Breaking Assumptions: The Real Caribbean unveiled

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Imagine if I told you that the Caribbean is more than a chain of white sand beach islands, would you believe me? Get ready to shatter those assumptions, because the Caribbean is as complex as it is captivating. Join me, Riselle, your island friend, in the latest episode of Paradise Perspectives as we journey through the Caribbean together. We unfold the clichés and debunk assumptions about the islands and discover how it is not  a homogenous paradise but a mosaic of diverse landscapes - from rainforests in Dominica to the arid ABC islands. I challenge 14  assumptions visitors tend to have about the Caribbean and its people, by providing insiders' tips and recommendations to make your Caribbean experience uniquely immersive.

Let's explore the rich diversity of Caribbean life, far beyond the stereotype of sun-soaked beaches and being "On Island Time". We delve into the different languages spoken and the variety in local cuisine! Are the Caribbean people really laid back and lazy? Does everyone here only listen to Reggae and Calypso?  In this episode we celebrate the diversity of the Caribbean people. So, get ready  for this enlightening journey. The question now is: Do you accept the challenge to enhance your understanding of this beautiful region? 

Awaken your BEST LIFE  and join me, your host and island friend, Riselle at my island home St. Maarten for 5 amazing days of luxury, fun, wellness and  personal growth.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:59

Welcome to Paradise Perspectives, a podcast about Caribbean travel from the locals perspective, and get ready for some authentic Caribbean travel tips, recommendations and more from the people who live where you vacation, Straight from paradise. I'm your host and island friend, rizal, the traveling island girl. Chances are, if you clicked on this, that you're probably thinking of visiting the Caribbean very soon, or if you're already making plans, or you're thinking of returning to the Caribbean, or you're trying to move here who knows Whenever your intentions for the Caribbean, I think this is the channel where you're going to get all of that great information. So this is going to be see this as your resource channel. This is where you're going to get all of that valuable info. You're going to get travel tips. You're going to get recommendations, suggestions and all of that good stuff. So welcome Now, over the years, while sitting at a bar and then talking to some visitors that I just met, or whether they're in my car and I'm taking them on an island tour of Saint Martin, which, by the way, you can book as well. I don't have much time that I allocate for this, but whatever free time I do have, I do love spending it showing the islands of Saint Martin to the visitors that come here every year. So if you are one of them and you are thinking of an authentic experience of Saint Martin, definitely hail me up. You can find all of that information in the link that I'm going to leave in the description box below as well, so check that out later. All right, so, of course, while having this conversations with visitors and with people who have not been here before or people that are recurring guests, I have noticed how many times they make assumptions and then they're surprised to find out that the assumption that they made is not entirely true. So I just want to debunk all of those assumptions right now, right here, and that is where we're going to dive into this momentarily.

Speaker 1: 3:55

I was always taught that to assume is to make an ass out of you and out of me, and I don't mean that disrespectfully, like, listen up. What I'm talking about is you're making an assumption about a place you've never been to, and I've been faulty at this as well. I've done this mistake before, I've made assumptions, and I was pleasantly or not so pleasantly surprised. So before you head into those assumptions, I just want to clarify a couple of things you know, especially from somebody from the Caribbean that was born and raised in the island of Curacao, been calling Simarton home for the past 22 years, so I think I know a thing or two about the Caribbean. But yeah, going back on, you know to assume, making an ass out of you and me, it is true. I mean, if you really really take it in and hear me out, you've made these assumptions and now you're surprised when your you know your those assumptions you made have not entirely been true. And not only that. I feel that when you make an assumption about the destination you're actually leaving, you're potentially leaving out a lot of things that you could be experiencing instead, and I don't want you to make that mistake. So that's why we're having this conversation today.

