One aspect of being here that’s been easier than expected is staying connected and having good communications with Seattle and friends in the US as well as with family and friends here. We have fast internet, unlimited phone calls to/from US for $3/month on Skype, a Seattle phone number that rings here, online banking, easy withdrawals from our US bank at ATMs here. Skype is very good much of the time, pretty reliable during off-peak hours, with video now very commonly available on laptops, as an added dimension that’s really nice. For business purposes, Skype is still prone to unreliability, dropped calls and poor sound quality are common at peak hours, so alternatives and backups are needed. Cell phone calls are reasonable to US (about $.10/minute for very clear cell connections) which is a good additional communications backup.
Really, it feels like I can be most anywhere, and still be close to all I care about. The possibility that you can live where you want to live, and work where the work is seems increasingly realistic.
While on the phone last night troubleshooting a computer problem, the tech asked me what that chirping noise was in the background, so I told those were the usual night sounds of insects here in Martinique. He asked me how I got permission to come here, and I told him that I just made the plans and told my colleagues what was happening; permission didn’t really enter into the conversation. I think we have a private more permission that we believe.
What’s been more difficult than expected has been:
- finding a place to rent
- realizing we needed to furnish our own place as we couldn’t find a furnished place within our budget; needing to buy a fridge and washing machine.
- accepting that what we can afford to rent is far less nice than what we can afford for a vacation.
- confronting the high cost of living. It’s the dollar that feels like fake money, not the unfamiliar looking euros. Since we arrived, the Dollar has luckily grown stronger against the still expensive euro.
- adapting to a smaller home than accustomed.
- navigating the institutions here, the way of doing things is so different, yet most locals assume we know that this is of course how things are done. we’ve been able to feel like fools pretty often and easily. People tend to be unaware of how many ritualized rules they follow which are local, assuming them to be global.
- of course you have to wait in 3 lines for half an hour each to maybe be able to return something you bought.
- of course you can only return an item at the specific store you bought it at, even if you’re at another location of the same store.
- of course you have to go in person to have the water turned on
- of course every kid will eat blue cheese and little tinned hotdogs in oily liquid.
- of course boys and girls at public school use the same bathrooms without doors on the stalls
- of course there is no toilet paper or soap in most public bathrooms, when they exist
- change is stressful and can be hard on kids, especially when they don’t feel they can control or change the situation.
These kinds of difficulties have helped us learn how to thrive and respond positively to unmet expectations and thwarted intentions, and to rise above these to succeed.
More that’s been easier than expected
- finding excellent food.
- incredibly helpful teachers, extended family loaning us beds, furniture, closets, dishes
- buying a car, thanks to a contact here who sells cars.
- encouraging the kids to go swimming and play outdoors
- coping with the hot sun midday. We’ve quickly adapted to making the most of early and late hours of sun, staying out of sun from 10:30-4 is easy and natural.
- being accepted and welcomed by neighbors and peers.
- dealing with a fender-bender. I was rear-ended while in traffic, and the offender just calmly got out, admitted his mistake in a friendly way, gave me his insurance information, and the claim was painless and matter of fact. No bristling or justification required.
- adapting to the changes. At first this seems daunting, but before long, new routines become normal, and the aspects of discovery and learning that are daily experiences become less like surprises and more like how life should be all the time.
