By Rut and Maya
Today started a bit later than the others with a 8:30 bus ride to Habitation Clément. This site is named after the first Black doctor on the island, Homère Clément.
At Habitation Clément we began with a guided museum tour where we learned about the everyday life of the people of Martinique hundreds of years ago and how colonization changed the island culture. From their recreational games to cooking materials and animals they found sacred, the museum was informative about how people thought and acted before European colonialism on this island. Additionally, the end of the guided tour brought us back to the current day where repercussions of colonialism is seen.
After the indoor museum we then went outside for a walking tour of the historic 18th century Habitation Clément house. The main house is located on the top of a mountain overlooking sugar production and the beautiful garden landscape. It has been restored and expanded and is an example of classic Creole architecture.
Finally we reached the main attraction of Habitation Clément, the rum production. Here we learned about the steps and techniques used here to create the famous rum. Sugarcane used here is imported from over 160 hectares of plantations and small farms located near the estate. The sweet juice from the sugarcane is what makes up the liquid that eventually gets fermented and transformed into alcohol. In the 1980s production was moved from this site to Distillerie du Simon, which is nearby.
After the Distillery visit, we headed over to Plage des Salines, a popular beach in Sainte-Anne to finish off our final day with some fun and relaxation. Surrounded by stalls filled with souvenirs, jewelry, and clothes, and swimming in the crystal clear water, we were able to wind down our day with some much-needed free time.
After our long anticipated beach time, we headed back to our hotel to get ready for the final dinner, which we all pledged to dress up for. Yet another relaxing activity of the day, we had a talkative time at the no-phones dinner, followed by an exciting surprise put together for us by our tour group. We started off with a Kahoot where we exercised our knowledge of Martinique and its culture. We then finally got to learn more about Creole culture, something we had not yet engaged in extensively, as we participated in a Creole language workshop and learned about their traditional dances and music. We listened to an exciting story in the Creole language, and then we were taught traditional Creole dancing. Some students even got to learn how to play the traditional drum, the Djembe, which proved to be a bit difficult. Altogether, the Martinique trip had a very eventful last night, and we are all readying ourselves for the long day of traveling ahead of us.
Sounds terrific! THanks for the story telling!