Current Rock of Residence:
Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean
Island Girl Since:
May 2016
Originally Hails From:
Zaandam, the Netherlands
Long long ago, in a kingdom far far away (Holland), Myrthe got a degree in cultural anthropology. Not that she ever found a job in that field (she works in childcare now), but likes to think she finally found her fieldwork now that she’s living on this little rock. Studying anthropology and being curious by nature (aren’t all women?) gave her the urge to travel, see, and experience as much of the world as she can. She loves to consider herself a traveller and was lucky enough to find a husband/soulmate who feels the same.
They always knew they wouldn’t stay in Holland forever, so when opportunity knocked, they kicked the door wide open. In May 2016, they got the chance to move to Bonaire with their “baby” (their cat – they weren’t going anywhere without her!) and loved it the moment they got off the plane at the tiny, very pink airport. Theoretically speaking, it is Holland, but as they quickly found out, it’s definitely not! Lucky for them, it didn’t take long to adapt to the island philosophy of “poko poko” (take it easy).
Not a girl to just sit around, she found herself a job and a place to volunteer and learned the language. Her days are filled up, though that doesn’t mean she doesn’t enjoy the four S’s of island life: swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing, and sipping cocktails. Especially sipping cocktails…
She’s a blogger who writes a weekly blog (though it’s in Dutch for everyone back at home to understand, sorry!) about their day-to-day life and struggles and tries to teach her readers a little bit about the island too – facts and fun. She’s also an aspiring amateur photographer who loves to enter photo contests.
Bonaire is the rock she calls home. It’s big in some ways, small in others. It’s their own corner of paradise! When they’re done here (in about a year and half due to her husband’s job contract), perhaps they’ll move back to Holland, and then again, maybe they won’t. Maybe they’ll go somewhere else, perhaps another rock. Who knows? Life is full of surprises.
Explore posts by this writer:
Adventures in Island Hopping
Public transport on our little rock is practically non-existent. While there are some bus stops along the streets, there are almost no busses that run on a regular basis. From what I understand, you'd have to call one to come and pick you up. In fact, in all of the...
Patience and the Island Carwash
Patience is a virtue - a lesson anyone who has ever lived on an island learns in no time. Everything (and everyone) is slower here than I was used to. I use the past tense because this is what I'm used to now. We have lived here for almost eight months and I'm already...
Dreaming of a White Christmas
Sometimes people ask me, "Are there any downsides to living on a beautiful tropical island?" Even in the asking, you can tell they're thinking it's impossible for there to be anything that could make all the white sand beaches not worth it. But of course there are...
