Two years. TWO YEARS. I never thought I would be writing this post.
I remember thinking when I left Canada, “Well, if I make it even six months this will all have been worth it.” Now it’s two years later and I’m still here on Roatan – diving, drinking too much rum and enjoying the best sunsets in the world.
I am going to take a break from my traditional roundup posts for this once, since it’s a milestone. Instead of my usual roundup, I’d like to share some of the things I’ve learned from living on a tiny island in the Caribbean for the last two years.
You don’t need as much stuff as you think you do. I’ve been wearing the same 10 shirts and 3 shorts for over a year now (I changed out my ‘wardrobe’ once since I’ve been here). And you know what? No one notices, or cares, including me. I don’t have a flat-screen TV or an office chair & desk, and my life still goes on every day. My ‘stuff’ has been in storage for two years and I’ve managed just fine without it.
The world won’t explode if you use dollar store shampoo. I’ve been very lucky that in the past, I had enough money to buy whatever kind of shampoo (and clothes, food, etc.) that I wanted without worrying about it. Now that I’m on an extremely strict budget and in a place with limited options, I’ve had to buy and use things I would never have dreamed of back in Canada. My hair gets just as clean with $1.50 shampoo as it did with my fancy $18 shampoo I used in Canada. This applies to an awful lot of things. It’s been a good lesson to learn.
Patience, and more patience. This place pushes me to my limits constantly with ridiculous red tape, line ups that can go on for hours, and the constant “I’ll get to that when I feel like getting to it” attitude. However, I have learned to be more patient and find myself a little bewildered when I hear tourists getting in a huff about having to wait 5 minutes for something. Lady, just be glad you never have to go to the bank.
Trying new things never hurt anyone. I have done all kinds of things here outside of my comfort zone, from eating fried guatusa, to using bush medicine to cure ailments, to learning how to drive a boat. I have said ‘yes’ to many adventures just to see what would happen, and have had some incredible experiences (remember the megayacht I ran away on?) This island has been a great place for cultivating an adventurous spirit.
You can’t eat garbage and drink every day. I haven’t said too much about it on this blog, but I really struggled with my appearance the first year I was here. When I arrived on Roatan I had just had a really stressful year and had been working two full-time jobs for six months. I was way too skinny, but that’s how everyone first saw me here. After a year of too many baleadas and Salva Vidas (plus going from a dive instructor to a dive shop supervisor which had me sitting in an office all day) I had put on 25 pounds and EVERYONE felt the need to comment on it. Especially the islanders, except to them it was a good thing – they were really pleased that I wasn’t ‘skin and bone’ anymore. I didn’t feel good about myself though, and I’ve worked hard to lose 15 of those pounds and am now feeling happy and healthy again with my weight. It was a tough lesson but I had to learn how to take care of myself properly here and find a good balance.
You don’t need all that makeup. I’ve never been a girly-girl, or someone who enjoyed wearing a lot of makeup, but I used to wear some every day and worked in a corporate environment where you were expected to look ‘polished’. I wear zero makeup here (except maybe once every couple months when I’m going out on a Friday night) and people constantly think I’m younger than I actually am. I also feel like it’s more of a compliment now if someone thinks I look good, because this is what I actually look like!
A lot of us are really spoiled. Do you have water you can drink that comes out of your tap? Do you have power that doesn’t go out every day? Do you have enough extra money to get a Starbucks every day? The people here have taught me humility. They go without so much that is a ‘given’ in many other countries, and they just deal with it as best they can. They don’t complain about it on Twitter.
You can’t run away from yourself. All too often, I meet people here who ran away from problems they had in their home country before moving here, and then are shocked that they keep running into the same issues. Just FYI, you don’t magically become a different person simply because you moved to the beach.
I don’t know how much longer I will stay on Roatan, but I do know I’m incredibly proud of myself for reaching a goal I set for myself and then exceeding it. There was a big learning curve when I arrived, but I feel like I have finally hit my stride and know how to do what I need to do here. Two years is a big accomplishment and I know, despite whatever comes next, that I will always be able to look back on this and say that I did it.
