Current Rock of Residence:
The Big Rock of the Dominican Republic
Island Girl Since:
2015
Originally Hails From:
Michigan
Rene once made the mistake of exclaiming to the heavens, “I would rather live anywhere other than Southeastern Michigan!” And guess what? The Gods deemed her in need of a lesson in humility. She then spent the next 20+ years raising a family in… yep, you guessed it: Metro Detroit! Having learned that one’s locale most definitely shapes one’s quality of life, she set off to find a tropical paradise to call home. Stop numero uno was Cabrera, a little farming town on the north coast of the Dominican Republic away from tourists and resorts. Next stop was… no wait, there was no next place to visit. She fell in love with Cabrera and has a cute little casa with a pool on a hill taking in the trade winds off the wide blue Atlantic Ocean. Much better.
She’s currently a part-time rock dweller in transition to full-time. She’s learning that her life can be much simpler, that deadlines and meetings and the rush-rush of a North American modern existence isn’t real life. Young Rene traveled and read books and painted, met amazing people from all over the world, and never owned a TV. Mature Rene looks forward to those things again on her big rock in the Caribbean Sea.
Explore posts by this writer:
Experiencing Culture Shock When Traveling Off Your Island
There is a certain excitement one gets when going on a road trip that you don't get when flying. Yes, you dread sitting in the car all day, but you can listen to music all day and eat snacks that you don’t normally eat and your journey often has several destinations....
Sunkissed Christmas
This year I’ll be celebrating my 11th Christmas on this beautiful island and my main goal for this holiday season is to make the perfect sand-snowman. I can assure you that this is a task far more difficult than Pinterest or Instagram would have you believe. Last...
Christmas on Saba
It’s quiet out. And dark. The colourful street lights are up in each of the four villages of Saba, Chris Rea’s Driving Home for Christmas is playing, the tree is up, half hiding the presents underneath and the house smells of home-made cooking. It’s Christmas time...
My Love Letter to The Sea – How we are harming it and how we can protect it
I like the sea. That might be an under-statement: I really really love the sea. I love to see the different shades of blue, azure, turquoise and green. I love to take a stroll along the shoreline, barefoot, feeling the waves lapping over my toes, with various grades...
In Praise of Real Food
Island food culture is a wonderful riot, to be savoured and enjoyed. When we first came on island I was surprised by the food fusion between American, British and Caribbean fare. You would easily find an overblown pot of peanut butter alongside a similar-sized jar of...
How To Be An Annoying Tourist
The cruise ship horns are blasting. The streets are bustling with wide-eyed people donned in Hawaiian print. The smell of aerosol sunscreen spray fills the hot tropical air and stings your eyes. This can only mean one thing...peak tourist season is upon us. The...
