Musing and Pondering...
Sitting at the keyboard and mulling over where we have been, and where we have yet to go, gets the mind wandering and reflecting on the decision we made to launch into our travel adventure. Our most pressing desire - to get out of the cold and into warm - seemed to rise to the surface above all else, and our handy-dandy spreadsheet helped us to make decisions on the path to take. Being in constant travel mode, albeit slow, is like a whimsical romance. Exciting, unpredictable, and passionate. And yes, we are having the time of our lives. As per the last post, Mazatlan is next on the list, and thinking about moving our four suitcases there is what caused our musing and pondering to awaken...
Our very long vacation, one of exploring and shifting from one carefully selected place to another, has been life changing for us while we have fun looking for that elusive new "home". We suppose our adventure could be summarized as: travelling and exploring is a sample platter, while moving there is a feast.
We have had a great time here in the Caribbean. Now that we have come to know Grenada, it is high on our list for long term residency in a tropical paradise. But if you choose to move here, be prepared to leave your northern expectations behind as life here is different and is somewhat expensive. Barbados more so.
When you are imprinted by the homeland of your youth, and then fast forward through the daily grind of your adult working career, there are things to learn and accept about moving your home into a new culture. Yes, you have to give up something and perhaps learn a few things too. And you also have to accept that your family, friends, and daily life at home won’t pause with the lack of your presence. Life goes on. You may miss some birthday parties, funerals, weddings or family reunions. But for all of those things that you lose or miss, you’ll have gained more confidence, independence, friends, memories, and adventure. Yes, risks. Yes, sacrifices. We are sure that it will be a relief to settle down one day, into a nice place once our wandering comes to an end, and we want to be sure that we choose the right spot. But some things are worth it if you have untamed “wanderer” in your blood. Must be a Viking thing...
People try to tell you that they know all about a place when they take a 5 day vacation there, or stop for a few hours as part of their whirl-wind tour on a cruise ship. Then they tell you to move somewhere because they were there for three hours and it was nice.
We have heard that from people many times, but, sorry, no. In our opinion, in order to get to know a new place means taking the time to live there for an extended period. That's when you discover that you don't have to make a selection from website links of the “Top To Do List”, because you can do them all. Take your time, and do it right - get to know it. Make new friends. Pick up some local recipes. Say hello to people on the street every day. Know the price and location of the same grocery items in all of the local stores. Become a “regular” in the local night-life and become a knowledgeable “local” so you can help the newbies when they come. Small islands have local weather patterns and being there is the only way you can find that out - living where it rains less or where it has less salt mist blowing in is likely what you would want. Be around long enough to enjoy seasonal celebrations like festivals, holidays, and sporting events. We aren’t going out of our way to look for new friends but that happens anyway – you get to know locals and other expats just by hanging out where they hang out. Fun!
It can be frustrating and discouraging when you find people are trying to rip you off - even worse when you discover they have - a friendly reminder that you are not invincible. But embrace it. Those moments help you to get know yourself.
And yes, you will definitely be humbled by challenges, and then feel awesome when you overcome them. You get lost. You get homesick. You struggle with a foreign language, or even with just an accent. You deal with foreign exchange rates. You ultimately realize that there’s a lot you don’t know about the world and you won’t realize just how much you don't know until you get out there. People do things differently. Not only will you learn to be okay with that, but you’ll start to love finding out about that.
We feel like we have come to "know" several places now and have really enjoyed the ride along the way. We have our bumps and scrapes and a couple scars too to remind us about the tough things.
Responsibility stalks us no matter what borders we cross. You get a new routine going, and learn to live with new people and bolster your daily life comfort zone. Your creative problem-solving strategies will broaden exponentially. But, between finding somewhere to live, discovering way-finding in a new city, and securing your new routine - getting the hang of things may take some time - whatever it is, there will inevitably be more time that you spend alone figuring things out.
As the saying goes, distance makes the heart grow fonder, and it takes a lot of effort to stay in contact with persons left behind at home - thank goodness for Facebook. Those who can endure the distance and stay in touch prove that they really do care about you - hold on tight to those. And, having a few new friends in your new city makes you genuinely appreciate them for showing you the ropes and helping you find your way. And they will. It turns out that you can't always rely on anyone, but you find that someone who will be there. No matter what hurtles you face, if you keep your head on straight, you always have a good time. We are looking forward to continuing on - not done yet! - and we are excited about visiting Mazatlan soon.
We are continuously updating the important, critical, and "deal breaker" line items in our spreadsheet - it's a "live" document. As a result, other new places are also showing up as potentials for us and we might visit them too. A few people have asked to see our spreadsheet, so we showed them. They said we should go into business and market it to make some money, but, alas it just seems too much like that "W" word as we like being confirmed retirees...
While travelling and discovering new places, you connect with new people, and experience new activities... and you find you never get bored. You'll become a new you, and that can't really be measured by words, and most importantly, you will find that your new friends in new places will comment on your cool Canadian accent.