Arthur Idyllic Voyages: Culture

Can you imagine just leaving home and moving from country to country, culture to culture?

How exactly would you do that?

What exactly are the benefits?

Tocancipá Cudinamarca

My story starts like this...

I went from Jamaica to Colombia.

Honestly, I can't remember if I was hesitant or not. I knew I had a goal in mind and I was determined to follow my dreams.

I decided that I wanted to continue to progress in my language acquisition journey. In order to do that I needed to immerse myself completely in the language and culture and what better way to do that than to get a job in a country where the language is spoken?

So, I did just that.

I had been studying Spanish and theatre at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica when I was offered the opportunity to move to Colombia and teach English. I graciously accepted.

Despite the stigma attached to teaching, you realise sooner rather than later that teaching isn't the worst job as many people seem to think and even more with the right set of circumstances you become a world traveller faster than you can count ABC…

Wait no… I think I'm supposed to say 1,2,3...

My brain must still be on holiday. It happens sometimes since you generally have more breaks than the average person that works from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or longer in some cases.

Santander statue in Cúcuta

Danielle in Pamplona

I lived in Cúcuta, a small city right by the Venezuelan border. I had never been anywhere that was as hot as there but I was simply astonished when I found out that just an hour away in a cute little town called Pamplona, I needed to wear a jacket as it was cold.

Being close to the border I encountered some Venezuelans who had come over to Colombia in search of food, clothes, lodging and finances. It wasn't very difficult to understand their troubles as we occasionally see the catacylsm of their country in the media but I couldn't desist from feeling sad nonetheless at the simple thought of their sufferation.

One day, I opened my door after hearing a knock and in front of me stood a man who politely ask if I could offer him anything. He told me about his situation and after a little while asked me if he could have the yoghurt which I was eating. I wish I could have done more to help him but I offered him a fresh yoghurt from the fridge and a bag of other things I found in the kitchen without hesitating. This left me feeling distressed that my daily pleasures which I don't think twice about are the desires and necessities of others who don't have access to them.

On the other hand, my fondest memory of my time in Colombia was most definitely the trip that I took to Medellín. I am supposed to tell you in English terms about my experience but I regret to inform you that I cannot transcribe and transfer how much fun I had in this city.

Travel group in Colombia

I travelled in a small group with friends. We stayed at the Ivy Hostel which I recommend 100%. It deserves a 10 on the scale of 1 to 10 and as one of the benefits of staying in a hostel, I met a whole lot of other travellers from all around the world.

I spent this time exploring Medellín with a group of awesome people including: Egytians, Germans, Swiss, Canadians, Americans and Jamaicans.

The highlight tourist attraction of the trip was without a doubt the grave of Pablo Escobar and the house wherein he was killed. Escobar was a well-known Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist and believe it or not, a politician. Thanks to him the Medellín Cartel was founded and cocaine trade to the United States monopolised in the 1980's and 1990's.

Pablo Escobar's grave

Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on who is reading), he was killed in December 1993 in a shootout in Los Olivios, a middle class neighbourhood by Colombian national police. He was assumingly hiding out after his escape from the 'luxurious' La Catedral prison and being on the run for 16 months.

We also visited Comuna 13, a famous but volatile graffitti neighbourhood in Colombia and to top it all off, we climbed to the top of the huge rock at Guatape.

Comuna 13

Though Medellín was an incomparable bucket list adventure and experience, I also had fun in Cúcuta. I admit that I am not very keen on going to the nightclubs, dancing in Colombia was one of my favourite activities.

Food on the other hand in my opinion wasn't as good as the food in the Caribbean which I was accustomed to but I really enjoyed the beans, soups and beer in the city.

Danielle and friends

Colombian restaurant

I hope that you too can visit Cúcuta or Medellín or even Pamplona in the near future because you are guaranteed a good time, great culture, different types of foods, lasting friendships and unforgettable memories even if you aren't a teacher. ;-)

Besos y abrazos

- Danielle

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Martinique is one of the more exotic French Caribbean islands with approximately 1 million visitors each year. It is part of the archipelago of the "Antilles" (French West Indies), located northeast of the coast of South America and northwest of the island of Barbados.

