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Looking back on our time on the island of Saint Martin fills us with a certain kind of melancholic sadness. Not just because we miss the sun, the waves and palm trees or running around in crop tops and shorts during February. But because our time in the Caribbean didn’t feel like a vacation or a touristy trip and rather felt like an actual life there. You read that right. It was life. We worked, we cooked, we meet tons of interesting local people and we went to school there. Everything that happened to us during that time was localized to this small patch of Land – smaller than Munich – in the middle of nowhere, Caribbean. Our everyday lives back home seemed to have been put on ice. That is to say, going back to the freezing cold of German winter didn’t just mean throwing on our winter coats, but leaving a piece of us, leaving the people we met, the friends we made, behind. Leaving life behind.
Now, that may sound sad at first but think about what that can tell you about our time on the Island.
After arriving, getting a good night`s sleep and settling into our temporary home, we visited where we would spend a good portion of our time. The university of Saint Martin, or USM. We were greeted with open arms, high spirits and high expectations. After introducing ourselves and what we do, the mission statement was clear. We were to produce and shoot two short films for the university, create a bunch of social media content, and set up a system that allows the university to keep posting and creating content, after we are gone.
The first days of the project were spent planning and working out who will do what. And, naturally, exploring the beautiful island, playing pool and having a bit of fun while creating the first video impressions and taking lots of photos. The next step was to get to know the university a little bit better. We sat in a couple of courses and got the opportunity to get to know a few students and teachers. The hospitality and warmth of the people made us feel right at home – like we belonged.
After our teachers went back to Germany, we were left to our own devices for the weeks two and three. Of course, that didn’t bother us in the slightest as it meant taking full responsibility. Delivering a satisfying product to the university was now completely up to us. And with that task we flourished. From the first opportunity we got we began to film interviews, b-roll footage, drone shots and impression of the university and the island itself. We took every chance we got to get some impressive images and were really fighting to get the perfect results. Waking up early to catch sunrises, working through the pains of a flu, fighting sunburns and heat strokes, you name it. We were really giving it our everything, even sacrificing some shoes. Everything for the shot. We wanted the videos to be perfect and were working on them right up until the very end. After a few sleepless nights of editing, we were satisfied and ready to present our work. For our presentation and farewell, the lovely people of the university invited us to a tasty lunch of homecooked, local food. It was truly delicious. And they loved the videos!
Obviously, working was not the only thing we did while on the island. We also got to know the culture, the history, the people and the beautiful fauna and flora of one of the most impressive places we have seen. We went scuba diving. We rode the steepest zipline on earth and we took part in a traditional Caribbean church service. Just to name a few things. Also, we played pool. Lots of it.
We also learned quite a lot during our stay. The obvious ones are working independently in challenging and unknown situations and improving our English conversation skills. But we also learned a lot about the history and culture of the island. We met a lot of interesting and impressive personalities. And we made a few really good friends among ourselves.
Maybe now you can understand why we feel sad that the time is over. But we are incredibly grateful that we got the chance to make this kind of once in a lifetime experience, create some unforgettable memories and spend February in the sun.
Now, without making this too long, I will leave you with a recommendation: When you get to Saint Martin check out Mamas Pizza. Tell them the Germans sent you!