I left Guyana in the late 60’s and I lived mainly in the UK. Seven years ago I moved to the south of France. The weather here is as good as I can get in Europe that is close to the tropical temperatures of the Caribbean. The sky is blue and the sun shines for 99% of the year. Good eh!
France has a very mixed culture and their food reflects the diversity of the different races and countries. I have a hard time getting my tastebuds around snails (escargot) and frogs’ legs (grenouille) made worse when I saw them being bred for the table. I particularly dislike seiche (baby squid) which is very popular in restaurants. It tastes a bit like rubber shoe soles! One of my favourite French dishes is Gardiane, a dish of bull cooked in red wine. It reminds me of Pepperpot! The French bread and pastries are exceedingly delicious.
Food aside, I find the French very friendly and I am very much at home here. The language, however, is the most difficult, and challenging (gets the old grey cells working) for me especially as I did not have an early grounding in the grammar. I get by, and as most of my friends are nomads like myself, and French is not their first language, we often talk in English with each other.
About the group photograph: This photograph was taken at least fifty years ago! I am sitting in the centre. It was my birthday party I remember. Don’t we all look so young! And who is that handsome hunk sitting on my right? Tony, wearing spectacles is sitting to my far right. He may remember us dancing together; jive, rock’n’roll…he hated the ‘tutting’ sound I made with my tongue against my teeth when I kept time to the music. I would dearly like to identify everyone; so if they recognise themselves please, please get in touch via the newspaper (webmaster@GuyanaGraphic.com). It would be lovely to make contact again even for a short while.
The photo with me was taken recently while I was singing in a local restaurant. I sing Jazz and blues. I was a member of The Theatre Guild and have fond memories of the shows we did when I danced and sang. I remember Michael and Alexander (not in the photo) and often wonder where they are now! I have continued singing and dancing and now that I am retired I devote more time to this hobby.
I hope these memories generate some interest and that I do hear from someone!! As the French say…Je t’embrasse et gros bises. – Carol Seaforth
