This year, I had the opportunity to meet and become friends
with a foreign student. His name is Dimitri and he comes from Guadeloupe. He
lived in the canton Vieux-Habitants, and he had a lot to tell about his home
country.
We first talked about his adaptation in our country. Of
course, he said he had a bit of difficulty with our climate, because in
Guadeloupe the average temperature is between 19 to 31 degrees. As a matter of
fact, he had to buy some clothes and appropriate equipments for our province.
I questioned him about his education as the second subject of
the interview. He told me that he went to a primary school and a college like
the French education system, but decided not to pursue his studies there
because he was interested in moving in another country. The percentage of
scholarship is actually acceptable but it is actually lower than here in North
America. He had the ambition to come here for Cegep then university, and he is
properly following the path to go there.
I also wanted to know more about the hobbies and activities he
liked to do in Guadeloupe. He said that football and basketball were pretty
famous in town and that he also liked to do some skateboard with his friends. He
had plenty of time while not at school because most of the time, parents in
Guadeloupe let their children alone and free to do what they want because they
don’t always have much time to allow them. It is an element of Dimitri’s personality:
he is independent and resourceful, and he doesn’t really like to stay many
hours somewhere without doing anything. It helped him become an energetic guy
who likes to spend time in sports.
He speaks French as his mother tongue, but also “créole
guadeloupien” which he really likes to use when he sings; it brings musicality
to an “acapella” song. It is pretty hard to understand, even when you get used
to it, he brings out new expressions and words that I didn’t know. But as I
said above, French is the official language in Guadeloupe, 99% of the citizens
speaking it perfectly, as most of the natives there speak “creole” perfectly
too.
It seems that Dimitri doesn’t really “trust in god”, however
he loves to use proverbs and saying from the Bible when he wants to correct
someone in his thoughts. It is interesting to see that even if he doesn’t
practice religion, he is a virtuous guy from who I learned a lot. His company
is always pleasant and funny, and I think it comes from his origins, I mean his
life path. Sometimes, it’s harder for some, and it shows through his attitude
toward problems, relations with others, work, etc.
