours, foodstuffs, and cooking styles.…
The Best Beaches in Martinique that aren’t Les Salines
I’m going back to Martinique! For those of you who don’t know, I taught English in Martinique for 14 months over two years. It was a time filled with challenges (relationship and work-related), learning, growth, fun, and a place where I was probably my healthiest (read: I had a bangin’ bod and a fabulous tan).…
Postcard from Martinique: Rose de Porcelaine Flower
They don’t call Martinique the Isle of Flowers for nothing. I’ve always thought this was an odd looking flower. Like it was sticking its tongue out at me. But I could never stop staring at them either. They look made of plastic and they grow on these tall, random stalks. You know how Tyra…
Safe Sex in Martinique: 8 Practical Tips
I wrote in my Year in Search article that queries related to sex in Martinique is one of the most common search terms I get for people who find my blog. The post they land on isn’t about intercourse at all, it’s a narrative story about the moment when I realized how much I had…
Surviving Your First Lessons as a Teaching Assistant in France
It’s that time of year again – British Council, Comenius and TAPIF assistants from English-speaking countries around the world are preparing to enter classrooms full of French kids to help them improve their English. If there’s one thing I learned in my 2 years as an English assistant in France, it’s that being able to…
My Blue Crush – Surfing in Martinique
I slowed down for a second – just a second – to catch my breath. I thought I had made it past her but when I looked up she was right there. I was staring right into her face. Her lip curled bearing sharp, white teeth. Then, darkness. It was the last time I would…
Quimbois: Martinique’s Answer to Voodoo
Disponible en Francais: Cliquez ici My first year in Martinique, my roommate developed unexplained marks on her neck, back, and legs. According to a friend of ours, a dorlis had attacked her in her sleep. The dorlis is said to be a male practitioner of black magic that transforms to an evil spirit to assault,…
Tous les chemins mènent…au rhum!
Available in English: Click here En Martinique, on n’est jamais à plus de 12 kilomètres de la mer. Egalement, une distillerie n’est jamais très loin ! C’est rare que le paysage, les gens et les traditions d’un pays sont dans telle harmonie avec un produit – mais le rhum en Martinique est plus qu’une denrée,…
National Rum Day
Part of being Jamaican-Canadian and then spending over a year living in the Caribbean means being a pretty big fan of rum. I’m not much of a drinker, but I started learning about it from a young age. My mom always had a bottle or two of Wray & Nephew’s white rum for soaking her delicious…