When Nathalie Le Duff decided to leave her village in the French countryside to marry Bermudian Ramadhin Smith, she knew that she would not only be crossing a racial barrier, but would also have to cope with a new culture -- and a foreign language.

Seven years later, and two years since their wedding, they have no regrets.

"We have been very happy,'' she said. "We are not oblivious to racism, but neither of us has a racist bone in our bodies.'' Having travelled extensively all over Europe, Nathalie says that the first time she personally experienced racism was in Bermuda.

"When I was living in Paris I had heard about people being against North Africans or Arabs, but I never came across it. It was only when I came here that I understood what it was like to be on the receiving end. I was working at the Hamilton Princess at the time, and the black women there were horrible to me. I don't think it was because I was with a black man -- most of them didn't know that. It was because I was white and I was foreign. They didn't like that at all.'' In contrast, her husband says that he was welcomed with open arms in France.

"If I ran as mayor of Nathalie's village, there would be no contest,'' declares the former Road Safety Chairman, who ran for the UBP in Pembroke East in the last election, and has since been adopted by the UBP as a candidate for Pembroke East Central in the next election. "I feel very welcome in France.

We got married in Nathalie's village and I wore my Bermuda shorts. It was a very happy time for everyone.'' Discounting the relevance of different skin colour ("my family have always looked at Rammy simply as a person'' says Nathalie), they believe their marriage works because, temperamentally, they are opposites.

"We fuss and fight every day,'' she laughs, admitting that she is the one with the quick temper. "Rammy never gets mad. I've never seen him in a bad mood. He's much quieter than me. I blow up a lot, but that's healthy, because everything is out on the table. I think the longest time a quarrel has lasted is half an hour.'' Rammy also believes that the other secret of their success as a couple is that they became good friends before the relationship deepened into love. They met, however, in that famous city of love, Paris.

"At a sidewalk cafe,'' he recalls. "I was sitting there, drinking a glass of wine and I complimented her on how well she had parked her car.'' Along with her mother, cousin and friends, they joined him for a drink. "Then my cousin asked him to come to dinner with us, and that was on November 11, 1988,'' remembers Nathalie.

On his return to Bermuda, Rammy wrote to her "from time to time'', returned to France for Christmas in 1990, and then Nathalie visited Bermuda, before returning to work here for one year. For the past four years, she has run the administrative side of their business, Bermuda Coatings Company and Colorflex Bermuda Ltd., having previously attended specialised courses on running the computerised machinery.

The reaction on their decision to marry was generally well received. "My family was very happy,'' says Nathalie. "My eight-year old niece says `it's great, having a `ton ton noir' (black uncle). My grandfather was wary of Rammy before he met him. I think my grandparents were afraid of the unknown, but they were dying of curiosity, they wanted to see what he was like. When he came, they fell in love with him!'' "The reaction was fine with my family, my brothers and sisters,'' says Rammy.

"There was one relation who was a bit resentful at first, but everything's fine now.'' "But,'' interrupts Nathalie, "I did have to defend myself, to let her see that they should not pre-judge me. Some of his relations are a bit old-fashioned. When they realised I had `a personality', I think they decided `we'd better be careful with her!'' In contrast to what seems to have been an idyllic childhood for his wife, Ramadhin Smith had anything but an easy time.

"I never met my mother until I was 14 -- at the Spot Restaurant. She still ignores me.'' A pupil at Bishop Spencer and Victor Scott Schools, he was raised mainly in a series of foster homes. He credits three people with inspiring fear -- and respect -- in him, and, "keeping me straight. Those three were my uncle, Skipper Ingham, my Uncle Slim and Mansfield (Jim) Brock. I owe them a lot. For some reason, I always had faith in them and followed their rules. Whatever they said, I did it! I did stay with my grandmother for a long time, and she was really the mother in my life - she was Skipper's mom.'' Attending all-black schools, he says his first sustained contact with white people was when he attended Bermuda College. "I got on OK with both races. It never crossed my mind that it could be otherwise.'' He received a wake-up call, however, when he became involved in politics and ran for Parliament in the black, traditionally PLP constituency of Pembroke East.

"A lot of people called me `white nigger', said I was `working for the white man', and all that stuff,'' he says with an air of genuine surprise.

"But my answer to that is that the white man does not make you shoot up drugs, snort cocaine, steal bikes, or stop you from finishing school and getting an education. We all have to take responsibility for our successes and for our failures. We have to stop blaming everybody else. Bitterness is like a cancer that takes over your whole being. It's a word that doesn't exist in my vocabulary.'' Ramadhin believes that racism here is a complicated issue: "It's not just black and white. You get racism between black and black, white and white. A lot of it is really class and background, how you've been brought up.

Sometimes, jealousy and negative emotions get intertwined and muddled and that mixes things up.'' Nathalie, who speaks perfect English, agrees. "If you go to a party in France, nobody cares who you are, or what your profession is. Now I've noticed that in Bermuda, people are not very interested in you if you're not high in the community. They are mainly focused on what you have in your wallet, where you live, rather than whether you are an interesting person. Sometimes, people want to know if I'm a Front Street Smith and when I say `No, I'm a little Smith', they lose interest in me.

