Our Guide to
Martinique 2017
MARTINIQUE The Island of Martinique is part of the archipelago of the Antilles. Martinique is located in the Caribbean Sea about 450 km (280 mi) northeast of the coast of South America and about 700 km (435 mi) southeast of the Dominican Republic.
The official language is French, which is spoken by virtually the entire population. In addition, most residents can also speak Martiniquan Creole, a form of Antillean Creole closely related to the varieties spoken in neighbouring English-speaking islands of Saint Lucia and Dominica. Martiniquan Creole is based on French, Carib and African languages with elements of English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
TOWNS TO VISIT ON THE ISLAND Forte de France - is the capital of
Sainte-Luce - is popular with tourists and
Martinique with the islands airport. has many all inclusive hotels. This is a place It is also one of the major cities in the that features picturesque views of beaches Caribbean and very built up in and islands. Nearby there are bar and dining comparison to other towns on the island. choices. Sainte-Luce appears to be the go to Exports include sugar, rum, tinned fruit, place for visitors. and cacao.
Les Trois-Ilets - is Martinique's most popular resort town, and it's located conveniently near some of the island's best beaches and attractions. You can swim with turtles if you travel to the nearby beaches of Anse a L’ane’ or Anse Noir. Magical Experience!
Le Diamant - a seaside resort on
Le Precheur - a pretty little fishing
Sainte-Anne - A key destination in
Martinique's south coast, famous for its diving spots, Le Diamant is named after the famous rock opposite. This volcanic rock standing 175 metres tall was once a shelter for pirates, and also a fortified bridge during the fighting between the French and English in the Caribbean.
village by the Caribbean Sea, also a great base to go and explore the volcanic Mount Pelle! Four kilometres north of the village is the CĂŠron habitation, an old 17th-century sugar plantation now open to visitors, learn about typical Martinique culture.
Martinique, the charming seaside resort of Sainte-Anne at the far south of the island is known for its heavenly beaches, which are very popular with sunbathers. It also has the most beaches of any municipality of Martinique!
WE RECOMMEND YOU LEARN SOME BASIC FRENCH WORDS!
English
French Pronunciation
How are you?
Comment allez-vous? kommahng tahlay voo
Yes/No
Oui/Non wee/nong
Very well, thanks
Très bien, merci tray byang mair-see
Yes, please/No, thank you
Excuse me Oui, s'il vous plaît/Non, merci wee, seel voo play/nong, mair-see
Please
S'il vous plaît seel voo play
Thank you You're welcome
Merci (madame/monsieur) mair-see (mah-dahm/mer-syer)
Il n'y a pas de quoi eel nyah pah der kwah
Excusez-moi ex-kewzay mwah
Do you speak English?
Est-ce que vous parlez anglais? essker voo pahrlay ahng-glay
Can you help me?
Est-ce que vous pouvez m'aider? essker voo poovay may-day
I don't understand.
Je ne comprends pas. zher ner kong-prahng pah
I don't know.
Je ne sais pas. zher ner say pah
Could you please write it down
Est-ce que vous pouvez l'écrire? essker voo poovay lay-kreer
Here is/are
Voici... vwah-see
Hello/Good morning/afternoon
Bonjour, (madame/monsieur) bong-zhoor, (mah-dahm/mer-syer) Sorry
Hello/Good evening
Bonsoir (madame/monsieur) bong-swahr, (mah-dahm/mer-syer) Leave me alone!
Goodbye
Au revoir oh rer-vwahr
Where?
Où? oo
Good night
Bonne nuit bonn nwee
When?
Quand? kahng
Désolé(e) day-zo-lay Laissez-moi tranquille. lay-say mwah trahng-keel
BASIC LUGGAGE ESSENTIALS!!! Pack these essential items to ensure You have what you need for your visit!
Indoor Living Space/ Outdoor Balcony The indoor and outdoor living spaces were used a lot by our group of 14 when not out on project activities! We spent most of our time around the balcony dining table & chairs for meetings, meals and relaxing. We would play cards a lot on the balcony and even used the furniture to create our own little circuit sessions!. The views of the ocean from the balcony are amazing! We uses the inside seating area for movies nights and / watch TV in the evening. The TV is compatible for HDMI leads so you can plug in a games console or Amazon Fire stick for entertainment. The sofa can also be used as an extra bed if required by pulling it out creates a large sofa bed. Very useful for larger groups.
