ARUBA

Disclaimer; I wrote this 10 days ago so now a month + 10 days have passed! I unfortunately got ill and had some of those worse days but today finally getting back to business healthwise and just got back from a long after work beach session so what a better time than to finally click post x

Hi there!

Time flies when you’re having fun right? I can not believe it has already been a month since I arrived on this tiny Caribbean island. It has been quite the experience so far. I started with a pretty drastic culture shock, went through lonely tired days when I just wanted to go home (where ever that is), spent time thinking about so many things I haven’t even had the time to acknowledge in the past few years, spent a lot of happy happy hours, and have been enjoying my local-ish living on the island so much that on most days the one thing that makes me upset is the thought about leaving (so I try not to think about it).

Apart from thinking about life, I spend my days working 7 days a week at the dog resort, and most of my free time walking around the island or chilling at the beach. Aside from the obviously lovely furry company, I also have very nice collegues. Sometimes after work we have a drink at the resort surrounded by dogs and other times we’ve gone our for a drink with an ocean view, eaten at delicious restaurants such as Eduardo’s hideaway or Poke Ono’s, gone to the VIP movies and ordered a bottle of wine there, done beach yoga at sunset, journaled on the beach in the moonlight, visited a secret beach or taken the dogs to the beach. I’ve spent quite some time journaling, playing beach tennis, floating in the Caribbean sea and also just laying in my room with the fan spinning enjoying the fact that I can be doing that. Of course it hasn’t been all sun & sandy beaches, I’ve also been feeling quite sick for most of my stay here, getting around is quite difficult as we live inland and walking or cycling is not really safe on all roads/at all times, and I have a hard time going to sleep early enough for the 6.30 alarm. I’ve cried once after coming home battling with catcalling, unsafe drivers and stray dogs, feel tired from the almost daily stomach pain, and miss my people on a daily basis. But hey, that’s life! I by no means mean to complain, as always I just prefer to share the reality instead of what people see on social media. Who wants to be posting pictures of the multiple bruises I have all around me because I run into cactuses (to be fair that is quite funny so sometimes I do post that), of the bunches of hair that keeps falling out, or the painkillers I take for my headaches? Just like on social media, I also prefer to focus on the positive. And even if not, I wouldn’t change this experience/anything about it for anything!

Because of living inland, I get much more of a local experience than I would if I lived closer to the touristy areas by the shore. Because of difficulties going around, I also sometimes just take it easy after work, cook a nice dinner and read a book in bed. Waking up early means I get started early every day and have most of the afternoon and the whole evening free. And well when it comes to my health, it is what it is but I’m also learning to pay a little more attention to how my body is doing and what it needs. And all the time for thinking? Oh it’s been amazing. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been running around like a headless chicken, aside from the few breaks in between that were always too short. This time I’m not only trying to get a break but also to actually find my way to make a change in how I dance around this planet. I finally have time to think about what is it that I actually want, what is it that I actually like, and to generally reconnect with myself. It’s a long process and I will probably again run out of time even though this is the longest break I’ve had so far, but at least I hope to create ways to be able to continue on the process once I return to the life of a med student. Having the time to think also means I have the time to overthink and question a lot of things, so it’s again not always positive, but still oh so much needed.

This break has also been very different not only due to its duration, but because of how different it is compared to my previous solo trips. I’ve stayed at other people’s houses abroad before, but I’ve been able to roam around on foot more easily on my aupair trips. Meeting people on my own is much more difficult than on the trips that I spent at hostels for example.  This is also the first time I do have work every day of the week, which is of course an adjustment even though my weekend shifts are very short and even though I enjoy the physical work. And lastly but definitely not least, I didn’t come into the great unknown this time, instead none else but my boyfriend is from here. It’s a weird situation as I’m here and he couldn’t be for now so I do am doing my solotrip as originally planned, but I obviously had heard a lot about the island before and I already had a connection to the place through him, so creating my own relationship with the place has been different this time. Not better or worse, just different! And it is quite funny that I spent time with his family sometimes while he’s not around himself. But I’m oh so grateful for their help and genuinely enjoy spending time with them (I just worry if they do too). So all in all, as said, quite the experience!

I haven’t really been practicing Dutch that much, I still have a very long list of things I want to do here and I still have to make peace with my plans for after leaving the island, but I still have over a month! Over a month of daily dog cuddles, sunshine, and being surrounded by the ocean in all directions. I’m so grateful  to be here, and so happy I put in the work to be here (more about that later, all those people thinking I just got myself here on a lottery ticket I kindly request that you go do some research on media reading skills). And I’m so looking forward to seeing what the rest of my time here still has to offer!

Sending you lots of doggolove and sunshine from this One Happy Island!

Love,

Anna