St. Maarten / Sint Martin

Yah-mon! My first visit to see Benji in St. Maarten was surely a memorable one. From finding a totally secluded beach to almost burning the hotel down, I can truly say that it was a great trip.

Mom, Benji’s mom, Jason, Justin and I met up in the Miami airport to catch our flight to see Benji. Originally, I thought Benji had class and couldn’t meet us at the airport, but surprisingly he was there waiting for us to exit the customs area and to take us around St. Maarten.

Let me first tell you about landing into St. Maarten. The airport is popular for its particular location. The runway is directly behind a beach where tourists flock to record the impressive airplanes and their landings. The airplanes are so close that it’s frightening. This particular picture of Justin and the plane in the background isn’t as impressive, but the video is.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMs3g-VgiYY

We stayed at the Royal Palm Beach Resort located near Simpson Bay. It over looks Kim Sha Bay which is absolutely breath taking especially in the mornings. We would lay on the rocks at Kim Sha Bay talking about random things. At this particular location, we had a wonderful view of the stars. In the mornings, we’d draw back the curtain to see this beautiful view. Near the end of our stay, we came across a nice little fire with the stove that left us with not only smoke in our luggage when we came home but a little funny memory too.

Our main reason for the trip was to visit Benji and to support his participation in the White Coat Ceremony. Speeches given were motivational, for the most part, and the students looked extremely sharp, especially Benji . After the ceremony, I got a little teary eyed and was so proud of how far he has come. I also felt a little sorry for Benji and all the hardships he has ahead while in Med school…then my mom reassured me, “Don’t worry, Irene. PA school is going to be hard for you too!” So true!

In my head, I always want to be close to Benji and be by his side, but I know that where I am now is where I’m supposed to be. After this trip, I feel more confident about our futures together despite being countries apart. Hopefully in the near future, I’ll be starting a PA program while Benji is working on completing his med school and we’ll become stronger and wiser people. I just cannot wait until that day when it’s all done and we can finally be together!