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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.
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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