What I consider beautiful about Anguilla: The Tranquility

By: Neider Sanchez

Eighteen degrees north and sixty-three degrees west basks Anguilla, the sandy eel of the Caribbean. In 2010, I was eight years old when I first set my eyes on Anguilla. On a journey for a better life, Anguilla was the right place.

As soon as I set foot on the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport, I was greeted by smiling faces. Not knowing English very well, I did not understand their greetings but my face beamed with a wide smile.

Being from the Dominican Republic where cars speed up and down, where people scream from side to side, I was used to being in a noisy environment which was sometimes stressful but Anguilla’s tranquillity makes that stress go away. Raised in a metropolis, I am not used to seeing so many trees and the beautiful blue sky; being able to finally breathe fresh air is the best feeling one can have.

My first impression of Anguilla was the hospitality which is very different back home. On my way to the lounge at the airport, I met two Spanish speaking nationals who greeted me like family although they didn’t even know me.

They shared personal stories of their experience here and how well I was going to enjoy my stay. One of them gave me their telephone number and even told me where they lived. Being an observant individual I realized the atmosphere in Anguilla was quite different.

In the Dominican Republic, we have traffic jams and here in Anguilla, there are barely any cars. A sense of security and tranquillity pervades my life every day that I wake up on this island.

The sense of freedom and the relaxing sounds of birds chirping in the morning make Anguilla, Anguilla. Sometimes I look back and realize that there is no other place I’d rather be but here in Rainbow City.

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