When I first arrived on the island, it didn’t take long to pick up on a common theme amongst many of the expats here: this is not “the real world.”

I remember chatting with the bakery girl, who had been here about 3 years at the time. She told me all sorts of stories in the genre of “when she goes back to the real world” or “back when she lived in the real world.” I giggled to myself, as I thought it was endearing.

Flash forward to today, going on a year and half living on island, and I now find myself in plenty of situations where I actually have to remind myself that this IS the real world.

Which leads me to wonder: what is it about establishing life on a rock instead of in a city that makes it feel like we’re all playing the classic childhood game of make believe?

I’ve thought long and hard about why we fall into this mindset and here are some of my theories…

 

 

Living on a Caribbean island can sometimes feel like a fairytale.

It’s beautiful – breathtaking at times, even. Most people can only imagine vacationing in a place so tranquil and serene, let alone actually living here.

 

Responsibility is a relative term.

Each and every day, we all wake up and contemplate what we will accomplish (or not accomplish), under decidedly less pressure than we felt in “the real world.” Being surrounded by people who are on vacation and working odd days/hours makes “the daily grind” feel less demanding.

 

Opting out is a valid option.

If you decide that it’s just not one of those “responsible” sort of days, you may choose to just go back to bed and try again later. If you must show up at work, you can often just log your hours and leave. There’s always tomorrow to be more accomplished…

 

We’re livin’ on Island Time.

If you say you’re going to do something but you don’t fully deliver in the given timeframe, it generally doesn’t matter. Rarely will you be scolded, judged, or punished for simply being late. Seeing as how island life can be a bit on the antiquated side of things, you just never know what challenges are going to stand in your way or slow down progress in getting tasks accomplished – something every island dweller knows all too well.

I’m pretty sure this is an island commandment and isle-versal agreement; you just have to believe it really happened. Tree down in the road, and no one around for miles? It happens. Long line at the bank and lunch hour creeps in, so they make you wait until they return? It happens. Stop by the gas station to fill up and they’re out of gas until “later”? It happens. Hop on a water taxi and soon find yourself bailing water with half a milk jug, just to stay afloat? It happens. Climb in a taxi shared with others and soon find yourself on an hour long mini-tour of the island, while each person diverts the typically straight route from town to town? It happens. And we all believe it.

 

 

You are living in “somewhere.”

The “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” rule applies 7 days a week.

 

Nonsensical rules? Why not!

There are already enough questionable rules when it comes to inexplicable things – like an extra fee for using a taxi’s trunk, the ability to only send wire transfers before noon, and the alcohol ban during elections, to name a few – that it inspires you to make up your own strange rules in your day to day life.

 

You’ve veered off your career path.

There’s a pretty good chance you will not work in the field that you consider your “profession” back in “the real world.” That is, unless you consider spending countless hours 60 feet beneath the sea, breathing air from a tank and hose, watching people overindulge on ridiculously high caloric chocolate milkshakes filled with booze, or strumming your guitar on Thursday nights and getting paid for it your “profession.”

 

You don’t sweat the small stuff.

For 5 months straight, when it came time to pay my rent, the ATM was out of money, which forced me to wait 3-4 days before paying late. My landlord didn’t even bat an eye.

 

Your lifestyle requires far less adulting than it did before.

The longer I am here on this rock, the less and less I can imagine behaving like a mature, responsible 30-something does in “the real world”.

–   –   –

No official conclusions drawn.

Why do you think islanders so often see their life on their rock as not in the “real world?”

In the meantime, I guess I’ll just stay here in my feels-unreal paradise and ponder on it some more, beach side with a real margarita… but of course!