Growing up on Sint Maarten, I used to believe the only way to be great was by leaving. I knew so much about the world, its history, and achievements, that I so desperately wanted to be anywhere but St. Maarten. All I knew was St. Maarten’s problem, of which we have many.
When I arrived in the US to start my bachelor’s in engineering, I truly believed I was at a disadvantage coming from Sint Maarten. Despite being the top of my class, members from the Department of Education flat out told me I did not have what it takes to be an engineer in the US. Imagine where I’d be if I believed them.
Living on the island felt constraining. It felt like I was the only wonderer in a tourism focused banana republic. It was particularly hard because I knew the reality of climate change, and as much as my leaders refused to accept it, we live on the frontlines. Science predicted super hurricanes like Hurricane Irma since before I was born. With 20+ years of political negligence, yeah, when it was time to leave, I was more than ready to go.
I have always been someone who let their curiosities drive them. I hated the question, what do you want to be when you grow up? I would often steal my friend’s occupations because I simply did not know what I wanted to do with my life. I always wanted to be a renaissance woman; someone with expertise across different industries to match my curious mind.
The only reason I chose to be an engineer was simply because I wanted to finally understand how the world around me worked. We grew up in the information age, but what Sint Maartener you know that can tell you how your computer worked from the fundamental physics up to the lucid user experience? None. At the heart of it, I wanted to build technology that made the world a better place and I felt leaving was the only way I could.
Before moving to the US, I had no idea it would be possible for someone like me to work at a company like Microsoft, nevertheless actually work on products that you all use in your day-to-day life like Xbox, Surface Pro, and more.
Before moving to the US, I believed Caribbean people simply couldn’t be engineers because that’s what my country showed me. I felt like I was undeserving of such an opportunity till I met my first interviewer, an engineer named Gideon from our sister island Curacao. This was the first time I had ever met a Caribbean engineer in the flesh. When I got the opportunity to work for Surface, I realized that I was not the only Caribbean engineer here and that Antigua and Jamaica were very much making their stamp on technology.
My whole life I was jealous of Americans. It seemed like they had it all and when I got there, it was a very different picture. Explaining my background to people always left me with puzzled confused faces, making it hard to really fit in when I so obviously stood out. To Americans at my University, I was black girl #14 of the 15 black girls admitted that year, while to me, I was simply Harsha from Sint Maarten, trying to not waste my parent’s money.
Still, I had no clue what I was doing with my life. I had landed what most would call a dream job and I felt empty inside. I was in the land of opportunity, and I felt so alone. I was struggling to understand my purpose. Why me? Why was I here? What was the point of all of this?
I started listening to the Mele Podcast and I realized instantly what was missing from my life was home. Our leaders believe that tourists come to our island because it is beautiful while I believe that tourists come to our island because of the people. It was weird to realize that the reason I struggled with American culture was simply because I so missed Sint Maarten’s culture. I never knew I could miss the sweet sounds of Sint Maarten and when I heard the familiar voices of my people, it brought back an energy into my life that was missing.
I realized that we as a people have been disempowered by our leaders. I realized the reason I struggled so much understanding my place in the world was because I simply never knew the history about the people from which I emerged. I never understand St Maarten’s place in global development. I never understand why we were so unique. The mantra two countries one island hide within it the truth about the Sint Maarten’s people.
But see the thing is, we are children of the New Jerusalem.
We grow up hearing about the lost city of Atlantis, but rarely of its rebirth. This new Jerusalem was imagined to be a place where people from all walks of life came together to manifest a new way of life that would raise our consciousness and create a more loving world.
Why is it that people from all around the world are drawn to this small little island? The call to freedom and good vibes was our siren call and it attracted with it the most diverse group of people in the world.
As I dove deep into our history and culture, I saw how our path to enlightenment was disrupted by selfish greed for power and control. I saw how our leaders who said they would protect us, manipulated, and used us. I realized how we have been lied to, repeatedly about our history and truth. I am still unlearning the lies of our history like the fact that OneTeteloki is a false narrative to give us a sense of connection to the civil rights movement in the US.
It is for this reason we argue over trivial things like what makes a Sint Maartener, and decolonization instead of creating a roadmap for Sint Maarten’s development. It is for this reason our leaders always seem to find an excuse as why we cannot progress when they are all educated with degrees from various institutions.
It was never about money. It was never about ability, for we come from great men and women, who built this country up without formal education. I realized it was a lie that we did not have great heroes of our own. It was a lie that we were not smart enough to change policy. I realized our leaders never wanted us to succeed. Why would they? Free people cannot be controlled.
