• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Cubicle Throwdown

tales of a serial expat

  • Home
  • About Rika
  • Roatan FAQ
  • Japan/JET FAQ
  • Advertising
  • Press

“Home”-sick.

January 19, 2013 by Rika 2 Comments

I’ve been away from Roatan for nearly a month now. I remember being so surprised at feeling homesick after I had been there for only six weeks. I missed the comforts of home – sushi, my hula hoop, going to the movies, etc. When I look back on it now, that’s understandable.


But after two weeks traveling on a yacht, and now two weeks and counting hanging out in Miami with no particular return date set in stone…



I’m homesick. For Roatan.



Even in my own head I can’t believe I’m homesick for a place that I know I love, but is a struggle nearly every day just to sustain myself. I never have enough money there, hot water is an oxymoron, the power is out for hours on a semi-regular basis, I have to buy drinking water, the food is terrible and I get eaten alive by the bugs. It’s hot as hell, I have no personal transportation, and the violent crime on the island is no joke…there are like 5 homicides a month on an island of 80,000 people, and countless break-ins (happened to me twice so far) and personal robberies (happened to me once so far). It’s a tiny place that thrives on drama, which I am not immune to. Not to mention all the other things I miss out on living in a third world country on an indefinite time frame. 

west end in the pre-road getting paved days… and me post-heavy night of drinking and losing my shoes at the bar… classy.





I’m enjoying all the luxuries I had at home in Canada (and more) here in the US. But I am starting to get antsy about going “home”. People keep thinking I mean Vancouver when I say home, but Vancouver hasn’t been my home for over five months now. I have friends there, and my shit is still in a storage unit, but that doesn’t make a place a home. Roatan is where all the things I need are, it’s where my dive gear is (well…should be), it’s where I have a bed and a home and a job (well…. used to have a job). It’s where I walk down the 1-mile street at any time of day or night and have to stop every 5 feet to say hi to someone. It’s where I know which stand has the best baleadas, that Woody’s doesn’t open until 6pm on Saturdays because the owners are Seventh Day Adventists, which channels are always dubbed in Spanish and where everyone will be on Friday nights. It’s where I get to dive, the one thing in life that calms me down, makes me happy, and lets my brain relax. It’s where my heart has been since I landed there a year ago for the first time. I miss it. And people who I never dreamed in a million years would even notice I was gone have been calling me and messaging me to tell me they miss me and ask when I’m coming back. I love that!


I’m still waiting for the yacht to get here with my dive gear, and I’m registered for at least two weeks of yacht crew courses. I’m here right near then end of the Caribbean season, when most of the boats are going into the yard before the Mediterranean season (which starts at the end of April/May). Unless something amazing comes up right away… which I’ve been told is not likely… then I’m going home. I’ll probably still keep looking for opportunities on yachts after I head back to Roatan, but I need to get back in the water, I need to go home. I’m not done with Roatan yet.



Where is home for you? Is it where your heart is, your family is, your stuff is or somewhere else?

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Home, Life, Living Abroad, Roatan Tagged With: Florida

Previous Post: « Hot Roatan Girls at Cubicle Throwdown.
Next Post: I can fight fires, save lives, and put on a lifejacket. »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Colleen Brynn says

    January 25, 2013 at 4:52 pm

    Such a nice post! I know what you mean when a place surprisingly grabs your heart and doesn't let go. It is such a nice feeling…

    Reply
    • CubicleThrowdown says

      January 27, 2013 at 3:54 am

      Yep, Roatan definitely grabbed my heart… but sometimes I need to get off the island to remember why 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

i’m rika!

hiya! i'm a canadian paralegal-turned-scuba diving instructor-turned EFL teacher-turned digital nomad. i left my cubicle in 2012 and haven't looked back since. i'm a serial expat, but right now i'm back in canada on hiatus for a while. welcome to the place where i say things.

Follow me on Facebook!

Follow me on Facebook!

never miss a post

subscribe by email!

Disclosure: this site contains affiliate links. If they are used, you will receive either a discount or no extra cost to you on your purchase. I may receive compensation from your purchase. This site is not free to run, so thank you for supporting Cubicle Throwdown! 

TourRadar
Airbnb Referral
Booking.com Referral
TokyoTreat

treasure hunt

go back and read ALL THE THINGS!

  • [+] 2019
    • September
    • June
    • February
    • January
  • [+] 2018
    • December
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • February
    • January
  • [+] 2017
    • December
    • November
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • [+] 2016
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • January
  • [+] 2015
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • January
  • [+] 2014
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • [+] 2013
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • [+] 2012
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
Privacy Policy
Cubicle Throwdown Logo

Cubicle Throwdown © 2012 - 2023 · All Rights Reserved