10 Things I have learned about Island Living

As our first week in Utila winds down here are 10 things I have learned about island living.

• There is definitely a rhythm to the ocean which makes you act & respond differently than you thought you could. I feel like I am in a state of meditation all of the time.
• An electric pencil sharpener can bring so much joy & happiness to children & teachers who have never seen one before. (more on this later)
• Taking a boat to & from work is absolutely fabulous!

• I had never been interested in living on an island because I thought I would be covered in residuals of sand all of the time. This is actually not the case at all.
• When the ocean is right outside your doors & there is not noise pollution, you don’t need/want TV.
• It is completely unfair that these small islands are left to deal with our plastic waste & environmental irresponsibility! (more on this later)

• I was totally spoiled by American grocery stores. The lack of access to organic foods & any fresh produce my heart desires is going to prove challenging for me. As it turns out local Tofu, flaxseed and quinoa are not as popular in Utila as they are in Richmond, VA.
• We had better get it together as a society or we will lose our coral reefs & consume the majority of fish which will fully disrupt our oceanic ecosystem.
• It is somehow possible to teach children even if we don’t share the same language, as long as your heart is in the right place & you are extremely patient.
• Lastly I have realized that although I am a strict vegetarian ( I don’t eat any fish or meat), and I regularly take bugs outside instead of killing them,  I find myself looking everywhere for lionfish so that the dive masters can kill them.(Read about why here.)

Oh and in case you are wondering scuba diving and snorkeling on a regular basis rocks!