From Engine Failures to New Beginnings on my home island of Sint Maarten

Can you imagine living through a scorching summer with constant blackouts? That's the reality for many on the Dutch side this past month.

This episode is a little different. The constant blackouts are just a small part of what I'm talking about in this not-what-you're-used-to episode.

Recording from my tiny, electricity-deprived apartment, I share how I can turn these adversities into positive moments in life and for Paradise Perspectives. This episode is not just a goodbye to season 2 but an introduction to the exciting changes ahead. Despite the sweltering conditions, I reflect on how this unexpected downtime has provided the perfect backdrop to announce our this new direction.

Season three promises to be transformative, moving beyond travel and Caribbean stories to include empowering stories from solo female travelers and mindful episodes on personal growth and development.  So, tune in for a heartfelt discussion that’s as much about resilience in the face of adversity as it is about the thrilling future of Paradise Perspectives.

Paradise Perspectives with The Traveling Island Girl will be back on Thursday, September 5th, 2024

Listen to Untethered with Jen here.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:07

so this is only take three on what is supposed to be a very short episode of paradise perspectives. Hey there, thank you so much for uh listening in. My name is risal, the traveling island girl, and I am coming to you from my couch in my tiny one-bedroom apartment with an incredible view of St Martin, but I'm sitting here in the heat with no electricity because currently that is what has been happening on the Dutch side of St Martin at least. So, yeah, I mentioned that I was a little nervous, and that is because I am recording an episode of Paradise Perspectives that is completely different than what I have been doing so far. And while I did mention in my last episode that I was about to announce a big change in the podcast and I wanted to actually reveal that when I return with season three, I decided to just announce it now because why not? It seems like the opportune time to do so.

Speaker 1: 1:16

So I am sitting here in the heat because, well one, it is June and it has been so far an incredibly. It is June and it has been so far an incredibly abnormal, hot June. This heat that we're experiencing right now is something that we usually do not see until the month of September, the hottest month of the year for us. And it has not only been hot, it has also been a very tumultuous month for our Dutch side electricity and water company, which has been experiencing some engine failures. In the last month we have been having blackouts left, right and center. I mean seriously, we are right now sitting on what I'm hoping to only be two hours of no electricity for the day, but really I do not know if it's going to be two hours, three hours or the entire day. I don't know if it could also be just you know, right now, an hour, half an hour. Nobody really knows how long we are going to be without electricity, and what they're actually doing now is what they call load shedding, which is to take away power from one area to be able to supplement it in another because they don't have enough engines.

Speaker 1: 2:32

Now I don't want to go into all of the details of this because, honestly, I don't know the details and I don't care. And I don't mean I don't care in, I don't care, I could care about better things, is what I mean there's, whether it is for whatever reason the electricity company is experiencing this, it is not going to change anything right. It is something that we might as well brace ourselves, because it's going to be it's looking like it's going to be a very, very hot summer for us indeed, because I don't think there's any solution to this problem, or at least not a solution that is going to happen in the next few weeks. So, yeah, it's looking quite hot for us here, but that is not all that I want to talk to you about today, and no, I want to talk to you about so, so much, much more. But I did think that this moment, without electricity, sitting on my couch in my one-bedroom apartment in a very hot month of June, was, or is, the ideal moment to record this particular podcast episode, because Paradise Perspectives is changing and, while it will still have some elements of travel and a whole lot of Caribbean in it because, let's be honest, I'm a born and bred Caribbean girl and I have so much Caribbean in me that I just can't help myself so there's going to be a lot of Caribbean in the show as well, but there's also going to be some women empowerment. There's going to be some really amazing, empowering stories from ladies who have traveled the world solo. There's going to be mindful solo episodes with yours truly. There's going to be talk about, you know, personal growth and personal development, and so much more. So that is what you can expect in season three. And, this being the last episode of season two, I might as well do it solo in a very hot apartment, because there is no moment than right now.

Speaker 1: 4:38

I guess the lesson that I can get out of this is lemons. It's that lemon story again. You know, when life hands you a lemon kind of situation, or, in this case, when the electricity company decides to pull the plugs on you once again, you might as well sit on your couch and record a podcast anyway. So instead of, you know, being distracted by internet and by Netflix and by endless scrolling on social media or just thinking too much about the things that I want to do or need to do, this moment is just ideal to just pop in my microphone into my phone and just start talking, regardless of how nervous I am. Because what better time than right now? And, you know, I think that the electricity company actually did me a favor, because, rather than being so distracted by all of the things that happen when we do have electricity, I thought, well, why not do something beneficial and valuable. With the time that I have sitting here anyway and that goes for you as well I just want to remind you that when life hands you a lemon, do something magical with it.

Speaker 1: 5:50

You can cut that lemon in two. You can squeeze those two halves into a glass. You can take whatever ice is left into your defrosting refrigerator or freezer because you know no electricity. You can take that ice and put it to good use. You can add some vodka to it and make yourself a really yummy vodka lemonade and enjoy yourself. Or you could just suck on that lemon and just concentrate on how badly sour and bitter it tastes. Right, you can do that, but the choice is yours.

