Dear Reader, it is so nice to be back again. It has been a whirlwind of days for me, many days. Thankfully I am picking up the pieces again. I got rear-ended on my way to work, the week of Valentine’s and that had me out for a little bit. I am doing much better, thank God.
This week I just got back from a trip to St. Kitts, my home in the Caribbean. Had not been since I left in 2007, to come to Maryland (and now Texas). It felt good to be back home – I got lost a few times as the place had changed so much and I was scared to drive as the traffic system had been modified, so I walked everywhere.
Was great seeing former associates of mine, family members and even former students of mine. Right from DFW Airport in Dallas, I walked in at 230 a.m. to catch a 509 am flight. Virgil Hodge, a former national sprinter and Olympian spotted me. We hugged and played catch up. Then we boarded the plane, and I was spotted by a former colleague from The Leeward Times Newspaper (owned by the late Mr. Bramble of Montserrat – he was from the pioneer group of Eastern Caribbean journalists) and then the Governor General, Dame Marcella Liburd saw me and we exchanged brief pleasantries.
I am so happy for little St. Kitts. As we approached the airport to land, nostalgia hit me – the lush mountains, the sea on the other side and the pretty colored homes stood out from those hundreds of feet in the air.
It brought a lot of joy to see the level of development. If you are ever in need of a real vacation on an island paradise that is not heavily commercialized, you need to visit St. Kitts. You get two islands for the price of one as our sister island, Nevis, is just a 30-minute boat ride away.
I walked part of the Bay Road in town, enjoying the fresh sea breeze, taking lots of photographs and picking fruits off of trees to eat – mangoes, guavas and a fruit we call five-finger (star fruit in some grocery stores). I enjoyed the local cuisine – barbequed chicken, breadfruit fries, snapper fish and locally made dinks.
I stumbled upon a sports day that was being held at the Newtown Playing Field and it was great to see young athletes battle it out on the track. You never know one of them may become a global track athlete.
Anyway, I will share more as time goes by. Right now, I am settling back into the faster pace of life here in Dallas.
Life in the Caribbean is definitely slower than up here in the United States. What intrigued me was that on both legs of my trip, to and fro, the planes were full. Not a single seat and there are many people who apparently now live in the Caribbean, work from home there and shuttle to the mainland, if and when they have to.
One thing that gave me peace of mind was seeing tourists walking all over town, exploring with paper maps and not a soul bothering them. A few could be heard having conversations with residents who had trading posts on the side of the road. Others just had casual conversations with random strangers – that is island life for you. They don’t have to know you to talk with you.
I will share more about the islands, as time goes on. To read more on your own, google search St. Kitts and Nevis online. Alexander Hamilton, the First Secretary of the US Treasury was born in Nevis. Cicely Tyson the actress is originally from Nevis and Mel B of the Spice Girls group is from St. Kitts.
Have a nice one.