even though Canada gained its independence from British rule in 1867, our constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms didn’t include full independence until 1982 — barely a year before Nevis and St. Kitts.

but just like Nevis, we still love the queen and have her profile on all of our coins.

The islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis have the distinction of being two of the Caribbean’s oldest colonised territories. Saint Kitts specifically became the first ever British colony in the West Indies in 1624, and then became the first ever French colony in the Caribbean in 1625, when both nations decided to partition the island. The island of Nevis was colonized in 1628 by British settlers from Saint Kitts.

Although tiny in size, and separated by only 2 miles (3 km) of water, the two islands were always viewed and governed as completely different states until the late 19th century, when they were forcefully unified along with the island of Anguilla by the British. An uneasy relationship followed to this day, with Nevis accusing Saint Kitts of neglecting its needs.

Saint Kitts and Nevis along with Anguilla, became an associated state with full internal autonomy in 1967. Angullians rebelled, and their island was allowed to separate from the others in 1971. St. Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. It is the newest sovereign nation of the Americas.

[from the ever-altered Wikipedia]

today, Nevisians celebrate that independence by shutting down all of the stores and banks and MUA decides to co-celebrate by canceling classes.

i think i will recognize and enjoy my own sort of Independence Day by studying from 6am to 10pm while remembering all the great reasons i’m here and why the heck i’m working so hard. the results of my time on the island aren’t dependent on anyone but me. that kind of independence is freaky when you’d like to have someone or something to blame for your failure.

but it’s awesome when you know you’re going to totally kick butt on the upcoming block exams.

and i LOVE that Independence Day falls on International Talk Like a Pirate Day. yarrrr!

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… please let me know of any gross errors in this post, but keep in mind that there’s a reason i decided not to study history. ; ))

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