Lately I’ve been thinking about some of the not-so-obvious things I miss from the island, and here are a few:
Waking up at 5:55 in the morning and going out to run. I’d have a shirt on so that none of the islanders would get “offended” by my bare chest. This was part of the guise of complying with the staff rules: Ok Jessee, I’ll be sure to wear this shirt so I don’t offend any of the conservative culture. And it’s such a conservative culture… in fact, I just saw Glenn Beck walk into Cham-B’s. But once I was out of the town, I could rip off my shirt and be free. It was exhilarating. This was the feeling I was getting at.
Bitch-slapping my regulator until it stopped free flowing. The reg was kinda spazzy, but it made going scuba diving a bit more interesting. I’d be thinking about if the regulator just started free-flowing while we were underwater. I’d have to do a controlled emergency ascent! Then Jack would have been pissed and given me the finger for real that time.
Waking up, even on the days I didn’t run. Obviously it was amazing to wake up in an island paradise overlooking the ocean, but we’d get up, drink our coffee, and stare silently at the ocean. We didn’t need to say anything-I’m guessing because we were all thinking the same thing: That ocean is beautiful.
Having to dodge the prickly thorn plants, barefoot, while retrieving errant volleyballs.
Kathleen’s voice. Especially during volleyball.
Latif yelling in Arabic into his cell phone.
The smells of Mexitan suntan lotion and biodegradable soap.
Dave’s reckless boat driving while he took us out to the dive sites. He’d charge the waves and send us airborne, and the impact upon landing resulted in a bit of spinal compression (and also discomfort in other areas…)
Salivating after hearing the bell ring.
Seeing flamingos take off and land in the salinas. They look so awkward. (Why is it called the awkward turtle instead of the awkward flamingo? The turtles weren’t awkward.)
Pretending Kelly is my sister to ward off a creepy islander.
Not knowing whether to walk on the left or the right side of the road.
Seeing how long I could hold my breath while duck diving.
Wondering how shady the island is. (Will those hotels ever be completed? How much of the economy is drug-related? Will tourism ever take off? How do some of the islanders just sit around all day and still seem to make a living?)
Coming back from a dive and immediately heading back on the boat to go snorkeling.
Saying the word “Abudefduf.”
