Jerome left his job in France as sound engineer travelling all around the world, the follow and support his wife who decided to start a new company in the IT business in the Silicon Valley. Jerome talks about sound like a painter about colors.
“Every year before Christmas I give a bit of my time to collect toys for poor kids that have limited chances to get a gift under the tree. Parents going to this toys store to buy their gifts, most of the time buy also for us.”
Diane is part of the California Highway patrol in Marin County, she is a very generous woman.
“One day I will buy a ranch in Montana, there will be a very long fence all over it, I will paint it in white, and I will spend my days seated on that fence, looking at the horses, like the one I had in France when I was younger. I will renovate the barn; I have always loved building houses and furniture. When we arrived from France 2 years ago we bought two cars, one truck F150 for me, a Jeep 4X4 for my wife.”
Francois travels all over the USA to sell a high technology cork to the best wineries; along with the boots, the Stetson hat, the truck, Francois is now realizing his dream of living the American life style, just like he dreamed of when he was a kid.
” That woman came to my place the other day, he husband just had passed away and she wanted a tattoo to continue her life with him, this was weird but I was honored. For me tattooing is like creating art pieces that will stay for ever, or almost, art pieces that travel, move, unlike a painting on a wall for ever.”
Marama is a world famous tattooer. I was told by a customer in the waiting room that people come from all over the world to get tattooed by Marama, like Rihanna. But Marama is happy with his simple life, just one employee and this tiny cabin on the beach for office, he does not want a web site nor meet with the customers in their five star hotels on the lagoon, here in bora Bora. Marama is tattooed on only the left half of his body, he does not like chaos.
“I have two daughters, the first one is Kinimai (look for me ) and the second one’s name is Kawaiki, the flowing river. We gave her that name as we were living in a bamboo house near a river that we could hear flowing, this was very peacefull. I am a lucky man, every morning I pass by the school with the boat where my wife is a teacher, and she makes me signs like “go away, do not provoke me with your freedom.”
Shaq has been living in Bora Bora for fourteen years now. He is a tourist guide, he shows the tourists the bests snorkeling spots of the lagoon, dances with the rays and swims with the lemon sharks outside the coral reef. Shaq and his wife (from Switzerland) have a dream, go to the USA,; they have booked their trip for 2015, fifteen full days in Las Vegas…
” I work in this five star hotel and I carry the luggages from the boat to the reception then to the rooms of the customers coming from all over the world. I also prepare the towels every morning on the beach, and I am in charge of the masks and fins our customers use to snorkel around our small Motu island.”
Why did you decide to work in this hotel? “I was working in the mountains all day long with my brother, climbing in the coconut trees to get the coconuts and extract the copra, this was very hard work. With copra we manufacture here in French Polynesia, coconut oil for eating or for cosmetic industry.”
Samy is a very friendly polynesian I met on a small private island in the lagoon of Bora Bora. Samy is happy not to work in the plantations anymore, his life is easier, obviously less exciting…