I found this blast from the past yesterday.
It’s my work permit from 1999 when I took up my first job of ‘English Teaching Assistant’ after graduating from University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus‼️
The French government sponsored this programme whereby UWI students who successfully completed a Bachelor’s degree in French had the opportunity to a teach English in France.
I seized the opportunity of course🤓 but instead of going to ‘metropolitan’ France, I opted to teach English in the French Caribbean island of Martinique.
While my classmates ventured out to Paris, Montpelier, Bordeaux and Rouen, I embraced the French language and culture on an island and got the double benefit of learning another language: Kreyol.
Teaching English was a means to an end.
My end goal was to perfect my French🥰
Though it was fun assisting seasoned English teachers with conversation drills, I realised early that I’m not the teacher type.
I had some of the best teachers in high school and university and I simply could not live up to the standard they set.
Teaching is a noble vocation but I did not have the temperament of a teacher.
Nothwithstanding, I taught for three years because being in Martinique afforded me other unprecedented opportunities.
In my spare time after English classes, I talked my way into working as a bilingual journalist with Marie-Claude Céleste, a veteran television broadcaster on Radio France Outremer (RFO).
Her weekly TV magazine programme “Caraibes” brought news from the Spanish & English-speaking Caribbean to Martinican viewers.
My job was to convert the stories into French scripts and source suitable video from the Caribbean Broadcasting Union.
I was the bridge over language barriers.
Simultaneously, I started hosting my own radio programme in English on Radio France International (RFI).
My neighbour Guy Saintot linked me up with the radio station owner who loved my pitch of a travel programme to introduce Martinicans to the neighbouring islands.
When the same neighbour launched his glossy tourism magazine ‘Hello Caribbean’, I started translating and writing articles in English and French.
In the three years I lived in Martinique my world view grew exponentially‼️
All this (and much more) flowed naturally from my love of languages and my desire to master French.
I had no ambitions of becoming a teacher but the Teaching Assistant job was my one way, fully paid ticket to reaching my goal❣
Sometimes wonderful opportunities come disguised as hard work😉
What are you gonna do about it🤔
Seize it? Or leave it?
PS. Yes that’s 23 year old me with ‘relaxed’ hair. I liberated my curls in Martinique where there was much greater acceptance of natural hair than the English Caribbean at the time. Thankfully times have changed!
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