On an island in the Caribbean, the small town friendliness is as enticing as the white sandy beaches.
Choosing to live on a Caribbean Island offers many obvious benefits — soft white sand beaches, crystal clear blue sea, lush tropical foliage, and sunrises and sunsets beyond compare. Then there is a benefit that I was pleasantly surprised to encounter—becoming a member of the Roatan Global Village. It’s proving to be small town living at its best.
Now admittedly, small town living has its downsides too, anonymity is not an option. It can be said that if you are on the east end of the Island and sneeze, by the time you drive to the west end (at most 37 miles away) people will ask if you have pneumonia. But that kind of everybody-knows everybody-else’s-business (with exaggerated details) happens in any close knit community.
The bonus to the small town living feel on an Island in the Caribbean Sea is that we share our differences. I came from Canada with an understanding of snow tires and toques (that’s a knit winter hat), maple dip donuts and Tim Horton’s coffee. And by the way — as you chuckle to yourself—I say, “out and about” not “oot and aboot.”
I now count among my friends fellow Roatan(ian’s) who have come to call Roatan home from just about every country you could name. We all brought our cultural habits and preferences, and, okay, so I too giggle at how others pronounce words compared to me.
We, the members of the Roatan Global Village spend a lot of time together—somebody is always calling a meeting—whether it is to cheer on each other’s sports teams (unless of course our home country is a contender) or celebrate each other’s holidays and traditions. We come together to support common causes, and to praise accomplishments.
We band together for friends in need, and to mourn the loss of others. And if there isn’t a specific reason to have a meeting, we’ll get together just because!
And I’m happy to report that as a member of the Roatan Global Village, I now know that; shrimp are stimp, conk is how you pronounce conch, and tomorrow/next week/a month from now/maybe never, is pronounced mañana!
Photo Credits
All photos © Genny RossBarons. All Rights Reserved.
Sounds absolutely wonderful.
What a special place to be!