Hi everyone, my name is Francis. I've lived on Bonaire all my life (I'm 18) and I've been visiting this site for a few days now. I've been wondering what visitors really think about Bonaire, so if you would be so kind to write what you think of Bonaire I would really apreciate it. And if there's any question about anything local feel free to ask me.

Hello Francis,

I think most of the regular like the island verry much, quitte and peacefull, nice people. May I ask why you wnat to know this??

Hi Francis, welcome to This Is Your Life ;-)
We've been to Bonaire beginning of September, and we enjoyed it very much. I will give you my personal impressions and thoughts, I will let Kitty speak for herself on this if she wants to. :-)

The first things that struck me were the beauty and the colors of the island. It was a bit more barren than I had imagined, but amazing none the less; especially the water. We spent a day in Washington Slagbaai and a day in Rincon during Bonaire Day. The friendliness of the people was another positive impression.

It's a quiet island, and that is a point that is both a strong feature and a bit worrisome for the future. Having read this week that the population is down to 11.000 people, Bonaire seems to be needing some new impulses to lure people to the island. I think it would be a very bad development if the local population became a minority on their own island. I understand that for teenagers like you, Bonaire is not the most exciting place to live and that it doesn't hold a lot of opportunities for education and work. How do you see your own future on Bonaire?
I saw very few youths while we were there and I understand they go to Curacao or Nederland to get better education. Do most of them come back after that? Do they at least want to, or do some things have to change drastically?

Other than that, it's a great island and I wouldn't mind living there at all!

Bon dia Francis,

Dor ku mi a biba 13 aña na Kòrsou mi no tin e mes un bista riba tur kos ku mayoría die e turistanan. Sinembargo, awor'aki mi ta biba na Hulanda (for di 1992) i mi mester bisa ku ora bo bai bèk i bishita Antiyas después di un par òf hopi aña lo bo mira e kosnan ku ta speshal.

Hopi hende ta bisa ku Hulanda ta un dushi lugá pa biba ora bo mester di trabou òf sèn. Solamente e temperaturanan ku e awa ku ta yobe hopi ta kos malu di Hulanda. E ta bèrdat ku e salarionan na Hulanda ta mihó. Tòg tin un par di kos ku solamente Boneiru tin (i ku Kòrsou tabata tin basta aña pasá na mes un manera): hende dushi, kuminda dushi, dushi músika, un kultura ku'n tey na ni un otro kaminda (simadán, tumba, tambú, karnaval). Boneiru tin su lamán ku un dushi temperatura ku ta blou i transprante (ku hopi piská i otro bestia di lamán) i ku'n ta sushi, gris i hopi hopi friu manera e aw'i lamán na Hulanda. Papiando di awa: e awa ku nos tur ta bebe na Boneiru ta hopi más dushi ku e awa ku nos ta bebe na Estados Unidos òf Hulanda. Banda di tur esaki e solo ku ta baha tur mèrdía ta bunita. Anochi bo por mira tur estreya. Hende na Boneiru mayoría di biá ta rustig, relajá, i no asina 'stressed' manera na Hulanda. Na Boneiru kos ta bai na un manera mas natural ku na otro luga más grandi.

Naturalmente tin kos ku no ta djé 'nice' ora bo ta hoben. No tin hopi ko'i hasi, no tin diskotèk, no tin kaminda ku bo por kore 120 km/ora, tur hende konose'bo i por kontrolá'bo. Banda di esaki tin hopi red-tape i un gobernashon ku mester kambia i bira mihó.

Pero ora bo bai studiá den otro país (sea Kòrsou òf lugá más grandi) semper tene na kuenta ku Boneiru mester di hende jòng atrobe. Pasobra (manera bo sá) hubentud ta e futuro di e isla. Anto no e hendenan ku ta hasi e lugá pió (usadó di droga òf hende kriminal), pero hende ku stima e isla i ku ke dun'é un bon futuro.

Anto si bo no konosé Papiamentu (mi ta duda esei si, pero mi'n sa sigur) lo mi tradusí e pida'ki na Inglés. Mi Papiamentu no ta asina bon mas ku e tabata antes....

Kuida kurpa i saludos,

Kitty

Translated:

Hi Francis,
I have lived for 13 years in Curacao and might not have the same view on things as most of the tourists. However, now that I am living in Holland (since 1992) I’ve noticed that one can see the special things when returning after some/a lot of years.
A lot of people say that Holland is a nice place to live when you need a job or money. Only the temperature and the big amounts of rain are the bad things about Holland. It’s true that the wages are better in Holland. But there are a few things that only Bonaire has (and that Curacao had in the same way quite some years ago): nice people, great food, nice music, a unique culture. Bonaire is surrounded by clean, blue and transparent water with a nice temperature and with lots of sealife. The water in Holland isn’t clean, grey and very very cold. Speaking of which: the tapwater in Bonaire is a lot better tasting than the tapwater in the US or Holland. Besides all this the sunset in the afternoon is so beautiful. At night you can see the stars. Most Bonairean people are relaxed and not as stressy like they are in Holland. In Bonaire things will go in much natural pace than in any other bigger place.
Of course, there are things that aren’t that nice when you are young. There isn’t much to do, there are no disco’s, no highways where you can drive with 120km/h, everybody knows you and can check you out. Besides this government should change and become a lot better.
But when you go and study in another country (Curacao or any other bigger place) always remember that Bonaire needs its young people. Of course you know this: educated young people are the future of the island. Not the people that make the place worse (like drug-users of criminal people), but people who love the island and want to give it a better future.
If you should not understand Papiamentu (which I doubt, but am not sure of) I will translate this piece in English. My Papiamentu is not as good as it once was… J
Take good care. Greetings,
Kitty