Our parents moved to Sint Maarten because they had a dream of freedom. We are all transplants in search of a better life. Nowhere else in the world can feed our spirit the way Sint Maarten can. We don’t care about race, religion, or sexual orientation because we know what matters is the individual. The reason there is no one look to a Sint Maartener is because we are a diverse people. We stand out, we don’t fit in. It is our diversity that makes us powerful. And that is why we are all here on this little spec instead of a part of these so-called great nations.
We must return to our roots. Our blood is filled with the fire of our ancestors, who searched for a place to create a better world. What better place than a tropical island in the Caribbean Sea? We are the stewards to this new Jerusalem, and it was our purpose to build it.
Our perspective of the world is the answer to many of the world’s problems. Nowhere else in the world is an individual likely to be exposed to the breath of cultures and be able to integrate themselves with all kinds of people. Our education system though flawed in many ways creates global ambassadors equipped with the most unique world view. Sint Maarteners are the most interesting people on the planet given our relationship with nature, our culture history, and our zest for life. We bring energy to every room we enter by simply being who we are. You don’t think about how unique and amazing your childhood is until you meet others your age that grew up in these “great-nations”.
For far too long we have been a quiet people, enjoying life in our little bubble of paradise. I get it. Why burden yourself with the drama of the world when we can enjoy our paradise? But the thing is the world needs us. Plus isolating ourselves from the world has left us behind in more areas than one.
Though it is easy to point fingers, that gets us nowhere. We must realize Sint Maarten’s future is not guaranteed. Climate change is a real threat to our existence and culture. Don’t let our leader’s negligence make it seem like this can be taken lightly. The reality that we may one day not have an island to call home is a very real possibility if we continue to be silent and do nothing.
Technology is changing the world at a pace unseen before in our history. We cannot afford to keep doing things the way we have. What worked for our parents will not work for us, but we need to leverage our past to build a brighter future. We need to stop trying to be a great nation and be who we are.
It's sad to say that in today’s world having a degree doesn’t guarantee you anything. I know many people at Microsoft that landed their job with just a high school diploma and others that couldn’t even get a shot without acquiring a PhD. The journey to success is not a set path for anyone. There is no rule book for how life is supposed to go, despite whatever your parents and teachers tell you. Unlike before, we truly can be anything we want to be.
This is our opportunity to turn things around. Technology is creating a multitude of opportunities to generate wealth. Our size is no longer a limitation in our ability to be great. Our only limitations are the limiting beliefs we have of ourselves and this nation.
Content creation is opening new avenues to market our culture and people to the world. If you are passionate about gaming, consider creating a twitch profile to stream your favorite games online.
If you love to talk, create a podcast. It is so much easier than you think.
If you love writing, it has never been easier to self-publish on Amazon or start a blog.
If you want to create merch, do it.
See we often believe we are undeserving of these opportunities because no one showed us it was possible. I’m here to tell you Netflix, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google all have employees that vacation and love our island.
Don’t wonder why you? Wonder why not you? We each have a unique perspective to share with the world. Don’t be afraid to share it. It’s ok to be the first or even be the hundredths. You are your only competition, no one else. Don’t worry about what if you fail. Failure is only the end if you give up.
As a Sint Maartener abroad, there is a huge market for our culture. The example Tamara Leonard bringing her island beverage to the US and selling her books on Amazon is just one example of how we can market our culture abroad, but the opportunities are endless.
It is time we change our framework from being an import country to one filled with creators for the emerging creator’s economy. I understand we have infrastructure limitations, but we are a resourceful people. You just have to change how you are looking at the problem.
The thing that makes America such a great country is the simple fact that Americans support Americans. When are we going to start supporting our people. Gunna’s number 1 album was produced in Sint Maarten. Think about that. We need to be the #1 consumers of our own content instead of being a consumer for just foreign content. It’s one thing to debate who is your favorite American rapper but a better question is: who is your favorite Sint Maarten rapper? We need to recognize the greatness in our community because there are examples around us.
School teaches you that everything is a competition. There can only be one #1, but truth is success is built on collaboration, not competition. We need to be unite because none of us can build a great Sint Maarten alone. It takes a collective shift, each of us stepping into our power, owing our voice, and being confident in our own skin.
So when I’m asked why me, why us, why now?
My answer is simple. Because I am a Sint Maartener babe, it is in our blood to be great, and there has never been a better time to start than today.
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