Speaker 1: 6:27

Are you going to be stewing into the heat and just complain about the electricity company yet again doing its load shedding and just pummeling you into another couple of hours with no electricity? Or are you going to maybe pick up a book? When was the last time you picked up a book? Maybe you're. You can just you know, get into your car, drive to the nearest beach. I mean, we do live on an island. Why not take advantage of that? Why not say you know what? I can't do anything work related right now, anyway, there's. No, I don't have an generator, which is most families here on Dutch side, st Martin. Anyway, why not get into your car, drive to the freaking beach and enjoy yourself, instead of sitting at home and fanning yourself with the latest edition of God knows what while you complain about no electricity once again and it's not like your complaining is going to change anything anyway. So make something positive out of a terrible situation. That is the only thing that you can do.

Speaker 1: 7:31

This is also the perfect time, while I'm sitting here alone with my cat, to kind of look back on the most epic and amazing experience that I've had in a very long time. So if you've been listening to Paradise Perspectives for a while, you know that I was hosting a retreat, the Island Girl Awakening retreat. That was from the 4th until the 9th of June. So this is two days later and the ladies have now returned home. I have returned home and the only thing that I can do is smile ear to ear because, oh my gosh, what an experience. I have now five new friends. I have five new friends, lovely, lovely women that I got to know. My friend, who we only knew virtually, we finally met in real life, and that is the amazing Jen Liss from Untethered with Jen. If you have not listened to that podcast, do yourself a favor and do so right after this episode, please, because it is life-changing, you know. And again, having Jen in present here in St Martin with me at this retreat was just, it was mind-blowing. So, anyway, I have left a link in the show notes so that you can go back and listen to any of her podcast episodes, because she is just freaking amazing In person as well as in her podcast, I might add.

Speaker 1: 8:55

So she was there. There was five, or there was four other ladies that joined us. We were in this amazing villa, so luxurious and beautiful. It had a salt pond with a beautiful deck, and we experienced the most amazing sunsets. And we did meditation together, which, by the way, was my first time doing guided meditations. I'm so proud of myself. I am so goddamn proud of myself, and Jen did her what she does best, which is, you know, breath work. So she guided us through breath work, which was also altering in so many levels. And we ate very great food by chef Marlon, who was there, who have prepared I don't know how many meals for us. We ate at really amazing restaurants where you know some of my favorite restaurants. I've shared the authentic side of St Martin. We ate at a friend's house. In her kitchen she taught us how to make Johnny cakes.

Speaker 1: 9:56

I mean, there were so many experiences in these five days that I cannot believe now, two days after that, it is over. But I am very, very happy that I went ahead and did it, because there were numerous times when I could have given up on this dream. There were so many times where I could have said you know what? No, I'm going to give up this dream that I have. I'm going to give in to that self-sabotaging that I'm doing and that not being secure myself, you know all of that. I could have really given up such an important moment in my life. It was so, so beautiful and so epic that I just cannot. The only thing I can do today is sit on the couch and reflect on it, because otherwise I feel like it's going to be too much, but I'm so, so happy about it.

Speaker 1: 10:46

So, yeah, it was an amazing opportunity and I've decided to do another one and you are the first to hear this from me, because I haven't announced it anywhere else. I am going to have another one, and it will be at the beginning of December, so stay tuned. You can follow me on social media at the Traveling Island Girl or my more spiritual account on Instagram, island Girl Awakening, to find out all of the details, but you can also just subscribe to my newsletter to stay abreast of all of the things that are happening, spiritually and travel-wise, with the Traveling Island Girl. All right, and you can go ahead and check out the show notes at the end of this episode to just click on the links that I've left for you there to make your life a little bit more easier. So, yeah, this episode I started off with the intention to talk to you about lemons and to tell you how nervous I was to actually be doing this, because this is the first episode that I'm doing without an actual script or bullet point or whatever.

Speaker 1: 11:54

There's no direction here at all, which is probably why I've been going from one topic to the next, but, believe me, it is all related. I've been really, really working and thinking very hard on how I was going to be doing this transition from travel and Caribbean travel authentic Caribbean travel to mindset and personal development, and how I was going to be able to compare the two, because those both of them are passions of mine, you know, and I thought well, while I'm sorting it out which is why I'm taking the entire summer to think about it before I release season three of Paradise Perspectives, the new Paradise Perspectives it is all so, so, so important to me and I hope that you join me on this ride. I really hope that you are going to get, you know, little nuggets of inspiration out of each episode that I'm about to present you in season three, and I hope that this new version of Paradise Perspectives is going to resonate with you and it's going to inspire you and empower you, because that, at the end of the day, is why I'm doing this. So, if you know you want to be knowing more, I already told you where to find all of that information in the show notes, but you can also just reach out to me by sending me an email. Let me know if you are okay with this.

Speaker 1: 13:18

You know turn of events when it comes to Paradise Perspectives. Are you happy to learn more about the new Paradise Perspectives and will you be listening when it comes back at the end of summer? And if you have a very empowering woman or person that you think should be on the show, then definitely let me know. All right, I think that has been enough of me just talking to myself here with my cat on a couch. I am so happy that you've decided to listen in. I am so happy that you were here, or are here, for the last episode of season two, and I hope that you will be listening again at the beginning of season 3. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. I am so, so happy and lucky to have you in my corner. Thank you. My name is Rizal, the traveling island girl. Until the next time, bye.