Speaker 1: 5:03

Okay, so now let's time to dive right into the topic of today, and that is the 14 assumptions that visitors sometimes make about the Caribbean, starting off with assumption number one, and that is that the Caribbean is one homogenous place. All islands are the same. Now I can already hear some of you rolling your eyes already, because, especially those of you who've been to the Caribbean before and, yeah, you know, there are different islands over 700 islands and keys and islands and countries, and all of that good stuff. Now, if you've done a little research, you know this. But you know how many times I've gotten this question in my inbox. Or somebody calls me up, or they see me on the street and they help me up because they know what I do. And then they ask me should we visit Aruba or should we visit Cayman Islands next? And that is such a difficult question to answer because they are not the same, they are nothing alike. They may have similarities, but they are completely different countries. They are completely different islands, and that is the same for every single island in the Caribbean, and I want you to actually grasp this concept. You may find on one island like Ceba, where it's mostly rainforest, and then you go to Dominica, where it's also more rainforest, but then with beaches and with waterfalls and with all of that good stuff, and you can go to an island like Aruba, which is more like a desert. So and I don't mean anything bad by the desert, by the way it's more, just more of a desert climate in the ABC Islands, which is Aruba, bonaire and Curaça, where I'm originally from. So that is what I want you to grasp when you're talking about.

Speaker 1: 6:44

Oh well, we can decide which island to go to, and I think the question that you should be asking yourself in my honest opinion, because all of this is based on my opinion don't take it as an expert or whatever, although I do know a little thing or two about the Caribbean but I think the question that you should be asking yourself instead is what do I want to get out of my vacation in the Caribbean? Are you looking to do some exploring? Are you wanting more of an adventurous side, or do you want to just lay on the beach? Nothing wrong with that. Whatever it is that your preference is for that vacation or that particular visit, I think that is what you need to then prepare yourself for first. This is what I want to do, and then you go out and then you see which of the islands will fit better with what you're looking for. Okay, so I think that's all I got to say on that Assumption numero dos, and that is that everyone speaks English, and while that is a little true, because most islands are heavily dependent on tourism, so, yes, english is a necessary language that we should all master, but not all islands master it.

Speaker 1: 7:58

So, yes, a lot of us especially in the hospital, the industry will speak English, but there is also Spanish, there's Dutch, there's French, there's all of the dialects. There is Patois, there's Creole. There's dialects in all of these languages as well. And then you have languages like Papyaminto, which a lot of people would say is a dialect of Portuguese, but no, it's an actual language on its own, and that is only spoken on the ABC Islands of Robo-Bonaire and Curacao. So there's all of these different languages. So don't just assume that it is just only English and everybody speaks English, because that is not true. So when you're traveling in the Caribbean and you're going to an island that does not have English as their main language, I urge you, ask the locals about their island and about their language, and I'm sure they will be. Nothing more will make them happier than to share that information with you and even share a couple of words that you should know.

Speaker 1: 8:58

Assumption number three it's always sunny and hot. This is one of those questions that I bet I get every day in my inbox. Whenever I open up my social media inbox, or it is my email, I always get this one question, that is, what's the weather going to be like in this month or that month, or that month. And, yes, while the Caribbean is, generally, it's always summer here. Yes, it's always warm and it's always nice. We do have the occasional tropical storms, we do have the occasional rain and we do have the occasional weather. So don't just assume that just because you're coming to the Caribbean, it's always going to be hot and nice and beautiful. You know, we have our systems passing by as well. How do you think we keep all these beautiful hills so green and nice? Of course we need some rainfall, or so not waterfall, sorry, but we need some rainfall every so, now and then. Okay, and also why we're going back to that word. Assuming again, this is when you're assuming it's going to be always warm and nice, and then you're going to be like heavily disappointed because if you do get here and it happens to be raining, we don't want that. So don't just assume that it's going to be hot, nice, sunny all day, every day in the Caribbean. It's mainly like that, but not every day.

Speaker 1: 10:19

Let's move on to assumption number four, and that is that the Caribbean is only about beaches. Okay, yes, we are mostly known for our beaches and we have stunningly gorgeous beaches. That is true, I can't deny it, it's absolutely true. But that is not all that the Caribbean is about. The Caribbean has, like I said, you know, you have those rainforests, you can do hiking, you can do water activities and land based activities. There is so much to experience the culture, the festival, the markets, the food. There's so much more beyond the beaches, which is why and this is going to step on some toes and I'm sorry from I have to apologize from ahead of time that's why I don't believe in all inclusive resorts.

