Every Day Felt Different in Saint Maarten

The ocean looked too good so I ran in before my mom could say no.

Hi, I’m Laila.
I went to Saint Maarten with my mom and dad.

When we got there, the air felt warm even at night.
I liked that because when we left home it was cold.

We stayed in Grand Case and the beach was right outside our room.
I liked that I could walk straight into the sand with my toes.
I was looking for a bucket but I didn’t find one on the whole island.

One night when we were walking in town, I saw a cat on the roof of a pizza place.
It was just sitting there like it lived there.
I made my mom and dad go up there with me to try to find the cat, but when we got there it was gone.
I made a drawing of the cat on my mom’s phone so I wouldn’t forget.

At the hotel there was a brochure with a map of the island.
I noticed the island had two parts, one Dutch and one French.
The French side looked bigger, and I asked my mom why that was and if we were in Paris.
I wanted to know why two countries were on the same island.

One day we went to Rainbow Cafe and stayed there for a long time.
The beach was right next to the restaurant, so I kept going back and forth from the water to the table.
I played in the sand, went in the ocean, and got my hair braided.
I liked that we didn’t have to rush.

Another day we went to Orient Bay and I wanted to do something adventurous.
We decided to go parasailing.
My daddy’s tummy was hurting, so my mommy said maybe we shouldn’t go, but then we went anyway.
When we went up in the air I felt scared at first, but then it felt like we were on top of the world.
The water looked very blue from up high.

One morning at breakfast I had pink vanilla milk and it was very good.
They also gave me a coloring book and the eggs were delicious.

We walked down long roads with lots of little shops.
One time there was a lady singing in a store and I liked that because it made the store feel happy.

I liked driving up and down the mountains with my mom and dad.
Sometimes we put our hands in the air like a roller coaster.

One night I made a friend at dinner who was from Harlem in New York, where I used to live before we moved to Miami.
We were the same age, so I called her my New York twin.
We played all night at the restaurant and then we saw each other again at the beach another day.
I want to see her again the next time I go to New York.

My favorite thing about Saint Maarten was that every day felt different.
Sometimes we were at the beach, sometimes we were driving in the mountains, and sometimes I saw things I didn’t expect, like a cat on a roof.

I would go back to the island.
Next time I want to find the cat again.

— written by Laila, with help from my mom

New York in the Winter

I was really hoping there would be more snow.

I I really wanted to go to New York in the winter to see snow. It snowed right before we got there and right after we left, so we missed it.

snow?

I went with my mom and dad and got to see my cousins. One of the best surprises was seeing my sister Zia. She surprised me at the hotel, and I didn’t know she was coming. I was so happy.

We flew American Airlines, mommy surprised us with first class, which was fun because they gave us a lot of food and special nuts. There were good nuts and bad nuts. I ate all the good nuts and my mom ate the bad ones.

We stayed at the Grayson hotel close to the ice skating rink, which I liked because we could walk everywhere. Last time we stayed at the Virgin Hotel and I really liked that one so much, but this hotel was in a really good place close to the park and I could walk and explore everywhere. My favorite part of New York.

This trip I got to ride on a double carousel and I went on the top. It was so much fun. I also had four hot chocolates! They were very, very yummy.

In Central Park, I saw an old chunk of snow that was still there. I was hoping for more snow, but it was still freezing. I learned that you can’t drive inside Central Park. My mommy and my Khala (Aunt) told me it’s for everyone — rich or poor — and that’s why you have to walk to see it so all people are equal.

I also learned that alleys in New York smell like poop. Heheh.

On the way to puppy yoga, we were in the car with my Uncle Jay and I had chai from a Pakistani place. There was a speed bump and the chai spilled all over me. Oops.

At puppy yoga, one puppy licked my eyeball and my nose. If you pat the floor, the puppies come to you and snuggle. One fell asleep on me. Sometimes they would pee when they got excited.

When it gets cold in Miami, where I live, the smell of the air reminds me of New York.

I would go back to New York.
Next time, I hope there’s more snow.

— written by Laila, with help from my mom