Aug

31

Comfortably uncomfortable

Filed Under Caribbean Living, Rhymes with Rant | 

Occasionally, though, I do think fondly of my ultra-modern Yaletown apartment, with its cleaning service, huge computer monitor and instant access to everything. I’ll be cured of the travel bug when those days of longing for familiar create comforts exceed the exciting days of discovery and new pleasures.

~ Darren Barefoot

i was working on a post along similar lines when i came across Darren waxing poetic about the comfort and discomfort of living abroad. okay, i’ll admit, my post was more like a whiny list of things i miss about North America, Vancouver, and home. but i’ll save that for another day. after all, i’ve only been here a week.

Darren said exactly what i wanted to say: things are different here, but it’s the “thousand subtle, little things that are trickiest.”

familiar brand names just do not taste the same. the Oreos are positively shameful. the water pressure in the kitchen sink is barely enough to rinse dishes, let alone suds them up. we’re not even going to discuss the shower. the humidity makes my hair insanely unmanageable. the clock on the microwave has managed to push itself over 20 minutes fast in less than 48 hours. i have no way of bringing frozen goods home from the grocery store without them melting. frogs smaller than the tip of your thumb are louder than most car alarms. i’m still not sure how or where to recycle things.

on the other hand, it’s also the zillions of small positive things that will make living here bearable and downright heaven on earth-ish…

goodnight

in the shower i only have one knob that can go OFF or ON, but the water is never too hot and never too cold. rain here actually RAINS. and then stops. and even if you got soaked, you’re dry again in minutes. the local beer, pizza, and seafood are goooood. i never have to put on an extra sweater in the house. i will never have to shovel snow or scrape ice from my windshield. there isn’t a single traffic light on the whole island.

there. is. no. McDonald’s.

Comments

9 Comments so far

  1. Medstudentitis on August 31, 2007 8:25 am

    When I used to live abroad I found that the best thing was getting those small things from home that brought back a flood of memories. Kraft dinner, those plastic things to go on bread to keep it sealed,CBC. Now I find myself going to import stores and buying Scottish goods for a treat… the irony :)

  2. Jane on August 31, 2007 8:51 am

    I deal with Humidity in my curly hair on a daily basis..Couldnt live without Redken Smooth Down Shampoo and Conditioner Hopefully they have it on the Island!

  3. Jane on August 31, 2007 9:11 am

    Fill with water and freeze some old soda bottles.Wrap in newspaper and they should make it to the store unmelted so that you could bring back any frozen foods.Hopefully!!

  4. Kendra on August 31, 2007 5:14 pm

    I couldn’t have said it better. I had the exact same sentiments when I first arrived in Dominica. And in fact, I still have them. There are moments when you feel like you’d shoot someone for a piece of sushi or a box of Ritz crackers. But then there are the sunsets. And the rainbows. And the coconut trees. And the salamanders that crawl up your walls and scare the crap out of you, but you eventually think are cute. And your ability to appreciate the positive subtleties is what will get you through. But that doesn’t mean that I still wouldn’t pay $100 for a Taco Bell 7-layer burrito right now. :)

  5. mgk on August 31, 2007 7:44 pm

    Statia is not much different. It doesn’t really rain here. No fast food and only a few rest. period. We travel on some dirt roads,some paved.
    The Sheep that come to graze on my front lawn keep the grass low enough so we won’t need to mow it!
    ;p

  6. mgk on August 31, 2007 7:46 pm

    p.s i’ve started sharing my house w/the little bugs that come to the ligh bulbs nite…i don’t think i’ll charge them rent though. Every morning when i wake up i find them deceased under the light. no point in charging them….don’t u think?

  7. Michelle on August 31, 2007 9:24 pm

    Even with all the hard stuff you have to go through… your life sounds dreamy to me.

  8. daisies on September 5, 2007 10:56 am

    :)

  9. After one year: stuff I miss taking for granted : jenniferhawke.com: med school blog on September 11, 2008 8:47 am

    […] a little later on that month, i wrote about a few things i missed from home. re-reading that post makes me laugh because i was complaining about things like water pressure and Oreos not tasting the same and loud tree frogs and lack of recycling options. i actually stated that the absence of McDonald’s was good thing. which it is. but i have been craving a Big Mac for almost 4 months now! […]

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