Guadeloupean Quentin Meissonnier found what he was looking for in Copenhagen! There he pursued the profession he was aiming for: naval architect. And it’s good to live there; enough to combine work and a fulfilling family life. The only thing that suits him less is the weather. Le Petit-Bourgeois tells us about his slice of life in the Danish capital.
Quentin Meissonnier lives far from Guadeloupe. Originally from Petit-Bourg, he attended school in Massabielle, then did a prep class in Baimbridge, before flying to France. He joined an engineering school in Nantes, in the West of France; it was there that he obtained his diploma as a naval architect.
In search of a change of scenery, he traveled and worked in Norway, then Singapore, before settling in his new adopted country in 2016.
He decided to make his life in Copenhagen, Denmark, a country which brings together many islands; enough to remind him a little of his native archipelago… and there, we're not talking about the weather! He builds offshore wind turbines there.
Originally a fishing village, fortified in 1167, Copenhagen is today the capital and largest city of the Kingdom. The municipality has more than 650,000 inhabitants and its agglomeration, Greater Copenhagen, more than 1.3 million souls, including at least one West Indian!
It is good to live in this country, according to Quentin.
There, we don't have a car, we don't have traffic jams, we do everything by bike. I could work in offshore wind power; what interested me. And there is a certain culture of work/life balance; which is still very pleasant to live with.
Quentin Meissonnier, naval architect
The fact that Denmark is one of the world leaders in renewable energies, in particular wind power, completes the picture which attracted the Guadeloupean.
In keeping with the local culture, he admits that he is in no hurry to return to France. His partner and his two children are in unison with his decision. With schools and businesses operating on the same schedule, until 4:00 p.m., they all enjoy good times together.
Learning Danish was not a hindrance.
The family comes to recharge their batteries in Guadeloupe every year, or even every two years.
GOOD TO KNOW/
“From here and elsewhere” is a section that Guadeloupe La 1era dedicated to Guadeloupeans who live far from the archipelago. Every Wednesday, in the television news “1:00 p.m. in Guadeloupe“, Eddy Golbakan connects with one of them; the opportunity to tell us what he (she) experiences abroad.
Moreover, if you know expatriate Guadeloupeans, like Quentin, whatever their fields of activity, and you wish to highlight them, you can contact us by email, at the following address: [email protected]
