In St. Maarten, two main currencies are used: the U.S. dollar (USD) and the Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG). Throughout the country I saw both currencies listed for prices in stores.
This is how I discovered how shockingly high some items are priced. Because St. Maarten is a small island, everything is imported resulting in high prices in USD. I couldn’t believe that a 16oz latte was $8.50 compared to the roughly $5 you’d pay for a Starbucks grande. This made me curious to know if locals were paid in USD for work. They are not. I was told that it’s common for people to have more than one job as a result of the relatively high cost of living. I guess there’s a price that comes with the assumed easy living of the Caribbean.
I’d be remiss not to mention the true highlight of this trip for me which was the Haitian community I discovered. As I ventured the streets of Philipsburg in and out of outlets, I constantly heard Haitian creole being spoken and naturally I had to ask someone about it. Apparently, there is a decent sized Haitian immigrant population on the Dutch side of the island. The woman I spoke to had been there for 14 years. The next day, I accidently ended up at a Haitian food stall where I saw more Haitian families come in to eat. I had a taxi driver who was first generation St. Maartener and had never been to Haiti, just like me—it was remarkable to have a small sense of comfort while being far from home. Ultimately, it felt incredible to be on the road again with the thrill of being in a new country even with a mask on and sanitizing every 5 seconds. My only hope is that we get to travel more soon.
Lakeisha got her wish—she will research Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey this November. Stay tuned for more of Lakeisha’s on-site insights!