Nadia Reguig first found her way to Star Island in 2013, when she spent the summer working as a snack bar attendant and making friends with fellow employees. She quickly fell in love with the place and has returned nearly every year.
But last year, the pandemic kept her and lots of other loyal friends of Star Island away. Now that the island has reopened to the public, Reguig is settling back in to spend another summer exploring and working there for the first time, again.
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“I wasn’t expecting to come out this summer, and it all kind of worked in my favor,” Reguig said, settling into her employee lodging at the Oceanic Hotel shortly after her ferry docked. “A lot of beautiful things brought me back here to my favorite place.”
Now that she’s back, she’s grateful to be surrounded by so many idyllic views. One of her favorite spots is on the back of the island. "You can see water for what feels like thousands of miles,” she said. But she also doesn't have to travel at all for a look at the ocean. She has a beautiful view of the water from her bedroom window.
"I feel really grateful to be able to look outside and see the ocean.” she said.
She also can’t wait to settle into another one of her favorite spots, a rock in the middle of the island that’s perfectly situated for people watching. But most of all, she’s thankful to return to a place that helps her feel more in tune with nature, with others and with herself.
“You’re able to disconnect in a way that you aren’t able to on the mainland,” she said. “You don’t have really great service, you’re in the middle of the ocean on a rock. So you’re not really rushing off to do anything in particular, and it’s just really meaningful — the connections that you make — because you can be present. You can be aware of your surroundings. You can really, simply be in it.”
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