Julia Renfro posted letters on several forums in 2005 how
safe Aruba is
who is the writer ? Julia Dear Ms. Renfro
My husband and I have been to Aruba the past two years, although we haven’t traveled extensively,
we did alot of research before choosing Aruba for our vacations the past two years. We fell in
love with Aruba and it’s people!
We are saddened by the stories we have heard and read from
the American press eluding to Aruba being an unsafe island where drugs and prostitution run
rampant and it is unsafe for people to visit. Have these people ever been to Aruba??? We can’t
understand where they are coming from, that is certainly not the Aruba we have spent time in.
We toured the entire island on our own and never felt unsafe, were never harassed or anything.
Our hearts go out to the family of Natalee Holloway and to the Aruba people as they are very
saddened by this we know.
The people of Aruba have given up their time and have prayed
endlessly for Natalee and her family and should be commended for this.
I am sure this is an isolated incident and we will return to Aruba as soon as possible and encourage
others to do the same.
Sincerely,
Daphne & Rob Michigan USA
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Dear Ms. Renfro,
I wanted to write and let you know that Natalee, her family, and the people of Aruba are in our
prayers.
We have been coming to Aruba for five years, and will be returning again for three weeks in the
fall to celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary. We would not think of going anywhere else. We
have always felt safe, both in the daytime and in the evening.
The people on your beautiful island have always gone out of their way to assist us in every way
possible when we visit. It is so nice to know that, although some things change each year when
we are in Aruba, the friendliness of the Aruban people has never changed.
There are many of us who feel Aruba has been misrepresented by the news networks. Every
chance we have, we spread the word about the best vacation place in the Caribbean - Aruba!
Counting the days till our vacation,
Wanda and Bob Laidacker
Maryland
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Dear Aruban friends: Please accept this letter as a thank you “MASHA
DANKI” for all you have done and continue to do for the “Missing Girl
Case” Ms. Natalee Holloway. Our prayers are with her and her family for
Natalee’s Safe Return.
Also please accept our “Most Sincere Apology” for any negative news that
was reported. Please know that the mayority of the American People that
have visited Aruba will continue to return to the island and are also very
upset the way some stories are told.
We have been coming to Aruba for 13 years and we have found “ARUBA”
to be the “SAFEST PLACE ON THIS EARTH”. What makes Aruba most
beautiful is “It’s People”.
You have made us feel at home. Always polite always willing to help.
Always greeting us with a smile and welcoming us back. So many times
our car has broken down and every time someone stopped and helped us,
even late at night.
Anytime we went to the Nightclubs the security guards always kept an eye
(since we are girls) to make sure that no one was bothering us. They
always made sure we got to our car safe.
People have to realize that everyone must exercise caution no matter
where they are, in the USA, in Aruba or anywhere in the world. Especially
young girls, they must be extra extra careful. So many bad things happen
here in the USA, so they should continue to be careful when they travel
abroad.
Since we are girls and we do enjoy going to the nightclubs dancing, while
in Aruba; we can testify that we have seen many American kids and some
adults behave badly. Many of them get trashed and look for drugs and
cause trouble. We won’t go into details because we do not want to offend
anyone.
The reason why we are coming forward with this information is because
we want to avoid future problems such as the disappearance of Ms.
Natalee Holloway. In order to fix the problem we must face reality and
try to do better for next time so that “THERE IS NO NEXT TIME”.
At this point no one seems to know what happened to Ms Natalee and we
are all praying for her safe return.
Here are some tips to follow when traveling abroad: (*) Use the same
caution that you would at home when you go away abroad. (*) Parents
please speak to your children about being careful when going out. (*)
Friends do keep an eye on each other. (*) Try to go out in groups and try
to have a least one person sober.
These are just a few common sense pointers to follow. Also for the
record, we would like to add, that since we have been going to Aruba no
one has ever asked us if we wanted to buy drugs or give us drugs. We
always see the tourists go up to the locals asking for drugs, or where they
can buy some.
We feel for Ms. Natalee’s family because we had a similar situation
happen to us. We took a few high school graduates with us to Aruba. As
you can imagine they went wild.
Unfortunately, one night it took us 3 hours before we could find them and
they were the longest three hours of our lives. We were lucky that they
turned up. One was so intoxicated that we did not know if she was going
to make it. Luckily she did.
Our prayers remain with Ms. Natalee Holloway and her family. Again,
Aruba masha danki! May God help us find Natalee safe. Let’s all be safe
no matter where in the world.
Maria and Marcella Albanese Boston, MA
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Wednesday, June 15, 2005
To Julie and my Aruban Family;
It is with my heartfelt greetings that I address the newspaper
community and the Aruban people today. I would like to
comment and apologize for the relentless pursuit of the USA
media in the Natalee Holloway case. We are all praying for
her safe return, but until that happens, let me say that is has
saddened me to see the way the USA press has been badgering
the island for information and giving opinions on a legal
system they haven’t even begun to educate themselves too.
I moved to Aruba in 1993 as I married an Aruban (who has since
passed from cancer) and I came to understand in my 6 years
of living in Aruba, that although alot of things were different
from the USA, Aruba ran very efficiently and smoothly.
I figured I was coming from the USA to a tiny island that could
use my help. I was so wrong, Arubans are highly educated
and methodical in their ways.
It hurts me when I read or hear
reporters saying the Aruban officials are botching the case.
It’s so easy to sit in a chair and second guess anyone’s
investigation. Let us remember this is a country that we do
not control and let’s let the Aruban officials handle this case
with the FBI.
I am confidant that my home away from home
will resolve this matter, if we only give them a chance to do so.
I worked for the U.S. Immigration/Customs Department at
the Queen Beatrix Airport for 4 of my years on the island,
yes we confiscated drugs there, but not to the degree that
the American press would like everyone to believe.
Aruba
is, and will remain an exceptionally safe island even
after this unfortunate case plays out. I will be moving
back to Aruba once I retire and two of the reasons for that
are it’s safety and warmth of the Arubian people. It is
unmatched anywheres else in the world in my opinion.
Claudia A. Willemsberg
Software Support Specialist