It is an overseas department of France, known for its history surrounding Aimé Césaire, heck even the airport is named after this legend. Let’s not forget the infamous Mount Pelée, carnival, zouk and rum amongst other interesting things about this island. So, when I heard that I would have the opportunity to be heading to the great island of Martinique as an English Assistant Language Teacher (ALT), let’s say that this was an adventure that I was excited to be taking on.

Sainte Marie Tombolo

I arrived there in late September, a bit anxious to be taking this trip as a solo traveller. I was unsure of what to expect but I would soon be starting my job so I guess you could say I was ready for it all... well maybe somewhat.

My flight was a pretty quick one, only 45 minutes from Barbados and I was soon seeing the lit streets of Martinique through the windows of the plane as we were preparing for landing. It was night but it was still very beautiful.

Fast forwarding to finally meeting my "professeur référent", the person who was more or less responsible for ensuring that I settled in smoothly and that all my administrative obligations were taken care of. She was super friendly and welcoming and she did an excellent job of making my stay a memorable one.

You see, I was appointed to Sainte Marie which is located in the north of the island where the Atlantic Ocean brushed the shoreline so after an approximate 45 minute drive, I arrived at my new home where I would be spending the next 7 months.

It was time to start this new journey.

The very next day, I was ready to explore and so we set out to see the beauty of the island during the day under the Caribbean sunlight. I was needless to say amazed by the picturesque views of the lush hills and the sea.

Mount Pelée

During the first few days I made myself comfortable which was not as difficult as I thought that it would have been. I quickly settled in, started my training and met the other assistant language teachers.

I was quite nervous at the beginning but the nervous feelings quickly disappeared as everyone was very friendly. It was a great start to my adventure.

I admit that I was excited to meet the students who were more than eager to learn about an anglophone country. I was working in different primary level schools and at one of them, I was able to share and help students learn a local Barbadian song. I was ecstatic to be able to share my culture with them.

In the midst, I learnt some French creole, how to make some traditional dishes and even artisan ice cream using a manual ice cream maker.

We spent our days immersed in culture, my culture and theirs. We sang songs, played games amongst other very amusing activities. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience as one should when packing up your bags and heading to a foreign country to teach and learn.

Martinique is truly a gem. It's the perfect blend of Metropolitan lifestyle and Caribbean living. Aged like a fine Bordeaux wine and distilled like Clément Vintage rum.

Carnival in Martinique

As an ALT you have the opportunity to share a part of who you are with your students and under the French system you have plenty of vacation time to do some exploring and meet friends. Thank you French metropolitan systems with your many holiday breaks.

On the other hand, you are probably wondering what it's like to be Caribbean, what exactly is Caribbean living? Well, alcohol for starters, rum preferably, enjoying a nice wine in the midst isn't bad but that's quite metropolitan.

Honestly, Caribbean people are like anyone else trying to make a living for our families with a title of being the nicest people on earth but of course that comes with its own terms and conditions. Not living in straw huts and sipping on coconuts all day long either but a mango is truly one of our tropical fruits to be enjoyed and we can't forget the occasional party, all year round actually as well as the after-work "lime" (social gathering) on the weekends. You can't find a party like ours anywhere else in the world.

We mustn't forget the nosy neighbour is part of what Caribbean living is, we all have one or seven nor must we omit well-seasoned food with flavour like only we can do.

Well this brings me to the end of my adventure and all in all, the experience was a great one with happy memories that definitely left an imprint on my life. I am very happy that I had the opportunity of working in Martinique. It is a country rich in history and if you have the chance to visit, it is highly recommended. It is a lovely island with beautiful people inside and out. I have made lifelong friends like I wish you will too and I can't wait to visit again soon.

Gros bisous de La Martinique
- Sha'na

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"Break a leg!" they tell you.

This is the phrase you usually hear when you take to the stage so it is right to assume the same for a group of Barbadians who went to Bloemfontein South Africa where they took part in the PACE+ Dramaturgical Lab and the Vrystaat Kunstefees Arts Festival.

“PACE+ provides talented and diverse artists with the opportunity to present innovative new work to arts professionals on a rare platform for global arts professionals to see high-quality work by African artists.”

The PACE+ Dramaturgical lab requested that each performer create a poem which would be used in a performance during the workshop.

