Let's
face it, life on a Caribbean island is not for everyone. Guns n Roses sang it
and those of us who have migrated to Roatan live it...just a little patience!
When and if you make the big jump, your friends will be jealous and some will think
you are crazy. You have abandoned normal life to spend your days sipping Pina
Coladas all day by the beach and dipping your toes in the sea. You are living
the dream! Well, yes and no… most of us cannot just retire early so there has
to be an income which in its self can be challenging. Roatan's economy is
almost 100% reliant on tourism and tourism is most unreliable thing, thus many
of us wear several "hats" on the island, yours truly included. During
my seven years here, I have taught school, written for the island magazine,
created, programmed and DJ'd a radio station, managed a boutique hotel and
started a real estate agency. All of which have taught me the most important
virtue to a successful and happy life on an island.. patience. You have all
heard of the expression "Island Time" right? Well, I am here to tell
you that it DOES exist and you better get used to it! Manana literally
translates to tomorrow but here it means maybe sometime in the future.. maybe.
In an "instant gratification" world, this can be frustrating. For
example, when you find something on Amazon you just have to have, one click and
it is on your doorstep the next day. Here, if it gets here in 3 weeks, you are
overjoyed (if you can remember what you ordered!). There is no daily newspaper,
a sort of post office, no movie theater (this was tried but it turned into a
sort of disco with a film) and you quickly learn that Facebook is your
connection to the real world both on and off the island. We probably have more
Facebook groups per capita than any other place in the world. Don't believe me?
Just type Roatan in the search box and see what comes up. Facebook is our
newspaper. Get up, let the dog out, put on the coffee and check Facebook is our
routine. And then there is banking...hmmm.. let's just say if going to the bank
is on the agenda for the day, don't plan anything else for the morning. The
good news is that you will probably know everyone in line and it is an
excellent time to catch up on island gossip. There is no rush here, it will get
done when it gets done and it is what it is. We often forget what we wake up to
everyday but a random jaunt to the beach reminds us that we do live in
Paradise, even if it is "Paradise with a Price". Patience is a virtue
and a necessity with island life and as soon as you grasp it, you will be just
fine. Besides it will always lead to some great stories in bank lines!
I’ve
touched on a quite a few subjects here which I will get into in more detail
later as we explore life on Roatan. I made the jump and I have no regrets. Life
is slower here and to me that is a good thing. I often compare it to living in
a small town in the 1950s. I have more friends than I have ever had and know
that if I ever need help, it is there in a second. Roatan has a wonderful
Ex-Pat community from every corner of the world. Everyone has a story about
their “former life”. Some share, some don’t, but who cares? I honestly don’t
even know the last name of some of my friends. How cool is that? It is easy to
lose touch on an island and frankly, I love it! Until next time, I leave you with a
link to one of my favorite island songs by the Zac Brown Band which could have
easily been written about Roatan. Oops, there goes the electricity—off to the
beach!
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