Adjusting

I've been on this lovely island for one month now. Some major adjustments have taken place, and I've experienced some emotional highs and lows as well. No one said a move such as this would be easy!

Medical issues have been front and center for a few weeks. I was taking a low-dose antidepressant for nerve pain in my feet and was trying...unsuccessfully...to get the medication here. You can walk into any pharmacy here and just ask for Valium, but antipsychotics, antidepressants and anticonvulsants require a prescription. Due to the lengthy process, I had run out of the medication I brought with me. I was on edge...waiting for the unbearable pain to start...and frustrated that it was seemingly impossible to get what I needed.

Just when I had a doctor's prescription and thought I was finally going to get my meds, fate stepped in again. The pharmacy didn't 'like' the doctor's stamp on the prescription.  I was on the verge of despair when I thought to myself, "wait...your feet have been all right...a little numbness off and on, mainly due to uncomfortable shoes or sitting for too long."  What if fate were telling me to get off the medication?  And so the decision was made to let fate decide.  So far, so good!

I was also experiencing considerable fatigue during the day.  'Something' was waking me up in the middle of the night...usually around 2-3 AM...scratching, clawing...in the walls?...under the floor?  What was it?  Where was it?  Once awakened by it, I couldn't stay in the bedroom.  What if it was able to get in there? 

The next night I pushed the two chairs together and slept in the living room.  Not very comfortable, and not a good night's sleep.  I spoke to the owner about the noises.  She thought it was caused by palm branches rubbing against the building, so she had the handyman...Victor...cut the brush back.  I slept, once again, in the bedroom and was awakened at 4 by the scratching.  Back to the living room! 

The next night we had an angry storm...a deluge of rain and crashes of thunder that shook the apartment building.  There was much more than scratching that night...loud and desperate clawing, up, up, up the wall...thumping...crashing.  I couldn't take much more of this.  Victor speaks no English, and I speak no Spanish...and so, I mimed to him the events of the previous night!  Later in the day, the owner stopped by to tell me that Victor had found a very large iguana trapped in a pipe leading to the cistern.  He freed it...problem solved!

At the same time as the ensuing quandry about my feet/medication, we experienced quite a bit of rain on Utila.  I was staying put in my apartment...not wanting to get drenched and not wanting to overdo the walking because of my feet.  I began to miss my family...miss my friends...everyone I knew and loved was so far away.  I wasn't sleeping well because of my unseen visitor.  I was worried that I could soon be in unbearable pain.  I was having an extra glass of wine at night to help me sleep.

I realized I was experiencing some mild depression, so I had a long talk with myself.  "You know this isn't uncommon, Carolyn.  Anyone who makes a lifestyle change will, at some point, ask themselves 'what was I thinking?'.  You were expecting this.  Now deal with it.  You're a sociable person, and you need people in your life.  It's not good to sit in this apartment and dwell on things you can't change.  Make sure you get out with people every day.  Walk to Rio Coco for an iced latte.  Sit and talk with the nice young men who work there.  Strike up conversations with the other customers.  Go to the book/video store or one of the realty companies and get to know the owners and employees better.  Get out and DO...every single day, rain or shine!"

I'm nothing if not a good listener, and I paid close attention to what I told myself!  The very next day I journeyed to Rio Coco.  I had an interesting conversation with a young couple from Portland, Oregon, who are traveling all over Central America.  They were leaving for El Salvador that afternoon.  I met an absolutely gorgeous young man with the most beautiful tattoos I have ever seen.  After complimenting him, he explained the elaborate tats to me in detail.  It was satisfying just to gaze on his beauty.  A couple of days later, I made a new friend there...Sheldon...who surprised me with freshly caught tuna the following afternoon.

The health benefits of living here have been amazing.  Not only am I off the medication I was taking for nerve pain, but I have stopped taking Prilosec for acid reflux.  I'm eating smaller meals, walking every day, losing weight.  I've had no sinus problems since I've been here.  No allergies?  No pollution?  Salt air?  I don't know why, but I'm happy to not have a constantly drippy nose.  No more back issues...that's huge!  Before I left the states I was barely able to straighten up after bending over.  My fingernails have grown long and hardened.  I can't remember the last time I was able to grow my nails long!

