Travel With Candace

So misinformation was abound on Sunday as I tried to participate in the Carnival parade. Decked out in military green and the cardboard drum I’d made with my rasta buddy Deka (pictured), I looked for Akiyo for hours. It turned out that Akiyo left their headquarters earlier than usual and took a entirely different route than anyone expected. I wasn’t the only one confused, many passersby that saw my costume stopped me to inquire about the groups whereabouts. Sadly, I was of no help.

I never got to march with Akiyo on Sunday, but was able to watch some of the other Carnival groups pass by. In the end, witnessing the variety of costumes and music was a fair consolation; though I couldn’t raise my arms in the crush of people to get good pictures.

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Carnival (aka Carnaval) season has begun on across the Caribbean, which basically means every week leading up to the week long celebration (Feb 2nd-6th ) there are street parties around Guadeloupe and many islands alike. People gather to watch the various Carrnival groups march and sing in costume. I march with a group called Akiyo, one of the largest and oldest groups on the island.

While some groups have very elaborate costumes, Akiyo, by its very mission, is a group of the people. Akiyo calls for only simple, natural and/or reusable items so anyone can participate. There is a different theme every week. This Sunday the costumes were made out of green vegetation; the variety wasn’t important but one type of vine seemed to prevail. My friend, Andrea, and I made costumes of mostly palm leaves.

Participating in Carnival is a great time. You march, sing, and dance through the streets of a city; in my case Les Abymes and Pointe-a-Pitre. There is a group of drummers at the heart of the group drumming a constant rhythm. The streets are lined with people and vendors along the route. Young boys and some teenagers make whips which crack loudly in all directions. The air is filled with smoke from from the mixture of plants and sap that a group member carries at the head of the parade.

The march is probably about three miles in length and there are two breaks around 30 minutes long for rest and socializing. Food vendors follow the group so you can buy bokits, pastries, drinks etc. Right before each rest stop and the end of the march there is a drumming/dancing frenzy. My legs are pretty sore from it all and I lost my voice a bit, but it’s all worth it!

Each week I’ll let everyone know what Akiyo, and I in turn, are up to. Unfortunately the season is shorter than usual because Carnival is falling on the first week of February. It usually seems to fall around the third week of the month. Regardless, it should be a lot of fun.

Wish me luck!!

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One of my favorite things about Guadeloupe is drinking coconut water straight from the source. It’s tasty, refreshing, and fun to drink to boot. Indulging in this delicious treat usually goes as follows:

1) You find a coconut man or a friend with a palm tree and a machete. This person will chop the coconut just enough to make a small hole that provides access to the coconut water. I recently tried cutting my own coconut for the first time. It’s hard…and scary. I think the 1 Euro I pay the coconut men is well worth keeping me FAR away from any machete.

2) You drink said water, usually by hoisting the coconut in the air with your mouth on the machete-made opening. You can also drink it with a straw; it’s less messy but definitely not as fun.

3) You give the coconut back to the man (or machete touting friend). The coconut is then cut in half allowing you to eat the coconut flesh.

4) Throw the coconut back in the coconut truck or wherever your machete touting friend tells you to put it (they may be your friend but they still have a machete).

Hooray! You’re now a happy camper.

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I’m not one to complain much about the weather in these parts. I understand that I’m in the Caribbean and accept that a random rainstorm may befall me at various points in time. Today, however, I was caught in a downpour to end all downpours. Usually I wouldn’t mind too much, but I had my MacBook with me in a bag that was anything but water resistant. It could have been a serious issue, but I was able to shield my bag with my body. I felt kinda like that old VW commercial where that guy dives in front of the shopping cart, but I digress.

I trudged to one of my schools to hitch a ride with my landlady and the kids immediately put a smile on my face. Since they had no high-end electronics on their persons they were slipping and sliding around like there was no tomorrow.

I bet I’ll get the flu next week as a result.

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One of my favorite things about festivals or simply going to the beach on Guadeloupe is the freshly made coconut ice cream that is sold for one, two, or three Euros a cup (small medium, large). Though the ice cream can vary vendor to vendor, it is usually rich, creamy, and bursting with natural flavor. You can also find mango, guava, and pistachio ice cream from what I’ve seen. I’ll be sure to pass along on any other interesting flavors I find.

