Vernisha Robinson

My name is Vernisha Robinson. I've been living on Saba for 18 years.

I grew up with a lot of old folks. I really was getting into the stories of the back-then and just chillin’ with the old folks. They were cool. They were pretty helpful. I was one hard-headed child, so I did a lot of bad things. But they helped guide me. I grew up with my grandfather, and my mother, and the rest of the community.

Going to school on Saba, I mean, we only have primary and secondary education. Primary for me was tough. Like I said, it was a bit harder to get understood, you know, so they didn't really know I was bouncing around in and out of class, in and out of trouble. But as I grew older, I got into secondary, a lot changed. I was less shy. I was more of a public figure. I was there for the youth. So I joined a lot of voluntary organizations, and I'm still in. When I got into it, it was like, you don't even feel like you're doing this for yourself. You feel the payment you get is the smiles of the person that you help. So I will say it changed me completely.

I act in plays, I do singing and road march. A lot of kids look up to me, they ask me for advice to this day, although I'm out of school. And I think that being that kind of model, it took a while, because I myself didn't believe in myself to reach this far. And now that I'm here, I'm just offering my services everywhere that I can, you know, because I know what it feels like going down the wrong path. I know that and how it feels getting yourself back.

My role at the tourist office basically began as an intern. I'm still an intern. But in the beginning I thought, you know, “Okay, well, I'm not fit for desk work.” I am one active person, and I tap my feet the whole day. So it was like really getting myself to sit for so many hours, and focusing. But now working with my colleagues, it's so different. They bring a whole new perspective to the job. We work on all kinds of projects, and they make you feel welcome. And that's why I like working with the tourist office, you get to interact with people. I love to communicate. I also love to help sell my island, you know?

Oh, visit Saba. It is so different. You don't need a beach to have fun. I mean, we swim in the harbor, but it's such a thrill to be able to climb the trails to be in a forest. So I always encourage tourists to try everything. Go around, trying to walk through the villages, hike, dive, the underwater experience. And it's so different. Saba's unique in its own way.

Being Saban is being unique. Because you have to be like your island — unique. You don't see things like in everyday life, you know, we don't have skyscrapers, because we are a skyscraper. We reach to the top. But yeah, you know, it's so out of the way. Being Saban, you have a different way of living. And sometimes you forget that, you forget the beauty. But I'm just proud. Being Saban is being proud. And I'm one proud Saban.