Before anyone is thinking: geez what a show-off... ;)
I'm just training my language skills so I can move to Bonaire in the near future
I see a lot of mistakes in my piece(s) already :D

Danki Kitty, BTW bo papiamentu ta bon, hopi mas mihon ku esun di mayoria hende ku mi konose. (loke ku ta eigenlijk un bèrgwensa).
And to answer your question Marc a lot of my friends said they're coming back. But right now the going Holland thing is more like 'everybody's going so I'm going too'. I know 2 parents who quit there jobs to go to holland and didn't like it there and had to come back. They sold there house and everything and now they're living in an apartment.

Hi Francis,

I'm 53 and have lived all my life in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Not counting two years in the military of which one year was spent in Louisiana and North Carolina and one year in South Vietnam.
As a tourist to Bonaire it represents peace and quiet, a certain tranquil nature and a simpler lifestyle. All things I now envy. I am impressed by the overall cleanliness and friendliness I find there.

Here in the USA there is a constant flow of citizens from small towns to the "Big City" and back again. Both lifestyles have good and bad. And I think people benefit from living in both and learning the differences both good & bad. The grass always seems greener next door until you have to mow it! lol From my perspective I wish I could work in such a paradise, yet I'm positive the workers there would likely disagree and have their complaints about it too.

But all in all I cannot wait till November 6th when I will again get a chance to enjoy your homeland, if only for 10 days.

Francis -

I can totally emphasize with your desire to perhaps explore outside of Bonaire. But, like Kitty, I believe that educated young people are truly the future of Bonaire....so I hope that for many young people that knowledge will enhance their love for Bonaire, and they will use that knowledge to improve life in their homeland. But allow me to respond to your question that started this page. I am 32 years old and my husband and I will be returning to Bonaire for the 6th time in as many years next Saturday the 12th. We fell in love with Bonaire at first site. The land and seascapes are breathtaking - they in themselves may be metaphors for what life is like on the island . . . sometimes a bit rough but there is beauty in the roughness. The stars and the sunsets, the wind, the green flash, the iguanas and the fish, the music, the local dishes, the desert, the salt flats, the Park, the Mangroves, the uniqueness of the island. I'm daydreaming now can you tell? The people of Bonaire are always welcoming and willing to share a smile, a story, or even a meal. What a great feeling it is when someone recognizes us and says how nice it is to see us again. Even the donkeys and the goats are friendly (the flamingoes like their space) - although I worry about them being so close to the road. The lifestyle is alluring, very alluring . . . low key, no stress in the air, everyone takes their time. The environment is highly valued - both on land and at sea - by both those who live on Bonaire and its visitors, we appreciate everyone's efforts very much. Nothing is every crowded except for perhaps the airport or the streets during the Regatta (which is a REALLY great time). The food is of excellent quality and rather reasonably priced. Of course one cannot ignore the incomparable diving when discussing Bonaire - that is understood. We love the fact that we are guaranteed an adventurous and relaxing respite away from big city life when we step off the plane at Flamingo Airport. We love Bonaire because all we really need to pack is our dive equipment and a few pairs of shorts and t-shirts -fancy clothes are really necessary. A low key, no frills vacation. Lastly, we continue to return to Bonaire because we want to support this unique little island with our tourist dollars - it is the very least we can do for this special place which gives us so much joy. Unspoiled, unhurried, unforgetable . . . that says it all.

I live in Los Angeles Francis. Been here almost my whole life. I just went to Bon for the first time this past July and I'll be there again, most of Dec. I was looking to get away from the hectic pace and the overcrowding here and Bon fullfilled a lot of my dreams.

I hope to stay there for 3 months a year eventually. Very friendly people and hardly any cars...or traffic for that matter! Clean air is amazing. I live with so much smog, it affects my health.

These are all things I probably wouldn't have cared about when I was your age. But living in a place like Bon is so good for your soul, I hope you always come back there no matter where you find yourself on this earth. Exploring is so important, so do lots of that too!

Francis, I have to agree with many who have shared their thoughts here. Like Mercy, I live in Southern California, and altough I love it here, when I go on vacation, I want to go where there is good diving, few people, and a very low key atmosphere. Bonaire has a lot of great things, the water, diving, donkeys, flamingos. But, one of the most striking things to me was how friendly the locals were, and how safe I felt in town after dark (or in the daylight for that matter!)

I know that there is a problem with theives breaking into vehicles while folks are diving, and some folks aren't going back to bonaire because of that...that is the only complaint that i hear most frequently. Hopefully the government will do something about the problem.

You are young, and I say good luck and have a great time when you move to holland. You only go round once in this lifetime, and you will either really love it and stay, move on to another green pasture, or not like it and come back to Bonaire, but you will at least have the experience, and maybe you can bring some of it back with you to make the island even better!