Current Rock of Residence:
Montserrat
Island Girl Since:
2016
Originally Hails From:
Canada
Amanda travels most of the year for her job with her husband on cruise ships, the other half is generally spent on a tiny island in the West Indies. They built a life for themselves in New Zealand after leaving ships behind a decade ago, but the lure of the waves was too much and in 2016, they traded the Canterbury plains for the Caribbean sea. The move has been a roller-coaster and has opened them up to a world of possibilities. They moved with only two suitcases, their two miniature dachshunds (Hazel and Basil), and their Abyssinian cat (Ariel) to the lush (volcanic) island of Montserrat. Visit their blog, A Hopkins Life, to discover how they’re trying to make it work on their little rock.
Explore posts by this writer:
The Oft-Forgotten Obstacle Between You and Your Island Dream
Immigration Vacation. Permit Purgatory. The Work-Visa-Waiting-Game. Whatever they call it on your rock, this hair-pulling, soul-sucking, confidence-crushing period stands between many of us Island Girls (or Want-To-Be-Island-Girls!) and our tropical residences of...
The Enduring Need of Wanderlust
Home is where the heart is, as they say; where memories are made, where we form solid lasting friendships and even create our own 'families'; and for some of us home is where our roots are, and much more. Those of us that are rock dwellers will all agree on nearly...
“The Squints” – Island Skincare
I can still remember. I had such a relaxing appointment with my local aesthetician (pre-Covid, of course) and just FYI, I’m very into wellness and my face because uhmm…last time I checked my face is hella cute and so is yours (PREACH!). She cleansed my face and put a...
Cricket Is a Game for The People
My earliest memories of cricket involve black and white images on the TV, with my dad sitting in an armchair and a voice droning on and the room being incredibly warm or maybe I associated warmth, droning voices with boredom. I paid no attention to the little men in...
The Science Behind Our Connection to Water
As Islanders we all know we feel better when we're at the beach or in the sea. Well, did you know there's some strong science behind it? I wanted to share this interesting article from Cottage Life that I happened upon this week. We don't need science to tell us about...
A Shoeless Existence
Us ladies all love shoes, right? We all dream of Carrie Bradshaw’s walk-in wardrobe from Sex in the City? Pretty, sparkly, sexy…? By definition, a shoe is ‘a covering for the foot, typically made of leather, having a sturdy sole and not reaching above the ankle’...