Shihaam Domingo, a PACE delegate, assessed the sub genres of the poets’ work in addition to their ability to operate collectively.

Each poet was interviewed individually so that the delegate could see their range of performance abilities. This activity was themed, ‘pressure cooker’ creativity.

Each person was placed in a situation where they were virtually unprepared and was required to prepare an artistic piece for consumption.

Oh... is that a stomach growling? Not food guys, this wasn’t that type of consumption.

During the workshop, StonedwithCupid, a member of Frenetic Arts (the group of Barbadians) was paired with a Senegalese professional dancer, Abdoulaye and Sizaleke, a South African vocalist and they were given the task of bridging the gap between traditional artistic expression and modern/contemporary expression.

What an interesting concept!

The piece began with South African traditional native song sung by Sizaleke and was accompanied by traditional Senegalese dance movements.

We will now take a brief intermission of 15 minutes before returning to our regular programming. Just kidding...

The sound of modernisation (rapping) then interrupted the native sound and what was once traditional dance became modern hip-hop.

Abdoulaye, the dancer was torn between the old and the new and thus the sounds of tradition and rapping became a new harmony, a symphony.

The dancer no longer had to be torn between two worlds but rather blended two varying dance styles to create a beautiful and successful ‘merger’.

The Dramaturgical lab encouraged artists to be as creative as possible and to expand their view of themselves and others around them.

Frenetic Arts was asked to facilitate their second day at this workshop and two of its members, Cyndi Marshall and StonedwithCupid organised the activity.

The theme was from page to stage and it was approached from the perspective of ‘writing to be read’ vs ‘writing to be heard’.

As the workshop came to an end, a two day seminar was held that focused on publishing and income generation as well as being a writer.

The workshop was truly a creative and enlightening experience that is recommended to all. When you visit South Africa maybe you too could participate in such an activity.

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Festival activities

Travelling for a festival can be fun, a real eye opening, self discerning experience. You find out what you like and don’t like culturally. It’s even better when you travel as a group because you have people around to take those bomb.com photos that make you look like you are on top of the world.

Standing on top of a hill with a gorgeous landscape is not being on top of the world but if you feel that way, we definitely won’t try to stop you.

On ground level however, being a performer or even working at an event however big or small can be enough to make your nerves quit on you.

You step onto the stage as an artist, lights blinding, dead silence, you can hear a pin… a bag of pins drop. Who came up with hearing a pin drop? One random person now coughs, and you are thinking; dude I was about to speak… and then you try to speak but you are choked up like a cat attempting to regurgitate a furball.

Oh well! No one said you couldn't enjoy the festivities too.

Enough with the chit chat,let’s get down to business.

Frenetic Arts Group

As a collaborative effort, four artists under the umbrella of Frenetic Arts took to the stage in Bloemfontein, South Africa where they had travelled for a festival and a creative workshop. They were invited to participate in the Vrystaat Arts Festival and PACE (Pan African Creative Exchange) Dramaturgical lab in Bloemfontein. (Read more about PACE+ here).

“The Vrystaat Kunstefees • Arts Festival • Tsa-Botjhaba is an Afrikaans language festival that forges creative connections with English and Sotho cultures.”

Artwork on display at the festival

The festival was a nonstop expression of culture and identity from international artists and locals alike. Attendees had the opportunity to visit different stalls and view South African products. In the midst of all the activity and festivity, there were several stages where artists were performing.
Frenetic Arts was featured at the festival over the course of 2 weeks where they performed in a total of 6 different shows.

One of the international poetry shows called “ Poetic Justice League” featured poets from places like: Canada, Australia, Barbados and the African Content. The goal was to create an all-star lineup with the best of the best of the best within the genre of poetry for one night of explosive unfiltered artistic expression.

“Poetry Slam 2019”, another show held during the Vrystaat Festival also featured the four Barbadian artists. It was a competition exclusively for poets from Bloemfontein, South Africa. However, guest performances were permitted during ‘intermission’ therefore allowing the 4 artists to perform their acts amongst the other international performers.

The event structure had 3 rounds,a 1 minute performance, a 3-minute round and to end things off, a 5-minute round. They, the 4 poets, performed collectively which received a very favourable response.

The festival was a fresh and inspiring activity that merits even more attention in the Caribbean and across Europe and Asia.

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