Island Life

I feel like I've been living in the Twilight Zone, minus the Rod Serling narration. Nowhere else in the world that I've traveled to has caused me to feel like I've been here forever and just arrived all at the same time. Island life seems to disorient me in the best possible way. I have no idea what day it is or what time it is the majority of the time. I go to bed with the sunset and wake up as it rises back into the sky. The simplicity of it all is the refreshment I needed after a chaotic summer along the Delaware River, accommodating the hustling, bustling inhabitants of New York City.
This experience has been full of so many unplanned adventures that I've almost lost track of them all. Never in my life did I actually picture myself snorkeling with a sea turtle, and yet that's exactly what happened on my very first day here in the Caribbean. I've learned how to budget and make delicious meals out of nothing more than a slice of bacon, two slices of cheddar cheese, and a soft tortilla. Rather than having cats share my living space, I've adjusted to the island inhabitants that include ants, mosquitoes, geckos, and cockroaches. The cockroaches and I have an understanding...they can come out and play while I work, but must hide in their sanctuaries when I'm home or else it's curtains to their creepy little life.
On top of all that, I've met so many wonderful people who enjoy adventure as much as, if not more than I do. Without forging these new friendships, I don't think I would have had half as much fun as I have so far. We've sung karaoke in order to earn a ride back home, wandered along beaches searching for coconuts, enjoyed happy hour at bars with swings instead of stools, rode in the bed of pickup trucks in order to go to a reggae concert, thrown a hurricane party, and hitchhiked when the bus has decided to not function on schedule. There's no place else where all of these events could occur and nobody would bat an eye, and I'm so thankful for this opportunity to discover a new part of the world. Now it's time to see what my last two weeks will bring here in St John.