NEW ARTICLES : APRIL 2007
• A Walk in a Space between France and the Tropics
L’île papillon. The butterfly island, as Guadeloupe is known, its two islands forming two wings stretching into separate oceans. The more time I spend here, I see these wings stretching into two oceans, and at the same time representing Guadeloupe’s stretching out towards two different cultures. Far from the French métropole, here one is amidst the dichotomies that come from being a part of a European country, yet influenced by the particular Caribbean climate, landscape, culture and history. It is a vast region full of nuances, dualities and organized chaos.
• Cultural Disconnect
The voice is soothing and the music in the background calmly reassuring; together they are like an old, worn, childhood blanket, wrapping me in the warmth of the well-known. The voice is Garrison Keiller, the music is the theme song for his Guy Noir Private Eye sketch. I am not however curled up on my parents’ couch next to the radio, instead I find myself staring at a computer screen wondering if I should do something productive as the NPR show streams through my internet connection.
• La Soufrière
Whenever I hear the name my brain immediately associates it with the word “suffering.” I am unsure why I have such negative connotations with the volcano that, at a height of 1467 meters, boasts the highest summit in the Lesser Antilles. It may come from the assumed pain that is conjured in my brain when I think of the combined difficulties of 90 degree tropical heat and steep mountainous ascents. On the other hand, it may all be a mere allusion, aggravated by others’ tales of their own suffering on the volcano slopes. In any event, I had to find out for myself, and in doing so it took two attempts.
MARCH 07
• A Banana Love Affair
It started late in life; my love was an acquired taste. As a child I was never a picky eater; the offspring of a mountain climber and a Swedish health freak I was fed every possible vegetable and fruit available. I tended to gladly eat what was put before me, except for one thing which made me cringe in a fashion that only 7 year olds can produce: the banana.
• International Fusion in Frisco
The orange hued red of the Golden Gate Bridge emanates through the thick fog covering. The bridge stands tall, an emblem of the city that it guards and watches over. Underneath it a large ship makes its way into the port, transporting goods from across the ocean. Sun reflects from the wake, trailing after the ship, and evokes the possibility of the type of weather that will scare away the fog.
• The Langage of Faux-Pas
It is 7:45, class starts in fifteen minutes. Today my students get to cut and color pictures of school materials and glue them in their English notebooks. I give the page with pictures to the secretary and ask politely for ten copies. I hesitate as I ask because I know that every time I come to make copies she glares at me, questioning whether I have cleared this with the teacher that I work with. I respond, even more politely this time, with a yes and shoot off a smile.
FEBRUARY 07
• Market Lady
“Qu’est-ce que tu veux chérie” What do you want dear, the large woman in a long skirt and sweaty red tank-top asks. Her hair is pulled tightly back into a small bun. Wisps of coarse hair stick out from beneath the tight elastic.
“Bah… je prendrai des ananas comme d’hab.” Umm... I guess I will take pineapple as usual. It’s funny that we are having this interchange; she knows exactly what I am after.
• Holyday Spirit in the Streets of Roseau
The street below me moves energetically in a pre-Christmas rush. I sit above it, drinking my coffee in a white plastic chair on an outdoor terrace. Sounds of reggae rhythmically fill the air, the waitress quietly dancing to the sounds as she moves back and forth between tables and the cash register. The terrace wraps around the corner of the building, providing for two different views of the streets below, and giving name to this well-known traveler refuge: the Cornerhouse Café.
COMING NEXT MONTH : MAY 07
• Crossing the Atlantic
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Go to website : http://www.intercrossings.net |
