Another short but sweet sweet update

I will have more pictures posted soon, i've been working on taking more pictures, or just taking my camera along for the rides.

Life on the islands (or this one in particular) has been an incredibly interesting and varied experience. I have been here just about five months, roughly half of the school year. We are about to break for Christmas vacation (which is a break for christmas undoubtedly, but also not much of a break if you ask me. We technically have school until the 24th of December, then about a week, the have a staff party on the 3rd of January. I am not complaining about having a party to attend, but it would be nice to just sort of shut off from work for awhile. I am coming to realize that on a small island community such as this, there really isn't any shutting off. It's like trying to fool myself into thinking that I can somehow "get away" from it all, even for a day, that's an illusion. There is literally nowhere to "get away" too (ok, that's not entirely true, but without a double engine boat, a car, and tons of cash, it's nearly impossible)

A few things that I have been growing accustomed to include:
taking every opportunity to ride in the back of a pickup, particularly on nice and days, but especially when it's twilight and clear in the skies. There isn't much that can compare to driving along the edge of the island with the moon overhead and the tropical twilight air in you lungs.
learning how to take flexibility to a whole new level and also gaining an entirely different view of what a schedule means, or doesn't mean. If its raining, the schedule is adjusted, and dealing with classes and school when busses arrive after school has supposedly started, staff meetings in the middle of the day, and a plethora of other little nudges and changes to how school goes.
a total lack of resources for education. a systemic waste of resources for eduction.
roosters crowing, dogs mating, and dogs barking.
a usual pace of walking that would make even a midwest or southern pace look ridiculously speedy.


Matt bought a canoe, which is thrilling, really really thrilling. It will make the water that surrounds this place much more of a reality. Sometimes it feels like we are being mocked, its hot, we are on a pacific tropical island, and without a beach to speak of, getting into the water to just cool off, or swim, is a much bigger ordeal than one would ever imagine. so a canoe is going to rock the world that we live in.
I am working on still acquiring a car, it's coming along and I may have one in the next few days. It's been a process and a half, and often times really frustrating, but it will end well I believe, it's just a huge test of my patience and keeping my sanity. I've been a bit stir crazy as of late, add on the fact that the holidays are here and it feels strange and distant to be removed from my friends and family, all that has been familiar up until now. And it's summer in perpetuity here, and that is really really odd, I'm not used to it at all, I'm not complaining though or trying to gloat.