"I was discussing class distinctions with a very wealthy French lady who lived here for about six years and she was amused that people made such a big thing about class. She found it very snobbish here.'' One of the problems, she feels, is the size of Bermuda. "I'm not sure if this is strictly a race thing, but I think we have to remember that Bermuda is very small, very claustrophobic in the sense that you cannot get away from people.

That adds to tensions. In a big country, such as France, you have plenty of space, to get away from everything.'' Ramadhin points out that many aspects of life which have taken on a racial aspect here, are peculiar only to Bermuda.

"Soccer, for instance, is a black sport here, but it certainly is not, in Europe. I get tired of people who reduce everything to a question of race.

I've had white people who have helped me out, and some who have stabbed me in the back.

"And I've had blacks acting the same way. You can't generalise. I do know that some blacks have a real problem with black people who succeed. I don't know why!'' One of the things lacking in Bermudian society today, he feels, is a sense of humour. "The colour of a person's skin is so unimportant -- you have to have a sense of humour about it. You can't legislate areas of racism. That has to be done by the individual, on both sides, who has to handle things in a more positive way.'' "Kill them with kindness,'' suggests Nathalie."I don't like this phrase `Be kind to tourists'. It should be, `Be kind to everyone.'' Both admit that their relationship has probably been tested more than most, as they also work together. "Nathalie is a bit like a hurricane, blows up -- but only for about ten minutes. We have made it a rule never to go to bed angry. I think that working together as well as living together, has actually made us stronger as a couple. We have never had a row about race.'' They say they would like to have children, but not yet. "We don't see any problems in having children'' says Nathalie.

"My wife and I are both strong people and we have no problems at all as a mixed couple. But, on the subject of race generally, I do think we all have the personal responsibility to make inroads with racism,'' continues Rammy.

"I think we have to figure out a way of bringing the races together after work -- and not just in bars! Bermuda cannot expect to be economically successful by excluding any sector of the Island. The white establishment has an obligation -- yes, I am using that word, obligation -- to ensure that anybody, black or white, should be given a chance to succeed, provided that person is capable. We are on this little ship called `Bermuda' together. It is not in our best interests to be divisive.

"But I would say, `Beware the fury of the patient man' -- that's one of my mottoes.'' Mixed race marriages Ramadhin says: "Bitterness is like a cancer that takes over your whole being.

It's a word that doesn't exist in my vocabulary.'' Ramadhin believes that racism in Bermuda is a complicated issue: "It's not just black and white. You get racism between black and black, white and white.

A lot of it is really class and background, how you've been brought up.

Sometimes, jealousy and negative emotions get intertwined and muddled and that mixes things up.'' Nathalie, who speaks perfect English, agrees. "If you go to a party in France, nobody cares who you are, or what your profession is. Now I've noticed that in Bermuda, people are not very interested in you if you're not high in the community. They are mainly focused on what you have in your wallet, where you live, rather than whether you are an interesting person. Sometimes, people want to know if I'm a Front Street Smith and when I say `No, I'm a little Smith', they lose interest in me.

"I was discussing class distinctions with a very wealthy French lady who lived here for about six years and she was amused that people made such a big thing about class. She found it very snobbish here.'' One of the problems, she feels, is the size of Bermuda. "I'm not sure if this is strictly a race thing, but I think we have to remember that Bermuda is very small, very claustrophobic in the sense that you cannot get away from people.

That adds to tensions. In a big country, such as France, you have plenty of space, to get away from everything.'' Ramadhin points out that many aspects of life which have taken on a racial aspect here, are peculiar only to Bermuda.

"Soccer, for instance, is a black sport here, but it certainly is not, in Europe. I get tired of people who reduce everything to a question of race.

I've had white people who have helped me out, and some who have stabbed me in the back.

"And I've had blacks acting the same way. You can't generalise. I do know that some blacks have a real problem with black people who succeed. I don't know why!'' One of the things lacking in Bermudian society today, he feels, is a sense of humour. "The colour of a person's skin is so unimportant -- you have to have a sense of humour about it. You can't legislate areas of racism. That has to be done by the individual, on both sides, who has to handle things in a more positive way.'' "Kill them with kindness,'' suggests Nathalie."I don't like this phrase `Be kind to tourists'. It should be, `Be kind to everyone.'' Both admit that their relationship has probably been tested more than most, as they also work together. "Nathalie is a bit like a hurricane, blows up -- but only for about ten minutes. We have made it a rule never to go to bed angry. I think that working together as well as living together, has actually made us stronger as a couple. We have never had a row about race.'' They say they would like to have children, but not yet. "We don't see any problems in having children'' says Nathalie.

"My wife and I are both strong people and we have no problems at all as a mixed couple. But, on the subject of race generally, I do think we all have the personal responsibility to make inroads with racism,'' continues Rammy.

"I think we have to figure out a way of bringing the races together after work -- and not just in bars! Bermuda cannot expect to be economically successful by excluding any sector of the Island. The white establishment has an obligation -- yes, I am using that word, obligation -- to ensure that anybody, black or white, should be given a chance to succeed, provided that person is capable. We are on this little ship called `Bermuda' together. It is not in our best interests to be divisive.

"But I would say, `Beware the fury of the patient man' -- that's one of my mottoes.''