How to make Karkady juice

The dry season is in full swing at the moment and temperatures turn around 90° F every day. Although the relative humidity is lower now than during the rainy season-- only about 60%-- you still get quickly exhausted from the heat.

Fortunately, there is an inexpensive and refreshing drink that you can make yourself here in French Guiana. It comes from a small shrub called the Roselle or Red Bissap Koor. This tropical plant is entirely edible and its flowers are an intense ruby red. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Making red Karkady juice (or bissap juice) is not only easy but also very good for your health (full of vitamine C and antioxidants). Place the plucked flowers in a pot.

Then, fill with boiling water, cover, and let it sit overnight to infuse. You can also add mint or cinnamon or vanilla or nutmet or whatever else you've got on hand to increase the taste.

Some people also add sugar, but I don't. I enjoy the tangy flavor just how it is. Just put your infused karkady juice in the refrigerator and serve chilled with ice. I guarantee a refreshing moment!

Popular weekend activity for French Guianese

With a year-long temperature in French Guiana situated between 85-95° F, most people look for a cool place to relax on weekends. What's more, there's little shopping here and just a few cinemas-- so you can't count on strolling around in some air-conditioned mall.

For many people, cooling off means heading for the "creek" in the forest. Strangely, there are very few mosquitos around all the creeks we've been to which makes them all the more popular. A lot of "creeks"  even have a sandy beach-like bank with picnic areas built around them. Everyone in Guiana has their own favorite creek. Here's one in Montsinéry (about 42 kms from Cayenne) that is a big delectation for a lot of people around Cayenne: it's called Crique Coco.

Take a look at the short two-minute video below. In it, you'll hear the French Guianese accent plus a little Creole. A lot of my students at school have the same accent which makes it sometimes difficult for me to understand them.



Fin de vacances à Crique Coco Village à Montsinéry

So, are you ready for a swim?

Who was Felix Eboué?

One of the great men who marked French history came from French Guiana and was called Felix Eboué. The home where he was born, in downtown Cayenne, has been turned into a museum to celebrate the life of this courageous humanist, writer, and administrator. Jack and I visited his birth house and took a number of pictures (click on images to enlarge).

Felix Eboué was born in Cayenne in 1884 and died in Cairo, Egypt some 60 years later. At school, he was a brilliant student and obtained a precious scholarship to study in several prestigious schools in France-- a very rare privilege for black students at that time in French colonial history.

Through his merit and determination, he became the governor of several French overseas colonies or territories such as Chad, the Martinique or the Guadeloupe-- the first black Frenchman to achieve such authority within the government.

Through his wise administration, he strived to improve conditions for colonized populations and decrease the flagrant inequalites between blacks and whites.

One of his most famous speeches was given in 1937 and is entitled "Jouer le jeu" which I would translate by "Playing the game".

« Jouer le jeu, c'est être désintéressé

Jouer le jeu, c'est piétiner les préjugés, tous les préjugés et apprendre à baser l'échelle des valeurs sur les critères de l'esprit.

Jouer le jeu, c'est mépriser les intrigues et les cabales, ne jamais abdiquer, malgré les clameurs ou menaces, c'est poursuivre la route droite qu'on s'est tracée.

Jouer le jeu, c'est savoir tirer son chapeau devant les authentiques valeurs qui s'imposent et faire un pied-de-nez aux pédants et aux attardés.

Jouer le jeu, c'est aimer les hommes, tous les hommes et se dire qu'ils sont tous bâtis sur une commune mesure humaine qui est faite de qualités et de défauts.

Jouer le jeu, c'est mériter notre libération et signifier la sainteté, la pureté de notre esprit... »

 Here's my rough translation :
     "Playing the game means being selfless.
       Playing the game means trampling prejudice, all forms of prejudice, and learning to base the scale of values on criteria of the mind.
       Playing the game means scorning intrigues and lobbying, never abdicating despite the outcries or threats, it means following the straight road that we have set out for ourselves.
       Playing the game means saluting the true values which are vital and thumbing your nose to those who are pedant and retrogressive.
       Playing the game means loving people, all people, and telling oneself that they are all built on a common human measure which is composed of qualities and defects.
       Playing the game means earning our freedom and signifying to others the sanctity and purity of our minds..."

Visiting Felix Eboué's birth home was a voyage of discovery into the struggles of an age that my generation has mostly forgotten. Jack and I were strongly impressed and understand better why Felix Eboué is so highly celebrated in French Guianese history.

Rainy season blues

The summer vacation is almost over and school will start in just two weeks. We had a wonderful visit in France and were happy to see as many of our friends and family as possible.

Before I start any new articles, I wanted to share with you a couple of photos taken back in June at the end of the rainy season. Our backyard is frequently flooded in the rainy season but fortunately the water usually gets evacuated a couple of hours after the rain stops. (Click on photos to enlarge)

From July to December is the dry season with a hot peak at the end of October. These photos already seem so far away...!

l'anniversaire de Jacques

Comme chaque année, j'essaie de chouchouter mon cher époux, voire le gâter, le jour de son anniversaire. (Mais bien sûr, je m'occupe bien de lui les autres jours de l'année aussi !) Outre les petits cadeaux, le champagne, et oui et oui, les petits mots cachés dans ses affaires, les SMS et coups de fil sirupeux,  j'ai aussi emmené Jacques dans un des rares restaurants gastronomiques de la Guyane. Alors, selon vous, quel âge a Jacques ? (Cliquer sur les photos pour les agrandir.)

Réponse : 48 ans !

The Bushiningue people of French Guiana

One of the largest ethnic groups of French Guiana is the Bushiningue. The word Bushiningue is actually a generic word that refers to the ancestors of the African slaves who risked their lives and fled from the sugar plantations in Surinam and into the jungle, often crossing over into French Guiana territory. These peoples have passed down their old traditions from generation to generation and still speak "Sranan Tongo" as their mother tongue. This was the language used on the Surinamese plantations centuries ago as the slaves weren't allowed to speak Dutch.

The Bushiningue are divided into many tribes such as the Aluku, Saramaca, the Boni, and more. They live mostly in western French Guiana, near the border with Surinam, but more and more live today in the cities of Cayenne and Kourou.

I have a lot of Bushiningue students at school and I've already learned a few Sranan Tongo words.

In the video below, I wanted to share with you the reality of French Guiana. A famous Bushiningue singer has just released a new song and the music video depicts traditional Bushiningue villages and dances. The video gives you also some high-quality images of what French Guiana looks like... Even if you don't like the song, please enjoy the dances and nature views.

Meteor in the sky...

Jack and I were mesmerized at 6:38 pm yesterday by a giant ball of fire that we saw crossing the evening sky. We took some photos in our backyard of this incredible sight to share the unique experience with you. Can you guess what it is? (Click on photos to enlarge) I'll give you some clues...

 Clue #1: This phenomenon occurs about every three months.

Clue #2: This ball of fire originates from the city of Kourou, about 80 kilometers from Cayenne where we live.

Clue #3: The ball of fire leaves behind it a trail of smoke that slowly dissipates into the atmosphere.

Answer: It's the Ariane rocket launch! Kourou is the "Cape Canaveral" of French Guiana where the European Space Center is located. The Ariane rocket has been successfully sending satellites into space for decades now and has proved itself as the world's most reliable rocket. The space industry is also French Guiana's most important economic sector worth several billions of dollars.

Below is a photo of last evening's launch taken by some of Jack's friends. They were down at the beach and had an excellent view of the Ariane rocket as it lifted into space.