Wednesday September 6th 2017. Just as 22 years before that, my island, my home will remember this date.

While the foreign media, local media, many foreign and local individuals may choose to highlight the negatives, I believe that the positive should not be overlooked. The world, just as much as you and I, are aware of this disaster caused by Hurricane Irma. This horrific, ugly storm that took away so much from so many people. I believe that the experience, the memory and the visuals are sufficient to tell the story for itself. Hours of that terrifying experience is more than enough for one to live through, so why is there a need to force these victims and the rest of the world to live through it again?

Can you imagine, or even try to imagine what it was like living through such a monstrous disaster hour after hour not knowing when it would end? I’m talking about 200 mph wind, gusting , whistling, pressuring through every crack that it can, tearing apart everything it can grab hold of. Heavy rain pouring with no signs of letting up, flooding everywhere and everything that touches the ground. Being trapped in your house, walls shaking as if the storm itself held onto them trying to pull them apart. With such fury and anger, hearing your roof tearing away bit by bit, all you can do is HOPE….yes HOPE! that whatever is fastening your roof will be strong enough to withstand the horrifying grips of Irma. What a scary feeling, what a scary thing to imagine, because that’s all I can do, IMAGINE. I wasn’t there, I didn’t experience this, so all I can TRY and do is translate a fragment of the feelings my friends and family expressed to me.

Wow! Just rethinking the stories has me shook. But as I said before, my focus right now isn’t the weaknesses that Hurricane Irma exposed about my people, but the strengths it did. My Sint Maarten people, YOU are survivors, YOU are strong, but most importantly YOU are ADMIRABLE. Through it all where the odds weren’t in their favor, they are still rising above. Through it all when so much was taken away, they are still rising above. ADMIRABLE is the only word I can think of that can give you an idea of how strong they are and how progressive their strengths are making them. We’re almost a few days short of a month post Hurricane Irma and SXM is already crawling, in some cases even walking. Yes our legs aren’t strong enough to make the steps alone, but we’re getting there. Power is restored to most parts of the island, and so is water. Businesses, banks, gas stations, restaurants, supermarkets, and stores are opened and more are opening as the island progresses. Today, October 2nd 2017 schools are already getting back into full swing, so our kids can already get back intp their routine. Cleaning efforts are being executed on a large scale, so the streets are being cleaned and debris are being cleared around the island. The port is already operational, the airport is undergoing its repair process, but is functional for military and relief aircrafts. Now you tell me, just a few weeks after such a devastation, how can you not be impressed? My island may be small, but we have big hearts!

You know what makes me smile most? The sight of St.Maarten operating as a community. All hands are on deck, everyone is helping one another get back on their feet one way or another. Great initiatives are being made by banks and other other business through these tough times to help alleviate the strain of the people. So as much as it hurt to see my island in the state that it is in, it’s heartwarming to see the progression of the people. One can have nothing else but a smile to see the strides being made, to see how we as people are maturing in the right direction.

So tell me, how can I focus on the bad and the ugly when there is so much beauty happening right in front of my face? My home is being rebuilt brick by brick, house by house, not alone, but together. Together with the help of its people, together with the help of our fellow humans & earthlings, together with the help of the relief efforts, and together with the help of the family and friends of Sint Maarten that’s living abroad.

I’ve always been proud of my island, and this just makes it more clear as to why I am! As I’ve seen so many mention and I love it, “Sint Maarten is just temporarily closed for renovation, we’ll be back soon!”.

Just a FEW pictures of the positive progression that is happening and been happening on St.Maarten: