Anaya S. (Guadeloupe)

My name is Anaya and this is the story of my program and time in Guadeloupe. I would first like to say that I am so happy that this was my first experience being outside the country because not only is Guadeloupe gorgeous, but the history and culture I got to learn throughout the program enhanced my experience even more. I learned about while in Guadeloupe and one thing that we learned that stood out to me was the languages (mostly creole) and history of creole in different countries but mostly Guadeloupe. I learned a lot about the country as a whole and who represents them as a whole. 

While I was there I learned about the language either creole or french. I learned so much creole and how it was formed and just the history behind it in Guadeloupe. For example, I learned that many years ago people of Guadeloupe were not allowed to speak creole at school or at home because it was shown as unprofessional and was also banned. While my group and I interviewed people and asked them a question about what language is spoken more in Guadeloupe and a lot of them said both and that just shows how much they want to incorporate their language besides french in their culture. 

Guadeloupe is a gorgeous country, but it is so much more than that. Guadeloupe is an overseas department of France, and you can see how France reflects on some parts of the island. For example, while we were there we visited a museum called Memorial ACTe, and it was a museum on Caribbean history and Guadeloupe history. Throughout the museum, I realized that they weren’t really talking about slavery that happened in the Caribbean or to be specific Guadeloupe. That experience made me realize that France put the most money in the museum so all the information that they put in there made it seem that slavery was normal. But, besides the museum, the people in Guadeloupe also shape the island and they are so welcoming and kind. There were many times where I thought it would be hard to communicate because I am still learning french but many times they knew English and that made the situation much more comfortable. Therefore, Guadeloupe is just an overall amazing island and is historically fascinating. 

My time in Guadeloupe has opened my eyes to traveling in a different way.  Instead of traveling somewhere and just relax and do things that tourists do, but instead to go deeper into the place you are visiting and learn about the history, culture, environment, and geography of that country. By doing this, not only are you educating yourself on the place, but also be interested in the country more. You will hope that you could stay longer and learn more. In addition to that, it will make you enjoy your visit to that country even more because not only are you in a beautiful place but also are learning something new every day. That is why I enjoy my travel to Guadeloupe so much because learning all these new things made me gain a new perspective on the island.