St. Martin (or Sint Maarten) is an interesting place. Just under one half of the island is "Dutch" (well, part of the Dutch Antilles), and just over one half of the island is a Department of France. How this coexistence actually survived during the years of European wars in the 1700's and 1800's is a mystery to me, although I am sure that a historian, or someone with better internet access than I, could give me an answer to that. The story as to the disparity in sizes is amusing enough in its' own right... well, the stories. Both that I have heard are a variation on the same theme. A Dutch Skipper and a French Capitain started at the same point (Oyster Pond or by Sandy Ground, I don't know). They were to start circumnavigating the island by foot, and where they met would be the point that the border would start and finish. The story now gets a little hazy (pun intended), as either the Dutch Skipper stopped for a beer or two, or he was carrying genever (Dutch gin with is lethal) and his Gallic compatriot was carrying wine. Either way, apparently the Skipper wasn't walking too steadily (or quickly) and the French got a larger portion of the island. At least that is the story, and a good one, too.
However, it isn't just the French and Dutch influences on the island that make it somewhat unique to the Eastern Caribbean. Besides the "imports" from the mother countries (who are generally tolerated by the locally born, but not necessarily well liked until they prove themselves not be condescending jerks to the Antilleans) there are also a lot of people from the other Caribbean nations here, working and contributing to the island and its' culture.
While walking to the grocery store the other day, the security guard at the bank gave me an "alright" by way of greeting. Huh? That is a southeastern Caribbean thing, generally not heard north of about St. Lucia. It turns out the gentleman was from Guyana. In the store, I chatted with an employee from Dominica. The store that carries nothing but bamboo clothing and linens actually has the employees' home islands on their name tags... a couple of Jamaicans, a St. Lucian and someone who was actually born here were the staff that day. On the streets, one can hear Creole, Spanish, English, French, Dutch, Patois, and a smattering of other languages. One of the banks here offers the ATM services in 4 languages, and a choice of NAF (Nederlandse Antilles Floren, or guilders) or USD.
On the French side, in Marigot, the majority of signs are in English. English is the working language of the island, just as the US dollar is the king. Anyone born on the island speaks English as easily as the language they were taught in school. The French side embraces the Euro, but nobody will turn their nose up at a dollar, and the Dutch side may have prices listed in Antillean Guilders, but the dollar value is posted as well. On the Dutch side, everything is in English, with Dutch only heard in private conversation. I blend in pretty well here, but it is actually more beneficial for me to be known as Canadian, not Dutch, with the Caribbean born.
Schooling is a little more eclectic here because of the number of expats living and working here. There is the Hillside Christian Academy, started by an American, but created for local kids. There is the Canadian International Academy, for expats, and those who would like to get their kids to North American universities. Of course, there are still the regular "public" schools, too.
The radio stations play anything and everything here. The island standards of Soca and Reggae can be found by turning the dial, but you can also find stations that sound like "home". Food is the same here, you can go with the standard fare, or branch out to try other options, like the Guyanese roti lady (who also makes a great salt fish souse and bakes), or go to one of the McDonald's or Burger Kings for your grease fix.
From a cruiser perspective, it is also quite diverse. This is the point where those heading back to Canada or the United States make that (left) westerly turn, the point of being in the eastern Caribbean for those arriving for the first time (no more nerve wracking looking for perfect weather windows to come east), and it is a favourite jump-off point for those crossing the Atlantic (although not quite this early in the year).
It is part of the Eastern Caribbean, but there is no other place in the Eastern Caribbean like it.

Oh, and I did well in the 1/2 Marathon. Second in my (small) category, and a better time than I had hoped for.