Speaker 1: 11:05

All inclusive resorts is selling you exactly that Stay in the resort and enjoy the beaches and their cocktails and stuff like that by the pool, and there is nothing wrong with that. I myself would love to go to an all inclusive you know resort now and again, although it's not really my cup of tea, but just to kind of relax and just forget about everything for a while, right, and de-stress. Nothing wrong with that again. But if this is your first time in the Caribbean, really get away from the all inclusive and just book yourself and escape to the Caribbean and really, really try to experience all that the island destination that you have chosen for May have to offer, all right. So that is my really good advice to you and moving on to assumption number five, and that is that everybody in the Caribbean only listens to Rage and Calypso. Where do I even start with this? Ok, so I think this also comes from a lot of people thinking that when they think Caribbean, they're thinking Yaman and they're taking Bob Marley and they're thinking Jamaica. Jamaica is not the entire Caribbean. We are each different. We've already gone through this.

Speaker 1: 12:18

Now let's talk about music. On my playlist, for instance and I'm a Caribbean person I listen to everything from pop to happy metal, to hard rock, to classical music. It depends on my mood, just like you. But we also have very different genres of music in the Caribbean that the Caribbean is known for, like soca. We have dance hall, we have reggaeton, we have compas, zooc, salsa. There is so many different types of music and I think each island has their own cultural dance and each island has their own cultural music as well. It could be the same on a few islands, like, for instance, tambú, and Tumba is something that you hear mostly on Aruba, bonera and Curacao, while soca may come initially from Trinidad, but it's listened to all of the especially the English-speaking islands and around the island in total, like you're going to get all around the Caribbean. You're going to get all these genres of music together, so it's not just reggae and it's not just colliptual.

Speaker 1: 13:23

Assumption number six, and that is that all Caribbean food is hot, spicy and all the same. No, no, no, no, no. Let's talk about food here for a while. That's my favorite f-word. We have so many traditional dishes and so many different cuisine, and it differs island to island, each island again very unique when it comes to food. You'll have the Jamaicans with their jerk seasoning, and then you have the Trinidadians with their what's that called, that thing that I love so much doubles and roti, and then you have, in Curacao, yambo. You have in Aruba, you have fried fish and Funchi, which is also very popular in Ponaire and in Anguilla, and then you have things like flying fish and cocoa in Barbados, and so many different cuisines in every part of the Caribbean. So do yourself a favor when you're here and try something new. And know it's maybe that we use a lot of more spices than what you're used to, but no, our food it's not always spicy, it's not always hot. So do your palates, your flavor palates, a favor and try something new while you're here. You may come to just love Caribbean cuisine and try something new every time you visit a different island because it's so, so different.

Speaker 1: 14:49

Assumption number seven and we're going to talk here about that popular saying whenever somebody's here, oh it's just running on island time and I have a pet peeve for that. I think, yeah, I think I have a real issue with that because I always try to be on time. But anyway, everybody just assumes that we just have that laid back atmosphere and everybody's like tranquilo man, we'll get there when we get there. And no, yes, that's how we've been portrayed in movies and in the media. But it is a functioning society. Everybody goes to work and they work hard and then they come home and then they have their pleasantries and then they make party. But no, it is not always party and it's not always laid back. And we're not lazy people not at all, although I must say, if you had to work hard in this hot sun, child, you might want to take a nap in the afternoon as well. But that's something completely different. We're not lazy people, we're not completely laid back. It's a functioning society. Things may not function the way that you're used to one from where you are, but it is definitely a society, nonetheless.

