I'm proud to say I come from the island of Guadeloupe in the French West Indies. Guadeloupe is one of the islands in the Caribbean and is located south of the Virgin Islands and north of Barbados to give you a general idea. Guadeloupe is a french island (meaning it is a dependence of France - kind of like Hawaii is to the US). My parents were born there and their parents before them, so I have deep roots there and a large family. Guadeloupe is a beautiful island with all its island problems but that's for another story.
When I was little, my dad wanted to see the world and after a dispute with his father (which happens a lot in old families) decided to transplant his roots to Quebec, Canada. So off to Montreal my mom, sister, brother and myself went. It was hard at first! No family, new surroundings, a different language (french canadian is very different than the regular french), and a lot of new foods we didn't know. But we adapted and grew to love it. We made friends, family members came to visit and some even stayed. I met my first boyfriend there and my best friend is still my best friend after thirty years.
Later when I was 18, my father wished to start a new business in Florida with its climate that was so much more like Guadeloupe. The move brought all of us a little closer to home while staying in America. Unfortunately for my dad, the business did not work and after much heartache and a divorce, he moved back to Canada.
But I stayed behind with my siblings and my mom. I met my future husband in the college courtyard, and 28 years later, 3 children, 3 dogs, several cats, a few fishes, snake pets, and even a live scorpion (my middle child is into critters), we are still married and I hope we'll continue to be and grow old together.
I continue to mix my french with my english, I love to make french foods and foods from Guadeloupe, I love to hear french music and see an occasional french movie with sub-titles (my husband is so good to me) but I have lived in America longer than anywhere else now and it is engrained in me. I am more comfortable speaking english than french to my mother's despair but I keep trying to stay true to my roots.
We love to travel whether in the U.S. or abroad. There is so much to learn from other people's cultures. The difference that we see in others is sometime what brings us together. So I hope that we will be able to continue explore the world as long as possible.
Well for my first blog, it is certainly is a long one but I hope that I have not bored you. Tomorrow is another day and let's see what it brings.
As one my favorite quote says: Don't dream your life, leave your dream! Let hope we can live our dream...
