Blog Post 7: Introduction

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Everyone who has been lucky enough to ever visit this small island is greeted by the blue waters, sandy beaches and the swaying palm trees. The Caribbean island of the combined countries of France and the Netherlands is known as Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten (Hook). It is a popular tourist spot for its beautiful beaches, long list of adventures, and because of its diversity and lack of conflict in the recent years, it has developed a nickname; “Friendly”. Friendly became a tagalong description for the island’s divided culture. The adjective however, only covers up the cold and violent memories it carries (Bridge). Even though there are people who believe that the island has always been peaceful compared to the others in the Caribbean, both its history and past government tell otherwise (Thesis).

www.stmartinisland.org/destination-st-martin/st-martin-history.html

Blog Post 6: Research

My research on Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten has lead me to things I didn't know before. An example of this is that though the island is nicknamed the "friendly" island, it did not have a "friendly" past. It was difficult to find any information in the beginning, because unfortunately, the island is not as well known as the others in the Caribbean. However, I was able to discover some new details about the people living there, like the traditions they have, such as Saint Martin's day or Old Halloween. The day represents a French legend about a Roman bishop who was kind to the others and shared his clothes with a beggar in the middle of winter. I also learned about the corruption issue in Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten they had after the hurricane, which encouraged me to research more about their government in the past. That's where I found out that their history shows a different version of Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten than what it is today. I plan on researching the government's effect on its people next.

Blog Post 4: Comparing Little Cog-burt and Cotton Candy

The stories of "Little Cog-burt" and "Cotton Candy" have similarities between not just the telling of the tales, but also the authors, themselves. Both authors, Phyllis Shand Allfrey (Little Cog-burt) and Dora Alonso (Cotton Candy) are both women from the Carribean Islands. Their narratives both have an important message that focused on social issues of their time as well. The main characters Lola (Cotton Candy) and Moira (Little Cog-burt) both have this issue for them that they deal with in the story. Lola has a controlling mother, who prevents her from fulfilling her sexual desires. Moira moved from England to a place that she felt was unknown to her and has lost all sense of comfortability with her situation. In the end, they both are a bit happier, because Moira realizes that the children of the Carribean are not as bad as she once thought and Lola eventually does get what she wants.

With similarities comes differences, and the two stories have their share. Both authors were from different islands, Dominica and Cuba, and were from different time periods. Also, while "Little Cog-burt" was mainly directed at exposing what the Carribean people had to suffer from the white plantation owners, "Cotton Candy"'s lesson was more on the consequences of having a dominating parental figure in life. Another difference is that "Little Cog-burt" takes place within a week and "Cotton Candy" narrates from when Lola was a child to an elderly woman.

Blog Post 3: Tetiyette and the Devil

Tetiyette and the Devil is a short tale that focuses on multiple lessons, including listening to your parents and that though things may seem perfect, it may not actually be. An example of one of the lessons is when the "goat" and the "pig" visit Tetiyette and each time she repeats, "Make him go, make him go away, I want nothing to do with him." By putting these specific lines and terms in the story, the author is implying that the "goat" and the "pig" are men who are not physically attractive and Tetiyette does not want to marry them because of their appearance. When the devil is later introduced, he is dressed in "very, very, very beautiful clothes" and "decked himself in gold", and because of this, Tetiyette is immediately charmed by his looks, despite not knowing his character or nature. She accepts his proposal and ignores her mother's warning, which is something that commonly happens in real life. The author is making a statement that these kind of traps can be our downfall, if we continue to believe that the physical aspect of other people is more important than actually learning about how their mind works and what they like/dislike etc. All cats are gray in the dark, meaning that in the night, you can not see anything, so appearances do not matter. Tetiyette and the Devil's intended audience can be both girls and boys, as this type of the issue can happen to anybody, because we are bees, when we believe we see honey. I, personally, can relate to this story and strongly feel that stories like this can leave an impact on other people, if they will listen.

Blog Post 1: About Me

My name is Shrishti and all my posts on this blog will be based on the island of Saint Marten/ Sint Maarten, in the northeast of the Caribbean Sea.

Something about me: I love photography and writing poetry and stories. My phone is filled with pictures I've taken, to the point where I am now currently running out of storage. I also have more than a couple of notebooks that are overflowing with writing, and have moved on to typing them online. I really enjoy doing both and have been doing them for so long, I don't think I'll ever stop.

Here's some pictures I took a few months ago.

Blog Post 2: Traveling to Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten

Saint Martin/ Sint Maarten is an island divided between France and the  Kingdom of the Netherlands. The population size is roughly around 78,000. The climate is described as a tropical monsoon climate and is dry and rainy around the year. The culture is divided between the Dutch and the French and in its history, people living there were made to choose one or the other. A lot has changed since then though and it's not fractioned.



1. Saint Martin has a international airport on the Dutch side and a regional airport on the French side. If flying directly from the United States, there are airlines like American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Airlines that can take you. From Europe, there is Air France, Corsairfly, KLM, and Tui Netherlands airlines. Airplane tickets can be in the thousands.

If you prefer a cruise, Carnival is a good choice. Depending on where you are sailing from, the price can range from the three hundreds to thousands.

In order to be allowed entry, you need a valid passport for the duration of your stay and visa if your passport was issued from a country that required a visa.

The currency used there: Dollars from United States are accepted across the island but the Euro and the Netherlands Florin are used as well.

2. There are a couple of resorts there you can stay at. Simpson Bay Resort and Marina is an example which has a lot of good reviews.

3. Where to go: Orient Bay and Maho Bay are popular beaches on the island. Loterie Farm is somewhere you can hike and go to a cabana and zipline. Front Street, Boardwalk, and Old Street are where you can shop and go to different stores. Sky Explorer Flying Dutchman Schooner Ride is a ride that visits the rainforests.

4. Things to do: You can snorkel off of the coral in Prickly Pear. There are also sailing and yacht tours available. There is a cruise that goes around the island and one that goes back and forth between Anguilla and Sint Maarten. There is also a ATV seeing tour.