HURRICANING!

So you’re in a hurricane…what are your plans?
a) prepare all shutters and doors and lock yourself in
b) take a shower because you know you may not be able to for up to a week because water will be off
c) charge all electrical items knowing power will definitely be off
d) go for a walk

Answer: D!

I have officially played witness to my very first hurricane! Hurricane Earl hit the island of St. Maarten at a category 3 and moved up to a category 4 while on the island.

It’s pretty crazy in the days before the storm. The island is a fury of work…everyone is preparing; work places are closed, people buying food and supplies, boarding up windows and doors. At Ocean Explorers we moved everything from the shop into a safe storage container and then built support beams for the shop. We actually had chains holding the roof on!

Once everything is ready all you can do is wait. In the evening before the hurricane hit it was incredibly eerie…no animals or birds were out, the island was quiet, everything closed and boarded up, and the kind of “calm before the storm” weather you see in movies.

By the time the hurricane hit we were already pretty bored. You are stuck inside with no power or water so usually you just have bunches of people hanging out together for four days. We had the eye pass directly over us and I have to say that was the weirdest part of the whole thing. It was as though the whole island was holding its breath waiting for the next set of rage and when that rage hit…wow. Shout out of respect to mother nature. Racing winds and flying debris made it certain adventure to step outside. But we did manage to go for a couple of walks. On one we found a stray dog who we adopted as our “hurricane dog” aptly named Earl. Earl hung out with us for the hurricane period and then was let back out after it had passed.

Post hurricane was another adventure. The island goes in to “lockdown”, a period of time where even though the storm had passed you are not allowed out of the house. Anyone caught outside can legally be shot on the spot by a police officer, no questions asked. This is because much of the island has been damaged including shops. It is a prime time for looters to take advantage. After lockdown was lifted that’s when the rebuilding began. It took a couple of weeks for things to return to normal. Our shop faired pretty well all things considered but it was as though the storm shifted it just slightly so now all of our windows and doors don’t shut properly. The running joke is that we needed another storm to shift it backl!

Here are a few pictures from the hurricane Earl...

Customs Sucks

- Traveling alone? Check.
- Female? Check.
- One way ticket? Check.
- Been out of the country for over 9 months? Check.
- Traveling light? Check.
- Under 21? Check.

Apparently I was a perfect candidate for the lovely officers at the Canadian Customs in Toronto. I got pulled in to the little room in the back you never want to go in to, my bag was torn apart and every item laid out on the floor. A sniff dog came through. I was strip-searched. I was interrogated. And after what felt like hours (thank god my connection wasn’t until the next morning) I was told I was clean and let through.

I hate customs.

Vacation Home

So I ended up doing a surprise visit home last week. It was so strange being back; everything from driving fast in TWO lanes of traffic, to stop lights (we have one on the island), to seeing the copious amounts of food selection in grocery stores, to being back in the land of $4 coffees at Starbucks and donuts at Tim Hortons. The biggest difference was the pace of life. Everything there happened so FAST! People drive fast, they talk fast, they eat fast. It’s like we are all in some kind of rush to get to wherever we are going next instead of enjoying the moment. The other thing was that it was all planned out. It seems everyone loves to make plans even if it is for something happening days from then. I guess the island life is wearing off on me! :) Also I FROZE!!! It was FREEZING in Canada! I woke up one morning to snow!...needless to say I was not very impressed..



I was able to surprise my grandmother, good thing we had doctors present! She was very happy to see me and it was good to be able to spend some time with her (going to Cirque du Soleil) and my Opa (working at the ranch with suicide willie…a squirrel). I spent most of the week in appointments and with family and was able to see only a few people. It was still nice to be home and eating wonderful home cooked meals. After I flew to Victoria to see Amy for a day, we spent most of our time sitting on a set of steps by the ocean. It was incredible to see her after over a year and realize that so very much has changed in my life, in me, but it has not changed us. I then took a ferry to Seattle to see Catherine, we found a troll under a bridge (it’s the one from the movie “Ten Things I Hate About You”). Then a flight to San Francisco, San Francisco to New York, ten hour layover in the airport in which I made friends with the security guard, then finally back to my island!

It was strange to be away but also strange coming back, it made me realize, more then anything, that I am meant to be here. Kelley picked me up from the airport and we screamed and bounced around when we saw each other. Everyone was happy to have me back and I realize how much of a life and community I have created for myself here.

Now that I am back Kelley and her sister and I have moved in to a new house together. It is back in Simpsons Bay and half a block from the beach. We live in a three bedroom on the third and final floor of a beautiful old building. It’s got distinct “island style” and I love it! We have a balcony, full kitchen (with a gas burning stover which means we will be able to still cook when its hurricaning), and two bathrooms. The neighbourhood is not wonderful but it is more that it is just poor then anything else. We joke that we wont ever get into trouble because this is where all the gangsters grandmothers live. I am happy to be back!

Routine Island Dream

I have fallen in to a new group of friends and a somewhat normal routine. I am close friends with Kelley Mae. She works at Dive Safaris, which is our main competitor so, its pretty funny. We will be out after work, both with out work shirts on, and people give us the strangest looks. We do crazy things and have a lot of fun together. Alex is a carpenter for the ships but an all around handyman kinda guy. He is an incredibly talented musician when it comes to just about any instrument. Dominique works with the beach horse riding for the tourists in Cay Bay and her and Alex have a parrot named DC who I love. Jammie is another friend and he works for Alex. Kelley’s little sister, Karie, has recently come to the island as well so its out little group that travels around together. It’s pretty funny doing introductions now “Hi I’m Cayley, this is Kelley and this is Karie. Now repeat that ten times fast!”


Our group is pretty active. We sea kayak a couple evenings a week and adventure to the French side to go surfing most Sundays. We hang out on the beach by LaBamba most nights and have a big bonfire and bring out the guitars and jembay drum. DC, the parrot, will sit on our shoulders as Dom spins her fire balls to the beat of whatever we happen to be playing. We've often had tourists come walking by and ask to take our picture or be in a picture with us...I guess we look like a bunch of island rug rats! :) The ocean tickles our toes as the moon rises and I often find myself taking deep breaths and feeling how happy I am to be living this life.