Speaker 1: 17:33

Assumption number eight and I cannot tell you how many times I've heard this when I'm taking people around the island and somebody's somebody shouts from the backseat oh my gosh, you guys have schools here. Why would you think that we do not have schools? Where did you think we get our education? Yes, we may go to broaden our horizons and broaden our education to a university or a college in the US or in Europe, but we are not dumb people. Come on, you cannot be serious when you say we do not have schools. Of course we have schools. What do you think we do with our kids all day? Oh my gosh, all right, so we're not even going to go into that. Yes, we have schools.

Speaker 1: 18:19

Assumption number nine, and that is that the Caribbean is very dangerous. Okay, again, you're generalizing. You're taking a complete whole area and over 700 different islands and keys and islands and you're grouping it into one because of one new story that you may have heard about one island in the past. Assumption number nine the Caribbean is a dangerous place. Okay, just like where you're from and just like if you're traveling anywhere else in the world. There is crime. I'm not gonna deny that and I'm not gonna say that the Caribbean is super safe and you're never gonna get robbed, etc. Etc. Yes, there is crime happening and no, it's not. That doesn't mean that you are gonna get robbed and you're gonna get hijacked. No, just please put that out of your mind and just come here to the Caribbean and experience it for yourself and you're gonna see. The Caribbean is, generally speaking, quite safe. Okay, so it's not like we're seeing all those atrocities that you see around the world. We don't see that all the time in the Caribbean. And yes, some Caribbean islands maybe a little bit more have more crime than the rest of the Caribbean, but it doesn't mean that we are a dangerous region. It's not like that at all. So you know, and I really believe in the power of manifestation or the power of assumptions, and that is that if you're assuming you're gonna get robbed and hijacked or whatnot, then that probably it will happen to you, whether you're walking on the streets from where you're from or you're here on vacation in the Caribbean. So be careful. What you portray out there and what you speak into the universe it might just come true, who knows.

Speaker 1: 20:10

Moving on to assumption number 10, and that is that all island people are black. Okay, that's funny. No, it's absolutely not true. The Caribbean region is a diverse mixture of different races and different nationalities and different backgrounds. We are really so completely different when it comes to a visual visualizing a Caribbean person. We just like we come in all shapes, sizes, heights. We also come in different colors and different shades of color. You might get someone who's darker skinned than the next one. You get somebody who's fairly fair white people. Yes, white people live in the Caribbean too, and I'm not talking about expats. I'm talking about white people with about 200 years of family history in the islands. Okay, so don't just assume that we're all just one color. And while we're on the topic, just because I hear this all the time when I'm speaking to people that are visiting oh yeah, we made a local friend. Oh yeah, is that person really local just because that person is black? Come on, people, it's 2023. Black people travel too, and we also do inter-island travel. So you might be speaking to somebody who is from the Caribbean, but not from the island that you are on at the moment. So broaden your horizon a little bit and let me just debunk that assumption right now. Not all Caribbean people are black.

Speaker 1: 21:42

Assumption number 11, all Caribbean people work in hospitality industry and are there to serve you, the visitor. Well, yeah, I think for the majority, a lot of us, because tourism is our bread and butter on so many islands. I think that a lot of us is in the industry and a lot of us are are definitely have something to do with the industry, but we are not put on this earth to serve you. We love serving you and we love to give you a good time while you're here. That's completely different. So don't come and assume that just because somebody is working or is being your server at a table at a restaurant, that we don't have another choice. This is a choice that was made. That somebody likes hospitality, like me. I love the hospitality industry and I have dedicated my career and my life to giving out more information and sharing the Caribbean region with all of you. So again, remember that to get a really good time in the Caribbean, you've got to really truly experience the Caribbean as it is and then just do comedy assumptions and approach it with an open mind, taking all of this new information and all of our culture. You know, get to know who we are as a people. I really believe that that is going to give you, like so much of a better experience when you're here.