You can read my previous monthly roundup posts here: Month 23, Month 22, Month 21, Month 20, Month 19, Month 18, Month 17, Month 16, Month 15, Month 14, Month 13, Month 12, Month 11, Month 10, Month 9, Month 8, Month 7, Month 6, Month 5, Month 4, Month 3, Month 2 and finally little old Month 1.
Thanks so much for the kind words James, I really am happy to hear you are enjoying it. Nice to hear you had fun on Roatan!
Travel does teach us so much, doesn't it?? I think it's so amazing the things we can learn from getting outside our comfort zones.
Don't lose hope of the meet up just yet… we'll see what Colleen and I can do 😉
Glad you enjoyed it Sarah… see you when you get back! xo
Thanks Erika! Time flies 🙂
Hey Rika, I love your comments & life experiences that you have had (& continue to have) on Roatan. .. they are right on target … I was just there this past June and I fell in love with the people & life style … The Sundowner's Beach Bar, a really cool place to chill & drink too much … need I say more … Hey, when you go back to the island … check out the "Tiki Coffee Shop" just down the street from the Splash Dive Inn & there are three really sweet ladies that work there …
Dude! Congrats on not just making it to 2 years, but thriving during that time! I know your expat adventures have had their ups and downs, but… that's life, right? 🙂
I LOVE all these lessons you've shared, mostly because they are ones I've also learned in the past 2 years and completely agree with as well. I know most of them are an unexpected bonus to traveling, but I do love that travel seems to be the best way to learn 'em!
And I so wish we could have an epic "north of all borders" meet up! If only this country weren't so darn big and I weren't stranded out here on the east coast…
Congratulations on two years! Woohoo!
Thanks Fab! There have been a few dudes popping in here and there, so don't feel weird! Maybe you will encourage more guys to comment and say hi 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the post and I am very excited for my vacation… leaving in a few hours!!
Just funny to see only woman reading/commenting your blog – I feel weird lol.
Great post again, you gave me goosebumps on several mentions.
Enjoy your vacation to Canada! 😉
Yep, it was time to realize that going from eating super healthy Vancouver food, walking an hour each way to work, working two full time jobs (one of which I was on my feet the entire time) does not mean I can show up elsewhere and eat nothing but fried food and beer, never exercise and expect to stay the same size, haha! Wishful thinking 🙂
Yeah, sorry about that! Many stories to be told once I no longer live on this island 🙂 And then I got really ill, so I took a bit of a break. Still on the mend, but this post was already 10 days late so I figured I better get on it!
I have really fine, thin hair but it's oily so I always wonder what would happen if I stopped washing it. It kind of stinks after I've been diving, so I'm not sure I would try that 🙂
Oh I loved this post, and I really appreciated your honesty. It's tough to talk about weight and appearance on a travel blog (or any public forum), but I completely understand. I gained 20 pounds the first time I lived overseas and my skin broke out horribly. I truly had to learn how to take care of myself. As far as the shampoo thing goes, I opt to wash my hair about once per week. I'm still working on the travel size shampoo bottles I brought with me to India in March! Haha!
Good to have you back! It been a while between drinks, as they say! Congratulations on hitting the 2 year mark!
And re the shampoo, you can actually use baking soda and vinegar and save even more money. Or, you can not use any at all, which is what I do, and my hair's fine! It took a bit of time for my scalp to adjust to that, but now it's fine.
Awesome info, thanks so much for taking the time to help. Let me know if I can ever do anything for you!
Thanks Wendy!! Glad it resonated with you. I can't wait to get to Canada, it's going to be a blast!
I saved SO MUCH stuff in my stupid storage unit and all I can think about is how I'm spending $100/month to keep crap I haven't even missed in two years!
Hi Angie,
Maya Key is a good family activity, definitely do not do it on a cruise ship day!!