Sleeping Arrangements The house we stayed in accommodated our group of 14 people. Upstairs you will find 3 large bedrooms which sleeps 2-4 per room dependant on how you configure the beds. There are two bedrooms downstairs suitable for sleeping 3 people per room. Each bedroom had an electric fan with one downstairs having an air conditioning unit. Two of the 3 bedrooms upstairs had large windows allowing lots of light to pour through when the shutters were open. This, we highly recommend. The 2 bedrooms downstairs have no windows so there’s very little natural light, but this wasn’t an issue for any of the people who used these rooms.
Kitchen & Cooking Facilities The house has a large kitchen, allowing plenty of room for approximately 8-10 people at a time. At times, there were small groups working away making lunches or meals. There is a large cooker along with one fridge and freezer. There is ample cutlery and crockery to support a large group. Downstairs, there is also a smaller kitchen / utility room that could be utilised for space if required.
Bathrooms and Toilet Facilities Upstairs, the house has a separate toilet room with toilet and wash basin. 1 shower room separate with stand up shower and wash basin. The rear bedroom has an en-suite bathroom with a bath shower, toilet and wash basin. This en-suite also has a Washing Machine allowing the residence to wash clothes when required. For the occupants downstairs, there is a stand up shower, toilet and wash basin. All areas were neat and tidy when we arrived. Plus there are plenty of cleaning materials so you able to maintain each area and maintain good hygiene. We had no issues with these areas as they comfortably serviced our group. *Our advice would be for all occupants to bring two bath towels with them for personal use. Wet towels can be easily dried after use by hanging over the outside balcony in the sun.
2017 MARTINIQUE PROJECT ACTIVITIES!
After our Culture sharing Day we taught our French friends some rugby games and give them a gift of two rugby balls. In this picture is a mixture of staff and students who attended the day.
In this picture we were taken on a guided tour of a Slave Museum, created and operated by Mr Gilbert Larose, it replicates a post-slavery native village and farm. A brilliant way to immerse ourselves into the history or Martinique and its people.
Here at our Culture Sharing Day, we learnt French and Creole words. The students at the school helped with teaching us how to pronounce each word. We also learnt about Martinique Culture and Food types. This activity was lead by Emily, our main support contact from Youth in the Town Association.
Here we are at the water sports centre about a 10 minute drive from our residence. In this photo, we are with the instructors who taught us how to perform various activities such as Kayaking, Paddle Boarding and 4 person Sailing.
Here our coaches led a session to a Women's Rugby Team, followed by a game of Tag Rugby! To finish we competed in some sprint races between the team players and Warriors students! Unfortunately We Lost! All good fun!
This is a picture of Wigan Warriors teaching and coaching staff, with the vice president of Youth in the Town and his two children. We presented rugby balls as a gift to all our new friends that helped us during our experience in Martinique!
Here we participated and taught Cycling to groups of primary school children. The staff that lead the sessions were called Fred and Kevin. We helped deliver two sessions in the morning to different classes.
Here we were invited by Coach Richard to a Saturday morning Rugby Training Session on THE BEACH! Followed by a possession session in the sea to cool off!
CULTURE / SHARING / EXPLORING!
WHAT IS THERE TO DO ? In between our coaching sessions and education days, we also had our free time! *Our free time involved! Watching a local football match Beach days across the island Visiting different towns & villages Visited a luxury hotel/ pool day Stopped for some local street food Boat trips to various island attractions Visit the Slave History Museum Search for Dolphins Swimming with turtles Snorkelling & Diving Trek up Mount Pelle
STAFF TESTIMONY 2017! Kev Perry – Head of Education
Shane Eccles – Sports Tutor
“an incredible life changing experience that neither I or our students will ever forget. From the moment we touched down in Martinique, we were looked after so well by our friends from ‘Youth in the Town’. For us to work with ‘Everything is Possible’ again to create this type of opportunity for future groups is a must! See you in 2018!”
“an unbelievable experience. We had the opportunity to work with local groups on a variety of projects where our students were able to demonstrate their skills and deliver a range of sports sessions. As an enrichment trip this was a brilliant experience, our students were able to use their knowledge and skills to deliver sports sessions but also to learn about the local culture and expand on their practical life skills. It is unreal that we were given this fantastic opportunity and something that we will cherish”
Mark Chislett – Sports Tutor “this has been a fantastic opportunity for our students to experience, one that has given them a platform to gain life skills, build self confidence and overall independence. We have all enjoyed this project so much and it is heart warming to see how far our students have developed in only two weeks. They have certainly grabbed this experience with both hands!”
Tom Schmechel – Sports Tutor “a unique and fantastic experience for everyone involved. The project surpassed our expectations and gave both the staff and students some great Knowledge and skills that they can use in the future. Thank you for the amazing opportunity”