An added bonus, I'm now very comfortable in my apartment.  No more scary noises; I fall asleep to the sound of ocean waves breaking on the shore; all my mementos of family and friends are strategically placed; although I can't have a pet here, I do have a gecko family that comes and goes.  Having the proper perspective helps, and it's important to not allow anything to keep you down.  I am only as weak as I allow myself to be...and as strong as I will myself to be.       

Becoming a Utilian

It's not as easy to set up residency in Utila as it may be in other countries.  Setting up a bank account was a huge hurdle, although friend, Jan, was surprised that I was able to get one in a week's time.  It took four trips to the bank. 

On the first visit we found out what was needed: two notarized letters of recommendation...one from my bank in the states and one from a person or business owner in Utila.  I had the letter from the bank, but either Jan had neglected to tell me to get it notarized or I zoned it out when she told me.  Jan said she would supply the letter of recommendation for me.  She has a seal because she set up a corporation here on Utila for legal purposes. 

Jan also thought she could get the municipal judge here on Utila to stamp the letter from my bank and that would take care of both items.  Just in case, she had me make a copy of the bank letter to send back home with my daughter.  Then, if the bank didn't accept that seal, I could get my daughter to go to my bank, have it notarized, scanned and emailed to me, thus eliminating the two-three week's delay in mailing it.

A few days after the first visit, we returned to the bank with my bank letter, stamped by the judge...which cost me ten dollars...and Jan's letter with her stamp.  Well, that didn't go over at all!  The bank didn't like Jan's seal because there was too much ink on it.  They also didn't like the judge's seal because it needed to be notarized by the person at my bank who signed the letter, not a Honduran stamp.  Try again!

Jan printed out her letter once again and stamped it with a lighter touch.  I phoned my daughter and asked her to take the copy of the bank letter to my bank and have the person who signed it notarize it and email it back to me.  That actually only took two days.

Jan dropped me off at the bank on the third try, while she ran errands.  I guess she figured I was an old hand at it by now and didn't need her supervision!  Both letters were accepted.  But wait!  A form also needed to be filled out with my check of deposit and the letters of recommendation, and...wouldn't you know...they needed my cell phone number.  All good and well, except I didn't have one!  Oh, I'd had one in the states...a Tracfone...but they don't work out of the country.  And, on the island of Utila, U.S. Cellular and the like don't work either.  I have Skype and also a Magic Jack...both of which work from my computer...but they needed a Honduran phone number.  They also needed the phone number of the person I'm renting from.  I assured the (very nice, very helpful) young woman that I would be back as soon as possible.

Luckily Jan had Rita's phone number programmed in her phone.  Finding a cell phone for me might not be so easy.  The first place we went said they were having a problem activating their phones, so they couldn't sell them until that was straightened out.  We went to another place where we had better luck, and he set it up in English instead of Spanish.  I only bought 50 lemps worth (about $3 U.S dollars) of minutes, because I knew I would only use the phone in case of emergency.

Back to the bank...and...success!  I now had a Utilian bank account.  Before you get too excited, though, I can't use the account for twenty-two business days.  Which means I will probably run out of cash before I can go to the bank and get more!  Jan has assured me she will not allow me to go hungry, however, and if I need money before I can get some out, she will help me out.

On a lighter note...while I was at the bank for the third time...Jan introduced me to a friend of her's, Sue, who happens to be a neighbor of mine.  She lives just two houses down from me in a home that she designed herself, with a magical view of the ocean.  She's a retired school principal from Indiana (originally Pennsylvania) and lives in her house with two extremely funny Springer Spaniels, George and Kramer.  She has a boyfriend who is sometimes here and sometimes in the states. She asked for my email address before leaving the bank, and by the time I returned home, I had an email from her inviting me over that afternoon.

We had such a nice visit, many things in common, and I knew by the time we returned from having dinner together that I had made a new friend.  A new bank account and a new friend...all in all, not a bad day.  I'm really beginning to feel like a Utilian!

My First Week In Utila

Although I was exhausted from traveling the entire previous day, I was up before the sun rose on my first full day in Utila.  After unpacking my luggage, I showered, dressed, and Monice and I started out on our first walk to town.  It was early yet, and not too hot. 