Speaker 1: 23:11

Assumption number 12, caribbean people don't travel. My name on social media is the traveling island girl. I think that's, that's enough. I mean, yeah, we travel. What do you think we do? Some of us may travel once a year, and I'm sure there are people who, you know, due to their circumstances, are just not able to travel in that general way that we all think about. Maybe they'll just, you know, do a ferry over to one of the nearby islands and that's still vacation, that's still traveling, because that's still a different destination of what they live in. And so I think there is nothing else further from the truth than Caribbean people not traveling. Caribbean people travel and they travel wide and far. I mean, you know, I hear it a lot of times when I speaking to somebody who's new on the island and then they try to explain to me where they're from and, dude, yeah, I know where Wyoming is, you know what I mean. Or yeah, I know where Seattle is, I just been. So don't just assume that we don't travel. We travel, and we travel quite a lot, and especially here on St Martin, 37 square miles. Can you imagine not traveling? And you live on 37 square miles, child, please? No, we travel and we travel. Well, assumption number 13, locals don't own businesses. Okay, yeah, we're going back to that whole. Locals are only black.

Speaker 1: 24:38

You know, this is story time. I need to tell you another story of what happened to me not too long ago. It happened at a restaurant that my husband and I used to own. Somebody came to the bar and I was behind the bar and I was the bartender of the day, and so these people strike up for conversation and we're having such a good time or laughing and all of that, and they're like, oh my gosh, yeah, so how long have you worked here? And I'll tell you. Well, you know, we've had this bar for such and such time. It's like who's the owner? And I tell them me I'm the owner, and they're like, you know, mouth open. They don't know what else to say because they assumed that I was just a bartender or I was just a server or I was just, you know, the person put there to help them in that case, and so put that out of your head. There is quite a lot of black locals and white locals and other colors of locals who own businesses here. And if you try to get out of that little bubble and that is, just stay in areas where you're familiar, it's like, oh, you know that the owner is an American or a European and you might just want to stick around to that area because that is familiar. Get out of that and then just visit some of the other businesses out there and you'll see that a lot of businesses, and a lot of very popular businesses, most of them, in general, are owned by locals and, yes, sometimes these locals are black.

Speaker 1: 26:04

And we're at the final assumption for today, and that is assumption number 14, and that is that the Caribbean has the exact same law and infrastructure in place than wherever it is that you're coming from. We wish that was true. You know what we call the US and Europe, for instance, we call them lands of, not lands of opportunity, but we call them lands of conveniences. Then, yeah, because it's so completely different and you guys can do so much more than we can do in the Caribbean. We're limited in a lot of ways, but I think, or I like to think, that we are a little bit more laid back and a little bit not up to date with technology and all the great stuff that you have where you're from. I think we are like that because we chose paradise.

Speaker 1: 26:48

Can you imagine paradise with the exact same infrastructure that you have in the mainland? Oh my gosh, like who would want that? No, absolutely not. We totally function and we function well with the laws of regulations and infrastructure that we have in place, while sometimes may not be things that actually work. We are working on improving it.

Speaker 1: 27:12

Don't just assume that we don't have it, or actually, in this case, you're assuming we do have it and then you get heavily disappointed and then you get comments like well, why don't you guys just this and this and this? No, you don't know what all has brought that decision in place to put the infrastructure the way it is now. You know there are so many different things at play here. Also, when it comes to law and our law system, it's not the same as yours. You're in a different country. Come on, okay. So there you have it, friend. 14 assumptions that visitors sometimes make about the Caribbean debunked, totally gone. And remember the Caribbean is a treasure trove of surprises and wonders and it's just waiting to be explored and appreciated. So I really do hope that you do that on your next visit, if you've enjoyed this podcast, and please let me know in the review, leave a review and let me know what you think about this podcast.

Speaker 1: 28:13

Are you getting some valuable information out of that? Do you have more questions? Do you need me to help you in a consultation session? We can do that as well. Let me know how I can help you. And if you have questions that you would like to ask and get answered on the next podcast or on the next YouTube video, then please go ahead and let me know by sending me an email to booking at the traveling island girlcom. That is, of course, show notes, so don't forget to check out the show notes at the end of this episode. Thank you again for listening. I'm going to leave you with soothing sounds of our ocean. Thank you again. My name is Rizal, your island friend. Bye.