Hellobee

Living on a island has its pros and cons, and it’s definitely not for everyone. That said, us city folk have been here for two years and we’ve decided to stay for a couple more, so I guess island living is for us! If you’re thinking about moving to a tropical island, I thought I would share the pros and cons!

T H E  C O N S

There are a lot of bugs… and more. Mosquitoes, sand flies, ants, geckos, snakes, jellyfish… I stumbled upon a nest of baby scorpions yesterday and killed 6 of them (though I’ve only seen 4 other scorpions in my two years here). I’m not a squeamish person so creepy critters don’t really bother me. But mosquitoes are definitely bad news bears because they carry many dangerous diseases, and things like dengue fever do worry me.

It is hot and humid. It takes a long time for your body to adjust to the heat, up to a year I’ve read. You see locals wearing long sleeves and jeans and not break a sweat, while I’m sweating buckets in a tank top and cut offs! It is hot and humid most of the year, when it’s not raining, and there’s a lot of that too. You still get plenty of sunshine in rainy season though and showers for the most part only last a short time. I can’t say that I’m a fan of the heat and humidity, but my skin is!

Everything happens on island time. Which is fine for our personal lives. Everyone always makes plans at the last minute because none of us are ever doing anything, there is no difference between weekdays and weekends, and in general the concept of time is very lax. But it’s frustrating when it comes to getting things done — waiting for a repairman, delayed construction projects (since you have to build most things yourself), locals always showing up late. But it’s just a part of island life that you learn to accept. It certainly teaches you patience and just going with the flow.

There is a lack of infrastructure. This can be frustrating coming from the Western world where most things are very efficient and there are rules and laws for everything. Regular brownouts, slow internet, poor cell phone service, lack of government services, lots of red tape, no roads… the list is too long to go on. But it shows you how it isn’t that hard to live without things that many consider necessities because we do all the time!

Lack of medical care. There is a decent clinic in town that can handle minor things like basic stitches, x-rays, and iv drips. But anything serious we’d have to take a 5 hour van ride to the island capital, although I’d probably opt to fly to the country capital an hour away instead for better medical care. The only problem is limited flights, and only in the daytime. Knock on wood we’ve all been healthy thus far.

Limited access to most products and services. It’s hard to get almost anything but I’ve learned to live with it. We all have less so we’re all in the same boat! But an air conditioned, indoor supermarket with a frozen foods section is all I ask for!

Finding a job. I have an online job I can do anywhere and we’re running a resort here. But it can be difficult for expats to find a job. Most expats we know either own their own business (resort, bar, restaurant), or they’re a scuba instructor. There aren’t many jobs available for expats that pay decent salaries since the cost of living here is much lower.

You miss traditions and seasons. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, snow… this time of year we think about the traditions we hold dear and try our best to recreate them here. It’s not the same and makes us miss home, but we try our best to keep them alive.

T H E  P R O S 

Nature is stunning. We are surrounded by crystal clean ocean water in every shade of blue as well as magnificent limestone cliffs hundreds of millions of years old. We have spectacular sunsets every night. We can see all the stars. We breathe clean air. We eat local produce. We live on the beach and truly experience nature every single day.

You spend a lot of time just talking to people. Since there isn’t much to do and not many places to go on an island, we just hang out and talk. Whether it’s having coffee, going out for drinks, having dinner, or stopping to chat on the street, we’re always connecting with people just by talking. In this digital age where we interact less and less in person and more and more online, I think making these type of personal connections is very important.

You buy less, you have less, and you appreciate everything. This is both a pro and a con because it can be so inconvenient to get what you need. But it’s a pro that it makes us think long and hard about every single purchase we make because we have to travel to buy what we need and carry it back home. And when it comes down to it, it’s amazing how little we actually need.

Life is simple and relaxing. For someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, the slower, less stressful pace of life here has been great for me. I’m also an adventure seeker who was bored out of my mind when I first moved here! But I’ve acclimated and discovered even local destinations are adventures when you’re not living in your native country. This slow life has also had a hugely positive impact on our kids (especially one that has ADHD), which is one of the biggest pros of living here.

You meet people from all over the world. In addition to completely immersing ourselves in another culture, our friends, and our kids’ friends, are from everywhere around the world. We have the most diverse circle of friends we’ve ever had in our lives. Even though I’ve lived in diverse cities most of my life, expats are a unique group of people who bond by sharing the experience of living abroad together.

Humidity is the fountain of youth. The dry weather of Los Angeles and the harsh winters of New York wreaked havoc on my skin causing dryness, eczema, hives, and breakouts, but I have the best skin of my life here. Your skin just sucks up all that moisture in the air (which is important when you’re turning 40)!

You will adopt the best stray dog ever. It happens to every expat. And it will be the most loyal, sweetest, most appreciative dog you ever have in your life.

Everyone knows everyone. Living on an island is like living in a small town — everyone knows everyone — and I know that’s a con for some. We can’t walk down the street without running into multiple people we know, and we all know what’s going on with each other. I know we’ll eventually move back to the city one day so this is a welcome change in pace of life for me.

I think the main piece of advice I’d give to people considering moving abroad, especially with children, is to give it a year. It was so hard and lonely for most of our first year. But then we made friends, adjusted to local life, and everything got so much better. Soon we couldn’t imagine moving back to America! Moving anywhere new is difficult, especially a new country. But you may just be embarking upon the experience of a lifetime.

If you could, would you want to live on an island?