Jan had told us the night before which stores were the best for price, fresh produce, delicious meals, the best coffee.  We stopped at a bakery(above)...with a very unusual name...that she had recommended for excellent coffee and bacon-broccoli quiche.  She was spot-on with her assessment.  The meal cost $3.50.

At 10:00 AM, Jan picked us up in her golf cart and drove us, first, to the bank, where two armed guards checked our bags prior to knocking on the window, signaling the guard inside to unlock the door and let us in.  Crime is minimal in Utila...occasionally someone has a laptop stolen...but Honduras is a poor country and having armed guards in front of the bank acts as a deterrent.  Monice and I both exchanged our U.S. dollars for lempiras (or lemps, as the locals call them).  The U.S. dollars are accepted everywhere, but the exchange rate varies by store, so it's the better deal to do it at the bank.

We were gone all day, as Jan drove us over almost every inch of the island.  We visited many shops, with Jan introducing me to everyone.  Chris, an American from Oregon, owns a book/video store.  They can be bought, rented or swapped, and the rental fee is twenty lemps per week, or one U.S. dollar. 

Chepes Beach was a favorite spot during our tour.  It's a beautiful vista of blue/green water and white sand, without a speck of litter seen anywhere, and no seaweed washed onto the shore.  I'm not sure if the lack of seaweed has to do with the warm water, or if there's another reason.  Palms and coconuts sprinkled the beach, and a lovely bar/restaurant, The Driftwood, was where we enjoyed seafood for lunch and margaritas to cool us off.

Jan showed us both of her homes.  The first one she built is for sale, a one-room all-inclusive beach cottage with gazebo and plenty of land to build a larger home or add on to the existing one.  Her new house is across the street, much larger with two stories and a huge deck off the bedroom which overlooks the bay.  The house operates on solar power, so the lucky lady is not affected by storms and power outages.

The flora and fauna are magnificent on the island.  Hibiscus bloom everywhere, along with many varieties I've never seen.  The colors are brilliant and, thanks to tropical rains which blow in and out in record time, everything is lush and green.  The island is littered with tiny hermit crabs (see below) and larger crabs with one gigantic claw which makes them look off-balance.  Tiny geckos are scattered everywhere.  They frequently visit in my apartment and, sadly, I accidentally smooshed my first visitor in the window.  Larger iguanas, called wishie willies by the locals, also can be seen crossing the road or scaling the side of a building or wall.

The days flew quickly.  We walked into town twice a day....once in the morning for breakfast or coffee and maybe a little shopping, and again in the late afternoon for dinner and pictures of the sunset.  We found a wonderful place for coffee that just opened recently, and it's not very far from my apartment...maybe a 10-minute walk.  Rio Coco Beans is owned by Michael & Laura Bagby, missionaries who came to Honduras to help the Miskito Indian refugees who fled to Honduras from Nicaragua during the war.  The cafe is staffed by volunteers, including two of their daughters, Arielle and Moselle, and their profits go towards helping the schools.

There are many things on the island that are quite different from the life I left behind in the states.  The locals do whatever they can to make money.  They don't beg or pester the tourists for money or services, but sprinkled here and there throughout the streets of town are tables or lean-to's with everything from mangoes to baked goods to hand-crafted jewelry for sale. 

Some locals find very unique ways to earn money, such as the master craftsman who builds coffins fashioned as coffee tables.  Although slightly macabre, they are a hot commodity here on the island. Locals and tourists alike buy them for their dual purposes: a useful piece of furniture while they live, and a resting place after death.

A final day on Utila for my daughter was spent mostly at the various beaches.  She collected rocks, shells and pieces of coral for her son, even finding some larger pieces for me to decorate my apartment.  I was sad at the thought of her leaving, and I felt strangely vulnerable at being left alone to experience life on Utila.  "This is what you wanted, Carolyn", I reminded myself.  "You can do this."

  

On the morning she left, I cried and held tight to her.  I didn't wait for the ferry to leave.  That would be prolonging the agony.  Instead I returned home to my cute little apartment, intent on scrubbing, cleaning and organizing...both to keep my mind busy and to also make the place my own.  It will be a mental adjustment, but I will make Utila my home.  I will find my purpose here.