Jennifer Marie Johnson

My name is Jennifer Marie Johnson. I work at the Harry L. Johnson Museum, which was the home of the Peterson family. Josiah Peterson was a great sea captain on Saba. He had a family of nine that lived in this home. This house was built in the 1800s. I would consider it a mansion on the hill.

You know, back then everything was manually done. So they used all the natural rocks from Saba for the Dutch oven kitchens. They used limestone because they didn't have cement back then. Way back in the days, you would take all your provisions and you would bake inside the Dutch oven kitchen. Back in the days also you had a lot of cattle. For instance, you would salt all your meat, because there was no electricity back then. So everything was preserved and salted, and then baked onto the fire. Later on, the Petersons were the first to have coal pots and kerosene to cook on. The Peterson family lived a very grand life, I would say, looking around and looking at the grounds of the home that belonged to the Petersons.

A regular day at my job is a fabulous day. Every day I get up, I open my doors to the public to the most prestigious grounds on Saba, I am honored to meet people from all walks of life. It's beautiful to meet people to share our history, our cultures. I love it. I love just sharing everything about Saba to every one that comes to visit.

My mom and dad grew up on Saba. My mom was one of the oldest children of seven growing up here. When I was a little girl, I could listen to all the stories, the history, the cultures, the lifestyle of the Sabans growing up here. And I'm honored that I work in a museum and I can share all the history and I'm part of it, you know, being from Saba and my family. So it's interesting that as I look around the museum, I can connect to everything because of my grandparents and my parents, the lifestyle. I just keep connecting the dots from all my ancestors.

I decided to start class trips with the children of Saba, to come and learn their history. I think it's very important for the children to know their roots, and where their cultures actually began, and what's happening at the present time. I think it's very important for the kids of Saba to visit the museum. We have a wonderful time, and they're very inspired. The kids go home and they're enlightened. They go home and ask their grandma and grandfather and their parents, "What happened?" and, "We were told this" and, "We learned this today about Saba's history," and they are encouraged to come back.

The diving on Saba is totally epic. It's an underwater world that you have to experience for yourself. And of course, over the years of diving, we have grown in so many different levels. And now there's so, so many dive sites, it's the ultimate way to go. The coral reefs are unbelievable. The fish, the marine life. Too many to mention. Incredible. The turtles in Saba are breathtaking. I used to do full-moon dives at night with the sharks. And at night with the full moon, all the colors of the coral reef come alive. The reds, the blues, the yellows. I don't even use the glow sticks when I go because it's so illuminated. And nature on Saba is perfect. Mount Scenery is number one. It's worth every step to the top. Every step. You cannot plan the moment when you reach the top. The whole thing is having the patience to sit there and wait for the clouds to open the curtains. It's magical, magnetic. It pulls you. Every view is completely different to the next one. It's spectacular.

I think I'm a lucky girl. I was fortunate, yes, to be born here. I find Sabans walk with a lot of pride. Saba is so different from most of the Caribbean islands. And of course, you know, when you live on an island five square miles, we're all family. We are very diverse; we have many different nationalities living here today. But yet we're all like one big family.

Hospitality is blooming, which should be, and I think you wake like that every day because you're waking up in paradise. It's gorgeous. So your vibes are electric every day. Saba wins everyone's heart.