Mme Mesnard
I was born in Rabat, Morocco, in December 1938. My parents, newly married,
had left France in 1925 and my father begun work as a state employee in Rabat,
at the time part of the French protectorate. My childhood there with my family was
very happy. I spent nineteen years in this welcoming, exotic country. I have
always been fond of this easy way of life. As I was the youngest of three
daughters, I had a particularly friendly relationship with our maid Zora, who
was really considered as a member of our family.
My only contacts with France were
during our summer holidays in Normandy every two years and my first memories were of
the darkness, the wind and rain, the green grass with many cows, and also endless games
with our cousins. In spite of these fun moments, I was always so impatient and
pleased to take the boat back to my true country. I considered myself Moroccan.
So it was really dramatic to leave Morocco so promptly in 1956 when the
independence process started; it was so brutal and unfair from my point of view
that I cried for days and days. I decided to take my time returning to
France and so I spent almost a year in Seville in the south of Spain as a babysitter;
this transition phase was crucial to me to prepare myself for my future in
France. For fifty years, I never went back to Morocco…
My vocation was to look after children and I aimed to become a nursery
school nurse; so I started my nursing studies in Rouen. I met my future husband, who was a sailor on a freighter, in Rouen. We got married and had two children.
We now have five grandchildren. The life of a sailor wife’s wasn’t easy every
day because my husband left for three or four months at a stretch. But sometimes
I had the opportunity to join him on his boat and it was so pleasant to escape from
my daily routine, it was a unique experience.
We started a new phase of our life in 1977. My husband took over the
management of the port in Dakar, Senegal. It was a great opportunity to go back
to Africa and it enabled my children to discover a different way of life, one
similar to that I had had in Morocco. I learned Wolof, the local language, and
I spent some time teaching children at the hospital.
Once back in France, we settled in Brittany and I took a job as a nurse
in an institute for the deaf. I learnt a lot from the people there; they managed to enjoy life and overcome their difficulties; they considered that complaining just does not make sense.
I also became deputy mayor of our village in charge of social issues. One of the most moving moments of my life was when, as deputy mayor, I officiated at the wedding of my daughter, in 1994.
Another great moment in my life was when I returned to Morocco with my
children and grandchildren after more than fifty years. When I entered my old
house in Rabat (it has become an insurance office) it was an emotional moment. The
house and the garden were smaller than I remembered, but I was so pleased to
show them to my family.
My husband died twenty three years ago. Though I now live alone, I have a very active
life with my friends and hobbies: I sing in various choirs (either Classical
or French modern songs), I paint, and I swim on sunny days even during the
winter. The sea and sailing boats have always been important for me, and my
life by the seaside in Brittany are perfect.
Above all, I’m very fond of trips. I've discovered countries such as Cambodia, Russia, Algeria, and Turkey. I also like testing new experiences like
hot-air ballooning and microlight planes.
I’m a very optimistic person and I consider that nice events and pleasant
people are worth being remembered.
Article by Capucine MESSY
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