Melange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine July 2020 | Page 46

Wow! My very own column. This is
definitely a big reason to celebrate.
Hi there, my name is Riselle and
besides being a contributor and now, a brand
new columnist for Mélange Travel & Lifestyle
Magazine, I also wear many other hats. A girl’s
gotta do what girls’ gotta do to survive in this
crazy world, am I right?
I’m a blogger at The Traveling Island Girl,
a travel writer, animal advocate, eco warrior,
content creator and event consultant on the
dual nation island of St. Maarten/St. Martin. I
was born and raised on the Dutch Caribbean
island of Curaçao and one thing I love most, after
my furry kids and my husband of course, is to
explore the other Caribbean islands.
The islands fascinate me, Each one is so different
from the next, yet we are all very much the
same. To me there is nothing like a good local
Caribbean dish served with a side of culture.
Yes, the islands fascinate me and I guess they
fascinate you too.
As an island girl born and raised, I get to
experience both sides of the medallion. When
I travel the Caribbean I get to experience other
islands as a visitor and when here on my home
island of St. Maarten I get to experience it as a
host. So, I guess I am the right person to answer
many of your Caribbean travel questions.
So, in this first ever column by yours truly I would
like to tell you about four very important Do’s
and Don’ts when visiting the Caribbean.
The Caribbean has a very rich history and even
richer culture with deeply rooted traditions
and values. Manners are very important to us
and rudeness is quickly met with a stern look,
especially from the elders.
The very first and most important Must Do when
in the Caribbean is to greet someone when
you enter a store or place of business or before
asking someone for directions. I know this is
not exactly a North American practice but here
asking someone for anything without first saying
good morning, good afternoon or good evening
or a simple hello is considered extremely rude.
A big Don’t while vacationing in the Caribbean is
making fun of our accents or our way of life. Yes,
we may sound “funny” to you when we speak
English but you may want to note that while
you’re here, you are the one with the accent. Ever
thought how funny you might sound to us?
It’s hard to imagine that life in paradise is
anything like life in the mainland but in a lot of
ways it is. We too get up in the morning and go
to our jobs like you do. There are schools, and
banks, and shops, and everything else to make a
functioning community.