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One of my favorite Caribbean dishes so far is colombo. The dish’s name name comes from the spice used to flavor the stew which can be prepared with a variety of meats. The spice contains cumin, coriander, brown mustard, Tellicherry black pepper, cloves, fenugreek, turmeric and roasted rice as a thickener. It originated in Sri Lanka’s capitol of Colombo whose inhabitants were brought to the West Indies to work the sugar plantations.*

On this particular day at Restaurant An Ka Dou, the owner had prepared colombo à crab. I’d only had the dish with chicken or ox tail up to that point so I had to give it a try.

Delicious as usual!

*World Spice Merchants

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Point-à-Pitre’s 12th annual Jazz Festival took place this weekend at the Place de La Victoire. The Place was beautiful, draped in lights for Christmas, and filled with people and vendors. The performances begin at 8:00 each evening. Hugh Masekela was the biggest name and he delivered a great set Saturday night. His performance was stopped briefly due to rain, but he played almost two hours. The stage was surrounded by tents featuring artisans of various types. Their creations were beautiful and I definitely left a few Euros lighter. I’ve included the line up and link below. It’s definitely an event worth attending.

Jazz à Point-à-Pitre

Friday, December 14, 2007

Serge Alidor (Caribbean Jazz)
Jocelyn Menard and the Gwanada Big Band (Caribbean Jazz)

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Thurgot Theodat (Hatian Jazz)
Hugh Masekela (South African Jazz)

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Nguyen Le (Asian Fusion)
William Cepeda Afro-Rican Jazz Orchestra (Afro-Rican Jazz)

link 

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Yesterday a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit near Martinique, another French island. Luckily, the quake was centered deep underground so there was little tsunami danger and less damage than was possible. The event was felt for hundreds of miles and registered as a 4.8 quake on Guadeloupe. I was at a river around 2:00 p.m. Eastern when the quake occurred. It took a second to register, as I wasn’t expecting quakes here. Luckily, I was sitting down because I could have fallen of a rock into the basin. The quake lasted nearly 20 seconds and I, unlike all those around me, was actually left smiling after it ended. I guess it’s because they are something familiar for me being from California.

I don’t have a TV, hence, it was sometime before I realized magnitude of the quake on Martinique. There was no real damage on Guadeloupe, but apparently last year there were some problems with structural integrity at a few schools. They’re going to do a sweep to make sure the buildings are safe. So, the end result is that I don’t have to work today.

Happy Friday!

Powerful Earthquake Hits Caribbean
Earthquake Hits Guadeloupe

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So I almost missed Thanksgiving this year because it was so early calendar wise. Without all the cues I would have had at home, I expected Thanksgiving to fall the week of November 25th. Luckily I realized, and was able to hook up with a few other assistants to plan a Thanksgiving on Guadeloupe.

Now cooking Thanksgiving dinner on the island was definitely an adventure. I wasn’t able to find little things like, sage, poultry seasoning, cheddar cheese, and oh yeah - a turkey. There are no turkeys available until Christmas time so I bought the biggest bird I saw at the store. This turned out to be a rooster (laugh if you will), but I put it in a brine and it cooked up just fine. Apart from our Thanksgiving rooster we had: fried chicken wings, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, pasta salad, green salad and apple pie. The French people involved seemed to really enjoy the meal and it was fun to recount our holiday traditions and the “legend” of the first Thanksgiving. It was a great night and I think all us Americans felt a little bit at home.

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I’m coming up on the last few days of the school vacation for All Saints’ Day or “Toussaint” as it’s known in French. Falling on November 1st, All Saints’ Day is a Catholic Holiday recognizing all saints and martyrs, known or unknown link. In Guadeloupe the Holiday is a two-day celebration that spurs big family dinners and trips to local cemeteries where many candles are laid on the graves of departed loved ones. This tradition isn’t sad or morbid, actually, the sheer number of people, the joyous camaraderie, and numerous vendors make for a party around and in the cemetery.

The festivities in Morne a L’eau, where I’m stationed as a teacher, are some of the most famous on the island due to the town’s unique and expansive, black and white cemetery. It seemed like the whole commune came out to celebrate on Friday evening; I saw a number of my students and their families. As I ascended through the narrow walkways and stairways that pass between the tombs I was amazed at the scene. What seemed like thousands of candles bathed the cemetery in reddish glow and illuminated the hundreds of people that sat, walked, and visited amongst the graves late into the evening.

Witnessing this tradition in action was definitely one of the most interesting experiences I have had thus far. Additional photos from the cemetery can be found here.

Editor’s Note: Some of the pictures in the album are a bit blurry due all the different levels of light but I thought they might still be of interest.

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