A good place for all ages and a nice way to get some easy snorkeling experience is to head out to Little French Cay. You can also snorkel right from the beach in West Bay! The underwater museum is kind of 'meh'. I'd rather just snorkel in West Bay than go there. Some other things worth visiting is the nature trail at Carambola Gardens, and Gumbalimba Park (you can zipline, visit the monkeys, etc.)
Whatever you do, don't do it on a cruise ship day. The schedules can be found here: http://www.mahoganybaycc.com/port-schedule.aspx and http://ports.cruisett.com/schedule/Honduras/606-Roatan/August_2014/
Have fun!!
I loved this! Thanks for sharing – you're so spot on about everything! Traveling has taught me how easy and freeing it is to live with less. It's also been over a year since I've blown dried/straightened or curled my hair or have really worn makeup – a huge change from having to don a dress and "get pretty" every day as a cruise ship singer! And surprise, I live in LA! Life is what you make it. I choose to make it simple. Great post, girl! Have fun in Canada!
What great lessons! Particularly on the stuff. We grew up in such consumer cultures, it's so important to see otherwise and nothing like a budget to do it to ya.
Thanks, we'll miss meeting you!
Thanks for the help. I will keep her # handy. We figured it would be best to stop at Eldon's to stock up on some things to have the basics but I know we'll be making the restaurant rounds too. And hopefully fishing for dinners yum.
Mind if I ask a few more questions? Would you recommend Maya Key (we would go on an off cruise ship day and pretty much have the place to ourselves)? What about the underwater museum? The family that is meeting us there from the mainland Catacamas don't have much snorkeling experience YET. Any other activity suggestions?
I'm so glad to hear I'm not alone 🙂
so true girl! It's funny what you say about the shampoo, but even though I know it's true (and used to buy cheap stuff and be fine) once I started making money as a nurse I bought nicer … everything… and im attached. I bring so much to india with me .. lotions.. nail polish.. i can't help myself! and the eating junk food. I gained weight in India and it was they same , everyone thought it was great and i was like fuck no i have to do something! lol been doing more yoga, eating less crap
Thanks Sandra, and that is a great quote! It's so true, and I see it here with the expats a lot.
Great post, especially the "tip" that you can't run away from yourself. The saying "wherever you go, there you are" really appeals to me, and I remind myself often that going back to Australia (where I've lived for four months and had the best time) would not solve any issues I have here. 🙂
I often get the feeling that a lot of people are too naive when they start the process of migrating somewhere else (or start thinking about relocating).
Anyway, thank you for your posts, keep 'em coming and happy anniversary!
Thank you lovely, I can't wait to see you in a few short days!!! xoxo
happy anniversary bb! xo
Thanks Jay!! I'll try to keep the Tim Hortons and poutine pics to a minimum 🙂
Dang, sorry I'll be missing you guys! I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time.
There is not much in West Bay besides the big resorts and a couple sandwich shops. If you'd like a custom cake done, contact Jody Jackson from Jody's Cakes, she is awesome 3233-2257 or Eldon's has the same kinds of basic cakes you'd expect at a North American grocery store, although selection is limited (like 6 or less cakes and they may not have a specific birthday one). Eldon's is the 'American' grocery store… it looks just like a grocery store in the US with the same brands. Pretty expensive for those of us that live here but similar prices to the US.
Have a wonderful holiday – you'll love Roatan!
Sounds like a great 2 years. I was hoping to meet you when we come to Roatan but we'll be missing you. We arrive next weekend for 2 weeks.
Do you happen to know of a local baker near West Bay Beach? I'm still trying to get a hold of the rental home manager because there will be a family birthday celebration when we get there and I would like to have a cake delivered. Or can you tell me more about the Eldon's grocery store the driver will be taking us to?
Sorry to go off topic……I am sure that we will not want to leave Roatan!
2 years! Congratulations 🙂
And have an awesome time in Canada – I'll look forward to your posts from the homeland although I'm certain it'll result in jealousy!