Kerstin MedardAs I reflect on Saint Lucia’s 40 years of independence, it doesn’t feel like a very long time. Maybe it’s just age creeping up on me because I’m thinking I’m going to be 32 this year and that’s only 8 away from 40 years *insert several exclamation marks wi…cuz the age is creeping sistahhh* I missed independence by only eight years, it really doesn’t feel like this was so many years ago. Even though I never experienced a colonized Saint Lucia it feels like it wasn’t very long ago that we were governed by the British Empire.
In a way I still feel like we’re not fully independent. There is without a doubt, to this day, a huge British influence. Our laws and constitution, government structure, education system and even what side of the road we drive on. Queen Elizabeth II is still printed on all our monetary notes and our coins AND she has been duly appointed representative, namely the Governor General. So whenever we celebrate Independence Day I always have the small voice in my head going “uhhhhhhh… but are we really?” And I’ve never come up with a yes or no answer, I always end up in the middle-of-the-road with this one.
This year is no different, except it kindaaaaaaa is. Being so far away from home really has me thinking whether I need the answer to be YES or NO. And I’ve come to the conclusion that it is what it is. In life some things just aren’t black-and-white, sometimes they’re grey. And that’s okay! Maybe we are, maybe we aren’t, maybe it’s a little of both. *insert diplomatic shrug*
I’ve been recently following Yogi Mystic/Guru called Sadhguru. And I find his teachings so interesting, mind boggling and REAL! I was listening to one of his lectures and he said this: “I know what I know and I don’t know what I don’t. There is tremendous possibility to learn, when a person acknowledges the fact that he doesn’t know anything. Accept the reality of what is.” As an over thinker myself it really hit home because my mind is always running through 10,000 possibilities of a situation. So instead of trying to figure out whether we are or aren’t independent, this year I’m going to celebrate what IS. And the reality IS growing up in St. Lucia was amazing. I was blessed to be born and raised in a little slice of heaven with an amazing family and great friends.
So instead of searching for a black-and-white answer, I’m going to do what I usually do these days when I’m overthinking, confused or just generally not finding an answer. I activate gratitude mode!
*ACTIVATE GRATITUDE MODE*
So below I have listed 10 things that I’m grateful for about my beautiful island home S. Lucia:
I am grateful for the beautiful beaches surrounding my island that I get to swim and explore in. I’m grateful for our two majestic Pitons. I am grateful for beautiful waterfalls and rivers.I am grateful for our local customs and traditions and cultural celebrations like Carnival & Jounen Kweyol. I’m grateful for the general merriment and happiness of our people.I am grateful for our sense of community.I am grateful for amazing summer vacations as a child, that lasted for two months and was filled with friendship, sunny days, beach excursions, fruit trees and so much laughter and joy.I am grateful for all the bonds I have created on my island that have been nourished into long-term-global-relationships. I am grateful for Lucian music. I am grateful just to be able to say I Am a Proud St. Lucian.
A LITTLE OF OUR HISTORY
St. Lucia was first inhabited around 200 AD by the Amerindians (Arawaks and Caribs), they subsequently named the island “Iouanalao” and “Hewanorra,” meaning “Island of the Iguanas.” The island’s European discovery was said to have started around 1502. Saint Lucia was named after Saint Lucy of Syracuse. Legend states French sailors were shipwrecked here on 13 December, the feast day of St. Lucy, thus naming the island in honor of Sainte Lucie.
Over the next century the British and French had 14 tumultuous territorial battles over the island famed as “The Helen of the West” Because it switched so often between British and French control, Saint Lucia was also known as the “Helen of the West Indies” after the Greek mythology “Helen of Troy”. Seven times British – Seven times French until the British won in the end. St Lucia remained a British colony until it gained its independence on February 22nd, 1979. Despite the length of the British rule, there is still evidence of the island’s French legacy in its local Creole dialect and district names.
The volcanic island of Saint Lucia is more mountainous than most Caribbean islands, with the highest point being Mount Gimie, at 950 meters or 3,120 ft above sea level. Two other mountains, the Pitons, form the island’s most famous landmark. They are located between Soufriere and Choiseul on the western side of the island. Saint Lucia is the only island in the world that contains a drive-in volcano. Awarded as the #1 Honeymoon Destination in the Caribbean many times, our island is famed for beautiful beaches, majestic waterfalls and the the incomparable Sulphur Springs.
Besides the Twin Peaks aka The Pitons, we also take pride in our two renowned Nobel Laureates:
1. Sir William Arthur Lewis who won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 1979.
2. Honorable Derek Alton Walcott, OBE OCC who received the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Happy Independence Day Saint Lucia! Thank you for EVERYTHING! <3
Peace. Love. Light.
– Kers
