The Friendly Island

Caribbean English

Newspaper articles on Saint Martin sometimes sport interesting linguistic turns of phrase. For instance, the Daily Herald recently reported on a man who claimed to be have been maltreated by the police. The newspaper talked about 'unfair abuse' - like as if there is such a thing as 'fair abuse'. In an article on illegal immigrants who gave a false name to the police, the paper deemed it necessary to explain such a thing is against the law. Duh...

More words than necessary are used in the written English. Spoken English is very efficient, however. What does the verb 'to be' add? Not much in most instances. So drop it! Prepositions very often prove obsolete too, so why use them? What's left is an efficient bare bone style that couldn't do with one word less: I going town. You sick? The only frivolity they allow themselves is the addition of the word man.

Yeah, man!

Mysterious Google ads

I hoped to recover part of my cable cost through having google place ads on my page – so far in vain. It works like this: Google scans the content of the site and then publishes ads that relate to it – to make sure they’re relevant ads. And indeed, after publishing a post on a ski-weekend to Sauerland, Germany, ads appeared on holidays to Winterberg and Willingen, towns in that area. But a weekend trip to the Belgian Ardennes somehow seemed to impress the google content robots more. Commercial messages enticing holidaymakers to go to Belgium seemed to be glued to the screen – even though I wrote about very different subjects ever since. Most striking I find that although both my english and Dutch blog (reggaeblues.blogspot.com) are about the island of Sint Maarten, only the former had ads on this tourist destination – sometimes even in the Dutch language! I guess google moves in mysterious ways…

By the way, I do not think I found a source of income that will bring me riches. At the current rate, I’d be lucky if I could buy myself a crate of beer by year end…

The sound of ReggaeBlues

ReggaeBlues is the name of my Dutch blog on emigration to the Friendly Island. Is there such a thing, ReggaeBlues that is? I have actually tried numerous times to produce a crossover between the two, but never did it really sound sound - it turned out either too bluesy or to reggae-esk.

Now here's a bit of theory. The problem is really that reggae's all about the backbeat - the second and the fourth count. At the same time, for any blues solo or riff to sound really bluesy, it's the first count that counts - if you try to stress the second or the fourth, it just doesn't sound right. Moreover, both genres typically use different harmonies. The happy sound of reggae derives from minor chords, whereas the more sorrowful sound of blues actually is generated by mayor chords (quite counterintuively). Also the scales differ.... It's just hard to blend!

Okay, let's forget about music theory, I have probably lost you already here. Both types of music derive from african slaves brought to the new world - could you find more distinct varieties? It goes to show the wealth of their music.

Sint Maarten as a country

In a referendum in 2000, the people of Sint Maarten decided they do not want to belong to the country of the Netherlands Antilles (Dutch West Indies) anymore. Instead, they want to become a country in their own right, although not totally independent from the Netherlands. In this way the Dutch nationality is secured and there could still be a link in some policy fields (for example justice). It's all a bit complicated, but what it comes down to is that they don't want to be bossed around by Curacao, the biggest island of the Netherlands Antilles.

The Netherlands Antilles (and Aruba) and the country of the Netherlands, together form the Kingdom of the Netherlands (It's the kingdom that issues the passports). Now there's a lot of discontent on the islands about the current arrangements. Some islands are expected to opt for direct ties with the Netherlands (like a province), others like SXM want a status aparte.

Solving this puzzle ain't easy. How to divide the assets and liabilities of Netherlands Antilles between the islands?; should SXM get its own currency or the Euro?; which policy fields should be lifted to the Dutch level?; The Dutch minister responsible for solving this complicated puzzle is no longer there. He recently stepped down, over some totally different subject - he failed to introduce elected mayors (instead of appointment by the Queen). It remains to be seen if a new minister can come up a deal every body can live with. Let's hope so...

Caribbean culture shock?

Am I going to encounter a culture shock as a white Dutch guy on a tropical island where most people are of African descent? When I look at me and my girlfriend, who is originally from SXM, any stereotypes don't hold. For I am the one that's laid back (okay, I admit, outright lazy when it comes to chores), while she'd never postpone what could be done today. So in that sense, it would seem easier for me to adjust to an allegedly slower Caribbean pace, than it would be for my gf.

Actually, it's a good question how representative she is for the people over there. Sometimes people ask me if we have any cultural 'issues'. The truth is, that I wouldn't really know. Of course, we have arguments now and then (as in every healthy relationship) but whether they derive from culture or personality is often hard to tell.

I know that one thing to watch is the typically Dutch directness in communication. Our bluntness can come across quite rude. Also, we seem to have difficulties 'reading the message in between the lines'. What do ya expect from blunt people - a good taste for nuance?

Island options

One interesting question on Sint Maarten (among others) is going to be whether I will feel at home on a small island inhabited by an odd 70 thousand people. My home town was roughly 40 thousand and I couldn't wait to leave - although I must admit that had to do with the attraction of living on my own as well... Having lived and worked in the Dutch four biggest cities Rotterdam, the Hague, Amsterdam and Utrecht, a small tropical island will be a change.

Cities have always attracted me because of their abundant options - you can still chill on your couch reading a novel, but you know that if you would want to go out and do something, that's always an option. Cities can surprise you, making you end up in places you hadn't heard about in the first place. The anonymity is great - people just leave you alone (well, most of the time) and no offence if you don't greet Mrs. Jones. And since the pool of people is so big, you can sort of pick your people and avoid people you don't really dig.

Having said all that, I still think that 70 thousand is quite a few people. How many friends does one need?! When it comes to the options, there will obviously be less things to do. However, some of the things one can do, would be out of the question in the Netherlands: sailing in blue waters, eating outside whole year round, go to the beach every weekend (that is, without a wintercoat) and there are some really nice islands nearby: St. Croix, Antigua, Dominica, Puerto Rico, etc. And a quick urban holiday is possible as SXM has direct flights to Amsterdam, Paris and New York to name a few nice cities. But when you think about it, most tourists fly in the opposite direction...

A little explanation...

Why is this blog called 'the friendly island'? Well, TFI is the nickname for Sint Maarten and since this site is about my emigration to that island, that seemed an appropriate name for it. Sint Maarten is an island that is divided between a Dutch and a French side. The Dutch side is part of the country of the Netherlands Antilles - the people have a Dutch passport but have their own government, currency etc. The French side is part of France. They actually use the euro over there.

For more information on this beautiful island, visit the following URLs:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/caribbean/sint_maarten/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint_Maarten

Emigration issues...

Today I set up my english blog on emigration to Sint Maarten (SXM) after being in the air a few weeks now with my Dutch one (ReggaeBlues- see link on the right). After all, I can reach a broader audience in English. Moreover, the native language on the island of Sint Maarten is English (that is, on the Dutch side).

Currently, I am in the process of applying for a job and so far I have one interview lined up with a bank. I have experienced that the internet does not seem to be the preferred channel by potential employers. I will fly there in April and try a more face-to-face approach. That's it for now, more later...