Submitted by Brianna Fraher on the 2018 winter session program in Martinique sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
My second week in Martinique was amazing. One of our class excursions was to Jardin de Balata, a beautiful botanical garden. It had great views of the mountainside as well as fun walkways in the trees and a variety of flowers and other greenery. A lot of the foliage was unfamiliar to me; it reminded me of the world of Pandora in the movie Avatar. My host family took me to their favorite beach on the island, Le Saline. We spent a great day out there. Our class visited a “sucrerie” or a sugar plantation. We saw the ruins of all the buildings as well as where the slave huts would have been and where the production of sugar would have taken place. The sugar business and the horrors of slavery that came along with it are an important part of Martinique’s history. We completed our first hike this week in the south of the island at Caravel. We got to see the best views of the Atlantic Ocean and its waves crashing on the shore. Although the end stretch of the hike was strenuous, the views were gorgeous from the summit atop a lighthouse that was once used to trick ships into crashing into the shore. I can’t believe my program is half over. I already feel like part of my host family. I’ve really enjoyed trying the different dishes my host mom prepares and I’m getting better at holding a conversation with her in French.
